Clandestine comedy Chaser:

The Chase’s Paul Sinha talks about his love of comedy and why the show could not survive without host Bradley Walsh. James Rampton reports.

The Chase’s Sinnerman talks about his other big love.

The white-suited Sinnerman is one of the best-known and best-loved professional quizzers on The Chase, the hugely popular British quiz show hosted by Bradley Walsh.

But what is less known is that his alter ego, Paul Sinha, enjoys a successful parallel career as a stand-up comedian. He is a clandestine comedy Chaser.

In interviews, the 48 year old gives away his roots, underlining his comedy credentials with his amusing comments about working on The Chase, the programme in which a fearsome quintet of Chasers – Sinha, Anne Hegerty, Mark Labbett, Shaun Wallace and Jenny Ryan – challenge quiz contestants and try to stop them from taking home a cash prize.

Sinha begins, for instance, with a gag that will strike a chord with Kiwi viewers.

Pretending to disclose behind-the-scenes secrets from The Chase studio, he deadpans: “The New Zealand rugby union team have their haka. We have our own war dance.

“Naturally I choreographed it and it is West Side Story meets University Challenge. At the beginning of every day’s recording, we perform it with gusto. It is the most joyous 28 minutes of the working day.”

His humour comes to the fore as well when asked to reveal a hitherto unknown fact about his fellow Chaser, Mark Labbett, aka The Beast. Sinha replies

“Should Bradley Walsh, as he will do eventually, decide that his acting career comes first, The Chase won’t survive.” – Paul Sinha

that, “In August 1998, Mark once ate a salad.” In the same way, Sinha shows his comedy background whenever he fails to keep a straight face on set. He recalls one contestant’s answer which made him crack up. “My favourite was the woman who when asked, ‘Which former Prime Minister had the middle name Hilda?’ answered, without hesitation, ‘John Prescott’. It took hours before we stopped laughing.” (The correct answer, of course, was Margaret Thatcher.) The performer who reckons he is more famous in New Zealand than the UK, where The Chase is aired before many people have returned from work, outlines why the show has been such a worldwide hit. “The format has been brilliantly thought out. No matter the relative strengths of the players, it is resolutely a team game, with a dramatic climax. The questions are ludicrously varied, covering everything from 16th-century philosophy to the career of Jodie Marsh. “But, perhaps most importantly of all, we never forget that it is an entertainment show and to that end we are blessed with Bradley Walsh, one of the brightest stars of the light entertainment firmament.” Sinha, who became the fourth Chaser in 2011, underscores the importance of Bradley Walsh to the success of the programme. “I think there are some shows that can’t survive without that particular host ...

“Should Bradley Walsh, as he will do eventually, decide that his acting career comes first, The Chase won’t survive.”

Another key to the show’s popularity is the fact that the Chasers are highly committed to their job. Sinha, who in addition to The Sinnerman also glories in such nicknames as The Smiling Assassin and Sarcasm In A Suit, says that, “We are hugely competitive people who absolutely detest losing.

“I once lost 28-27 in series five. It didn’t matter that the contestant was immensely likeable and that I had done unbelievably well to get to 27. I had lost. We are professional quizzers who take the role very seriously and, even in the Celebrity Chases, always give 100 per cent.”

The Chase has created a high profile for Sinha in the UK, but he has not let fame go to his head.

The performer, who initially trained as a doctor at St George’s Hospital Medical School in London (the same hospital where his fellow stand-up Harry Hill studied) before finding himself unable to resist the lure of live comedy, says that, “A couple of years ago, I did a show at the Edinburgh Festival called Postcards From The Z List.

“Much of it was about the reality of being an exceptionally minor celebrity. Whenever I am tempted to get stressed out about the spotlight, I remind myself that one day I will be long forgotten and that I will miss it.”

Fans of the quiz show all over the world will no doubt be delighted to hear that Sinha has no intention of being forgotten any time soon.

He has no plans to be chased off The Chase. “Oh, I love it here. I cannot lie, this is the dream job. As long as the producers will have me, I’m here for them.”