It’s a case of vexing The Vixen as The Chase star shares her battle with online trolls.

The Chase’s Jenny Ryan talks about her battles with online trolls and her love of the show. James Rampton reports.

If you can believe it, there is someone in the world who can boss the fearsome Governess around. Her name is Jenny Ryan, but you will know her better as The Vixen, the foxy colleague of The Governess on the popular quiz show The Chase.

Ryan explains how she is the only person on the planet able to lord it over The Governess, who terrorises contestants as one of the Chasers on the quiz hosted by the likeable Bradley Walsh.

“I am on a quiz league team with Anne (Hegerty, alias The Governess),” says Ryan. “I’m the captain, so I get to boss her around.” It is the stuff of dreams. But her friendship with Hegerty ended up proving highly fruitful for Ryan.

The Vixen, who hails from Bolton in the northwest of England, recalls that, “Anne approached me in 2014. She said she’d heard the producers were thinking of adding a new Chaser and they were looking for a female quizzer. If they were going to add another woman, she said she’d like for it to be someone she knew.”

Applying to be a Chaser was far from a straightforward procedure, however.

Ryan, who glories in the nickname of The Bolton Braniac, remembers that, “There was a six-month recruitment process. I was in the running with a few others and we were assessed to see who, if any, would be a fit. It’s a big brand and the fans are mega-fans, so if they put the wrong person in the hot-seat, then there would be outrage.

“It was a long process. It started in January and I didn’t find out until October that I had the job, so I had to be very patient.

“But I completely understand why. They had to pick

the right person for the show. You don’t want to disappoint the fans, do you? The producers certainly didn’t want to let them down.” Once she had finally landed the job, Ryan took on the stage name of The Vixen. She recounts how that moniker was chosen. “The name of The Vixen was picked with a couple of things in mind. Firstly, because I have long red hair, which is put into a ponytail so it’s like a fox’s brush. “Secondly, because I’ve always had a love of animals, and this name gives me free rein to be a bit predatory and a bit flirty. It allows me to be a bit wild if I need to be.” That wildness is reflected in The Vixen’s on-screen personality. “I’m the opposite of Anne,” Ryan asserts. “Obviously, she’s frosty and I’m more fiery – so, basically, don’t cross me. The producers want me to be a bit cheeky and a bit sarky.” The contestants on The Chase, she continues, “Have an idea what’ll happen if they get on the wrong side of me.” For all that, Ryan adds, “I don’t like to target the contestants as I’ve been there before. I give credit where credit’s due, as people stand up and put their reputation on the line and it’s difficult. I do it every day, but I’m a professional.” Ryan has relished her time as The Vixen. The sole downside, she reveals, is the unwarranted attacks she receives from online trolls. “It is quite hurtful when people make a judgment without even really watching me and saying things like, ‘I’m not watching if she’s on’. There are certain people who have contacted me on Twitter, not realising I am a human being who reads things sent to me directly.

“They’ve said, ‘I can’t stand her. I never watch more than a minute of her before switching off’. It’s a bit like, ‘Give me a chance’.”

Those misguided keyboard warriors, though, have not stopped Ryan from loving being The Vixen.

She discloses that she thrives on “getting into the zone” in the studio.

“No matter how nervous you’re feeling beforehand, once you’re out there it’s a different world and you can just switch off.

“A ‘zone’ is what performers would call it. You tune out the cameras and people around you and put everything into the quiz.

“So the first time, even though it was stressful, I finished and said, ‘I actually enjoyed it’.

“I enjoyed the Final Chase more than anything as that’s the crux of the show and it’s quizzing in its purest form. I came off and wanted to do it again.”

“This name gives me free rein to be a bit predatory and a bit flirty. It allows me to be a bit wild if I need to be.” – Jenny Ryan on being The Vixen with The Beast (Mark Labbett) and The Governess (Anne Hegerty)