Beat the Chasers
HOL MON-FRI / ITV
You can gen up all you like, but as far as our cover star Jenny ‘The Vixen’ Ryan is concerned, knowledge is not enough – you need ‘ice in your veins’ to beat Bradley Walsh’s brainiacs. For more pointers from Jenny and co-star Shaun ‘Grumpy Jaws’ Wallace,
NEW HOL MON-FRI / ITV / 9PM (TIMES VARY) / EPS 1-5 of 5 / GAME SHOW
Seeing all the Chasers sitting at a table at your local quiz night would be a terrifying sight, but we just love watching the titans of trivia working together as a team on ITV’S Beat the Chasers.
The hit spin-off from The Chase returns for a third series this week with Chasers Mark ‘The Beast’ Labbett, Shaun ‘The Dark Destroyer’ Wallace, Anne ‘The Governess’ Hegerty, Jenny ‘The Vixen’ Ryan and newest recruit Darragh ‘The Menace’ Ennis again teaming up to take on contestants in quick-fire rounds. (Paul ‘The Sinnerman’ Sinha was unwell at the time of filming, and unable to take part).
Bradley Walsh returns as host, egging on the contestants to get the better of the Chasers.
So what does it take to beat the Chasers at their own game? In an exclusive interview, TV Times spoke to Jenny, 39, and Shaun, 60, to find out how contestants should prepare for facing them, how they are finding working as a team, and what it’s like to watch a fellow Chaser get an answer wrong...
What’s the standard of contestants like in this series?
SHAUN The standard has improved exponentially, which is good. They know what to expect now, they know what their limits are, they know whether or not they’ve got what it takes to actually beat the Chasers – and some of them do have it!
JENNY I know the casting team work really hard, but the contestants have also been putting the practice in – particularly in lockdown! Contestant after contestant has been amazing – great knowledge, but also great tactics. They’ve really thought things through.
What qualities do contestants need to beat the Chasers?
SHAUN They need to not be caught up in the moment, in terms of being in an artificial studio where they face a professional bunch of quizzers. They need to have total faith in their ability, and more importantly, not be frightened to get a question wrong.
JENNY It is difficult to beat us! A lot of people think they could beat us just with a standing start, and they’re crazy – they need to maintain it, so basically they need to have ice in their veins…. The best contestants are the ones who are really honest about how good they are, and then damp it down a little bit further and give themselves a bit more time and one fewer Chaser to face. It’s less money, but at least they’re taking the money home!
How would you recommend people prepare for coming on the show?
JENNY You need to practice that endgame. You don’t really know how long a minute is until you’ve had someone firing questions at you for 60 seconds solid. The best thing is not just to get your general knowledge up, but practice that time element – you see people fall to pieces when they watch the seconds tick away.
SHAUN They’ve got to keep on going for that minute, and not let the nerves get to them if they get a question wrong. If they get into a sort of ‘wrong answer spiral’, that’s when their game goes to pot.
Do you feel like you’ve got the hang of working as a team now you’re on series three?
JENNY We don’t just have to answer the question the way the
PEOPLE FALL TO PIECES WHEN THEY WATCH THE SECONDS TICK
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contestants do – we have to assess whether any of the Chasers in that line-up should be left to get that one first, or if they’re going to go in for a guess, or if I should go in for a guess – there’s a lot going on for us! Unless we get some kind of cybernetic implants in the near future, we’re getting as good as we can be. People should rest assured, we’re still going to stay possibly beatable – but very rarely!
SHAUN I think we were settled from series one! We’ve made mistakes in all the series, but it’s just a new dynamic and we’ve adapted to it easily.
Darragh Ennis joined the Chasers last year – what does he bring to Beat the Chasers?
SHAUN He’s brilliant – he’s a superb quizzer in his own right, and has earned the right to become a Chaser. He demonstrated that in this series – he’s been a welcome addition.
JENNY It’s been a bit of a baptism of fire for poor Darragh! But he’s settled in really well. He’s got a great sense of humour, he’s very sharp, so I think that’s really appreciated – especially by Brad! It’s an absolute joy to have him there.
You don’t all play against every contestant – what’s it like in the rounds that you sit out?
JENNY [laughs ] I have to sit on my hand when I’m not in the lineup! You can get very frustrated when it feels like the team is taking an age to answer the question or pass on it, and you’re sitting there going, ‘Oh, I knew this one!’ It’s a unique feeling to be stuck there, having to stop yourself from reaching out and pressing the buzzer.
Beat the Chasers has become appointment TV – do you think being shown across a single week helps that?
SHAUN The daytime show is an event in its own right, so the mere fact that people are excited to see the five of us in the evening adds to the excitement, I’d say. On my Twitter feed and social-media platforms, people are asking when it’s coming out – it shows that excitement is at fever pitch, which is fantastic!
JENNY I think it benefits from being a special event – it’s a treat to be on across a week! It’s great for us to make the show, but it is also quite intense and tiring, so if it’s on for a week a couple of times a year, it’s like a little holiday from reality – but I don’t think we’d have the energy to make it 52 weeks of the year!