| Genre: | Game show |
| Presenter: | Bradley Walsh |
| Theme Music Composer: | Paul Farrer |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Num Series: | 17 (regular), 13 (The Chase Celebrity Special), 2 (The Family Chase), 6 (Beat the Chasers) |
| Num Episodes: | 2,385 (regular), 148 (The Chase Celebrity Special), 22 (The Family Chase), 44 (Beat The Chasers) |
| Network: | ITV |
| Last Aired: | present |
The Chase is a British television quiz show broadcast on the ITV network, hosted by Bradley Walsh. Contestants play against a professional quizzer, known as the "chaser", who attempts to prevent them from winning a cash prize.
, the six chasers are Mark Labbett, Shaun Wallace, Anne Hegerty, Paul Sinha, Jenny Ryan and Darragh Ennis. Labbett and Wallace have both been chasers since Series 1 while Hegerty joined in Series 2, Sinha in Series 4, Ryan in Series 9 and Ennis in Series 13. With rare exceptions for special episodes, only one chaser participates in any given episode.
A team of four contestants individually attempt to amass as much money as possible which is later added to a prize fund if the contestant survives their chase. The chaser must attempt to catch each contestant during their chase, eliminating that person from the game and preventing the money from being added to the collective prize fund. In the individual chase, the player must choose between a higher offer (closer to the chaser), their earned money and a lower offer (further away from the chaser). Later, in the final round, contestants who survived their chases play collectively as a team against the chaser for an equal share of the prize fund.[1]
With a regular audience of three to five million, The Chase is one of the most successful and longest running game shows on UK television and one of ITV's most successful daytime shows ever.[2] The show has been nominated six times at the National Television Awards, winning in 2016, 2017 and 2019. They also won for the spin-off series, Beat the Chasers in 2021 and 2022.[3] It was also nominated for the inaugural Best Daytime award at the 2021 British Academy Television Awards but won it in 2022.[4]
Additionally, The Chase has become a successful international franchise: regional versions have been made in Australia, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Israel, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, The Netherlands, Turkey and the United States. Labbett and Hegerty feature as chasers on the Australian version (with Wallace appearing as a "Guest Chaser" in 2018). Labbett featured as the sole chaser on the 2013–2015 American version and joined the 2021 American version for its second season.
Each contestant individually attempts to accumulate money for the team's prize fund through two rounds. In the first round, known as the "Cash Builder", the contestant answers as many questions as they can within one minute. Each correct answer awards £1,000; there is no penalty for incorrect answers or passes. After completing the Cash Builder, the contestant enters the "Head-to-Head" round, attempting to move the money down to the bottom of a seven-step board and into the team's prize fund ("home") without being caught by the chaser. The board had eight steps in Series 1.
The contestant is given three options by the Chaser at the start of the Head-to-Head round: play for the money earned in the Cash Builder and start three steps down the board (requiring five correct answers to reach home), accept a higher offer and start two steps down, or accept a lower offer and start four steps down. The lower offer can be zero or even a negative amount if the team has already banked some money. Once the starting position is selected, the host asks a series of multiple-choice questions to the contestant and the Chaser, both of whom individually select one of the three answer options on keypads. After either person locks in a guess, the other must do so within five seconds or be locked out for that turn. A correct answer moves the person who gave it one step down the board while a wrong answer or lock-out leaves them where they are.
If the contestant reaches home without being caught, they advance to the Final Chase and their money is added to the team's prize fund (or deducted, if they took a negative amount). If the chaser catches up, the contestant is eliminated and the money is forfeited. If all four contestants are caught by the chaser, they nominate one contestant to play the Final Chase alone.
Contestants who are blind or visually impaired. Contestants who are deaf or hearing impaired
The contestants who have won their head-to-head chases blindly select one of two question sets for themselves, with the other set put aside for the Chaser, and then have two minutes to answer as many questions as possible on the buzzer. Any answer given by a contestant who has not buzzed-in is automatically ruled wrong; if only one contestant is participating in this round, the buzzer is not used. Every correct answer moves the team one step ahead of the Chaser, and they are given a head start of one step per contestant participating in this round. The contestants may not discuss or confer on any questions during this portion of the round and may pass as often as desired. There is no time limit on individual questions; the host will only ask a new question after someone has either answered or passed on the current one.
The Chaser is then given two minutes to answer questions from the unused set in an attempt to catch the team, moving one step ahead per correct answer. If the Chaser passes or misses a question, the clock stops and the team is given a chance to discuss it and respond; a correct answer pushes the Chaser back one step or (from series 3 onwards) moves the team ahead one step if the Chaser is at the starting line. If the Chaser catches the team before the time expires, the prize fund is forfeited and the contestants receive nothing. During celebrity editions, a consolation £1,000 is donated to each celebrity's chosen charity in this case.
If the Chaser is unable to catch up to the team, the participating contestants split the prize fund equally. If all four contestants are caught in their head-to-head chases and the one they nominate wins the Final Chase, each contestant wins £1,000 (£2,000 in celebrity specials).
Three episodes are filmed in a day, each one taking around an hour and a half to film. According to Walsh, "It runs like clockwork." The Final Chase can be stopped and re-started if Walsh stumbles on a question. He told the Radio Times, "If there is a slight misread, I am stopped immediately – bang – by the lawyers. We have the compliance lawyers in the studio all the time. What you have to do is go back to the start of the question, literally on videotape where my mouth opens – or where it's closed from the previous question – and the question is re-asked. It is stopped to the split second."[5]
Between March 2020 and late June 2020, production of the series was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic; the series was already on a previously scheduled production hiatus at the time of the suspension. In an interview with The Suns TV Mag, Walsh said that the show was "at least 100 episodes behind schedule" due to lockdown; during the production hiatus, repeats were shown in the programme's regular timeslot.[6]
| Chaser | Nickname | Duration | class=unsortable | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–present | Appeared on University Challenge, Fifteen to One, The Syndicate and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?;[7] runner-up on The People's Quiz, runner-up on Brain of Britain, and part of a winning team on Only Connect. He was also the sole chaser on the first three seasons of the first American version of the show on GSN and was one of six on the Australian version of the show.[8] On 6 June 2021, Labbett returned as the fourth chaser on the second American adaptation of the show in 2021. | |||
| 2009–present | Appeared on Fifteen to One, Weakest Link, Beat the Nation, BrainTeaser, Greed, and The Waiting Game; winner of Mastermind and a finalist on the first series of Are You an Egghead?. Wallace appeared as a guest chaser on the Australian version of the show in 2018. | |||
| 2010–present | Appeared twice on Mastermind, Fifteen to One, Today's the Day, Brain of Britain, and Are You an Egghead?. Hegerty is also a chaser on the Australian version of the show. | |||
| 2011–present | Appeared on Are You an Egghead?, Brain of Britain, Mastermind, University Challenge, and Weakest Link. He is also a stand-up comedian, with a comedy series called Paul Sinha's General Knowledge broadcast on BBC Radio 4.[9] [10] | |||
| 2015–present[11] | Appeared on Mastermind, Are You an Egghead?, Fifteen to One, and The Weakest Link; part of a team that reached the semi-finals of University Challenge and was part of a winning team on Only Connect. | |||
| "The Menace" | 2020–present[12] | Part of a winning team against Paul Sinha on The Chase in 2017. Ennis is a postdoctoral researcher at Oxford University studying insects. | ||
| "The Supernerd" | 2022 (Guest, Beat the Chasers, Series 5)[13] | Eleven-time winner of the Australian Quizzing Championships and seven-time pairs champion. Appeared on Australian game shows The Rich List, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and The Einstein Factor as well as being a chaser on the Australian version of the show. He appeared in the fifth series of the original UK Beat the Chasers as a substitute for Anne Hegerty after she tested positive for COVID-19.[14] [15] | ||
| "The 123" | 2023 (Guest, Sidemen Edition) | A member of the Sidemen as Vikkstar123. He also appeared as a celebrity expert on The Wheel. He is the only chaser with a 100% win rate across all episodes he has taken part in. |
A spin-off series titled The Chase: Celebrity Special featuring celebrity teams as contestants began airing on ITV in 2011. As many contestants are comedians or actors, there is a much-higher comedic element. The game is played the same way as the regular version. However, if all four celebrities have been caught by the chaser, the prize fund during the Final Chase is £8,000 (originally £4,000). If the team is caught during the Final Chase, a consolation prize of £1,000 is awarded to the charities for each celebrity who advanced to this stage.
For celebrity specials airing at Christmas, the chasers frequently appear in costumes adhering to a common theme, such as Panto villains, subjects of famous paintings, or characters typically associated with Christmas.
In February 2017, ITV commissioned The Family Chase, a spin-off featuring a team of four family members.[16] The six-episode spin-off debuted on 2 September 2017.[17] This version follows the same rules as the parent programme, but any winnings in the Final Chase are awarded to the entire family rather than individual members.
In November 2019, ITV commissioned another spin-off called Beat the Chasers. It began airing in prime-time on 27 April 2020 and features contestants attempting to beat up to five chasers to win big cash prizes. The chasers that featured in the show were Sinha, Labbett, Ryan, Hegerty and Wallace.[18] A single contestant plays the Cash Builder round, answering a series of multiple-choice questions worth £1,000 each. The round ends once they either miss a question or get five right; a miss on the first question immediately ends the game with no winnings. They must then decide how many chasers from two to five to face in a timed head-to-head round, with the chasers specifying a time limit for themselves (always less than 60seconds) and offering larger cash prizes as an incentive to face more of them. The offer to face two chasers is always equal to the amount earned in the Cash Builder. However, if the contestant gets all five questions right in the cash builder, then they can take on all of the chasers, with no time advantage, for a super offer.
The contestant's clock is set to 60seconds, while the chasers' clock is set to their agreed-on time. Only one clock runs at any given moment, starting with the contestant; the side in control must answer a question correctly to stop their clock and turn control over to the opposing side. The chasers must buzz in to respond and may not confer on any questions. The contestant wins the money on offer if the chasers' clock runs out first, or nothing if their own clock runs out.[19]
Series 2 of Beat the Chasers commenced airing on 3 January 2021, and continued consecutively for seven nights, excluding 9January, until 10 January 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the second series featured no studio audience.[20] [21] [22] [23]
Series 3 was commissioned by ITV.[24] The network had originally intended to have all six chasers participate in this series; however, these plans had to be postponed as Paul Sinha was absent due to illness.[25] The series began with a celebrity special on 27 March 2021 and once again featured no studio audience.[26]
Series 4 was commissioned by ITV, and premiered on 11 September 2021 with all six chasers participating for the first time. This series introduced a "Super Offer", available only to contestants who answered all five of their Cash Builder questions correctly. This offer was presented in conjunction with the other four and gave the contestant a chance to play against all six chasers at once, with no time advantage and a larger cash prize than that offered for facing five chasers.[27]
Series 5 went into production in March 2022 and premiered on 16 May 2022. Hegerty was absent from the regular episodes of this series (Episodes 1 - 5) due to a positive COVID-19 test and was replaced by guest chaser Issa "The Supernerd" Schultz from The Chase Australia.[28] Hegerty returned for the celebrity specials (Episodes 6 - 7) which were filmed as part of Series 6 in May 2023.
Series 6 was recorded in May 2023 and premiered on 8 October 2023. Also, the series saw the return of Anne Hegerty following her absence from this series due to a positive COVID-19 test.
The original working title for the spin-off show was Take On the Chasers. The theme tune was composed by Paul Farrer using part of the original 2009 chaser walk-on music.[29]
In this special isolation version of the show, broadcast on The Chase's YouTube channel and shown straight after the main show, all five Chasers are presenters and viewers at home can play along, for they are the contestants. Each series has five episodes; the first series was shown in mid-May 2020, and was hosted by Jenny Ryan. Between late-May and early-June, the second series was shown across consecutive days and presented by Shaun Wallace. On 1 March 2021, it was announced that a new series would be available on ITVX for six episodes, every Monday at 6:00 pm.[30]
In November 2020, ITV announced another spin-off in which The Beast, The Dark Destroyer and The Governess go on a road trip around the world.[31] On their travels, they play against child geniuses, great apes, dolphins and robots. The series takes them to the UK, USA and Japan. Episode 1 of the show aired on 21 January 2021,[32] episode 2 aired on 28 January 2021[33] and episode 3 aired on 4 February 2021.[34] The series was narrated by Rob Brydon.
On 11 February 2024, the popular British YouTube group the Sidemen posted a comedic spin-off episode of The Chase on their group channel, with clips also shared on The Chases official YouTube channel.[35] The video was filmed on the show's set, and also used the on-set cameras and crew whilst using the graphics and music from the TV programme. It also features a guest appearance from Bradley Walsh during a brief intermission.
Fellow YouTuber Stephen "Stephen Tries" Lawson hosted, while Sidemen members were the Chaser and contestants: Vikram "Vikkstar123" Barn was the Chaser (nicknamed "The 123"), while the contestants competing in pairs were Olajide "KSI" Olatunji, Simon "Miniminter" Minter, Joshua "Zerkaa" Bradley, Tobi "TBJZL" Brown, Ethan "Behzinga" Payne and Harry "WroeToShaw" Lewis.[36]
On 2 September 2024, a spin-off episode of The Chase was aired on ITV to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the popular quiz show. Hosted by Bradley Walsh, the episode featured two Chasers who took it in turns to play against the contestants. The two Chasers selected for the episode were Mark Labbett (nicknamed "The Beast") and Shaun Wallace (nicknamed "The Dark Destroyer"). Both Chasers have been on the show since Series 1 in 2009. The contestants all shared their names with the other Chasers. The episode aired in The Chase
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes | Notes | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 June 2009 | 10 July 2009 | 10 | Aired as one of three summer replacements for Golden Balls, with the other two being Divided and The Fuse. | [38] | |
| 2 | 24 May 2010 | 19 July 2010 | 40 | From this series onwards, Walsh now does an introduction section for each of the chasers, rather than the pre-recorded version. No episode on 29 June due to the World Cup match between Paraguay and Japan. | [39] | |
| 3 | 3 January 2011 | 25 February 2011 | 40 | From this series onwards, the number font for the cash builder counter and clock, offers on the head-to-head table and the contestants' bank and final chase counter and clock were updated. Series 1, 2 and 3 all did not take any breaks. | [40] | |
| 4 | 5 September 2011 | 30 January 2012 | 60 | From this series onwards, when the chasers catch a contestant, the entire studio now goes red, rather than just the table. Series 4 took a break from 31 October 2011 – 2 January 2012. | [41] | |
| 5 | 31 January 2012 | 30 March 2013 | 119 | From this series onwards, the chasers' triangle on the head-to-head table was updated to 3D. During the introduction, the lighting is now red. Series 5 took breaks from 13 – 17 February, 2 – 6 April and 4 June – 31 August. No episode on 17 October due to the postponed World Cup qualifying match between England and Poland. The episode planned for this date aired on 30 March 2013 during the broadcast of Series 6. | [42] [43] | |
| 6 | 29 October 2012 | 21 November 2014 | 149 | Series 6 took breaks from 24 December 2012 – 1 January, 11 – 15 February, 25 March – 5 April and 27 – 31 May 2013. Episode 149 aired on 21 November 2014 during the broadcast of Series 8. | [44] | |
| 7 | 2 September 2013 | 17 November 2014 | 150 | Series 7 took breaks from 28 October – 1 November, 11 November 2013 – 1 January, 17 – 21 February, 7 – 18 April, 28 April – 30 May, and 13 June – 4 July 2014. The episode planned to air on 6 June was postponed and aired on 17 November 2014 during the broadcast of Series 8. | [45] | |
| 8 | 1 September 2014 | 3 July 2015 | 146 | Series 8 took breaks from 22 December 2014 – 2 January, 16 – 20 February and 20 April – 29 May 2015. Episodes 145 and 146 aired on 24 June and 3 July, during the broadcast of Series 9. | [46] | |
| 9 | 22 June 2015 | 6 September 2016 | 190 | Series 9 took breaks from 3 – 28 August and 21 December 2015 – 1 January. No episodes on 23 September, 1 October and 7 October due to the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Series 10 episodes started airing before all the Series 9 episodes had been shown, hence transmission dates overlapping. | [47] | |
| 10 | 15 April 2016 | 24 October 2017 | 190 | From towards the end of this series onwards, when the clock is stopped during the final chase when the chaser gets a question wrong, the clock now turns red. Series 10 took breaks from 13 June – 26 August and 19 December 2016 – 1 January. No episode on 20 January due to Donald Trump becoming new President of the United States. No episode on 22 March 2017 due to the 2017 Westminster attack, the episode planned for this date aired on 24 October 2017 during the broadcast of Series 11. Episode 54 was a 1000-episode special and broadcast on 29 September 2016. | [48] | |
| 11 | 25 April 2017 | 3 September 2018 | 170 | Series 11 took breaks from 1 – 26 May, 19 June – 1 September and 25 December 2017 – 1 January 2018. Series 12 episodes started airing before all the Series 11 episodes had been shown, hence transmission dates overlapping. | [49] | |
| 12 | 2 March 2018 | 21 September 2020 | 170 | Series 12 took breaks from 28 May – 31 August, 10 – 31 December 2018, 11 – 15 March and 1 – 5 April 2019. Series 13 episodes started airing before all the Series 12 episodes had been shown, hence transmission dates overlapping. | [50] | |
| 13 | 7 March 2019 | 4 October 2022 | 210 | Series 13 took breaks from 20 May – 30 August, 11 November – 31 December 2019, 9 – 13 March and 23 March – 31 August 2020. Series 14 and Series 15 episodes started airing before all the Series 13 episodes had been shown, hence transmission dates overlapping. Episode 169 was not broadcast for legal reasons. | ||
| 14 | 4 November 2020 | 30 December 2022 | 210 | From this series onwards, before the chaser starts the final chase, Walsh asks them if they are ready. Series 14 took breaks from 18 December 2020 – 1 January, 15 March – 16 April, 7 June – 27 August and 13 – 27 December 2021. Series 15 episodes started airing before all the Series 14 episodes had been shown, hence transmission dates overlapping. | ||
| 15 | 27 January 2022 | 5 February 2024 | 210 | Series 15 took breaks from 14 March – 8 April, 16 – 20 May, 6 June – 26 August, 8 – 19 September, 14 November – 27 December 2022, 6 March – 14 April, 2 June, 12 June – 25 August and 23 October – 17 November 2023. No episode on 22 September 2023 because of live coverage of the 2023 Rugby World Cup game between Argentina and Samoa which was aired from 4:00 pm (4:45 pm kickoff) on that day. A Soccer Aid special was broadcast on 10 June 2022. Series 16 episodes started airing before all the Series 15 episodes had been shown, hence transmission dates overlapping. | ||
| 16 | 19 April 2023 | TBA | 160 | Series 16 took breaks from 18 – 29 December 2023 and 18 March – 23 August 2024. Episode 53 was a Soccer Aid special and broadcast on 9 June 2023. Series 17 episodes started airing before all the Series 16 episodes had been shown, hence transmission dates overlapping. | ||
| 17 | 8 March 2024 | TBA | 160 | Episode 98 was a 15th anniversary special featuring two chasers and broadcast on 2 September 2024. |
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 October 2011[51] | 10 December 2011[52] | 6 | In the introduction, the celebrities' faces are not visible and darkened out unlike regular episodes and contestants. |
| 2 | 19 August 2012[53] | 7 October 2012[54] | 6 | From this series onwards, the celebrities now get a special introduction from Walsh, rather than introduce themselves like regular contestants. |
| 3 | 5 October 2013[55] | 28 December 2013[56] | 14 | |
| 4 | 30 August 2014[57] | 13 December 2014 | 18[58] | From this series onwards, the chasers and Walsh started wearing special versions of their outfits to highlight that it is a celebrity special. The last two episodes of the same series aired in March 2015. |
| 1 March 2015 | 8 March 2015 | |||
| 5 | 24 October 2015[59] | 12 December 2015 | 16[60] | |
| 27 March 2016 | 15 May 2016 | |||
| 6 | 11 September 2016 | 30 October 2016 | 16 | From this series onwards, the chaser now sits in on the final chase, rather than walking on again like regular episodes. Series 7 episodes started airing before all the Series 6 episodes had been shown, hence transmission dates overlapping. |
| 9 July 2017 | 26 November 2017 | |||
| 7 | 14 October 2017 | 17 December 2017 | 8 | The last episode of the same series aired 10 days before Halloween 2018. |
| 21 October 2018 | ||||
| 8 | 14 October 2018 | 16 December 2018 | 8 | Series 9 and Series 10 episodes started airing before all the Series 8 episodes had been shown, hence transmission dates overlapping. Episode 7 did not air due to a question about The Jeremy Kyle Show. |
| 19 October 2019 | ||||
| 5 September 2020 | 12 September 2020 | |||
| 9 | 8 June 2018 | 8 | Series 10 episodes started airing before all the Series 9 episodes had been shown, hence transmission dates overlapping. | |
| 28 October 2018 | 9 December 2018 | |||
| 14 September 2019 | 12 October 2019 | |||
| 10 | 14 June 2019 | 12 | Series 11 and Series 12 episodes started airing before all the Series 10 episodes had been shown, hence transmission dates overlapping. | |
| 21 September 2019 | 25 December 2019 | |||
| 19 September 2020 | 10 October 2020 | |||
| 6 November 2021 | ||||
| 11 | 17 October 2020 | 26 December 2020 | 12 | Series 11 was due to be recorded in two parts, in April and September 2020. The first block of 6 episodes due to be recorded in April 2020 was postponed owing to the COVID-19 lockdown in England. Six episodes (including two Christmas Specials) were recorded in September 2020 with very strict measures in place, including a limited number of audience members, and contestants seats being social distanced. The contestants and Walsh, and the Chasers, were in Close Contact Cohorts meaning limited physical closeness was permitted under the industry guidelines. Series 12 episodes started airing before all the Series 11 episodes had been shown, hence transmission dates overlapping. |
| 13 November 2021 | 12 December 2021 | |||
| 4 September 2022 | ||||
| 29 October 2022 | ||||
| 15 January 2023 | ||||
| 12 | 3 September 2021 | 12 | No episode on 14 May 2023. Series 13 episodes started airing before all the Series 12 episodes had been shown, hence transmission dates overlapping. | |
| 20 November 2021 | 26 December 2021 | |||
| 28 August 2022 | ||||
| 5 November 2022 | ||||
| 30 April 2023 | 21 May 2023 | |||
| 13 | 25 December 2022 | 26 December 2022 | 12 | |
| 19 March 2023 | 23 April 2023 | |||
| 13 January 2024 | 20 January 2024 | |||
| 2 November 2024 | 30 November 2024 | |||
| 14 | 21 December 2024 | 22 December 2024 | 12 | |
| TBA | TBA | |||
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 September 2017 | 7 October 2017 | 6 | |
| 2 | 24 March 2019 | 12 May 2019 | 8 | |
| 3 | 22 March 2020 | 24 May 2020 | 8 |
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes | Presenter(s) | Broadcast | Network(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Monday to Friday | ||||
| 2 | 5 | Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday | ||||
| 3 | 6 | Monday | ITVX | |||
| 4 | 6 September 2021 | 11 October 2021 | 6 | |||
| 5 | 6 | |||||
| 6 | 25 July 2022 | 29 August 2022 | 6 | |||
| 7 | 21 November 2022 | 26 December 2022 | 6 |
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 April 2020 | 1 May 2020 | 5 | |
| 2 | 3 January 2021 | 10 January 2021 | 7 | |
| 3 | 3 May 2021 | 7 May 2021 | 7 | Episodes 1 – 5 aired from 3 – 7 May 2021. Episodes 6 and 7 were celebrity specials and aired on 27 March and 29 May 2021 respectively. |
| 27 March 2021 | 29 May 2021 | |||
| 4 | 11 September 2021 | 16 October 2021 | 9 | No episode on 9 October 2021. The episodes broadcast on 16 October 2021 and 10 – 11 January 2022 were celebrity specials. The episode aired on 3 September 2023 was originally scheduled to air on 16 October 2021. The final celebrity special was postponed until 9 May 2024. |
| 10 January 2022 | 11 January 2022 | |||
| 3 September 2023 | ||||
| 9 May 2024 | ||||
| 5 | 16 May 2022 | 20 May 2022 | 7 | Episodes 1 – 5 aired from 16 – 20 May 2022. Episodes 6 and 7 were celebrity specials and aired on 12 January and 19 January 2024 respectively. |
| 12 January 2024 | 19 January 2024 | |||
| 6 | 8 October 2023 | 9 | Episodes 6 – 9 were celebrity specials which aired on 8 October 2023, and from 6 – 8 May 2024. Episodes 1 – 5 are regular episodes which have not yet aired. | |
| 6 May 2024 | 8 May 2024 | |||
| TBA | TBA | |||
Episodes of the British version of The Chase air on weekday afternoons at 3:00pm to good ratings on Seven Network (and sometimes airing double episodes from 2:00pm), placing it in direct competition with rival Banijay-produced game show Tipping Point on the Nine Network.[61] [62] Seven also considered producing a local version, and filmed a pilot episode on the UK set, but decided not to proceed.[63] However, in mid-2015, a local version was commissioned to replace Deal or No Deal and Million Dollar Minute in a bid to revive ratings for its struggling flagship 6:00pm nightly news bulletin.[64] Hegerty and Labbett feature as two of the five permanent chasers on the Australian version, while Wallace appeared as a guest chaser in 2018.[65] [8] [66]
Episodes of the British version of The Chase air on Monday to Saturday afternoons at 5:00pm on TVNZ 1, while The Chase: Celebrity Special airs on Sunday afternoons at 4:55pm, providing the lead-in to the 6:00pm nightly news. Repeat episodes air on Monday to Friday mornings at 11:00am. The show frequently ranks in the weekly top-20 most watched TV shows, drawing in an average of 1.3million viewers per week.[67], they are currently airing series 15.[68]
The Chase is highly popular with critics and viewers. Despite early criticism,[69] opinion has improved over time. Some critics, as well as the chasers,[2] put the show's success down to Walsh as host and his many memorable moments, some of which come from questions or answers which often leave him in highly contagious hysterics. Labbett also said that the sense of fun and the variety of chasers is a major factor.[2] Sinha said, "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."[70]
The Chase has also been criticised on several occasions, such as the Final Chase, when it is alleged that Walsh asks the chasers' questions more quickly than those of the contestants.[71] In an interview with the Radio Times, Walsh repudiated those claims: "We have lawyers on the floor to watch all of this. I read [the questions] at the same speed for both." He went on to say, "Don't forget, if I've got Mark Labbett answering questions for two minutes and I've got a team answering for two minutes, the team aren't going to be quicker. Simple as that, because they have to press the button [before answering], which is why they get a head start based on how many people are in the final. If you've got three people in the final chase that's a three-step head start–that's about a twelve-second advantage."[72]
There have also been a number of games where the chaser has won with an answer right on the final buzzer, which some viewers have perceived to be out of time;[73] spokespeople have asserted that an independent adjudicator – a representative from Beyond Dispute Ltd[74] – always checks each show and makes the final call on whether answers were in or out of time.[75]
On 6 April 2016, on an episode where Labbett was the chaser, a glitch occurred whereby the clock froze at 10seconds and then increased to 11seconds, giving Labbett an extra second. Although the contestants were far ahead and there was no chance of them being caught (and would win a £27,000 pot), a spokesperson for the show told OK! Online the following day that an error occurred during the editing process, but gameplay was otherwise not affected by it.[76]
On 4 March 2019, an episode was broadcast where Walsh asked a question about which band had the fewest members, with the possible answers being the Proclaimers, the Pretenders, or the Prodigy. Many viewers criticised ITV for deciding to air the episode hours after it was announced that Prodigy frontman Keith Flint had committed suicide.[77] [78]
On 26 January 2022, Labbett lost the final chase and, after briefly congratulating the winners, stormed off the set punching the wall on his way out. This left Walsh to apologise to the audience, though in a rather sarcastic tone, stating "I apologise to all the kids watching, that's not how you should take defeat." Labbett subsequently apologised for his behaviour via Twitter, as well as revealing that his mental health at the time of recording the particular episode was not very good, consequently affecting his behaviour. His fans online supported him through this, one of which was fellow Chaser, Paul Sinha. Sinha commented, "You should never have to apologise for the crime of “being human”. I’d have been nowhere on those questions."[79]
On 18 May 2023, one of the questions Bradley asked to a contestant in the middle of the cash builder run was "In computer security, what word can go before "code", "phrase" and "word"?" It had seemed this particular question had gained the contestant an undeserved £1,000 as he had answered "pass" so as to skip the question due to not knowing. This, ironically, turned out to be the correct answer which left both Walsh and the contestant stunned at this outcome.
During its first two series, the show averaged 1–2 million viewers, then over 2million during series three. By December 2012, The Chase had become ITV's most popular "teatime" programme since The Paul O'Grady Show in 2005, with over 3million viewers an episode.[80] In January 2021, The Chase managed a peak audience of over 5 million, an all-time high.[81] Almost every episode is now seen by between 4 and 5 million viewers; and each episode regularly features on ITV's Top 15 weekly broadcasts.[82]
In its timeslot, The Chase airs at the same time as BBC One's Pointless,[83] a game show launched in August 2009, two months after The Chases debut.[2] The two programmes usually receive similar ratings (for example in September 2012, The Chase had 2.44 million viewers versus 2.27 million for Pointless).[84] However, between October 2012 and January 2013, The Chase beat Pointless in the ratings each week. For two weeks in February 2013, Pointless received a higher share than The Chase (3.53 million viewers to 3.41 million, and again 3.58 million viewers to 3.30 million).[85]
Legend: Currently airing Reinstated and currently airing No longer airing Upcoming
| Country | Local title | Channel(s) | Presenter(s) | Chaser(s) | Cash Builder question value | Premiere date | End date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | The Chase Australia[115] | Seven Network[116] | Andrew O'Keefe Larry Emdur [117] | Brydon Coverdale Anne Hegerty Mark Labbett [118] Matt Parkinson Issa Schultz Shaun Wallace [119] Cheryl Toh Mara Lejins | AU$2,000 | 2013–1014 September 2015 | ||
| Bulgaria | Голямото преследване Golyamoto presledvane (The Great Chase)[120] | Nova[121] | Niki Kanchev[122] | Miglena Draganova Lyubomir Bratoev Plamen Mladenov Martin Ivanov Radostina Tsvetanova | 500 лв. | 5 September 2022 | 2 May 2023 | |
| China | 挑战文化名人 Tiǎozhǎn wénhuà míngrén (Challenge the Culture Masters)[123] | Jiangxi Television | Liú Wèi | Meng Man Ji Lianhai A Yi Kang Zhen Li Bo | ¥1,000 | 2014–0720 July 2014 | 4 October 2014 | |
| Croatia | Potjera (The Chase)[124] | HRT 1 | Tarik Filipović Joško Lokas | Dean Kotiga Mirko Miočić Morana Zibar Krešimir Sučević-Međeral Mladen Vukorepa | 5,000kn 3,500kn €500 | 3 November 2013 | ||
| Cyprus | Το Kυνηγητό To Kynigitó (The Chase)[125] | Alpha TV Cyprus | Tasos Tryfonos | Silia Ioannidou Andreas Pitsillides Marinos Cleanthous George Pamporidis Louis Patsalidis Christiana Aristotelous Katerina Mina | €200 | 13 September 2020 | 30 June 2023 | |
| Czech Republic | Na Lovu (On The Hunt)[126] [127] | TV Nova | Ondřej Sokol | Dagmar Jandová Jakub Kvášovský Jiří Martínek Václav Slabyhoudek Viktorie Mertová [128] | 5,000Kč | 16 August 2021 | ||
| Finland | Jahti (The Chase)[129] | MTV3 | Mikko Leppilampi | Eero Ylitalo Magnus Mali Markus Leikola[130] | €500 | 30 August 2018 | 16 July 2020 | |
| Germany | Gefragt – Gejagt (Asked – Chased) | Alexander Bommes | Holger Waldenberger Sebastian Jacoby [131] Sebastian Klussmann Klaus Otto Nagorsnik [132] [133] Grażyna Werner [134] Manuel Hobiger [135] Thomas J. Kinne 2012–08Adriane Rickel [136] 2012–08Annegret Schenkel [137] | €200 €500 | 8 July 2012 | |||
| Greece | The Chase[138] | Mega Channel | Maria Bekatorou | Vassilis Fasias Panos Dimakis Elias Alexiou Maria Markou Nikolas Pachis | €250 €300 | 27 December 2021 | ||
| Israel | המרדף HaMirdaf (The Chase)[139] | KAN 11 | Itai Hermann Ron Kofman Nadav Jacobi Michal Sharon | ₪5,000 | 2017–0518 May 2017 | |||
| המרדף עד הבית HaMirdaf ad HaBait (The Chase To Home) | Dudu Erez | Itai Hermann | 26 March 2020 | 7 April 2020 | ||||
| Norway | Jaget (Hunted)[140] | TV 2 | Sturla Berg-Johansen | Trine Aalborg Jan Arild Breistein Thomas Kolåsæter | 10,000 Kr | 2014–097 September 2014 | 11 May 2016 | |
| Romania | TBA[141] | Pro TV | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | ||
| Russia | Погоня Pogoniya (Pursuit) | Russia-1 | Alexander Gurevich[142] | Alexander Ediger Yuriy Hashimov Olga Uspanova Boris Burda | ₽5,000 | 2012–1117 November 2012 | 14 September 2013 | |
| Serbia | Потера Potera (The Chase)[143] | RTS1 | Jovan Memedović | Milorad Milinković Uroš Đurić Slobodan Nešović Maja Lalić Milica Jokanović Žarko Stevanović Milan Bukvić | 10,000din. 15,000din. | 2013–1028 October 2013[144] | ||
| Slovakia | Na Love (On the Hunt) | Markíza VOYO.sk | Viktor Vincze | Slavo Hlásny Stefan Jurca Denisa Žitňanská | €250 | 13 June 2022 | 8 July 2022 | |
| Slovenia | TBA | Pop | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | ||
| Spain | El Cazador (The Hunter)[145] | La 1 | Ion Aramendi Rodrigo Vázquez [146] | Erundino Alonso Paz Herrera Ruth de Andrés Lilit Manukyan David Leo García Orestes Barbero [147] | €1,000 | 10 February 2020[148] | ||
| Turkey | Takip (Follow)[149] | Kanal D | Uraz Kaygilaroğlu | Muhsin Divan | ₺5,000 | 2014–049 April 2014[150] | 19 January 2015 | |
| United States | The Chase[151] [152] | Brooke Burns Sara Haines [153] | Mark Labbett [154] Brad Rutter Ken Jennings James Holzhauer Victoria Groce Brandon Blackwell Buzzy Cohen | US$5,000 US$25,000 US$10,000 | 2013–086 August 2013[155] | 20 July 2023 |
Legend: Currently airing No longer airing Upcoming
| Country | Local title | Channel(s) | Presenter(s) | Chaser(s) | Cash Builder question value | Premiere date | End date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Beat the Chasers Australia | Seven Network | Andrew O'Keefe | Brydon Coverdale Issa Schultz Cheryl Toh Matt Parkinson | AU$1,000 AU$5,000 | 1 November 2020 | 29 November 2020 |
| Croatia | Super Potjera (The Super Chase) | HRT 1 | Joško Lokas | Dean Kotiga Morana Zibar Krešimir Sučević-Međeral Mladen Vukorepa Sven Marcelić | €500 | 26 March 2023 | |
| Czech Republic | Superlov (The Super Chase) | TV Nova | Ondřej Sokol | Dagmar Jandová Jakub Kvášovský Jiří Martínek Václav Slabyhoudek Viktorie Mertová | 5,000Kč | 4 March 2023 | |
| Finland | Super-Jahti (The Super Chase)[156] | MTV3 | Mikko Leppilampi | Eero Ylitalo Magnus Mali Markus Leikola | €500 | 5 February 2021 | 20 July 2021 |
| Germany | Gefragt – Gejagt: Allein gegen Alle (Asked – Chased: Alone versus All)[157] | Das Erste | Alexander Bommes | Adriane Rickel Annegret Schenkel Klaus Otto Nagorsnik Manuel Hobiger Sebastian Jacoby Sebastian Klussmann Thomas Kinne | €500 | 17 October 2022 | |
| Netherlands | Beat the Champions | RTL4 | Chantal Janzen | Diederik Jekel Cindy Hemink Abel Gilsing Nynke de Jong Devrim Aslan | €500 | 3 January 2021 | |
| Serbia | Super Potera (The Super Chase) | RTS1 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Spain | La Noche de los Cazadores (The Night of Hunters)[158] [159] | La 1 | Ion Aramendi Rodrigo Vázquez | Erundino Alonso Paz Herrera Ruth de Andrés Lilit Manukyan David Leo García | €1,000 | 17 January 2022 | 20 September 2022 |
Legend: Currently airing No longer airing Upcoming Unknown status
| Country | Local title | Channel(s) | Presenter(s) | Chaser(s) | Cash Builder question value | Premiere date | End date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | The Chase Australia Celebrity Specials | 7plus | Andrew O'Keefe | Brydon Coverdale Anne Hegerty Mark Labbett Matt Parkinson Issa Schultz | AU$2,000 | 21 August 2018 | 23 September 2019 |
| Czech Republic | Na lovu: Hvězdný speciál | TV Nova | Ondřej Sokol | Dagmar Jandová Jakub Kvášovský Jiří Martínek Václav Slabyhoudek Viktorie Mertová | 5,000Kč | 5 February 2022 | |
| Spain | El cazador[160] | La 1 | Ion Aramendi (2020–2022) Rodrigo Vazquez (2022–2023) | Erundino Alonso Paz Herrera Ruth de Andrés Lilit Manukyan David Leo García | €1,000 | 20 July 2020 | 17 July 2023 |
| El cazador Stars | Rodrigo Vázquez (April–May 2024) Gorka Rodríguez (May 2024–) | Erundino Alonso Paz Herrera Ruth de Andrés Lilit Manukyan Orestes Barbero | €200 | 11 April 2024 |
A board game based on the show was released in 2012 by Ideal.[161] In 2013, a card game based on the show was released by Ginger Fox.[162]
On 12 December 2012, a version for iOS was released by Barnstorm Games. The app features four chasers (excluding Jenny "The Vixen" Ryan and Darragh "The Menace" Ennis, both of whom had not yet appeared on the programme at the time of release) and can be played by up to four people, as in the actual show. The only differences between the app and the show are that four choices are presented for questions in the Cash Builder and the Final Chase rounds and that no Final Chase is played if all four players are caught in their head-to-head chases. The app is designed for both iPhones and iPads.[163] An updated version, The Chase: Ultimate Edition, was released in 2017 and features five chasers (excluding Ennis) and host Walsh. In 2020, the app is updated with now featuring Ennis.[164] In 2023, a free app entitled The Chase: World Tour was launched and features Chasers from the British, American and Australian versions of the show.[165]