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The Chase’s Paul Sinha reveals ‘midlife crisis’ helped him into quizmaster job

He was a GP and comedian before he became The Sinnerman

The Chase star Paul Sinha has revealed how a midlife crisis helped him on the path to becoming one of TV’s top quizmasters.

Before his job as a formidable Chaser, Paul, 48, would earn extra money playing quiz machines while studying towards becoming a GP.

Paul Sinha, The Sinnerman, The Chase
On The Chase hes known as The Sinnerman (Credit: ITV)

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Speaking to Debbie McGee on BBC Radio Berkshire, he discussed his past and how it brought him to where he is today.

Paul said: “As a kid, I quizzed, I represented my local junior school and senior school at quizzing.

“And as a student I used to supplement my income by playing quiz machines.”

He used to work as a GP (Credit: @paulsinha Twitter)

He went on to explain that, once he qualified and worked as a doctor full time, he found he no longer had time to quiz.

But when he quit his medical career to focus instead on becoming a successful comedian, he turned back to quizzing and began to hone his skills.

He joked to Debbie: “Midlife crisis, I think they call it.”

Speaking further, Paul explained it was just three years later, in 2011, that he landed the job on The Chase.

Paul joined The Chase in 2011 (Credit: Brett D. Cove / SplashNews.com)

Offering a rare insight into what it’s like being a Chaser, he warned that “even in entertainment” a job is still a job and it’s not always “as riotously fun” as it looks from the viewer perspective.

That being said, he confessed it’s still “the dream job” and said he can’t imagine one he’d enjoy more.

Earlier this year, Paul confirmed he and his boyfriend, Oliver, were engaged.

Announcing the news to his fans on Twitter, the Chaser said: “I proposed today. He said yes. Thus starts yet another diet.”

In his conversation with Debbie McGee this week, Paul spoke about the difficulties he faced in his comedy career.

As a student he supplemented his income by playing quiz machines (Credit: @paulsinha Twitter)

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The quizmaster said he always promised he’d quit for good if he ever three bad gigs in a row – but he was never that unlucky.

His break came in 1998 when he did a five-minute routine at The Comedy Store and it went “really, really well”.

The Chase was launched in 2009 and Paul joined the lineup in 2011.

Who’s your favourite Chaser? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor