The Chase host Bradley Walsh was stunned on the quiz show today after a contestant explained why he didn’t want to face Anne Hegerty.
On Friday (November 20) afternoon’s episode of the ITV programme, architect Gareth was the first of the team to play.
What happened on The Chase?
He got £7,000 in his cash-builder round. After, Bradders asked him: “Who do you want to take on?”
“Honestly? Anyone but Anne Hegerty, because she reminds me way too much of my mother… I’d be scared of calling her ‘mum’ during the show!”
Read more: The Chase: Darragh Ennis’ debut delivers show’s best ever audience figures
Brad replied: “Really? That’s the first time anyone’s ever said that over the years. Usually they say she’s like my teacher or… but my mother, wow!”
Luckily for Gareth, today’s chaser was Mark Labbett.
New chaser Darragh Ennis’s comeback after ‘thrashing’
Elsewhere on The Chase this week, fans got to meet the new sixth chaser.
Darragh Ennis, The Menace, made his debut during Thursday evening’s episode and managed to beat the team – although it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
Anyone but Anne, because she reminds me way too much of my mother.
As he failed to catch the first two contestants, Brad said Darragh had taken a “thrashing”.
While the newcomer divided viewers, his episode nevertheless broke a new record.
ITV revealed that yesterday’s episode pulled in the biggest audience in the show’s 11-year history.
Read more: The Chase: Contestant Rebecca corrected by Bradley Walsh after calling him a ‘cockney’
An average of 4.9 million people watched The Menace’s debut and ITV said the figure was the largest this year for any daytime TV show, on any channel, excluding sports, news and coronavirus briefings.
The record it broke was only from the day before, on Wednesday, which had an average of 4.8 million viewers.
ITV had been teasing viewers with the possibility of seeing the new chaser for the last few weeks, by including him – without a name, and in silhouette form – in the list of chasers as Brad introduces them.
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