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The Chase: Darragh Ennis’ debut delivers show’s best ever audience figures

Darragh 'The Menace' Ennis was on the show last night

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The Chase star Darragh Ennis made his debut on the quiz show last night and brought in a record-breaking audience.

ITV has revealed that yesterday’s (Thursday, November 19) episode saw the biggest audience in the programme’s 11-year history.

Darragh Ennis made his debut on The Chase last night (Credit: ITV)

What did ITV say about Darragh Ennis’ debut on The Chase?

Figures show that an average of 4.9 million people tuned in to watch yesterday’s episode, which was the first featuring the new sixth chaser.

According to ITV, that figure was the largest seen so far this year for any daytime TV show across all channels, excluding news, sport and coronavirus briefings.

It broke a previous record set just a day earlier, as ITV revealed that Wednesday’s (November 18) episode saw an average of 4.8 million viewers.

Darragh 'The Menace' Ennis on The Chase
The Menace got off to a rocky start and beat the team with seconds remaining (Credit: ITV)

Read more: The Chase: New chaser Darragh Ennis divides ITV viewers

During his first episode of The Chase, Irishman Darragh – whose nickname on the show is The Menace – failed to take down the first two contestants.

Host Bradley Walsh asked him how he was feeling, being in the chaser’s chair for the first time – before suggesting he had taken a “thrashing”.

You did brilliantly rattling 10 correct answers to catch them when others would have crumbled.

Darragh argued that “thrashing” was a bit strong and his performance picked up as he eliminated the next two contestants.

However, he hit rocky ground again during the final chase, which saw him get several questions wrong in a row, handing the two-person team some crucial push-backs.

After that, though, he blistered through the remaining questions and caught the team with just seconds to spare.

Host Bradley Walsh said The Chase newcomer had taken a ‘thrashing’ early on (Credit: ITV)

What did Darragh ‘The Menace’ Ennis say about his performance?

Taking to Twitter after the scenes aired, Darragh poked fun at himself and appeared to defend his performance with a Simpsons GIF.

In the clip, naval officers say to Homer Simpson, “You have 10 seconds to explain your actions before we open fire” and Homer replies, “It’s my first day.”

Darragh’s followers praised him in the replies, particularly for his turnaround right at the end of the final chase.

One said: “You did brilliantly rattling 10 correct answers to catch them when others would have crumbled.”

Read more: The Chase: Contestant Rebecca corrected by Bradley Walsh after calling him a ‘cockney’

A second wrote: “Well done on the first show, Darragh! A truly deserved position in The Chase family!”

Another tweeted: “You did well, thought you were finished when you needed 10 in last 55 seconds.”

The Menace’s message to The Chase trolls

Darragh also took the opportunity to silence internet trolls who mock contestants on the show, as he vowed never to reply to them.

He tweeted: “PSA: Anyone being abusive about contestants will never get a reply from me…

“If you think you can do better then apply and you’ll see how much harder it is on camera than on sofa.”

– The Chase airs weekdays at 5pm on ITV

What did you think of Darragh’s debut episode? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor

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