ITV The Chase's rejected nicknames for Chasers - including one that was too 'racy'
The six Chasers have become well-known due to their interesting monikers and personas, but many fans will be unaware that some originally tested different options.
The stars of The Chase have become household names thanks to the show’s drama and memorable nicknames bringing the Chasers to life.
But many fans won’t realise that there were a number of rejected nicknames tried and tested before the crew settled on the final personas. And, surprisingly, host Bradley Walsh is “responsible” for “almost all” of the nicknames.
While original Chaser Mark Labbett says he has been known as “The Beast” for years - partly due to his 6ft 6in stature and partly because its the French translation of his name - others were tried and tested on set. One of those was Jenny Ryan, now known as The Vixen to fans.
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The 42-year-old says her original nickname choice was a bit “too racy” for her liking. Speaking to The Daily Mail, she said: “I was originally called ‘The Cougar’ which - on several grounds - I objected to.
“Brad came up with ‘The Vixen’ because in every audition I wore my hair with a ponytail at the side and he thought it looked like a fox’s brush. That worked for me.”
Fellow Chaser Anne Hegarty revealed she also objected to her initial nickname when she joined the show in 2010. The 66-year-old revealed her initial name on the show was going to be ‘The Headmistress’
She explained: “During rehearsals Brad started referring to me as ‘The Governess’. I told the producers straight away I’d rather be called that. I thought it was more kinky.”
Professional barrister Shaun Wallace, an original Chaser alongside Mark, also considered another nickname from his “Dark Destroyer” moniker. During initial tests Bradley referred to Shaun as “The Legal Eagle”.
But the 62-year-old was soon renamed, although he did initially have concerns about his new label. And while there has been criticism of the decision, Shaun has defended the name.
He says he is “proud” to be “dark and Black” but was initially worried that former professional boxer Nigel Benn also went by the Dark Destroyer. Benn held both the WBO middleweight and WBC super-middleweight titles in the 1990s.
Mark meanwhile says he has had meetings with “ ITV lawyers” over his nickname. This, he tells the Daily Mail, is because he decided to trademark The Beast, and has refused to sign over the rights to the show because it is “worth a fortune to me”.
The final two Chasers are Paul “The Sinnerman” Sinha and Dennis “The Menace” Ennis. The Chase has now aired over 2,000 episodes in its 15-year run.
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