Inside ITV's The Chase - as contestant reveals all

One contestant has revealed all that goes on behind the scenes of fan favourite ITV show The Chase.

Since its debut in 2009, The Chase has remained a stable of British Television. Hosted by Bradley Walsh, contestants form a team of four to compete against "The Chaser", in hopes to go home slightly richer after beating one of the six chasers.

As of 2024 there are six chasers, Mark Labbett, Shaun Wallace, Anne Hegerty, Paul Sinha, Jenny Ryan and Darragh Ennis who go head to head with the contestants.

Tom Williamson, a computer programmer who lives in Liverpool, appeared on an episode of the show that aired on October 22. He was the first constant to take on the chaser of the evening, reports the Express.

He shocked viewers as he managed to correctly answer every question Bradley flung at him. In the next round when offered £60,000 as the high offer, Chaser Shaun Wallace said: "Tom, you're probably one of the best players I've ever played against in my 14 years of The Chase. Try this for size."

Now Tom has shared what it is really like behind the scenes of the popular ITV game show.

The Chase application process

Tom stated: “They tell you this in advance, they say they are going to record you talking about yourself for about one minute. And they don’t give you another go.

“So, you have to write a script. You have to know exactly what you’re saying and have an idea of what they want to hear. They want everything to be fast and understandable.”

He revealed that when applying to the show you must answer some questions that are similar to the cash builder round, although you don’t get to know the results. Tom continued: “You also get a researcher calling you, and I must have had about five phone calls with them, each lasting about an hour. So they want to know everything about you.

“One of the things that they try and get you to do is share something quite interesting that you are going to do with the money.” Tom revealed his original plans for his winnings were to go travelling and see his family in America, but was told that "everyone says that" and was asked to think again.

He shared that the contestant introductions at the start of the show with host Bradley, only last a minute on the tv screen but “has about a year’s worth of preparation behind it".

Inside the ITV Chase studio

Tom said the experience was fantastic overall. He said: “They make you feel like a TV star for the day. They put you up in a hotel, which was the most fun.

“The hotel I stayed in was almost exclusively used by The Chase contestants.” He said that they got chatting in the evening at the bar and soon discovered that they were all there for the same reason.

The contestant continued: “You had a bunch of people all there for the same reason and all really excited about what was going to happen. That was a great atmosphere. We worked out that there were three groups, with the first one starting recording at 7am, then one at 9am and another group at 1pm.

“When you get there, you learn that it’s pretty much a military operation. You get about an hour with your team [before going into the studio] and get shown a presentation of what makes a good contestant, what makes a bad contestant and they give you tips.

“My favourite tip was to try and show up the Chaser if you can. If you get a question and you’ve got some knowledge on it, if you give the question knowledge then you’re showing the Chaser up.”

Sharing more on his experience and the days routine, Tom said: “You finally get taken to the studio in a little buggy and when you get in there it’s just so overwhelming. I’d never been in a TV studio before or experienced an atmosphere like it.

“But you’ve got absolutely no time to adjust to it because you’re then introduced to the director and the independent adjudicator. You’re told if there’s any question about anything then they get involved."

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After that Bradley comes out to introduce himself to the team. Tom went on: “He gave us a little speech, which I think he must give to everyone.”

Tom shared that Bradley had asked the guest to call him Brad as "Bradley is too formal”.

He also revealed that the contestants are not introduced to the chasers before the cameras start rolling, with staff working hard to ensure they don't bump into any of the chasers, keeping contact via radios and ensuring the corridors are clear before players move about.

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