Mark Labbett and we both want Bradley Walsh to continue presenting The Chase for as long as feasible.
The ITV quiz show, which debuted in 2009, pits participants against professional quizzers on general knowledge questions, with presenter Bradley’s interaction with both the hopefuls and the Chasers playing an important role.
Mark, also known as ‘The Beast’ on The Chase, enjoys having Bradley on set and works hard to keep him healthy for the 150-200 episodes they film each year.
‘Our biggest worry is Bradley being 63 now. Every month, we’re going, “You okay, Brad? How’s the health?” Wrap him in bubble wrap!’ Mark, 58, shared.
Bradley is in high demand; he stars in some of our favourite series, like Blankety Blank and the upcoming relaunched Gladiators.
‘He’s so damn popular you’re more worried about what he signed up for now.’
The couple are also involved in Beat The Chasers, in which Mark teams up with his fellow quizzers. While they compete separately on the weekday programme, Mark, Shaun Wallace, Anne Hegerty, Paul Sinha, Jenny Ryan, and Darragh Ennis form one team for the special nighttime spin-off, and players are penalised with a lower cash award if they choose to face fewer chasers.
Their depth of knowledge might be perplexing at times, but Mark believes they’re just extremely brilliant at what they do.
‘We do have people say, “They give you the answers though, right?”
‘I always point out that we’re all international quizzers, I mean, Anne is a two-time work ladies champion.
‘They think you can’t be that good and the answer is we are,’ he concluded in a mic drop moment.
Beat The Chasers Celebrity Special airs January 12 at 9pm on ITV