The Chase stars’ lives before fame – barrister to living off machine winnings

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    Only the best quiz brains in the country have the ability to become a Chaser.

    Countless teams have tried, but only a slim few have managed to defeat these geniuses on The Chase.

    Each weeknight, millions of us tune in to see whether a team of four contestants can bring home some cash then beat The Chaser in the daunting Final Chase.

    READ MORE: The Chase fans distracted as 'beautiful' contestant makes cheeky 'balls' quip

    While many watch just to see presenter Bradley Walsh take down the brain boxes with his hilarious one-liners and brutal nicknames, including 'Frosty Knickers' and 'Sarcasm in a Suit'.

    But the Chasers all found success before joining The Chase – with many appearing on our screens on a variety of other popular quiz shows.

    Among the ranks of the Chaser is a former barrister, doctor and a Butlins employee who loved winning money on the quiz machines.

    Daily Star have taken a look back at what The Chasers were doing before they joined the hit ITV show.

    Mark Labbett

    'The Beast' started out as a PE and Maths supply teacher at a secondary school in Newport, South Wales.

    Having studied Mathematics at Oxford and obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) – he was always destined to make it big.

    He first gained an interest in the world of quizzing while working at a Butlins holiday camp.

    And he started making a lot of money by playing on the quiz machines and quadrupled his wage.

    "I discovered the quiz machines in the bar ," Mark told The Guardian in 2007.

    "I really enjoyed playing and it was also lucrative. At the beginning of the week I banked my £55 wage, except for £3 or £4 which I played on the machines. By the end of the week, I'd have £200 in coins."

    'Beastie Boy' then joined the TV quizzing circuit, appearing on Mastermind in 1999 and 2000 with the Olympic Games and The Simpsons as his specialist subjects.

    He scooped £500 on Channel 5 show BrainTeaser and £1,500 with two friends on BBC One's SUDO-Q.

    His big break came on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? in April 2006 when he took home £32,000 from the hot seat.

    Mark has also made appearances on The National Lottery People's Quiz, University Challenge and Are You an Egghead?

    As well as appearing on the British version of The Chase, he has also starred in the American and Australian editions.

    Anne Heggerty

    Anne joined The Chase as the fearsome 'Governess' in 2010 and quickly became a fan favourite.

    She actually started out life in journalism, working as a reporter and features writer for the South Wales Argus until she moved to Manchester.

    Anne, who has also worked as a ghost writer, then moved into the world of TV quizzing and made appearances on Mastermind, Fifteen to One, Today's the Day, Are you an Egghead? and Brain of Britain.

    She also helped a pal win £75,000 on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? in 2010 by helping her as a "phone a friend".

    As well as taking down opponents on The Chase, Anne has been scaring and entertaining audiences in pantomimes, including Dick Whittington and Sleeping Beauty.

    Anne headed to the Australian jungle in 2018 for I'm A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here.

    She showed a different side to herself and bravely poke about being diagnosed with Asperger's at the age of 45.

    Shaun Wallace

    'The Dark Destroyer', another original Chaser, started his career in the courtroom when he was called to the Bar in 1984.

    The barrister has been part of hearings at the Old Bailey and several magistrates' courts across the country – and has been part of the Jamaican Bar since 1999.

    He first tasted success as a quizzer when he won Mastermind in 2004 with the chosen specialist subject of FA Cup Finals.

    He narrowly lost out in the final of the first series of Are You an Egghead and went on to appear on Fifteen to One and The Weakest Link.

    As well as being a Chaser in the UK, Shaun has taken part in the Australian version of the show and been in Countdown's Dictionary Corner.

    Jenny Ryan

    Jenny 'The Vixen' Ryan was the most recent Chaser to join the line-up – making her first appearance in 2015.

    'The Bolton Braniac' helped Leeds University make it to the semi-finals of University Challenge in 2003.

    During a 2006 Mastermind appearance her chosen subject was Buffy The Vampire Slayer, while she also had a go on Only Connect, The Weakest Link and Fifteen to One.

    Before becoming a Chaser she was actually a quiz show question writer, which has put her in good stead.

    "I actually worked on the pilot of The Chase and wrote the questions on it," she told RadioTimes.

    “All the questions I wrote have long since been used. If I could remember every question I ever wrote I’d be the world quiz champion."

    Jenny was recommended to join the Chase team by her friend, Anne Heggerty, as they both compete in the same quiz team.

    After nine months of screen tests she won the role and was given her nickname by Bradley Walsh because "vixens are notoriously clever and cunning".

    Aside from quizzing, Jenny is an incredible singer and made it to the live shows on last year's Celebrity X Factor.

    Paul Sinha

    Paul, also known as 'The Sinnerman', went to St George's Hospital medical school before becoming a GP in 1995.

    While training at medical school he developed a love of performing on stage as a comedian.

    Alongside working as a junior doctor he started performing stand-up, promoting himself as "the world's only gay Anglo-Bengali GP turned stand up comedian".

    Paul's big breakthrough came with his second solo Edinburgh Fringe festival show 'Saint or Sinha?' – with the quiz legend fronting nine different shows from 2004 to 2018.

    This led to appearances on Comedy Central's The Alternative Comedy Experience in 2013 and on BBC Radio 4.

    His first TV appearance was on The Weakest Link, then he went on to appear on University Challenge, Are You an Egghead?, Brain of Britain and Mastermind.

    'The Smiling Assassin' was the first new member to join the original Chasers, first appearing on The Chase in 2011.

    Darragh Ennis

    Irish quizzer Darragh Ennis, otherwise known as 'The Menace' is a scientist and postdoctoral researcher at Oxford University.

    He joined the The Chase as one of the six chasers back in November 2020.

    The brainbox first appeared on the show as a contestant in 2017.

    He banked £9,000 in his Cash Builder, and successfully managed to take this amount to home.

    However, all three of his teammates took the lower offer, including two minus amounts.

    In the Final Chase, the team set a target of 23 steps, with Darragh contributing 14 correct answers.

    They defeated chaser Paul Sinha, but won just £1,575 each.

    Darrah is also the sixth former contestant to become a Chaser worldwide, after Žarko Stevanović, Grażyna Werner, Manuel Hobiger, Thomas Kinne, and Michal Sharon.

    He is currently holding the record of longest winning streak before losing worldwide, with 14 wins in a row.

    The Chase airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 5pm

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    • The Chase
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