ITV’s The Chase Fans Fume at Schedule Change
Viewers were left questioning why ITV decided to scrapping The Chase from its usual schedule on bank holiday Monday, instead airing a celebrity edition at a later time of 6.30pm. The move left fans disappointed, with many taking to social media to express their frustration.
According to the Liverpool Echo, fans were not happy with the schedule change, as one viewer asked: "Where is The Chase?" More fans were angry that the episode was a repeat. One user said: "How many times have ITV1 repeated this same episode of #TheChase featuring Catherine Tyldesley, Levi Roots and Chris McCausland?? FFS how boring!" Another viewer wrote: "FFS @ITV as much as I like The Chase, but to continue to play old episodes, it’s getting a bit tedious!!"
The celebrity edition of The Chase featured four hopefuls, including actress Catherine Tyldesley, entrepreneur Levi Roots, Scouse comedian Chris McCausland, and music star Rick Wakeman, who faced Anne Hegerty, aka The Governess, with the hopes of winning a cash prize for their four chosen charities.
As reported by the Liverpool Echo, Catherine Tyldesley was first up to test her general knowledge against Anne Hegerty. She bagged herself £3,000 in the Cash Builder round and successfully returned back to her teammates. Levi Roots hoped to follow in her footsteps as he faced The Governess in the quick fire question round. He accumulated £4,000 and despite being tempted by The Chaser’s higher offer, he decided to play it safe.
The Liverpool Echo also reported that Chris McCausland, who won BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2024, accumulated an impressive £6,000 in his Cash Builder round which took his teammates by surprise. They convinced him he was a strong enough player to take The Chaser’s higher offer of £83,000. Chris joked: "I’m wearing a sweat free under vest so it feels a shame not to get the full use out of it." He gave a perfect performance and increased the shared prize pot to a whopping £90,000.
Bradley Walsh thought Chris’ performance was "unbelievable" as he said: "Well played, mate." Finally, Rick Wakeman was the last contestant eager to test his general knowledge skills on the ITV quiz show. He decided to take the safe option of £2,000. He was "absolutely thrilled" as he returned to his teammates with the chance to take home £23,000 each.
In the final chase, Catherine, Chris, Levi, and Rick tested their knowledge, but their score of 18 was not strong enough to triumph against The Governess, and the celebrities were caught with just four seconds remaining. However, Bradley announced that they wouldn’t be leaving the show empty-handed and they were each awarded £1,000 to go towards their chosen charities.
The Chase airs regularly on ITV1, with Liverpool Echo reporting that the show will continue to be a popular choice for viewers.
