The Chase recruits former contestant Darragh Ennis to be the new quizzer after his successful appearance on the popular game show
The Chase have recruited a new quizzer to the series in the form of popular former contestant Darragh Ennis.
According to The Mirror, the Irish man will be announced as the show’s sixth Chaser where he will battle against teams to stop them winning money.
Darragh is the first new Chaser since Jenny Ryan joined the show in 2015, with a source telling the publication his signing is a ‘big deal’.
Familiar face: The Chase have recruited a new quizzer to the series in the form of popular former contestant Darragh Ennis
An insider said: ‘Darragh has got what it takes to be a Chaser, he has been put to the test and passed with flying colours.
‘They don’t bring in new members on The Chase regularly so this is a big deal for the show and Darragh. Viewers will be very interested to see how he gets on.
‘The show is so popular with spin off shows now as well so there is a need to increase the team. No one is leaving, Darragh is very much an addition to the team.’
Darragh, who is a post-doctoral researcher at Oxford University, appeared on The Chase as a contestant in March 2017.
Cast: Darragh is the first new chaser since Jenny Ryan (pictured centre right) joined the show in 2015, with a source telling the publication his signing is a ‘big deal’
He banked an impressive £9000 during the episode but his teammates took the lower offers which decreased the fund to £2700.
Fans of the show felt Darragh deserved more and the hashtag #JusticeForDarragh trended on Twitter with some fans even starting a Go Fund Me to raise money.
It comes after The Chase host Bradley Walsh hinted the show could be getting a new Chaser in an interview with Radio Times last November.
He said: ‘We’re making more and more shows all the time, so we need to recruit more people all the time.
‘So consequently, we have put our feelers out to find other people that will be suitable, and all will be revealed next year.
An insider said: ‘Darragh has got what it takes to be a Chaser, he has been put to the test and passed with flying colours’
Asked if he meant more than one new Chaser could be joining the team, Bradley said: ‘It could be more than one, who knows. But it’s a proper shake-up.’
The Chase sees contestants play against a professional quizzer, known as a Chaser, who tries to prevent them from winning a cash prize.
A team of four contestants try to amass as much money as possible which is then added to a prize fund if the contestant survives their chase.
The Chasers are tasked with trying to catch out the contestants during their individual rounds, preventing the money from being added to the prize fund.
The current Chasers on the series are Mark Labbett, Shaun Wallace, Anne Hegerty, Paul Sinha and Jenny Ryan.
Team: It comes after The Chase host Bradley Walsh hinted the show could be getting a new Chaser in an interview with Radio Times last November