The Chase question writers "try to push what is decent at teatime"
One of the show's question writers, Fraser Cameron, revealed all about those viral moments which have seen host Bradley Walsh in tears laughing.
While The Chase is primarily known for its tough quizzes and even tougher quiz masters, it has also been known for a number of viral moments which have seen host Bradley Walsh cracking up with laughter at innuendos in the questions or potential answers.
Speaking with this week's Radio Times magazine, one of the show's question writers, Fraser Cameron, has revealed just what goes into preparing the perfect "rude" question – and how Walsh's reactions are always entirely genuine.
Cameron said: "He reads the multiple-choice questions for the first time on air, so his reaction is genuine shock. We try to push what is decent at teatime by using words like plums or beaver, or slightly rude words in strange contexts.
"If we’re writing funny options, they’re usually option C, as the last punch line at the end. Bradley is one of the main reasons why the show’s so popular — he can take a very normal-sounding question and turn it into comedy gold."
Cameron also revealed some behind-the-scenes secrets about the question writing team, such as that there are "seven question writers, including four-time world quiz champion Olav Bjortomt" and that they "aim to write 30 questions each every day — more than 200 questions a day".
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He also said of the difficulty of the questions: "It’s easy to write a very hard quiz, but The Chase isn’t about that. It’s supposed to have universal appeal. People overestimate how good the public are on subjects: the average person is good with capital cities, but not art or astronomy."
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Earlier this year, an episode of The Chase saw a team of four contestants take home £47,000, after beating one of the toughest chasers to go up against, Anne 'The Governess' Hegerty.
Hegerty joined the show in 2010 and is one of the most successful female quizzers in the world. In 2019, she broke a record on the show by becoming the first Chaser to answer every question correctly throughout an entire episode.
The Chase continues on ITV1 and ITVX at 5pm on weekdays. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide for more to watch.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
