The Chase has become a staple gameshow in British television, but it wasn't always going to be the same show we all know and love today.
Just a few weeks before it first aired back in 2009, ITV boss Alison Sharman suggested that The Chase was boring and demanded that a major change be made to the format.
While talking to David Bodycombe and Justin Scroggie on their podcast TV Show and Tell, award-winning entertainment executive producer Sue Allison opened up about the ITV programme and the changes that Sharman made.
Related: The Chase star Anne Hegerty discovers family link to the Queen
"It was just quite slow, quite slow going up the board, it was a long time until the Chaser came out and all of that," she began.
"At the end of it, she said 'Well, I think our viewers will be bored to tears if we put that out. I think we need to change it!' We were like, 'Oh my god'. Literally we were a couple of weeks out."
She went on to explain that this was when the cash builder we're all used to was borne, and changes to the set the were made.
"That was when the cash builder was invented, and it was much better and the offers and all of that, it was good. It was a really good thing that happened and those changes that were made," she said.
Related: The Chase's Bradley Walsh breaks silence on Weakest Link rivalry
"If you look at the set, where they come and stand for the cash builder, it's like a sort of nowhere place. In between the contestant area and the board and they just stand there and they're back by moving lights or whatever – but it's a bit nothing-y, isn't it?
"If you think about it, that's because we hadn't designed the set with that in mind. That change was made, it was too late to do anything about it... [It] makes me laugh when I see international versions and they have the opportunity to build their new set and they still don’t have a place for that!"
The Chasers line-up includes Mark Labbett (The Beast), Shaun Wallace (The Dark Destroyer), Paul Sinha (The Sinnerman), Jenny Ryan (The Vixen), Darragh Ennis (The Menace), and Anne Hegarty (The Governess).
The Chase airs weekdays at 5pm on ITV.
Best Entertainment and Tech Deals
Coronation Street X Joanie - Gilroy Retro Newton And Ridley Sweatshirt
Content Production Intern, Digital Spy
After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022. In this role, Iona writes across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. During her time at Digital Spy, she has interviewed multiple Love Island stars, reported from the Black Adam red carpet and, most recently, interviewed the cast of Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid.
