Producers of the hit ITV game show The Chase was forced to quickly make changes after bosses dubbed the show “boring”.
The quiz show, hosted by Bradley Walsh, first hit our screens in 2009 and has been keeping the nation entertained for almost 13 years.
However, the original structure of the show was quite different to what we’re used to seeing on our screens as entertainment executive producer Sue Allison revealed the impromptu changes they had to make.
Opening up on the TV Show And Tell Podcast, Sue told producer David Bodycombe and TV consultant Justin Scroggie that the classic cash builder round wasn’t planned.
(Image: ITV)
ITV commissioner Alison Sharman saw a run through of the show and wanted to give the format a switch up after fearing it would bore viewers to tears.
Sue said: “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.
“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.”
Despite the short timeframe, the show made the necessary changes and hasn’t looked back.
Sue continued: “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 revealed that if viewers watch where contestants stand on the set during the cash builder round they’ll notice them in a “nowhere place”.
Sue continued: “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.
(Image: PA)
“So sort of 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!”
After first airing back in June 2009, the show has since aired 2,200 episodes over 15 successful series.
Each episode sees four contestants take on one of six chasers to try and add money to the prize fund and, if successful, they’ll then take home a portion of a huge cash prize.
The chasers on the show include Mark Labbett, Shaun Wallace, Anne Hegerty, Paul Sinha, Jenny Ryan, and Darragh Ennis.
The Chase airs weekdays at 5pm on ITV
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
