The Chase star Shaun Wallace “lost thousands” of pounds when the show first started out. Shaun was one of the first two Chasers to sign up to the show in 2009, alongside Mark Labbett. The pair were both recruited by producers from the national quizzing circuit.
At the time Shaun was working as a criminal defence barrister. The 64-year-old has juggled his TV work and his legal career ever since. Mark has now revealed both of them were left out-of-pocket when the show began.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “Shaun and I both lost money at first. “We earned just £100 a show and had to take time away from our better-paid jobs to do it. Shaun lost thousands.
” While Mark says he has had a number of careers throughout his 59 years, a majority of his time before The Chase was spent teaching in secondary schools. Having graduated from Oxford University, he was working as a maths and PE supply teacher in 2007, reports the BBC . Mark claims ITV bosses were also worried the show might be a success.
He says they brought in underwriters to assess whether The Chase would be a financial hit. However, Mark understands it took just two days for the insurers to decide the broadcaster was not going to lose out. It was the show’s trademark excitement and drama that won them over, with early episodes going right to the wire.
The Chase went on to become a fan-favourite bringing in around three to five million viewers each day, The Mirror reported earlier this year. It has seen the .