The Chasers take on the UK’s child geniuses

Often, when a TV show becomes a hit, its success leads to celebrity versions and spin-offs.

Then, if a programme is really popular, some of the previously unknown participants branch off to do other things.

Take Anne Hegerty, Mark Labbett and Shaun Wallace – not only are they three of the biggest brains of the quizzing universe and formidable geniuses on The Chase, they are are now TV stars in their own right.

‘The Governess’ Anne participated in I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and presented Britain’s Brightest Family, while ‘The Beast’ Mark took part in Sugar Free Farm and appeared on The Radio 1 Breakfast Show, and the ‘Dark Destroyer’ Shaun was seen on Alan Carr’s Epic Gameshow and Don’t Rock The Boat.

Now, the trio have landed their own spin-off which sees them jet-off to America, Japan and travel around the UK to test their brains like never before.

Over three weeks, they come up against some unusual opponents, and will hopefully arrive home with some new insights into the workings of the human mind.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience,” says Shaun. “It was amazing to just see three completely contrasting places to look at different forms of intelligence.”

Mark agrees that the trip was a real eye-opener. He says: “In a studio, to a certain extent is just a job, whereas this was, you didn’t know where you were going to be, what time you started, what time you finish or more importantly what you are going to have for food that evening. “

And finally, Anne also found the experience enjoyable and educational, adding: “I’ve never done an actual documentary series before, so it was a learning curve certainly, and we learnt a lot of very interesting stuff.”

Last week we saw the Chasers journey to the US to pit their wits against a Bonobo ape, a chimpanzee memory wizard, a gamer orang-utan and a dolphin.

And tonight, the Chasers journey back to the UK and go head-to-head with child geniuses in order to weigh up to what degree intelligence is innate or can be developed.

Despite being ultra competitive on The Chase, Sean didn’t mind the fact he met his match in some of the kids.

He says: “I suppose I liked the fact that I was trounced by a child prodigy and I managed to get one question right, so that was quite a funny moment, I cheered like I won the FA cup final. I started enjoying the experience and was not embarrassed in any way shape of form.”

While some of the UK’s brightest kids impress Anne, Mark and Shaun, they are shocked to learn that they themselves have something surprising in common, which could unlock the mystery to the trio’s amazing memories.

Next week, the trio are in Japan, then after that, it’s back to their day job.

Although this series looks to be a resounding success, The Governess has said she doesn’t plan on quitting The Chase anytime soon.

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