The Chase Celebrity Special

Bradley Walsh (Host)

Born: June 04, 1960 in Watford

Best Known For: Coronation Street and Law & Order: UK

Early-life: Bradley John Walsh was born in Watford on June 4, 1960. He wanted to be a footballer and was playing for a county league team when he was offered a contract with Brentford FC. Sadly, his sporting career was brought to an abrupt end when he broke both his ankles. He then considered joining the police, but was told he was too short, so he followed his father into engineering. He eventually decided to try stand-up comedy, and made his first steps towards turning professional when he became an entertainer at a holiday camp near Morecambe.

Career: Walsh's big TV break came in 1993, when he appeared on the Royal Variety Show. It led to a stint presenting the National Lottery, and he also hosted the game shows Wheel of Fortune and Win, Lose or Draw. After fearing his brand of light entertainment was becoming dated he moved into acting, taking parts in the TV version of Lock, Stock, the soap Night and Day and movie Mike Bassett: England Manager before Coronation Street's bosses created the role of Danny Baldwin for him in 2004. He stayed in Weatherfield for two years before leaving to pursue other projects. He's since appeared in Torn, The Old Curiosity Shop, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Law and Order: UK and SunTrap. He moved back into presenting in 2009 with ITV quiz show The Chase, and is a team captain on Play to the Whistle.

Quote: 'Professionally I saw the end of light entertainment galloping towards me. Oddly enough, it's coming back now thanks to all the reality shows.'

Trivia: Walsh is a supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Nicholas Owen (Contestant)

Laila Rouass (Contestant)

Born: June 22, 1971 in Stepney, London

Best Known For: Roles in Footballers' Wives and Hollyoaks.

Early-life: Born 22 June, 1971, in Stepney, London, the daughter of a Moroccan father and Indian mother. She studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

Career: Rouass took up her first role in the industry in the 1990s - as a video jockey on Channel V in India. She moved back to the UK, where she became famous for her role as Amber Gates in Footballers' Wives. She took up recurring roles in Family Affairs and Hollyoaks, as well as appearing in episodes of I Dream, Casualty and Meet the Magoons. Off the back of her screen success, Rouass began to appear regularly in the 'World's Sexiest Women' lists. More recently, Rouass has appeared in Primeval and Spooks. As well as a stint on Strictly Come Dancing, Rouass has had varied film career success.

Quote: 'You know, HD is the worst invention ever. You can see everything. So I'm always nice to the lighting people.'

Trivia: In 2013, she got engaged to snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Vanessa Feltz (Contestant)

Born: February 21, 1962 in Islington, North London

Best Known For: Presenting chat shows, and her radio broadcasting work.

Early-life: Born on February 21, 1962, in Islington, North London, and grew up in Totteridge in Barnet. She's the daughter of an underwear manufacturer, and has one sister. After attending the Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls, Vanessa read English literature at Trinity College, Cambridge. After deciding to become a journalist, she worked at She magazine, the Daily Mirror, and as the Jewish Chronicle's first female columnist.

Career: Feltz was invited to speak about one of her columns on a local radio station and proved so popular, she was asked to host a regular slot. The Big Breakfast followed before moving to the BBC, where she had her own chat show, in a deal worth £2million. She went on to host Talking TV, I Will Survive and Net Rescue, but her contract was not renewed due to falling ratings. Since then, Feltz has released a fitness video and appeared on numerous TV shows, including Celebrity Big Brother, Celebrity Fit Club, Cosmetic Surgery Live and Vanessa's Real Lives. She featured in the movie Once Upon a Time in the Midlands, and made a guest appearance in the comedy series Little Britain. She also has her own BBC London radio show. In 2013, she was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.

Quote: 'I've never been one of these people who are naturally good at exercise. I'm good at talking, writing, reading and having sex.'

Trivia: In 2011, she took over the BBC Radio 2 Early Breakfast Show.

Tim Vine (Contestant)

Born: March 04, 1967 in Cheam, London

Best Known For: His superb one-liners.

Early-life: Born Timothy Mark Vine in London, on March 4, 1967. The son of a structural engineering lecturer and a part-time medical worker, Tim demonstrated a love of performing from an early age. His elder brother is broadcaster Jeremy Vine and his younger sister, Sonya, is a painter. Tim first got into comedy when he used to take part in a weekly competition night at the Comedy Cafe in central London. As his reputation and confidence grew, so did his fan base and he soon branched out on his own.

Career: Vine burst onto the stand-up circuit by winning the Perrier Best Newcomer Award for The Tim Vine Fiasco at the Edinburgh Festival in 1995. Tim's solo shows in Edinburgh include Tim Vine Flat Out, I'm Vine Thanks, Tim Vine and the Minotaur, Punslinger and Joke-amotive. He was in both series of ITV's The Sketch Show and appeared alongside his friend Lee Mack in five series of BBC One sitcom No Going Out. They also took part in Let's Play Darts for Comic Relief, with Vine finishing runner-up to competition winner Mack. He's acted in Blandings and is a resident comedian on Celebrity Squares alongside Joe Wilkinson.

Quote: 'Velcro - what a rip off.'

Trivia: In 2004, Vine broke the record for telling the most jokes in an hour - 499. He held the record until November 2014, when Australian comedian Taylor Goodwin told 550 jokes in an hour.

Richard van't Riet (Director)

David Hall (Series producer)

10:00 pm - 11:00 pm, Monday, March 30 on Challenge (48)

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Season 2, Episode 6

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