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.

Susan Calman (Contestant)

Dermot Murnaghan (Contestant)

Born: December 26, 1957 in Devon

Best Known For: Breaking the news about Princess Diana's death in 1997.

Early-life: Dermot John Murnaghan was born in Devon in December, 1957, but his family later moved to Newry, Co Down in Ireland, and eventually settled in Holywood. He attended the local grammar school before studying history at the University of Sussex, and went on to complete a postgraduate course in journalism at City University. He began his career as a trainee reporter on local papers, before landing a job as a researcher at Channel 4.

Career: Dermot's big break came when he presented The Business Programme. Four years later, he moved to Switzerland to work on the European Business Channel. He came back to the UK to front news show The Channel 4 Daily. Murnaghan then moved to ITV, where he hosted the lunchtime bulletin and the News At Ten. In 2002, he switched to the BBC, where he was the main Breakfast presenter until Christmas, when he moved to Sky. Aside from news, he's hosted a revamped version of the series Treasure Hunt, quiz Eggheads and satirical show The State We're In, on BBC Three.

Quote: On rescuing a drowning child from Lake Geneva while filming a report: "After I'd pulled the boy out, the cameraman turned and said to me that he was there to shoot pictures, not save lives. Can you believe such a thing?"

Trivia: Away from TV, he's an avid Arsenal fan and has taken part in two London marathons and one triathlon.

Perri Shakes-Drayton (Contestant)

Omid Djalili (Contestant)

Helen Tumbridge (Executive producer)

Martin Scott (Executive producer)

Michael Kelpie (Executive producer)

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm, Saturday, December 27 on Challenge (48)

About this Broadcast

Season 10, Episode 5

Cast & Crew

More Information

Did You Know..

Before / After