EastEnders legend was nearly signed up by The Chase after impressing in celeb special

Shaun Williamson, best known for playing Barry in EastEnders, was nearly signed up to be a Chaser on ITV's The Chase after he appeared on a celebrity special of the programme

Shaun Williamson, best known for his role as Barry in EastEnders, was almost recruited as a Chaser on The Chase due to his impressive intellect. After appearing on an episode of the popular ITV quiz show, current Chasers Paul Sinha and Mark Labbett revealed that Shaun was considered for a permanent spot.

Speaking to the Mail, Paul said: "He [Shaun is] very good and takes part in the national quizzing leagues we play in."

Mark added: "We did give him a try, but he quickly realised his own limitations. He knew he wasn't good enough."

This revelation about Shaun's potential involvement with The Chase follows host Bradley Walsh's comments on what would prompt him to leave the long-standing ITV programme.

Bradley, who has been at the helm of The Chase since its inception in 2009, stated he would continue hosting until viewers lost interest.

He told the outlet: "Until people say they've had enough and start switching off I'll do it. We've had such an extraordinary time together. It's the best job in the world," reports the Mirror.

Bradley also reflected on the early days of The Chase and the evolving dynamic between him and the Chasers. He shared: "Straight away I took the contestant's side. I saw the Chasers as these big, all-knowing, bully types, so I started taking the mickey out of them.

"When they got a question wrong I really gave it to them, and everyone was laughing. That's when I knew we had something."

Bradley expressed that a major perk of hosting The Chase is the creative leeway he's granted, allowing him to "go off script and improvise". Consequently, this has turned into what the host, aged 64, characterised as "doing stand-up in the middle of a quiz show".

Next year, The Chase will hit the 15-year milestone. Celebrating this landmark anniversary, a special 15th-anniversary episode is set to broadcast on Monday, September 2 at 5pm on ITV1.

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