Bradley Walsh Fires Back at The Chase Contestant After She Brands His Joke ‘Awful’
Contestant Ben was answering a question on otters’ dens when the drama ensuedCredit: ITV
Bradley Walsh is used to teasing contestants on The Chase, but one player unexpectedly turned the tables on the host — prompting an immediate warning that there would be “trouble” when her turn arrived.
The awkward but playful exchange unfolded after Bradley cracked a joke while contestant Ben was attempting to answer a question about otters.
Lauren, another member of the team, clearly wasn’t impressed.
“That’s awful!” she shouted from her seat.
Bradley immediately stopped and looked across at her.
An Otter Question Started the Stand-Off
Walsh’s humour didn’t go down well with contestant Lauren as she shouted over to him saying: “That’s awful!”Credit: ITV
The episode featured Barbara from Chesterfield, Ben from London, Lauren from Glasgow and Scott from Newcastle, all hoping to build a cash prize while taking on one of the show’s professional quiz masters.
After Barbara completed her round, Ben stepped forward to face Anne “The Governess” Hegerty.
Bradley asked him: “What name is given to the den of an otter?”
Ben selected “Drey.”
He admitted he had previously visited a wetlands centre where otters were kept and joked that he wished he had paid more attention to what their homes were called.
His answer turned out to be wrong. The correct answer was “Holt.”
That was when Bradley decided to add one of his trademark jokes.
“Do you know what a water otter is? A kettle,” he said.
Lauren’s verdict came immediately.
“That’s awful!”
Bradley Warns Lauren: ‘There’ll Be Trouble Now’
“You wait until you get up here now, there’ll be trouble now,” Bradley told LaurenCredit: ITV
Bradley was not about to let the comment pass unnoticed.
“What do you mean ‘that’s awful,’ Lauren?” he fired back.
He then jokingly warned the contestant that her own turn was still to come.
“You wait until you get up here now, there’ll be trouble now,” Bradley told her.
“Have a go at my gags,” he added.
The moment turned into a brief stand-off between host and contestant, with Lauren managing to do what players on The Chase frequently struggle to achieve — leave Bradley temporarily defending himself rather than teasing somebody else.
The exchange remained light-hearted, but Bradley had clearly made a mental note of the criticism.
Anne Hegerty Had the Answer
Attention eventually returned to the actual game, where Anne had correctly identified the answer and moved another step closer to catching Ben.
Ben nevertheless survived his individual encounter and later reached the Final Chase.
The team managed to establish a target of 15 points, but it was not enough to defeat The Governess.
Anne caught them before the end, bringing their hopes of taking home the prize money to an end.
But away from the result, it was Lauren’s three-word review of Bradley’s joke — and his instant response — that provided one of the episode’s more memorable exchanges.
On a show where Bradley Walsh normally has the last laugh, this time a contestant was brave enough to tell him exactly what she thought of the gag.
And Bradley made sure she knew he had heard every word.