Eden Nash had already secured a remarkable place in The Chase’s history when his £75,000 solo victory finally aired on ITV—but the 20-year-old had been carrying the secret for more than a year.
Viewers watched in disbelief on Tuesday, August 31, as Nash became the show’s highest-ever solo winner at the time, walking away with the entire £75,000 prize without a teammate sharing the winnings.
Host Bradley Walsh was thrilled by the extraordinary result, while Chaser Darragh Ennis also celebrated what he described as a “well deserved” victory.
But there was a remarkable detail behind the episode that viewers did not know at the time: Nash had actually filmed the show back in 2020, shortly before the coronavirus pandemic brought television production to a halt.
A victory kept secret through the pandemic
The long delay was revealed by Ennis himself after the episode finally aired.
Taking to Twitter, the Chaser congratulated Nash on his achievement, writing: “#TheChase great and well deserved win for Eden.”
Nash replied: “Thanks Darragh, top man.”
Ennis then revealed just how long the young contestant had been forced to keep his incredible result under wraps.
“Eden! You legend! Sorry, you’ve had to sit on this for so long. Pesky pandemic. I hope you’ve gone nuts with the cash, well deserved!” he wrote.
Nash responded simply: “Don’t worry, I’ve enjoyed myself.”
His reply hinted at just how unusual the wait must have been. Although he had won the money in 2020, he could not publicly celebrate the result until the episode eventually made it onto television more than a year later.
The pandemic changed how The Chase was filmed
The coronavirus pandemic caused major disruption to the production of The Chase.
Filming was initially forced to stop when the pandemic began, while the programme later had to introduce significant changes to the way episodes were produced.
The show’s production schedule also meant that Nash’s episode was not necessarily going to be broadcast immediately even under normal circumstances.
The Chase routinely records episodes in advance, ensuring there is enough material to fill its weekday ITV schedule. That production approach meant contestants could sometimes wait before seeing their episodes reach television.
For Nash, however, the interruption caused by the pandemic made the wait considerably longer.
An unforgettable solo win
When his episode finally aired, Nash’s achievement quickly became the focus of attention.
Winning £75,000 alone is an exceptionally difficult feat on The Chase, where contestants normally work together to build a team prize before facing one of the show’s professional Chasers.
Nash instead managed to take the entire prize for himself.
The result left Walsh visibly delighted and earned praise from Ennis, who had been involved in the episode and later made a point of congratulating the young winner publicly.
By the time viewers watched the dramatic finish in August 2021, Nash had already known the outcome for well over a year.
The unusual delay meant that one of the most memorable wins in the show’s history had effectively been a secret long before the audience finally got to see how it happened.