Bradley Walsh found himself on the receiving end of a sharp comeback from The Chase star Shaun “The Dark Destroyer” Wallace after a playful exchange about clowns quickly turned into a running joke between the pair.
The moment came during Tuesday’s repeat episode of the ITV quiz show, as contestants Rebekah, Rhom, Kath and Mark competed for the chance to take home a share of the jackpot.
But while the contestants faced the pressure of the quiz, it was the familiar banter between Walsh and Wallace that stole the spotlight.
The Chase: Shaun Wallace ordered Bradley Walsh to “move on” (Image: ITV)
Shaun Wallace fires back at Bradley Walsh
Rebekah was the first contestant to face Wallace after building a prize of £5,000 in her Cash Builder.
During her head-to-head round, Walsh asked: “What group of entertainers attend the annual Grimaldi church service in East London?”
The choices were clowns, jugglers and trapeze artists.
Rebekah selected trapeze artists, but Wallace knew the correct answer was clowns. He explained that the service was named after Joseph Grimaldi, the famous clown associated with the tradition.
That gave Walsh the perfect opportunity for a joke.
“Indeed,” the presenter said. “The greatest clown that ever lived apart from…”
“Yourself,” Wallace immediately interrupted.
Walsh quickly tried to defend himself.
“No, Charlie Cairoli, sensational.”
But Wallace wasn’t letting him off the hook.
“And yourself,” the Chaser added.
“I wouldn’t really call myself a clown,” Walsh replied.
“I would,” Wallace shot back.
The response left Walsh momentarily speechless before Wallace simply moved things along with: “Next question.”
The pair get distracted by a date in history
Their playful exchange continued during another question, this time about one of Scotland’s most famous battles.
Walsh asked: “The Battle of Bannockburn was fought as part of an attempt to relieve the siege of what castle?”
Rebekah admitted she should probably know the answer because she lived in Scotland, but ruled out Glamis Castle.
She eventually answered Stirling Castle, which was correct. Wallace also gave the right answer.
But rather than immediately moving on, Wallace began thinking aloud about the date of the battle.
“June 1314. I’m just trying to remember the day it took place.”
“Thursday,” Walsh joked.
Wallace clarified that he was trying to remember the actual date.
“Was it June…”
Walsh then began throwing out possible dates, suggesting June 12 before moving on to other possibilities.
Eventually, Wallace had enough.
“Let’s move on,” he urged.
But Walsh continued with his guesses.
“Why did I start this?” Wallace asked.
“Tell us when—I’ve got all day,” Walsh replied.
Wallace quickly reminded him that wasn’t quite true.
“No, we haven’t got all day because the news is starting at six, so let’s crack on,” he said.
Rebekah and Rhom eliminated
The light-hearted exchanges came amid a tough afternoon for the contestants.
Rebekah was eventually caught by Wallace, while Rhom also failed to make it through after choosing to play for a substantial £33,000.
Kath became the first contestant to reach the Final Chase with £4,000.
Mark, however, failed to join her after choosing to take Wallace’s higher offer of £66,000.
Kath was therefore left to face The Dark Destroyer alone in the Final Chase.
Despite her efforts, Wallace managed to defeat her in the final round.
The Chaser nevertheless applauded Kath for having the courage to take on the Final Chase without a teammate beside her.
The episode once again highlighted the playful relationship between Walsh and the Chasers, with Wallace proving that he is more than capable of giving the host as good as he gets.
The Chase airs on ITV on weekdays at 5pm.