Bradley Walsh aims sly dig at 'precious TV presenters' as he reacts to swipes from Chasers

Bradley Walsh has opened up about the 'banter' he shares with ITV's Chasers. (Image: ITV)

Bradley Walsh has directed a thinly-veiled barb at TV presenters who can’t handle gags being aimed at them on-air. The Chase and Beat The Chasers host admitted there’s “no point” in him being sensitive when it comes to dealing with “banter” on the ITV quiz series.

63-year-old Bradley has been at the helm of The Chase since 2009 and its spin-off show since 2020. The original iteration sees celebrities and civilians going head-to-head with one Chaser, while the latest incarnation pits them against all six.

General knowledge experts such as Mark Labbett, Anne Hegerty, Jenny Ryan and Shaun Wallace appear in both shows and regularly take swipes at both Bradley and the contestants. This form of light mockery often comes in the form of takedowns, snide comments, and hilariously witty quips.

Despite being the butt of many jokes, the host claims the Chasers’ harsh words have never stung. Instead, he believes it's all in good jest and part of the fun.

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In a conversation with ITV, the father-of-two said: “They sort of have pops at me, but a bit of self-deprecating humour never hurt anybody. We’ve got a writer called Adam Bostock Smith.

READ MORE ITV The Chase fans confused over player's controversial remark to Bradley Walsh

Bradley Walsh hosts both civilian and celebrity versions of The Chase and Beat The Chasers. (Image: ITV)

“He writes those kind of jokes and he’s very cutting. But he also writes their gags to gave a go at me. Some of them are really funny, it actually makes me laugh.”

He added in a cheeky dig at some unnamed fellow TV presenters: “We know it’s just banter – there’s no point in getting yourself wound up like some presenters I know who are just so precious, it’s frightening!”

When asked who his favourite quizzer was to “wind up”, Bradley said: “Well, I love winding them all up! I take it easier on Jenny and Anne, because of the female aspect of it.

“I have most fun with, not necessarily my favourite Chaser, but the one I have most fun with is Shaun, The Dark Destroyer.”

According to the actor, he shares similar interests with 63-year-old Shaun, and the pair regularly refer to themselves as “twins”.

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The host claims he and Shaun 'The Dark Destroyer' Wallace are like 'twins'. (Image: ITV) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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“He’s a really good mate,” he added. “You can’t go out for a night out with him because he’s so boring! I’m joking, he’s a great lad!”

Comments from the Doctor Who star follow the sixth season of Beat The Chasers debuting last week.

The first episode featured celebrities Carlton Cole, Steps' Claire Richards and comedian Rory Bremner.

Later episodes in the season will see Grace Dent, BBC Breakfast’s Charlie Stayt and Coronation Street’s Shobna Gulati competing to raise crucial funds for charity by going up against the ‘Sensational Six’ quiz masters.

The sixth season of Beat The Chasers returns to ITV1 and ITVX on Friday, May 3 at 9pm.