Royal “Cost” takes over airwaves – The Chase fans switch channels in fury – Clash erupts over ITV’s racing priority!
The Chase fans tune in to rival show after being pulled off air in major schedule shake-up
The Chase fans were left up in @rms after the ITV quiz show was pulled off the airwaves for coverage of the Royal Ascot.
The Chase was pulled off air for the Royal Ascot (Image: ITV)
The Chase fans have been left up in @rms after the ITV daytime show was pulled off the air in a sudden schedule shake-up. On Tuesday (June 17), the afternoon quiz show was due to air with host Bradley Walsh at the helm.
But the programme was pulled from its usual 5pm slot due to coverage of the Royal Ascot on the opening day of the racing festival. The horse racing coverage began at 1.30pm and runs through until 6pm. The schedule change continues throughout the rest of the week.
Viewers quickly tuned over to the BBC quiz show Pointless (Image: BBC/Remarkable, part of Endemol Shine Group/Mark Yeoman)
No episode will air for the rest of the week, meaning viewers will have to wait until next Monday (June 23) to see the show again. It didn’t take long before fans flooded to X – formerly known as Twitter – to share their disappointment online, with many tuning into the BBC rival quiz show, Pointless.
One user penned: “#TheChase since there’s no Chase tonight, it’s over to #pointless” as another quipped: “Not #TheChase I was expecting #RoyalAscot.”
A third echoed: “Just sat down to watch #TheChase but instead i get [horse emoji]” as a fourth chimed in with: “No 5pm repeat of #TheChase today or all week due to Ascot! So Pointless will probably double its audience to at least 10.”
The long-running show features a team of some of the UK’s best quizzers including Shaun ‘The Dark Destroyer’ Wallace, Jenny ‘The Vixen’ Ryan, Darragh ‘The Menace’ Ennis, Mark ‘The Beast’ Labbett, Anne ‘The Governess’ Hegerty, and Paul ‘The Sinnerman’ Sinha.
The afternoon show first hit our screens back in 2009 and quickly became a mainstay on ITV. It sees regular contestants battle it out and test their general knowledge skills with the chance of taking home a whooping cash prize.
This isn’t the first time the quiz show had faced maj0r d1sruption this year. Earlier this month, the teatime show was taken off the air to make space for coverage of the UEFA Women’s Nations League, Spain v England.
The Chase also switched up its usual schedule last week when two Soccer Aid for UNICEF special episodes aired on Wednesday and Friday. Shaun Williams, David James, Lianne Sanderson, and Dion Dublin made up the team of four celebrities who faced off against Darragh Ennis.
While Dermot O’Leary, Lynsey Hipgrave, Kyle Walker, and Alex Brooker went up against Anne Hegerty on Friday night to raise money for UNICEF.
