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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
David Kent

How Irish Chaser Darragh Ennis and all Chase stars got their nicknames - and the others they turned down

The Chase attracts millions of viewers every day - with the six quizzing supremos who feature becoming household names as a result.

Most of the names were given to The Chasers by the show's brilliant host Bradley Walsh, who is very gifted in that department.

But some of them weren't happy when producers originally christened them.

Here's how each of the Chasers got their nickname and the alternatives that were offered to them before hand.

Darragh Ennis - The Menace

(ITV)

When he first strolled over the bridge on the quiz show, Bradley called the Dubliner 'Dennis the Menace' - a nod to both his initial and surname and the iconic character from the Beano.

That was shortened to the Menace as he appeared on more and more shows.

Darragh only discovered what he was going to be called while waiting to go onto the show as a Chaser for the first time.

However, it wasn't the moniker that show bosses has originally planned.

The neuroscientist had previously worked at NUI Maynooth but is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Oxford University.

Producers wanted to call him 'The Professor' due to his university background - but Darragh rejected the idea as he felt he had not earned the prestigious title.

"I work in the university here in Oxford and that’s a title [professor] that you really have to earn and I think people would be very annoyed if I started calling myself the Professor," he said on This Morning back in November.

"So I said I didn’t want that but they didn’t tell me what my name would be until I was on set. I was on stage, waiting to go on when I first heard."

Mark Labbett - The Beast

Contrary to popular belief, the 6ft 7 gargantuan Beast did not get his nickname from his towering height and stature.

But in actuality, it's an extremely clever play on his surname.

Labbett comes from the French La Bête - which is French for 'The Beast'.

Mark 'The Beast' Labbett (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

However, co-star Paul Sinha explained that his nickname works due to how he interacts with hopefuls on the show.

"He scares the bejesus out of the contestants so we call him The Beast,"

Anne Hegerty - The Governess

Anne Hegerty is known as The Governess on the ITV hit show (ITV)

Anne was supposed to be called The Headmistress after being given the name by show bosses.

But she was given a slightly different name by Bradley Walsh during rehearsals which stuck.

Anne asked the producers to keep the new name because it was 'kinkier'.

"Originally I was going to be called The Headmistress," she said on Loose Women in 2015.

"And then during rehearsals Brad started occasionally referring to me as The Governess.

“I said to producers 'Could I be that instead?' and I think what I said to them was 'it’s more kinky'."

She added: "What I meant was that the headmistress has always got a board of governors and Ofsted and she can’t do everything she wants; a governess is a free agent."

Anne is also regularly called Frosty Knickers by Bradley due to her cold demeanour with contestants.

Jenny Ryan - The Vixen

Bolton-based braniac Jenny Ryan wasn't actually supposed to be called The Vixen.

Instead, she was originally going to be called The Cougar, but told show bosses that it felt a bit much.

Jenny Ryan (TV)

"When I first started I had a test run, a bit of a screen test in the studio with Brad hosting," she told Lorraine Kelly earlier this month.

"Just as a chemistry kind of test really. And I had my hair in this big ponytail.

"The producers had been trying to work out what my nickname should be, and they wanted something animal-y because I like a lot of animal print.

"And they suggested 'The Cougar', and I said, 'no, because I'm too young to be a cougar'."

It was Bradley that came to Jenny's rescue and came up with a much-improved alternative.

She continued: "Brad came up with 'The Vixen', because of the red hair, it looks like a fox's brush.

"And foxes are really intelligent animals and really cunning, and could be quite fast."

Shaun Wallace - The Dark Destroyer

(ITV)

When it comes to the former Mastermind champion, we once again have Bradley Walsh to thank.

Shaun is known as The Dark Destroyer on The Chase, which he explained is because he destroys people with his intelligence.

However, the name has been shortened to just 'The Destroyer' when he appears in the Australian and New Zealand version of the show.

Shaun defended his nickname after it came under fire and insisted there was no malice or offense behind it.

"It was actually Bradley who started to call me the Dark Destroyer, and there was absolutely no side or sinister reason behind it," he told The Sun on Sunday in July last year.

"So no, Britain may be less PC, but guess what? I am proud to be black.

"If ITV were to ask me, or consider changing it, then I would tell them this, ‘I am proud to be black, I am proud to be dark. I want the name to stay as it is’.

"And because of my intellect — and I destroy people because of my intellect — then so be it. That’s the way I use the term the Dark Destroyer, and I am not offended. And I hope other people aren’t offended either."

Paul Sinha - The Sinnerman

Paul, who is a fully qualified doctor, could have had a name relating to his profession - but producers kept it simple.

He is known as The Sinnerman on The Chase, which is clever play on his surname.

Paul Sinha (ITV)

Paul has also been referred to as The Smiling Assassin and Sarcasm in a Suit by host Bradley on the show.

The stand-up comedian has also mercilessly poked fun at the nicknames used on The Chase while performing his routines.

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