The Chase star Bradley Walsh reveals how 'pure luck' got him the job

The Chase UK host Bradley Walsh, left, and Anne Hegerty, one of the chasers on the quiz show. Photo / Supplied

The host of The Chase, Bradley Walsh, has revealed how he first secured the role that has seen him become one of the UK's highest-earning stars and a fixture in living rooms across the world.

Walsh told Good Morning Britain in 2016 that it was a chance cup of tea with the TV boss behind the hit show that sparked it all off.

He said he had been with former Head of Factual and Daytime and ITV Ali Sharman when she gave him the pitch for the programme.

"She said, 'Tell me what you think of that,'" he said, adding that he took the pitch home to check it out.

"I said, 'Yeah, I think that may work.'"

When Sharman told Bradley they wanted to test out the concept, he offered to play the part of the host.

The rest is history.

Walsh has a long on-screen career, appearing most notably on Dr Who, Coronation Street and Law and Order UK.

He's also earned a crust as a professional footballer and a recording artist.

The popular quiz show has been highly lucrative for Walsh, who now owns a five-bedroom mansion in Essex, having sold his last home for $4.7 million three years ago.

The Chase has been hugely successful since its launch in 2009 and has now spawned a spinoff.

The show is titled Are You Smarter Than a Chaser? and is said to twist the show's format by having contestants battle against not just the famous Chasers but also against children and A.I robots.

Chasers Anne Hegerty, Mark Labett, Jenny Ryan and Shaun Wallace are all said to be in the show but at this stage it is unknown if Bradley Walsh will be involved.

The globetrotting show will reportedly travel the world testing the Chasers' knowledge, but it is unclear whether the show will make it to New Zealand.