Michael McIntyre surprised The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh by bringing out the former alpine skier. Photo / BBC
Michael McIntyre surprised The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh by bringing out the former alpine skier. Photo / BBC
More than a decade ago, The Chase host Bradley Walsh burst into laughter after reading out the name of former alpine skier Fanny Chmelar on the popular game show; now, he’s come face to face with her.
In 2011, Walsh went viral after struggling to pronounce the German athlete’s name during an episode of The Chase, ultimately resulting in him, the contestant and the chaser all breaking out into laughter. It was an event that went down in TV history and 13 years later, Chmelar got her justice.
While appearing on the BBC’s Michael McIntyre’s Big Show recently, Walsh was convinced to partake in the fan-favourite Midnight Gameshow segment where McIntrye surprises the contestant in the middle of the night and makes them answer a series of quiz questions.
Upon popping up in Walsh’s room, McIntyre asked the sleepy host, “In what sport does Fanny Chmelar compete?” Walsh immediately answered “skiing”, continuing to say he would take the viral moment to his grave.
Then, things took a turn as McIntyre announced: “Please welcome Fanny Chmelar,” earning a short and sharp “no” from Walsh.
Holding a pair of skis, the German-born athlete walked into the room to see a silent Walsh who, when he found his voice, said “I am so sorry.”
The clip quickly went viral with many fans taking to X (formerly Twitter) to share their amusement. One said: “I am howling with Bradley Walsh meeting Fanny Chmelar whilst he’s in bed on the Michael McIntyre show.”
A second said: “I think Michael McIntyre surprising Bradley Walsh with Fanny Chmelar is up there some of the best TV I’ve ever seen.”
“Bradley Walsh and Fanny Chmelar have finally met. Iconic! #MichaelMcIntyresBigShow,” replied a third fan.
Another dubbed it “great telly”.
The stars of Beat the Chasers: Mark 'The Beast' Labbett, Anne 'The Governess' Hegerty, Bradley Walsh, Paul 'The Sinnerman' Sinha, Jenny 'The Vixen' Ryan and Shaun 'The Dark Destroyer' Wallace. Photo / TVNZ
The show — which films three episodes a day, each taking 90 minutes to record — must follow many rules and regulations to make sure it is a fair game. And while rare, there can be slip-ups that result in frustrated viewers questioning the integrity of the show, meaning there must be lawyers on set at all times.
Speaking to the Radio Times, Walsh said, “If there is a slight misread, I am stopped immediately — bang — by the lawyers,”
“We have the compliance lawyers in the studio all the time. What you have to do is go back to the start of the question, literally on video tape where my mouth opens — or where it’s closed from the previous question — and the question is re-asked. It is stopped to the split second.”
He added: “It means no time is lost for either the contestant or the chaser.”
According to the Mirror, as well as lawyers on set, the show ensures a fair and balanced game by employing Beyond Dispute — a professional monitoring company that randomly selects questions to maintain the integrity of the selection.
