The Chase viewers believe it is time for Bradley Walsh to step down from the ITV quiz show. The 65-year-old has fronted the hit programme since its inception in 2009 and quickly became the heart and soul of the show. However, not everyone thinks he should remain on the programme forever, with some convinced it could be time for him to retire. Writing on a Reddit forum, one fan branded the speed of Bradley’s reading as “legitimately bad”, claiming his pace is slowing as the seasons progress.
They also claimed each series is getting worse, admitting they can no longer be bothered to watch an hour-long show that ends with the same outcome. One fan complained: “Bradley’s reading speed this series is legitimately so bad- it keeps getting slower every year. Chasers only seem to be getting through 22 questions in 2 minutes, teams probably even less. Massively disappointed as each series seems to get worse than the 1 before.
“I want to be invested in the show again but can’t be bothered watching an hour show to see a chaser catch 11 steps with 27 seconds left.”
Another acknowledged Bradley’s “superb run”, but claimed he is “losing enthusiasm” for the show.
They wrote: “As much as the die hard fans can’t bear to see any criticism of Bradley whatsoever, the reality is becoming more apparent watching the newest episodes: he’s ageing, losing enthusiasm for the show and just says the exact same thing at every stage of the game. He’s had a superb run but it’s time for someone else to step up.”
A third agreed: “Yeah, it really is. He just seems bored,” but confessed they’d miss Bradley’s “rapport with the chasers”.
A fourth weighed in: “This is easily the worst case I’ve seen of someone getting worse at reading questions since Paxman on University Challenge (which is understandable in his case due to Parkinson’s). Feel like they need to start bringing in a sidekick to read the questions while he’s still there to banter with the chasers and contestants.”
While another fan agreed with these comments, they clarified: “I don’t think it’s entirely down to Bradders. His reading in the most recent Christmas special was quite fast, just the questions were mostly short and fairly straightforward- so should be adjusted as such.
“He can’t read quickly at great length anymore. I think if contestants were managing to set 24+ scores on a semi regular basis again he’d gain some enthusiasm again- as it stands it’s few and far between we see a target of 20.”
Last year, Bradley revealed the one thing that could make him walk away from the show.
“Until people say they’ve had enough and start switching off, I’ll do it,” he told the Daily Mail. “We’ve had such an extraordinary time together. It’s the best job in the world.”
