20 December 2023 , 21:48
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Bradley Walsh was gobsmacked on The Chase when Mark Labbett, also known as The Beast, revealed Jenny Ryan's surprising old job.
Jenny "The Vixen" Ryan is famous for her quick wit on the show, and it turns out she has a secret past that might explain why she's so good at quizzes. On the episode from December 20, there was a question about QI elves, and Mark let slip that Jenny used to be one.
QI elves are the clever folks who write and research for the TV show QI. When Mark and a player named Nuala got the question right, Mark said: "Jenny was a QI elf."
Bradley couldn't believe it and exclaimed: "She was not." But Mark confirmed: "Why do you think she has so many green outfits?" Bradley, still in shock, asked if Mark was joking, but he wasn't: "No I'm not, do you know where that knowledge base comes from, she genuinely was. QI elf."
Mark made the revelation to a shocked Brad (No credit)People watching the show were just as surprised as Bradley, and some even wanted to see Jenny dressed up as an elf! Jenny joined The Chase in 2015 and has been showing off her trivia skills ever since.
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Before she became a Chaser, Jenny Ryan worked as a quiz show question writer and even contributed to The Chase's pilot episode. She told Radio Times: "I actually worked on the pilot of The Chase and wrote the questions on it.
"All the questions I wrote have long since been used. If I could remember every question I ever wrote I'd be the world quiz champion." Meanwhile, Mark Labbett, also known as The Beast, was a PE and maths supply teacher in Newport, South Wales before joining The Chase.
He also wrote questions for pub quiz company Redtooth and worked at Butlins holiday camp, where he first got into quizzing. He told The Guardian in 2007: "I discovered the quiz machines in the bar.
"I really enjoyed playing and it was also lucrative. At the beginning of the week I banked my £55 wage, except for £3 or £4 which I played on the machines. By the end of the week, I'd have £200 in coins."
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