Tara Ward talks to Anne Hegerty, aka The Governess, as she prepares to tear New Zealand quizzers to shreds on The Chase NZ.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If there\u2019s one thing Anne Hegerty wants New Zealand viewers to know about The Chase, it\u2019s that the show is not rigged. In the 15 years the quiz expert has sat upon the Chaser\u2019s brainy throne, she\u2019s heard all sorts of theories, from the Chasers being fed answers through secret earpieces to players being unfairly hindered by having to press their buzzers during the final chase. Hegerty is clear that the Chasers don\u2019t wear earpieces, and they\u2019re never guaranteed the win. \u201cI mean, as my colleague Mark Labbett says, if it was actually rigged, wouldn\u2019t they just get six better looking people?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hegerty \u2013 better known to The Chase fans as her TV alter-ego The Governess \u2013 is chatting to The Spinoff from her hotel room in Sydney, in between filming episodes of The Chase Australia and the four inaugural episodes of The Chase New Zealand. Hosted by Paul Henry, the New Zealand version of the popular British trivia series will see some of the country\u2019s bravest quizzers go head to head with two of the world\u2019s finest quiz brains (Hegerty is joined by Australian Chaser Issa \u201cThe Supernerd\u201d Schultz) to win thousands of dollars and the intellectual glory of beating the Chaser.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Governess and Paul Henry (Photo: TVNZ)<\/p>\n
That glory will be great, given New Zealand\u2019s enduring love affair with The Chase. Figures provided by TVNZ reveal that so far in 2025, The Chase UK and its various spinoffs (including Beat The Chaser and The Chase Australia) have reached 3.18 million viewers, or over 63% of all New Zealanders aged 5+. The show screens on terrestrial TV at least three times daily, with four different versions and over 100 episodes available on TVNZ+<\/a>. Watching The Chase has become a national obsession, one that Hegerty puts down to a compelling format and the easy charm of British host Bradley Walsh. \u201cIt certainly will be interesting to see what the New Zealanders make of a New Zealand Chase that hasn\u2019t got Bradley.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Hegerty has appeared on nearly 500 episodes of The Chase UK since she first donned The Governess\u2019s no-nonsense grey suit 15 years ago. Before then, Hegerty worked as a journalist and copy editor (and was a ghostwriter on two stories for Richard Scarry) and nurtured her life-long love of facts and information by competing in TV and radio quiz shows like Mastermind and Brain of Britain. After a chance meeting with a friend, Hegerty joined England\u2019s professional quizzing circuit in 2009, the same year The Chase debuted on British television screens. When Hegerty discovered the show had been searching unsuccessfully for 16 months for a woman Chaser, she researched the role, and after four auditions, joined the show for 2010\u2019s second season.<\/p>\n The Chase\u2019s imposing stage and tension-filled atmosphere makes many a quizzer feel nervous, but Hegerty describes the show as her comfort zone. \u201cI\u2019m just going to answer a load of questions,\u201d she says simply. On filming days, Hegerty goes through make-up and wardrobe to transform into The Governess, a stern and sarcastic character inspired by Hegerty\u2019s own \u201chorrible\u201d aunt and grandmother. Then, a producer arrives with a laptop to fire some fast and furious warm-up questions at Hegerty (again, it\u2019s not rigged \u2013 Hegerty emphasises these questions have no relation to those asked later in the show).<\/p>\n Once Hegerty makes her silent march across the bridge to sit in the Chaser\u2019s chair, high above the contestants, she knows from experience to empty every distraction from her mind. The trick to doing well in each round is to stay focused and to never, ever think about the previous question, and when Hegerty doesn\u2019t know an answer \u2013 her biggest subject weakness is sport \u2013 she remains confident. If in doubt, always go for the obvious answer. \u201cI\u2019ll put a brave face on it and just hit a buzzer, whichever button it is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n But how does an everyday New Zealand quizzer actually beat the Chaser? There\u2019s no easy answer, Hegerty reckons. For serious quizzers, sometimes being the only player left at the table is easier. A full house of quizzers provides a significant head start in the final chase round, but contestants can get in each other\u2019s way by interrupting or passing too quickly. \u201cThe difficulty is in learning to read the minds of your teammates,\u201d Hegerty says, adding that teams who try to combat this often create more confusion. \u201cI quite enjoy watching backstage \u2013 \u2018oh, they\u2019re onto their hand signals! They\u2019re toast, aren\u2019t they?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n One thing successful players should never hesitate over, Hegerty believes, is accepting the minus offer. \u201cIt can be the smart thing to do, the strategic decision.\u201d She\u2019s curious to discover what tactics New Zealand players will bring to The Chase, given that British quizzers are far more likely to play strategically by taking a mix of high and low cash offers, while Australian contestants are fixated with playing it safe and choosing the middle amount. \u201cThey don\u2019t tend to really consider the other offers, which they should.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\nPaul Henry (centre) with The Supernerd and The Governess (Photo: TVNZ)<\/p>\n