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ITV had given one of the most loved The Chase contestants the job of a lifetime - to be the new Chaser on the show.

Irish star Darragh Ennis will be announced as the sixth Chaser joining the likes of Anne Hegarty and Paul Sinha to battle against teams to stop them winning money in the Bradley Walsh presented show.

Brainy Darragh is the first new chaser to be appointed since X Factor ’s Jenny Ryan joined in 2015.

Darragh is a post doctoral researcher at Oxford Uni and previously became a viral sensation when he appeared in the show in March 2017.

Darragh banked £9000 for the team during his turn but his teammates took the lower offers which decreased the team fund by £2700.

The hashtag #Justicefordarragh started trending and fans of the show even started a Gofundme page to try and raise him the money.

(Image: ITV)

A show source said: “Darragh has got what it takes to be a Chaser, he has been put to the test and passed with flying colours.

“They don't bring in new members on The Chase regularly so this is a big deal for the show and Darragh.

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"Viewers will be very interested to see how he gets on.

“The show is so popular with spin off shows now as well so there is a need to increase the team.

"No one is leaving, Darragh is very much an addition to the team.”

(Image: ITV)

The Chase remains one of ITV's most popular quizzes with host Bradley Walsh.

Each day four contestants must pit their wits against the Chaser, a ruthless quiz genius determined to stop them winning a cash prize.

It has been nominated six times at the National Television Awards, winning in 2016, 2017, and 2019.

In November last year host Bradley hinted that new Chasers could be on the way.

He told Radio Times: "We’re making more and more shows all the time, so we need to recruit more people all the time.

(Image: ITV)

“So consequently, we have put our feelers out to find other people that will be suitable, and all will be revealed next year.”

Asked if that meant more than a single new Chaser joining the team, he replied: “It could be more than one, who knows. But it’s a proper shake-up.”

He then told Good Morning Britain: “We've got a brand new Chaser coming in for another new series now. It's all good.”

Here are the Chasers that he will be joining:

Mark 'The Beast' Labbett

(Image: ITV)

Age: 54

About: Former mathematics and physical education teacher who has appeared on Mastermind, Countdown, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and Univesity Challenge.

Shaun 'Dark Destroyer' Wallace

(Image: ITV)

Age: 59

About: Part time lecturer with qualificatons in law. He won Mastermind and was ranked 286th in the World Quizzing Championships in 2012.

Anne 'The Governess' Hegerty

(Image: ITV)

Age: 61

About: Appeared on I'm A Celebrity last year but mainly a major quiz fan. Appearances before benig a chaser included Mastermind, Fifteen to One, Today's the Day, Are You an Egghead? and Brain of Britain

Jenny 'The Vixen' Ryan

Age: 38

About: She wrote questions for the pilot episode of The Chase in 2009 before joining as Chaser in 2015. She was recommended for The Chase by Anne Hegerty, as they had both competed together on the same quiz team, where Ryan was the captain of the team.

Paul 'Sinnerman' Sinha

(Image: ITV)

Age: 49

About: British Quizzing Champion in September 2019, Paul is both a quiz expert and a stand up comedian. He is also currently battling Parkinsons.

The Chase airs weekdays at 5pm on ITV.