The Chase legend Bradley Walsh confirms he won’t be returning to Blankety Blank this year

The TV presenter began hosting the rebooted series in 2020.

Bradley Walsh stood in front of the Rome Colosseum, wearing a blue blazer and tan trousers, smiling ahead with his hands in his pockets.

ITV

Published: Monday, 27 July 2026 at 2:44 pm

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Bradley Walsh has confirmed he won't be returning to Blankety Blank this year.

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The TV presenter and actor will be stepping down from hosting duties this year due to scheduling conflicts, as he goes on tour with The Prat Pack and prepares for upcoming projects he can't yet reveal.

In an exclusive interview with Radio Times, where Walsh was talking about The Chase Around the World, he confirmed: "The thing is we're just doing Gladiators. I get a week off and then I go to rehearsals for the live Prat Pack show.

"I take The Prat Pack back on the road for a month, and then I would normally go straight into Blankety Blank. But at the moment, what I'm going to do is I've got other stuff which I can't announce at the moment. We're working on a couple of dramas and scripting, and I actually physically do not have the time."

He added: "I just don't have the time, which is sad because I've loved Blankety Blank. It's been one of my favourite shows, and it's been brilliant. Blankety Blank has been brilliant. It really makes me laugh. It's the most fun you can have in the studio, and I just cannot at the moment work on it. I just have not got the time. I would normally go to studio October, but I'm all taken up in October and November, so I just haven't time to do it. Maybe next year."

The BBC declined to comment when approached by Radio Times.

Bradley Walsh wearing a suit while stood in front of the Blankety Blank studio.

Bradley Walsh. BBC/Thames/Matt Frost

The Chase Around the World is the all-new international format of the beloved game show which sees contestants track down the Chasers in undisclosed locations around the globe.

"I really, really enjoyed to see The Chase taken out of the studio and be put in a different environment," Walsh told Radio Times.

"And then the contestants themselves, it was lovely to meet them and see how they then progress through the time and their time spent in the different cities."

He continued: "It's really tricky because some of them are good and they make mistakes and it sets them back. They fall behind, and then it's very sort of nip and tuck, edge to edge stuff. I've really, really enjoyed it. It was great watching them."

This week, the teams land in Lisbon to take on the Dark Destroyer and the Sinnerman, who have set a series of quiz questions that the teams must solve to navigate across the city and meet Walsh at the finish line.

"I can't give too much away but Lisbon was a great, great episode," Walsh said. "I really loved it, and I'm sure the fans of the show and regular viewers will get into it. And the advantage is a real key to it now, and it's interesting to see how a couple of the pairings feel who catches up to them."

A group of people stood in a row in front of the Rome Colosseum.

The Chase Around the World contestants. ITV

This series is certainly a thrilling one, providing exciting venues for the quiz games, such as Tibidabo theme park and football stadiums in Barcelona. As the series progresses, the more audiences will get to know the teams. These consist of sisters Kati and Amy who are super competitive, and will be tough to beat, as well as father and son duo David and Steven who are emerging as serious contenders.

Also don't underestimate the "power of blonde". People keep underestimating them, but Nikita and Ashwin always seem to do enough to survive and beat the Chasers in Rome.

But wrong answers can have consequences, and one slip up can be the difference between safety and facing the Chasers, as we've seen with strong teams like Emily and Dilan.

Walsh told Radio Times: "What's brilliant about the show, though, at that point is that they come across the finish line, then they have a quick glance around to see who else is there, and then you can see the sigh of relief on their face when they see that they're not the last pair through, and so that's really good to watch. That's really good to see their faces coming through, and they realise, 'Oh wow, we haven't got to face the Chasers, which is so cool for me."

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The Chase Around the World continues on Thursday 30 July at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Katelyn Mensah, smiling against a lime green background.

Katelyn MensahSenior Entertainment Writer

Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.

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