Running on The Chase

I spent three weeks this summer working with the production team on ITV’s The Chase. Based at The London Studios, my working week ran from Thursday to Sunday. Three days off a week seemed great at first but not when I realised that when I was free, the rest of the world was at work. Nonetheless, I can’t complain as some of the staff had to be in all week and unlike my 9-5, they had 12 hour days. Unsociable hours seem to come with the territory in production.
Despite all the hard work and long hours, everyone was constantly on the beat. I’m sure it had a lot to do with the endless cups of tea and coffee that are consumed, and frequent drinks runs were one of the less thrilling tasks I was given.
Most of my time was spent as a studio and office runner, and running really is a big part of the job. I was constantly on my feet and by day three had given up on dressing smartly and donned jeans and comfy shoes like the others. Pockets were also a must – there are a number of essentials that a runner should always have on them, including a radio. These clothing requirements proved to be my biggest problem as my personal wardrobe isn’t renowned for its practicality.
Most of the runners I have met are young, good-looking types hungry for a glamorous career in television. But what the more ‘veteran’ types constantly reminded me of was that TV is not a stable environment. There is very little job security and if your only qualities are being young and pretty, you are so easily replaceable. You have to put in a lot of hard work and be thick-skinned; people can be tough on runners.
However, being a runner does have its perks. Your job has so much variety and on The Chase there were new contestants to work with daily so you never felt like you were surrounded by the same people. You learn to appreciate the diva requests that celebrities make or the strange props you are asked to source.
You are also in the unique position of observing everything that’s going on. Over the course of my placement, I shadowed all the different departments; from make-up artists to sitting in with the directors and executive producers. I gained such a panoramic understanding of how the show is put together. If all that isn’t enough, one of the biggest perks was getting to meet and work with talent!
As a runner you start at the bottom of the rung, and everyone wants you to earn your place. Yet in an industry supposedly filled with nepotism, it was surprisingly refreshing to hear from everyone at the top that they too had started from the bottom and worked their way up.