"the chase" originated in the united kingdom, premiering on itv in 2009. as the series became increasingly popular in the uk, fox ordered two pilot episodes in april 2012 to be taped in london for consideration to be added to the network's u.s. programming lineup. bradley walsh, presenter of the british version, was featured as the show's host, while uk chaser mark labbett (nicknamed "the beast", which is "la bête" in french) and "jeopardy!" champion brad rutter were the chasers.