ITV's Beat the Chasers is returning to the channel on Monday, May 16 for season 5. Bradley Walsh will be back presenting the popular show as a new batch of contestants go head-to-head with all six Chasers from the hit quiz show.
However, those tuning in to the programme might be wondering where Ann Hegerty is. The Governess has been replaced with Issa Schultz, who will join Mark Labbett, Shaun Wallace, Jenny Ryan and Darragh Ennis.
The series sees contestants put their skills to the test for huge cash prizes. It's a race against the clock, as time counts down until a question is answered correctly and the questions swap from contestants to Chasers. The first to run out of time loses the game.
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But why is Ann Hegerty not taking part and who is Issa Schultz? Here's everything you need to know.
Who is Issa Schultz?
This series introduces a new quizzer to the panel, with The Chase Australia's very own Issa 'The Supernerd' Schultz stepping in for Anne 'The Governess' Hegerty.
Issa is best known for being a Chaser on the Aussie version of The Chase, where he was given the nickname 'The Supernerd'. According to The Mirror, the 38-year-old placed 23rd in the World Quizzing Championships in 2020 and has also appeared on The Einstein Factor, Who Wants To Be a Millionaire and Hell's Kitchen Australia.
Despite spending most of his life in Australia, Issa was actually born in the UK, but him and his family moved across the world when he was 11 years-old. He has been a ongoing presence on the Australian version of The Chase, ever since it launched back in 2015.
Why is Anne Hegerty not on Beat the Chasers?
Anne was unable to take part in this series after testing positive for Covid-19 before filming began.
She told her Twitter followers back in March: "Unfortunately I've contracted Covid-19 so won't be filming this series of #BeatTheChasers.," she tweeted.
"The fantastic @Issa25 will be stepping in for me and I'm looking forward to watching the series when it's on air later this year. I feel fine, but I'm still positive! (in all respects)."
Beat the Chasers returns to ITV at 9pm on Monday, May 16. For more showbiz and television stories, get our newsletter here.
