Bradley Walsh announces huge new project away from The Chase alongside two EastEnders stars and comedy legend
BRADLEY Walsh has revealed an exciting new project away from his hit ITV show, The Chase.
Bradley, 64, will be joined on new tour by three other TV legends – Brian Conley, Shane Richie and Joe Pasquale.
The mischievous foursome will be treating audiences to a combination of comedy, banter and legendary hits with their tour, The Prat Pack.
Inspired by songs from some of the greats like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr, the group will be taking to the stage in Spring 2025.
Their music idols – called The Rat Pack – have also inspired the name of their tour, where they will be joined by their own 15-piece band.
Bradley thinks that the group’s close relationship will make for a great show.
He said: “People are starved of our type of entertainment – songs, stories, jokes and banter! It’s an homage to the Rat Pack but brought up to the modern day, and it’s a fantastic night.
“We are just thrilled. We all share the same dressing room – we’re mates.
“We’ve known each other for so long now – and the show is about warmth and family – because we are. It’s great, really great.”
The idea for the tour followed a one off night the group put on at the Palladium, where the friends were joined for a night of music and laughs by a live band.
At the time Bradley joked: “TV missed a trick last night. They should’ve filmed it” and it seems the idea stuck, so now a full tour has now been developed.
The singer, actor and one time footballer said: “The show harks back to the 1950s and ‘60s – the Rat Pack era of Sinatra and the gang. The four of us have been mates for over 40 years now and we have a combined age of around 250 years, so a quarter of a millennium.
“The only time we were on the same show was in 1993 for the Royal Variety Performance. I’ve been desperate to put something together like this for so long.”
The group all honed their performing skills as holiday park entertainers.
Bradley, Brian and Shane – who plays Alfie Moon in EastEnders – were all Pontins Bluecoats earlier in their careers and Joe was a Warner’s Greencoat, so fans can expect more than just a straightforward singsong.
The tour will be stopping off all over the UK from Glasgow and Edinburgh all the way down to Torquay and Eastbourne.
Bradley Walsh's career
Actor, presenter and comedian Bradley Walsh has been involved with multiple hit programmes throughout his career. Let's take a look at some of the star's memorable appearances over the years.
- Wheel of Fortune (1997): Bradley became the second host of the popular game show, succeeding Nicky Campbell who’d left after eight years. His tenure on this programme lasted just one year.
- Night and Day (2002-2003): A recurring role on this mystery soap opera for ITV saw Bradley play Woody Dexter, brother to Danny Dexter (Shane Richie).
- Coronation Street (2004-2006): An expansion of Corrie’s Baldwin family in 2006 saw Bradley arrive as Danny Baldwin, son to Mike (Johnny Briggs). He exited the ITV soap after two years in the role.
- Law & Order: UK (2009-2014): An iteration of Dick Wolf’s popular US “Law and Order” franchise, Bradley starred as DS Ronnie Brooks throughout the entire run.
- The Chase/Beat the Chasers: (2009/2020 – present): A move back into game show hosting has seen Bradley front hit show The Chase since 2009. Members of the public take on high-level professional quizzers in a bid to win thousands of pounds. A spin-off, “Beat the Chasers” began in 2020.
- Cash Trapped (2016-2019): This game show was not only presented by Bradley, but based on his idea. 65 episodes aired across three series.
- Doctor Who (2018-2022): Bradley played the role of Graham O’Brien, companion to the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) in the long-running BBC sci-fi series. He has appeared in one episode as a guest since departing the regular cast.
- Blankety Blank (2020 – present): The star began hosting a revival series of the beloved game show for the BBC in 2020. Three series and a Christmas special have aired to date.
- The Larkins (2021-2022): An adaptation of H.E. Bates’ novel The Darling Buds of May, Bradley starred as “Pop” Larkin. The show lasted two series.
- Gladiators (2024 – present): Bradley co-presents the BBC’s revival of the classic game show with his son Barney. It is the third iteration of the format to air on British TV.
It’s a boost for the Breaking Dad star after it was recently announced that he wouldn’t be returning to host the Royal Variety Performance.
Meanwhile Brian, 63, has been doing a variety of projects since leaving EastEnders and his role as Rocky Cotton last year.
Bradley, Brian and Shane have all previously released their own music, with Bradley achieving a number one album in 2016 with his debut, Chasing Dreams.
Meanwhile Shane, 60, reached number 2 in 2003 with a cover of Wham! classic, I’m Your Man.
The Prat Pack will be taking to the road from Sunday, April 27 until Friday, May 23 and tickets will be available here from November 29.