# Jenny Ryan
**Jenny Alexis Ryan** (born 1982) is an English professional quizzer, broadcaster and singer, best known as "The Vixen" on the ITV teatime quiz show *[The Chase](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-chase-british-game-show)* and its primetime spin-off *Beat the Chasers*.[1](https://www.jennyvixenryan.com/about) Before joining the show in 2015 she worked behind the scenes as a question writer, including for *The Weakest Link* and *QI*, and was a serial quiz-show contestant.[1](https://www.jennyvixenryan.com/about)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/74090/jenny-ryan) |
| Chaser roles | Joined *The Chase* as its fifth Chaser in 2015; appears in *Beat the Chasers* and *Chase Around the World*[1](https://www.jennyvixenryan.com/about) • [3](https://www.talent4media.com/talent/jenny-ryan/) |
| Chaser name | The Vixen, in reference to her red hair and sharp brain; host Bradley Walsh also calls her "The Bolton Brainiac"[1](https://www.jennyvixenryan.com/about) |
| Behind the scenes | Wrote questions for *The Chase* pilot in 2009 and for its first series; previously wrote for *The Weakest Link* and *QI*[4](https://www.smoothradio.com/news/entertainment/jenny-ryan-the-chase-vixen-age-partner/) • [1](https://www.jennyvixenryan.com/about) |
| Contestant record | University Challenge semi-finalist (2003), Mastermind (2006), winner of *Only Connect* with The Gamblers[5](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/jenny-ryan/) • [1](https://www.jennyvixenryan.com/about) |
| Singing career | *X Factor: Celebrity* 2019 finalist; cabaret show *Out of the Box* after a sell-out 2023 Edinburgh Fringe premiere[1](https://www.jennyvixenryan.com/about) • [6](https://www.nationalworld.com/culture/celebrity/itv-jenny-ryan-career-move-departure-the-chase-4723853) |
| Podcast | Co-hosts *Fingers on Buzzers* about quiz shows, with comedian Lucy Porter[1](https://www.jennyvixenryan.com/about) |
## Early life and quizzing
Ryan grew up in Horwich, near Bolton, and was introduced to quizzing by her grandfather, a retired schoolteacher who provided childcare while her mother worked as a nurse. He taught her to read, write and do arithmetic, and used quizzes as a teaching method; watching the quiz show *Going for Gold* with him is among her earliest memories.[7](https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/life-according-to-jenny-ryan/)
Her first television appearance as a contestant came after she saw a poster for *University Challenge* at her student union. Her team reached the semi-finals, which she credits with giving her the television bug; at that time a career as a TV quizzer did not exist as such, and she appeared on a different show roughly every year.[7](https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/life-according-to-jenny-ryan/) According to her booking profile, she represented the [University of Leeds](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-leeds) in the 2003 *University Challenge* semi-final, appeared on *Mastermind* in 2006 with *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* as her specialist subject, and competed twice in *Are You an Egghead?*[5](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/jenny-ryan/) On *Only Connect* she was one third of the Series 3 champions, [The Gamblers](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-gamblers).[1](https://www.jennyvixenryan.com/about)
## The Chase
Ryan's route to *The Chase* began behind the camera. She worked as a question writer and wrote questions for the show's pilot episode in 2009 and for its first series, after asking to audition as a Chaser and being told the producers wanted her as a writer instead.[4](https://www.smoothradio.com/news/entertainment/jenny-ryan-the-chase-vixen-age-partner/) • [7](https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/life-according-to-jenny-ryan/) Recruiting fellow quizzer **Anne Hegerty**, later "The Governess", onto her team at a local pub quiz league in Bolton was, by Ryan's account, a turning point.[8](https://www.wffpro.co.uk/blog/an-interview-with-jenny-ryan)
She joined the show on screen in September 2015, and it took her several years of waiting before the producers considered her as a Chaser.[4](https://www.smoothradio.com/news/entertainment/jenny-ryan-the-chase-vixen-age-partner/) • [7](https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/life-according-to-jenny-ryan/) She has described a demanding selection process, telling the *Bolton News* that she had to complete "a load of auditions and tests" before acceptance, and later recounting a six-month audition process that she described as harder than getting into MI6.[4](https://www.smoothradio.com/news/entertainment/jenny-ryan-the-chase-vixen-age-partner/) • [9](https://tvnz-1-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/2026/04/06/chase-star-reveals-selection-process-harder-than-mi6/) In the role she must cover broad general knowledge while remembering lines and responding to producers' guidance on offers: "You have to have total confidence that your knowledge will cover 95% of what is asked."[4](https://www.smoothradio.com/news/entertainment/jenny-ryan-the-chase-vixen-age-partner/) Her official Chaser name, The Vixen, refers to her red hair and sharp brain; [Bradley Walsh](https://www.edgepedia.org/bradley-walsh) gave her the additional nickname "The Bolton Brainiac" after her hometown.[1](https://www.jennyvixenryan.com/about)
**Spin-offs and show success.** As one of the six Chasers, Ryan also appears in the primetime spin-off *Beat the Chasers*, in which contestants face all six Chasers at once for large prize sums.[1](https://www.jennyvixenryan.com/about) • [3](https://www.talent4media.com/talent/jenny-ryan/) During the 2021 spin-off *The Chase EXTRA*, each Chaser set fans ten quiz questions on the ITV Hub, with intervals including jokes, quiz tips and musical performances.[10](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/print/pdf/node/5425) Since Ryan joined, *The Chase* has won National Television Awards, TV Choice Awards and a BAFTA, according to her agent's profile.[3](https://www.talent4media.com/talent/jenny-ryan/)
## Singing and broadcasting
**X Factor: Celebrity.** Ryan took part in the 2019 series *X Factor: Celebrity*, singing Queen's "Somebody to Love" at the audition held in [Simon Cowell](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-cowell)'s garden in Malibu. Her performance received a standing ovation from the panel but she was not initially selected for the live studio shows; after a large wave of audience support on social media, Cowell reversed the decision, and Ryan reached the final.[1](https://www.jennyvixenryan.com/about) Her official website describes her as the runner-up to [Megan McKenna](https://www.edgepedia.org/megan-mckenna),[1](https://www.jennyvixenryan.com/about) while the TV listings database TVmaze lists her as placing third.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/74090/jenny-ryan) Ryan herself has called the experience life-changing, saying she wanted to show she was "not just the quiz robot that you see on The Chase".[11](https://podscripts.co/podcasts/womans-hour/bel-powley-and-susan-wokoma-genre-fiction-spy-novels-and-thrillers-jenny-ryan)
**Cabaret and music.** She sings and plays the ukulele, and has performed with her *Chase* castmates on *Let's Sing and Dance for Comic Relief* and *Britain Get Singing*, and with her ukulele on *The Nightly Show*.[1](https://www.jennyvixenryan.com/about) Her cabaret show *Jenny Ryan: Out of the Box*, which mixes her favorite songs with answers to the questions she is most often asked about her career, premiered at the [Edinburgh Festival Fringe](https://www.edgepedia.org/edinburgh-festival-fringe) in 2023 and sold out; a UK tour followed from autumn 2024, visiting venues including [Lichfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/lichfield), Andover, South Shields, Bolton and [Milton Keynes](https://www.edgepedia.org/milton-keynes).[6](https://www.nationalworld.com/culture/celebrity/itv-jenny-ryan-career-move-departure-the-chase-4723853) • [12](https://www.rafnews.co.uk/images/news/05-apr-2024/RAF%20News%205%20April%202024%20issuu.pdf)
**Fingers on Buzzers.** Alongside comedian and quiz enthusiast [Lucy Porter](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucy-porter), Ryan co-hosts *Fingers on Buzzers*, a podcast about quiz shows. The pair have recorded five series and were recording a sixth, interviewing contestants, hosts, question writers and producers, and coaching Porter as a trivia player; the podcast has also mounted live shows with guests including [Les Dennis](https://www.edgepedia.org/les-dennis), Anneka Rice and [Nick Helm](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-helm).[1](https://www.jennyvixenryan.com/about)
## Public persona
Ryan has spoken about the Chasers deliberately building an "intimidating atmosphere" in the studio, while disliking watching contestants fail.[13](https://www.aol.ca/articles/chases-jenny-ryan-says-thats-145943000.html) She describes the on-screen Vixen as a character, saying she likes having glasses and hairstyle as a mask so that she can step off stage and be Jenny rather than the Vixen.[7](https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/life-according-to-jenny-ryan/) She has also described being seen as a role model: viewers have told her that children are proud to wear glasses or to be the academically keen pupil after seeing her, and she notes a large following in the LGBT community, saying that growing up she did not see anyone like herself represented on television.[7](https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/life-according-to-jenny-ryan/)
## References
1. [About — Jenny Ryan, official website](https://www.jennyvixenryan.com/about)
2. [Jenny Ryan, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/74090/jenny-ryan)
3. [Jo Carlton | Talent4 Media | Jenny Ryan](https://www.talent4media.com/talent/jenny-ryan/)
4. [Who is Jenny Ryan? Meet The Vixen on The Chase, Smooth Radio](https://www.smoothradio.com/news/entertainment/jenny-ryan-the-chase-vixen-age-partner/)
5. [Jenny Ryan, MN2S booking profile](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/jenny-ryan/)
6. [ITV star Jenny Ryan announces new career move, NationalWorld](https://www.nationalworld.com/culture/celebrity/itv-jenny-ryan-career-move-departure-the-chase-4723853)
7. [Life according to: The Chase quizzer Jenny Ryan, The Sunday Post](https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/life-according-to-jenny-ryan/)
8. [An Interview With Jenny Ryan, Wiltshire Farm Foods](https://www.wffpro.co.uk/blog/an-interview-with-jenny-ryan)
9. [Chase star reveals selection process 'harder than MI6', TVNZ](https://tvnz-1-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/2026/04/06/chase-star-reveals-selection-process-harder-than-mi6/)
10. [The Chase EXTRA on the ITV Hub, ITV Press Centre](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/print/pdf/node/5425)
11. [Woman's Hour: Jenny Ryan transcript and discussion](https://podscripts.co/podcasts/womans-hour/bel-powley-and-susan-wokoma-genre-fiction-spy-novels-and-thrillers-jenny-ryan)
12. [Jenny Ryan: Out of the Box UK tour, RAF News](https://www.rafnews.co.uk/images/news/05-apr-2024/RAF%20News%205%20April%202024%20issuu.pdf)
13. [The Chase's Jenny Ryan opens up on 'failure', AOL](https://www.aol.ca/articles/chases-jenny-ryan-says-thats-145943000.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Television presenters and hosts › Game show hosts and announcers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license