The Dark Destroyer Changes Nickname After Racism Complaints

ITV

Fans of The Chase will be very familiar with the sinister group of Chasers who torment contestants with their brainpower and dry put downs.

Each ‘Chaser’ has a nickname which is supposed to fit with their unique brand of terror.

Formiddable Mark Labbett is known as ‘The Beast’, whereas Anne Hegerty is referred to as ‘The Governess’; which fits well with her Trunchbull-esque vibe.

We also have the deeply sarcastic Paul ‘The Sinnerman’ Sinha and flamed haired Jenny ‘The Vixen’ Ryan.

ITV

Last but not least, we have of course, the brainiac barrister, Shaun Wallace; known ominously to quiz fanatics as ‘The Dark Destroyer’.

However, UK fans have been left a little confused by the Australian version of The Chase, where Shaun’s nickname is changed slightly, after having joined at the beginning of this year.

Rather than ‘The Dark Destroyer’, he’s known Down Under as simply, ‘The Destroyer’, with the reference to the word ‘dark’ being taken out completely.

Some fans have been left disgruntled by this minor change and have got into a bit of a flap over perceived ‘political correctness.’

One Chase addict demanded:

Any particular reason why @THECHASEAUS refers to Shaun as just ‘The Destroyer’ when we all know him as The Dark Destroyer on the UK version?

Another person showed an even greater passion for the ITV quiz show, ranting:

Can’t believe they’ve changed The Dark Destroyer’s name on the Chase to just ‘The Destroyer’ WORLD’S GONE MAD I TELL YA BLOODY MAD.

Even some Australians are getting irate about the name, with one furious Aussie noting:

They can’t call him The DARK Destroyer as known in UK. Our leftie soft c*cks (okeefe) couldn’t cope.

Of course, as the only black ‘Chaser’ on the show, it’s understandable people would be uncomfortable with Shaun having a nickname which could be construed as referring to his race.

One concerned person has tweeted:

I cannot be the only person that thinks ‘The Dark Destroyer’ is a racist nickname for Shaun Wallace, on The Chase.

Another remarked:

When are ITV going to realise calling a black man ‘The Dark Destroyer’ is a little bit racist?

Another viewer said:

Is it not a little bit racist that Sean on The Chase is called the dark destroyer

As well as being a fearsome opponent on The Chase, Shaun is an incredibly impressive person all round.

Back in 2004, Shaun spoke emotionally with The Guardian about becoming the first black Mastermind champion:

When I won, I was crying for two to three minutes, I thought of everybody – my friends, my family, black people, everybody who knows me, everybody who had heard about me.

To me, as far as black people are concerned, this is the equivalent of Neil Armstrong taking the first steps on the moon.

People have this perception black people can only excel at sport, can only reach a certain level in terms of administrative posts and the police force.

Well, guess what, I broke a concrete ceiling and whether you’re black, Asian, Chinese, go through that gap.

Watch the near-unbeatable genius himself in action below:

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Look, some Australian folk may think they’re brave because they live in a land full of terrifying snakes and spiders, however, they’ve another thing coming if they think they can take on Shaun’s mighty intellect…

Julia Banim

Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.