Bradley Walsh Among Showbiz Greats Celebrating 70 Years Of The Concorde Club
bradley walsh delivered a filmed message from the set of The Chase praising Cole Mathieson and the Concorde Club as it marked its 70th anniversary, calling the venue formative for his showbiz career and wishing long life to the club and its founder.
Bradley Walsh Praises Concorde Club
In a special recorded address, Bradley Walsh said the Concorde had shaped his showbiz career and described it as “a wonderful venue and long may it and Cole reign. ” The message was shown during a sold-out Story Of The Concorde Club Through The Years event honoring Cole Mathieson, who launched the club in a room beside the old Bassett Hotel in Burgess Road in 1957 after running the Yellow Dog Jazz Club in Portswood.
The night featured a look back at the club’s star-studded history, with film footage of past performances and surprise stage appearances. Cole Mathieson was joined by his son Jamie Mathieson and his Golden Retriever Louis Armstrong, continuing the family’s tradition of naming dogs after jazz greats.
On-Set Portrait: Shaun Wallace On What Bradley Walsh Is Really Like
Chaser Shaun Wallace, a member of The Chase since its first series, shared an on-set portrait of the host, painting Bradley Walsh as warm and good-humored. Shaun said Bradley makes contestants feel at ease and that his frequent laughing fits — or “corpsing” — are a memorable part of filming.
Wallace admitted he sometimes pulls faces at the host to try to put him off, describing the tactic as part of the studio camaraderie. He added that respect for the entire crew, from runners to producers, underpins the show’s success and creates the atmosphere that allows the host to thrive.
Walsh On The Chase’s New Direction
Bradley Walsh also commented on an upcoming spin-off described as a “bold new take. ” He said the format “combines quizzing with travelling” and will test contestants’ knowledge in unfamiliar settings. The new show will send pairs of contestants to secret international locations to follow clues and solve puzzles in an attempt to find the six Chasers; filming is scheduled to take place in May.
The Chase, which launched in 2009 and has produced multiple spin-offs, remains a platform where the Chasers and host intersect with wider entertainment stories — from filmed tributes to long-running music venues to on-set banter that viewers do not always see. For the Concorde Club celebration, Bradley Walsh’s filmed endorsement linked a present-day television personality to a decades-long live-music institution, underscoring the venue’s role in shaping performers’ early careers.
The Concorde Club tribute combined nostalgia and rare archive material, and attendees heard filmed congratulations from other performers and musicians. For the immediate future, the club celebrates seven decades under the same family stewardship, while The Chase continues filming and developing new formats that its host has described as adventurous for the franchise.
