Shaun Wallace
Encyclopedia
Shaun Bartholemew Wallace (born 22 March 1965) is a British
television personality currently active within the UK quiz scene. Wallace works as a barrister
when not taking part in quizzes or game shows. Wallace is also a part time lecturer and often visits schools, colleges and other institutions to educate students on the many aspects of law.
Wallace is of mixed Jamaica
n, Grenadian
and Barbadian
heritage.
general knowledge quiz
Mastermind
, which also tests a contestants aptitude on a subject of their choice. His specialist subject in the final was FA Cup Final
s.
Wallace was a finalist on the first series of Are You an Egghead?
, narrowly losing out to Barry Simmons
.
Other shows that he has been a contestant on include Fifteen to One
and The Weakest Link
.
Currently, he is one of the four 'Chasers' on the ITV
teatime game show The Chase
, alongside his good friend Mark Labbett
, from series 2 onward, Anne Hegerty
(who was a semi-finalist on series 2 of Are You an Egghead?
) and Paul Sinha
.
as well as several Magistrates' Courts located in the UK and Scotland
. He is a member of Farringdon Barristers Chambers.
Wallace is a senior criminal defence advocate of 25 years with experience in a wide range of serious criminal cases from murder (in particular, Operation Trident cases, where he is highly regarded), manslaughter, serious sexual offences, fraud, money laundering, firearms and drug trafficking. He has lectured in Environmental Law, Health and Safety and Road Transport Law and Regulations. In addition he is familiar with all aspects of the Proceeds of Crime Act, including restraint, confiscation and enforcement. Wallace frequently leads in multi-handed cases. He is known for his work rate, pleasant manner with clients (an attitude which is the direct opposite to the facade he purposely adopts when facing contestants on The Chase) and his persuasive court style. Wallace is also a member of the south-eastern circuit of the Criminal Bar Association. Owing to his heritage, he has been a member of the Jamaican Bar since 1999.
for the Brent South constituency.
He visited Walworth Academy Sixth Form on 1st December 2011 to motivate students in not to give up on their goals.
. Wallace now lives in West Brompton
, London
. His personal life is kept purposely shrouded in mystery by the producers of The Chase, as this helps to maintain his on screen persona of being an unsociable, unsmiling 'Dark Destroyer' who, as Bradley Walsh sarcastically proclaimed during one episode "made the difficult decision between becoming a nerdy know-it-all or having a social life". It is unknown whether he is married or even has a partner, although he has revealed on The Chase that he owns three Labrador Retrievers and enjoys kayaking
and playing football in his spare time. He has also commented upon how his family originally hail from the Caribbean
islands of Jamaica
, Grenada
and Barbados
. Wallace is an ardent supporter of Chelsea F.C.
and often attends their home matches, living just two miles away from their stadium, Stamford Bridge
. He considers his strongest subjects to be sports, entertainment and British Monarchs. In series 2 of The Chase, he revealed his middle name to be Bartholemew.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
television personality currently active within the UK quiz scene. Wallace works as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
when not taking part in quizzes or game shows. Wallace is also a part time lecturer and often visits schools, colleges and other institutions to educate students on the many aspects of law.
Wallace is of mixed Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n, Grenadian
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
and Barbadian
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
heritage.
Television career
In 2004, he became a champion of the long running BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
general knowledge quiz
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Mastermind
Mastermind (TV series)
Mastermind is a British quiz show, well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting and air of seriousness.Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never changed — four and in later contests five contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the...
, which also tests a contestants aptitude on a subject of their choice. His specialist subject in the final was FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
s.
Wallace was a finalist on the first series of Are You an Egghead?
Are You an Egghead?
Are You an Egghead? was a BBC quiz show presented by Dermot Murnaghan. It is a spin off from the quiz show Eggheads, with its goal to find a further Egghead to complement the existing team. The first series was aired weekdays from 20 October to 2 December 2008 and was won by Barry Simmons...
, narrowly losing out to Barry Simmons
Barry Simmons
Barry Simmons was the winner of the BBC Two show Are You an Egghead? and as a result became the sixth Egghead, joining Kevin Ashman, C. J...
.
Other shows that he has been a contestant on include Fifteen to One
Fifteen to One
Fifteen to One was a popular general knowledge quiz show broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. It ran from 4 January 1988 to 19 December 2003, and had a reputation for being one of the toughest quizzes on TV. Throughout the show's run it was presented and produced by William G. Stewart...
and The Weakest Link
The Weakest Link
The Weakest Link is a television game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and will end its run in 2012 when its host Anne Robinson ends her contract. The original British version of the show airs around the world on BBC Entertainment...
.
Currently, he is one of the four 'Chasers' on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
teatime game show The Chase
The Chase (game show)
The Chase is a British game show, broadcast on ITV . It is hosted by Bradley Walsh. The chasers are Mark Labbett, Shaun Wallace, both of whom have been Chasers since Series 1, Anne Hegerty, who joined them in Series 2, and Paul Sinha, who debuted in Series 4.-Format:A team of 4 contestants attempt...
, alongside his good friend Mark Labbett
Mark Labbett
Mark Labbett is a personality in the UK quiz scene. He attended Exeter College, Oxford University, graduating with a degree in Mathematics...
, from series 2 onward, Anne Hegerty
Anne Hegerty
Anne Hegerty is a British television personality and quiz brain probably best known for being one of the chasers on the UK quiz game The Chase...
(who was a semi-finalist on series 2 of Are You an Egghead?
Are You an Egghead?
Are You an Egghead? was a BBC quiz show presented by Dermot Murnaghan. It is a spin off from the quiz show Eggheads, with its goal to find a further Egghead to complement the existing team. The first series was aired weekdays from 20 October to 2 December 2008 and was won by Barry Simmons...
) and Paul Sinha
Paul Sinha
Paul Sinha is a British stand-up comedian and broadcaster. Sinha is openly gay, a subject he has discussed on stage.-Education:Sinha was educated at Dulwich College and St George's Hospital Medical School...
.
Career in law
Wallace has worked as a barrister since 1986. It has been implied on several occasions that his work has covered some relatively high-profile cases, and he has confirmed that he has taken part in hearings held at both the Old BaileyOld Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
as well as several Magistrates' Courts located in the UK and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He is a member of Farringdon Barristers Chambers.
Wallace is a senior criminal defence advocate of 25 years with experience in a wide range of serious criminal cases from murder (in particular, Operation Trident cases, where he is highly regarded), manslaughter, serious sexual offences, fraud, money laundering, firearms and drug trafficking. He has lectured in Environmental Law, Health and Safety and Road Transport Law and Regulations. In addition he is familiar with all aspects of the Proceeds of Crime Act, including restraint, confiscation and enforcement. Wallace frequently leads in multi-handed cases. He is known for his work rate, pleasant manner with clients (an attitude which is the direct opposite to the facade he purposely adopts when facing contestants on The Chase) and his persuasive court style. Wallace is also a member of the south-eastern circuit of the Criminal Bar Association. Owing to his heritage, he has been a member of the Jamaican Bar since 1999.
Qualifications
- BA (Hons), Barrister. Inns of Court School of Law.
- Alumni, Polytechnic of North London.
Politics
In 2005, Wallace stood as an independent parliamentary candidate, campaigning to be elected MPMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Brent South constituency.
He visited Walworth Academy Sixth Form on 1st December 2011 to motivate students in not to give up on their goals.
Personal life
Born in Upminster on 22 March 1965, he grew up in WembleyWembley
Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
. Wallace now lives in West Brompton
West Brompton
West Brompton is an area of South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.-History:The name refers to the older locality of Brompton to the east, although the areas of South Kensington and Earl's Court separate West Brompton from its namesake...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. His personal life is kept purposely shrouded in mystery by the producers of The Chase, as this helps to maintain his on screen persona of being an unsociable, unsmiling 'Dark Destroyer' who, as Bradley Walsh sarcastically proclaimed during one episode "made the difficult decision between becoming a nerdy know-it-all or having a social life". It is unknown whether he is married or even has a partner, although he has revealed on The Chase that he owns three Labrador Retrievers and enjoys kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
and playing football in his spare time. He has also commented upon how his family originally hail from the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
islands of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
and Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. Wallace is an ardent supporter of Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
and often attends their home matches, living just two miles away from their stadium, Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge could be* Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England** The Battle of Stamford Bridge* Stamford Bridge , in London** by metonymy, Chelsea F.C., football club based in the stadium...
. He considers his strongest subjects to be sports, entertainment and British Monarchs. In series 2 of The Chase, he revealed his middle name to be Bartholemew.