A BOLTON brain box is the new star of TV quiz show The Chase.

Jenny 'The Vixen' Ryan joins fellow Boltonian Anne 'The Governess' Hegerty, Mark 'The Beast' Labbett, Paul 'The Sinnerman' Sinha and Shaun 'The Dark Destroyer' Wallace as one of the formidable Chasers.

In the popular ITV programme, each of the group is tasked with 'chasing' an opponent by asking general knowledge questions. The player has a chance of winning a cash prize if they beat The Chaser.

It is not the first time that Miss Ryan has worked with Anne Hegerty — they have played in local quiz leagues for a number of years as members of The Albert team in Horwich.

The 33-year-old Miss Ryan made her debut on the show, hosted by Bradley Walsh, on Wednesday.

She said: "I'm thrilled to be joining the formidable line-up on The Chase. It's a dream job for any quizzer, and I can't wait to see what the contestants make of me — especially when I catch them."

She has already been dubbed the "Bolton Brainiac" by Bradley Walsh and fans of the show have taken to Twitter to show support.

Kei Takeshi said: "I must admit, #TheVixen is a wonderful addition to #TheChase. Jenny Ryan plays very well indeed. She's also very cute. It's the glasses!"

Gordon Donaldson said: "I think Jenny Ryan is a great signing for #TheChase to join the team. A big welcome Jenny."

Miss Ryan even predicted her success in an interview with The Bolton News in 2009 when she hoped to become Europe's "queen of quizzes" after securing second place at the European Quiz Championships 2008.

Watch video of Miss Ryan being quizzed in 2009

At the time she said: "There are some people in competitions who read encyclopaedias and learn lists, but I don't have that kind of brain.

"I don't really learn like that — I learn because I find something interesting or enjoy it.

"I might read a book or watch a documentary and a few things will stick, so I'm best at things like film and TV, pop culture, literature and arts."

Miss Ryan first became interested in quizzing when her granddad, who used to run a Bolton quiz league, asked her questions as a child.

As a law student, she helped her University of Leeds team reach the semi-final of University Challenge in 2003. She has also appeared on Fifteen to One and The Weakest Link.

The Chase series nine airs weekdays at 5pm on ITV.