For millions of viewers, Jenny Ryan is best known as The Vixen in ITV’s The Chase, a professional quizzer who has shattered the hopes of countless contestants. But there’s much more to this trivia queen than first meets the eye, as she reveals in her autobiographical cabaret show, Out Of The Box, which kicks off its UK tour in Lichfield next month. What’s On caught up with Jenny to find out more...

What inspired you to create a cabaret show?
Out Of The Box sprang out of my love of music and the fact that, after my stint on The X Factor: Celebrity, people were kind enough to say they wanted to hear more of my voice. The other thing I often get asked about is how I got into my very unusual career. So I thought, why not tell my story through the medium of songs. I hope it will inspire people. I grew up in a single-parent working-class home in Bolton, and becoming a professional quizzer isn’t something a careers advisor ever told me was possible.

How did you go about choosing the songs?
The show started with the music. I sat down with my friend and musical director, Eoin Mallon, and we talked about the songs I enjoy singing, that bring me joy. They included some that I performed on The X Factor, some from musical theatre roles I’ve always wanted to play, and others that reflect moments in my life. Once we put them all together, we realised they told a story and could be linked to different points in my journey. They really reflect the different sides to me, and there are plenty of surprises as well!

You premiered the show at the Edinburgh Fringe last summer. How was that experience?
Edinburgh was fantastic. I tend to go every year - a lot of my friends perform there, as does my partner, so I knew what a risk we were taking. But honestly, I was blown away by the response. We sold out the run and people came from all over to see it. Every night, when I looked out to a full house, I was just astonished that, of all the shows at the festival, people had chosen to come and spend an evening with me.

At the end of the show you take questions from the audience. Do any particular ones stand out?
There are certain evergreen questions that seem to come up every time, such as ‘What’s Bradley Walsh really like?’ But there’s always something that knocks me sideways. One of my favourites was someone who asked about my favourite musicals, and which roles I’d like to play. I don’t think they were expecting me to answer King George in Hamilton!

Is singing something you’ve always enjoyed?
It’s always brought me personal joy, singing into my hairbrush and that kind of thing, but I didn’t realise until quite late on that I had a good voice. I was always in the back row of the choir and never got cast in the main roles in school productions. I certainly never thought I’d be someone who ended up singing on Saturday night TV and performing my own show! It’s been a real revelation.
Do you ever get nervous - for example, when you did The X Factor?
Stage fright seems to happen about an hour before the performance, but then I can put it in a box. For me, the nerves completely subside once I step out there. There’s something quite magical about being in that spotlight - it’s like a superpower. When I performed at Simon Cowell’s house in Malibu in front of dozens of industry professionals, it was an unreal experience, which meant I could almost disassociate and imagine I was in some kind of video game.

Did you have that confidence as a kid?
I did when I knew it was something that played to my strengths. At school I was always the one who was two books ahead of everyone else and had completed her homework first. But in other aspects of my life, I had real imposter syndrome. I thought my role wasn’t to be front and centre, and I’ve had to learn to shut up that voice of doubt. It’s okay to be a dork and a pop star. I contain multitudes.

How did you get into quizzing?
University Challenge was my first experience of doing a TV quiz, and during filming I just felt completely at ease. Walking away from that experience, I thought about my grandad, who used to look after me and introduced me to his favourite shows, like Fifteen To One. I realised that I’d inherited his love of both television and quizzing. So I then started applying to go on other quiz shows and eventually got to the point where I became a professional. I was lucky that there’s been a real boom in the genre, with shows like Eggheads and The Chase. 

Your alter ego on The Chase is The Vixen. Do you see her as a character you play or an extension of yourself?
She’s definitely a character. The original vision was for the professionals to be like pantomime villains, so they decided that mine was going to be crafty, smart and a bit fierce - hence, The Vixen. But I think they realised people often like to root for the chasers, so she’s mellowed a bit over the years. The costume is very much a shield that lets me behave with a bit more confidence and sass than I do in my everyday life. People often meet me and say ‘You’re actually really nice!’

How do you relax away from stage and screen?
It’s actually quite hard to have hobbies that don’t feed into my quizzing. I watch a lot of theatre, TV and films, but those things all connect to my work! Even when I’m on the tube or the bus, I’m looking at the adverts and taking in the information - there’s learning everywhere. I think that’s why I’m particularly strong on pop culture, because I consume so much of it. I certainly prefer that to questions about maths, which send me into a panic. 

Are you excited to be hitting the road with Out Of The Box?
Very excited. After Edinburgh a lot of people asked when we would be taking it round the UK, so hopefully they’ll come and see me. We’ve tried to cover as much of the country as we can, and I’m really excited to visit some familiar places alongside some I’ve never been to before. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Jamie Jones was my dame in panto last year and lives in Lichfield. He even works at the Garrick Theatre, so I’m really excited to see Jamie again. I know he’s a local theatre legend.

Jenny Ryan kicks off her Out Of The Box tour at Lichfield Garrick Theatre on Wednesday 11 September. She then returns to the region to play Stourbridge Town Hall on Thursday 3 October and Stafford Gatehouse on Sunday 10 November