Shaun Wallace

Shaun Anthony Linford Wallace was born on 2 June 1960 in London to Jamaican parents and grew up in Wembley, attending Copland School, where he had to sit his English O-level four times before passing. He graduated from the Polytechnic of North London with a law degree in 1983 and was called to the Bar in November 1984, completing his pupillage in 1986.

Wallace built a long career as a criminal defence barrister, handling cases ranging from murder and manslaughter to fraud, money laundering, firearms and drug trafficking, appearing regularly at the Old Bailey and in magistrates' courts across England, Wales and Scotland. He became a member of Great James Street Chambers and, owing to his family heritage, has also been a member of the Jamaican Bar since 1999.

Alongside his legal career, Wallace built a parallel reputation as one of Britain's sharpest television quizzers, becoming the first Black person to win BBC's Mastermind in 2004, with FA Cup Finals as his specialist subject. Since 2009 he has appeared as "The Dark Destroyer," one of the professional quizzers — or "chasers" — on ITV's hit show The Chase, also featuring on its Australian spin-off in 2018.

Wallace continues to practise as a barrister while lecturing part-time and visiting schools and colleges to educate students about the law, and is the author of the autobiography Chasing the Dream. He has said his early inspiration came from watching legal dramas like Crown Court and Rumpole of the Bailey, and from real-life advocates such as George Carman QC.