Maisie Adam is back on The Chase this week, and the reason people are talking about it is simple: the clip ITV posted of her first appearance looked like someone else entirely. In the 2014 episode, hosted by Bradley Walsh, Adam had long brown hair. Now, twelve years later, she is appearing again with a cropped blonde style that left some viewers doing a double take.
The timing matters because the old footage resurfaced just as Adam returned to the quiz show for a Soccer Aid special, turning a throwback TV moment into something current. Her second appearance helped her team win £23,000 for charity, and it also tied her name back to a show many viewers may not have connected with her at all before fame. That mismatch between then and now is what gave the clip its life online: the comedian in the chair looked so different that fans did not immediately recognize her.
Adam’s return is not a random one-off. It comes as Soccer Aid builds toward its 20th anniversary match, with Robbie Williams set to perform at half-time and the event continuing to raise money for UNICEF’s humanitarian projects. Soccer Aid has already brought in more than £121m since it began, which is why even a light, nostalgic TV moment is being pulled into a much larger charity campaign.
For Adam, that bigger purpose is the point. She has spoken about loving Soccer Aid for the camaraderie, the strange line-up of people she ends up around, and the fact that it all feeds into UNICEF’s work. She has described sitting next to Sir Mo Farah at dinner and then going from that to a drill with Leonardo Bonucci, calling the whole thing utterly bonkers but a real joy to be part of. What matters to her most is the cause, and she has said the best part is feeling she has played some small part in helping Soccer Aid for UNICEF continue its work.
That is the thread running through the old clip, the new appearance and the charity match ahead. Adam’s fourth Soccer Aid appearance is still to come in 2026, but this week’s return to The Chase made one thing clear: the joke is not just that she looks different now. It is that a pre-fame TV moment can still resurface years later and help send attention toward a campaign that is trying to raise even more for UNICEF.
