SHE has vowed to tone down her acid tongue, but Anne Robinson may have something to say about the BBC bringing back The Weakest Link with a new host — Romesh Ranganathan.
I can reveal after a ten-year break from our screens, the quick-fire general knowledge quiz will return as a glossy Saturday night show.
Instead of the general public, the contestants will be celebrities out to win cash for their favourite charities. As he prepares to step up into his biggest telly job to date, Bafta-winning comic Romesh said: “It’s an honour to be asked to bring back what is basically a TV institution to our screens.
“Anne was an amazing host and to step into her shoes is an anxiety-inducing privilege. I’m hoping we’ve found a way to make both the fans of the show happy as well as bringing a new audience to it. If not, accept this as my apology.”
As before, contestants knocked out at the end of each round will be told, “You are the weakest link — goodbye” until only two remain for the head-to-head finale.
Filming starts soon in Glasgow, with the 12 episodes airing later in the year.
Anne, who starts as presenter of Countdown today, hosted The Weakest Link from the start of its 13-series run in 2000.
It became one of the Beeb’s biggest international franchises, with more than 100 countries making their own versions. But the show caused controversy when sharp-tongued Anne shamed a single mum for being on benefits and asked if her children had ankle tags.
This Morning’s Vanessa Feltz accused Anne of racism after a barbed comment about her relationship with her black partner, the singer Ben Ofoedu. I’m sure dry-witted Romesh will be kinder and funnier — otherwise it’ll be goodbye to him too.
ROCK-HUD ABS
QUEEN Vic landlord Mick Carter is more used to six-packs of beer than the kind Zack Hudson is showing off while sunbathing in Albert Square.
EastEnders’ Mick, played by Danny Dyer, asks Zack (James Farrar) to give Frankie driving lessons.
But he secretly wants to go up a gear with Mick’s other daughter Nancy.
He’d best put his top on or he might distract Frankie from the road.
Jenas tricked
SCOTLAND finally got one over on England when Jermaine Jenas was stitched up by talkSPORT’s Ally McCoist.
The ex-Rangers footballer tricked the MotD host into posing in a suit with the Scottish saltire on the back. Jermaine thought he was wearing a special outfit to mark 60 years of the Euros.
FARMER JEZZA’S SERIES 2
UNLIKELY farmer Jeremy Clarkson has landed a second series of his hit Clarkson’s Farm after the show broke all records on Amazon Prime Video.
The eight-parter let us into the life of The Grand Tour presenter on his Diddly Squat farm in the Cotswolds – mucking in with animals, dealing with dodgy weather, uncooperative crops and an agricultural nightmare brought on by the pandemic.
The series has become Amazon’s highest-ever rated show and bosses decided that a follow-up is a no- brainer.
A source said: “Jeremy is Amazon’s golden boy and a new series is already in the pipeline. It’s rated five stars on Amazon and has a 9.3 rating on IMDB, which is practically unheard of.
“It means Jeremy’s fellow farmers Kaleb, ‘Cheerful’ Charlie and Gerald will all be in front of cameras on the farm again.”
Wellies at the ready . . .
KATHY IS BEST IN BUSINESS
KATHY Burke is sorted for a staycation this summer – after meeting minted caravan park entrepreneur Alfie Best for her Channel 4 All Money show.
In tonight’s episode, the comic and actress chats to Alfie, who was born at the side of a road. But, driven by his traveller roots, he is now loaded after setting up his over-fifties business, Wyldecrest Parks.
It has 80 sites in the UK, three more in the pipeline and has helped build a bank balance of £465million.
Alfie also owns a Bugatti Veyron supercar, luxury villas in Barbados – where he is mates with Prime Minister Mia Mottley – a golf club and Isthmian League football club East Thurrock, which he bought during lockdown.
Now that’s what I call making dough in the pandemic – not those smug types who boasted about baking their own bread.
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