Anne Robinson was famously dubbed ‘The Queen of Mean’ for her savage put downs, brutal insults and shockingly rude antics.
During her time on The Weakest Link, Anne would have contestants trembling in the studio as they nervously waited for a grilling.
The words “you are the weakest link – goodbye” sent shivers down spines and the presenter even left hopefuls in tears.
Many will now be in disbelief that some of Anne’s offensive comments were ever allowed to air, with the BBC suggesting it was ‘light-hearted banter’ and Anne’s chats were ‘tongue-in-cheek’ at the time.
At the height of her TV fame, Anne was earning £4 million from the BBC and flying across the Atlantic to make shows in the US, but she has vowed to never return to the show which made her a household name.
“I wasn’t exactly drowning kittens but I would never get away with all that now – times have changed so much that I don’t think we could even make The Weakest Link today,” she said.
(Image: Press Association)
During the The Daily Mail interview, she added: “I don’t think half the things I said then I could say now, like ‘Are you really that stupid?’ or ‘Why are you so fat?’
“That would be off-limits, everyone would be too worried about the poor contestants’ mental health. Everyone would be too worried about sending them home with issues.”
It now looks like the show is returning, but Anne won’t be a part of it, as she’s being replaced by comedian Romesh Ranganathan.
While her popular catchphrase will remain, those infamous barbs will be thrown out the door to make a more toned-down version.
Even if she could still terrorise contestants, Anne would not go back to The Weakest Link because she never wants to look back.
Last week, she explained: “No – it’s like selling a house. You can’t go back and do the garden, can you?”
“It was fantastic. It was such a ball. It was completely different because I realised that I couldn’t do cheesy game show host and that feisty contestants needed to be dealt with in a completely different way. For 11 years it was wonderful, but that’s it.”
(Image: BBC)
Anne also stated that she would never go back to hosting Points of View or Watchdog either.
She added: “I mean one of the several reasons I wouldn’t do Weakest Link again is that we’re into [the] woke era now and it’d be endless sort of confusion about it.”
Anne will be bringing a whole new ‘character’ on-screen when she starts hosting Countdown – having become the Channel 4 show’s first ever female contestant.
However, she admitted she is already tired of the war against the woke and doesn’t want to be told what she can and can’t say.
Anne isn’t about to fall into line and ensure she hand picks every word to make sure she doesn’t upset anyone.
“I am fed up with it, I’m fed up with people telling me I’ve got to say ‘mixed heritage’ and not ”mixed race’,” she told The Express.
“I just think we’re being told what to do by people who aren’t in a position to tell us what to do.
“I don’t want my language mangled – I don’t want to lose the English language. I don’t want to offend anyone but we’re well passed whether we offend people.”
(Image: Reuters)
Anne’s first episode airs this week, and it’s already been revealed she has had a run in with a Countdown contestant.
When asked about his job, the contestant explained he teaches English to “non-English speaking people.”
Anne then replied: “You mean you teach English to foreigners?” before the contestant said: “We never say that.”
Numbers whizz Rachel Riley has revealed what it’s like to work with Anne, who has replaced former The Apprentice star Nick Hewer.
Rachel revealed: “It’s been really fun watching Anne very quickly find her feet in the Countdown studio and seeing the contestants in the new groove with her.
“She’s not shy of asking them funny questions and the responses have ranged from going into their own comedy routines to not looking directly at her and hoping she doesn’t see them – it’s been very lively!”
(Image: Channel 4)
While Anne is busy with Countdown on Channel 4, The Weakest Link is set to return to the BBC after a decade away.
Comic Romesh Ranganathan will be taking over the general knowledge quiz in a new Saturday night slot, nut instead of the general public the contestants will be celebrities trying to win cash for charity.
Anne’s catchphrase ‘You are the weakest link…. goodbye’ will be part of the show, report The Sun.
“It’s an honour to be asked to bring back what is basically a TV institution to our screens,” Romesh said.
“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.”