After nine years, The Weakest Link will return to our screens this December with a new host in the form of comedian Romesh Ranganathan and some celebrity contestants.
But that’s not the only thing which will change, with Romesh revealing he’ll be using his own catchphrase instead of Anne Robinson’s iconic, “You are the weakest link – goodbye,” which she’d say to contestants before booting them off.
Speaking to press including RadioTimes.com ahead of the launch, Romesh said: “There’s a new thing that I say, but I don’t want to reveal it. I want everyone to see it on the show. I think it’s pretty good.”
He added jokingly: “It’s a 16-bar rap. It takes up quite a lot of time in the show, so we had to lose a lot to fit it in, but I think it’s worth it.”
Robinson hosted more than 1,600 editions of the show between 2000 and 2012, and earned a fearsome reputation for her highly critical comments and ruthless one-liners.
So, how does Romesh feel about stepping into her shoes?
“Anne was amazing at it and she was a big reason why the show was so popular in the way that she did it. But I don’t think any good can come from trying to emulate that or be like that,” he explained.
“I think the way we’ve always talked about it is for me to do it in my own way. And the fact of the matter is, the format is bulletproof. The quiz is amazing, so if you’re into the quiz, you’ll get what you’re after and it’s just me doing it in my way.
“I’m never going to pretend to do it in a different way. So, I think it’s got a different flavour to it. Anne brought her flavour to it and I’m bringing mine to it, so I hope people like it.”
While Romesh will be bringing his own “flavour” to the new series, he’s hoping it will feel like the original show, adding: “It feels like we’ve got all of the stuff that fans of the original show would love, like that the actual elements of the quiz, to the tension building up, the people turning on each other, all of the stuff that you know and love. And then I’m just doing it in my own way.
“You cannot help being nervous though, because I hope people like it, but when we were making it, it felt exciting!”
The Weakest Link returns in December 2021. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide. Visit our Entertainment hub for all the latest news.