Anne Robinson to leave Countdown

[Tom S]

Speaks for itself.....
https://inews.co.uk/news/anne-robinson- ... at-1607123

[Andres Sanchez]

Wow, didn't think it would be this quick.

[James Laverty]

I said last year I thought she was a "stop-gap" host. Coincides nicely with Colin Murray's contract with Quest ending...

[Mark Deeks]

As luck would have it, I'm available from July onwards. Better get on the rowing machine and hope there's still some of Jeff Stelling's hair dye left, cos I'm coming in hot.

[Marc Meakin]

Time to go the HIGNIFY route and have a different presenter each week /month

[Mark Deeks]

Anyhoo. Richard Osman recently became available, so I'd be up for that.

[Andres Sanchez]

OOOH I think Richard'll fit in so comfortably

[Chris Marshall]

I said last year I thought she was a "stop-gap" host. Coincides nicely with Colin Murray's contract with Quest ending...

He wasn't on the snooker coverage this year either.

[Christy Cooper]

I may be in the minority here but I think they should get an unknown to host. Big names don't automatically make good hosts, and there's probably lots of talented passionate presenters that would suit the gig perfectly. The show should be bigger than the host, and I think shows like this should make the hosts popular, not vice-versa with hosts making the shows popular.

I wish there was 'host auditions' open to everyone- I'd happily audition for that position haha.

In all seriousness though, this is what I'd look for in a Countdown host:

- For them to be endearing to the viewer
- They shouldn't be the main focus; the game itself should be
- They should focus on the contestants more than the Dictionary Corner guests
- They should understand the format
- Preferably, they would be fans of the show
- Be passionate about presenting the show
- Bring their own flavour to it.

But S86 I believe has already started filming, so unless they have guest hosts or unless Anne leaves before that series' conclusion, I'd assume the new host position has been chosen. I have a few ideas as to who it might be but they might all be wrong lol

[JackHurst]

What about:
Rachel Moves to presenter role
Anne-Marie comes back as arithmetician.

[Callum Todd]

I may be in the minority here but I think they should get an unknown to host. Big names don't automatically make good hosts...

I disagree and think there's a lot to be said for star value. I think they should go for a big name like Mark Deeks.

[Mark Deeks]

That's the spirit. It's only nine letters, but I pack a lot into them. Actually, I could make that one of my catchphrases, that wouldn't be cringey or anything. It's all coming together, this, I can feel the groundswell.

[Fiona T]

Co-incidentally, I've quit my job - available end of June! Though I could do with a couple of weeks to get the downstairs loo painted, but that's negotiable.

[Mark Deeks]

Two weeks? How big is your downstairs loo for God's sake?

[Mark Deeks]

(^ not my best chat-up line ever)

[Fiona T]

Two weeks? How big is your downstairs loo for God's sake?

I'm allowing reasonable leeway for procrastination!

[Paul Anderson]

looway

[Paul Anderson]

My take is that they need to be brave with the next host, someone younger, less well-known, less baggage, someone who'll help the show get through possible tough times ahead with the proposed plans for C4. The format is king, as Susie rightly pointed out on ZD. Whoever they choose needs to be much closer to what's kept this show going for 40 years.

[Fiona T]

(^ not my best chat-up line ever)

I've heard worse

[Marc Meakin]

Anyhoo. Richard Osman recently became available, so I'd be up for that.

I'd be up for being Richard Osman too

[Marc Meakin]

Co-incidentally, I've quit my job - available end of June! Though I could do with a couple of weeks to get the downstairs loo painted, but that's negotiable.

Please say that's not a euphemism

[Marc Meakin]

I will throw some names into The mix.
Adil Ray or Craig Charles.
Dream ticket would be Clive Myrie

[JackHurst]

I will throw some names into The mix.
Adil Ray or Craig Charles.
Dream ticket would be Clive Myrie

Are there enough Es in the pack for Craig Charles?

[Marc Meakin]

I will throw some names into The mix.
Adil Ray or Craig Charles.
Dream ticket would be Clive Myrie

Are there enough Es in the pack for Craig Charles?

That reminds me, to the bloke who stole all my MDMA, I hope your happy.

[Gavin Chipper]

Anyhoo. Richard Osman recently became available, so I'd be up for that.

I'd be up for being Richard Osman too

Didn't he leave Pointless to free up some time? If so, I don't think this would make sense for him.

[Gavin Chipper]

I like how next Countdown presenter is quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon like next James Bond or next Dr Who.

[Christy Cooper]

My take is that they need to be brave with the next host, someone younger, less well-known, less baggage, someone who'll help the show get through possible tough times ahead with the proposed plans for C4. The format is king, as Susie rightly pointed out on ZD. Whoever they choose needs to be much closer to what's kept this show going for 40 years.

I shall apply for the position immediately

I agree, the format should be the primary focus, not the host, so I genuinely wouldn’t be opposed to seeing a complete novice present it- after all, how many people had heard of Carol Vorderman, Rachel Riley or Susie Dent before their Countdown gigs?

[Fiona T]

Bring back Sir Trev! He was great on his one show - would def settle into it and make it his own. Guessing he's probably not up for it tho

[Andres Sanchez]

Genuinely forgot about Sir McDonald, haven't remembered much of when he hosted the Black to Front episode but I think if he sits in more he's definitely gonna warm up to it.


Also not gonna lie, I would jokingly throw my hat into the ring on hosting too.

[David Williams]

Ditch the host. Just Rachel and Susie.

Brief interchange between the two of them at the start. One of them introduces the players. Celebrity is required to contribute their own anecdote, not just turn up unprepared and respond to prompting.

Or ditch the celebrity altogether. Rachel could contribute as much as any celebrity to the words rounds.

We have yet to hear how Anne's grandchildren view the prospect of extra time with granny.

[Philip A]

Ditch the host. Just Rachel and Susie.

You could say the same for Pointless: ditch the co-host and just have Xander read the facts. But, I think ditching the host would make the programme feel lonelier and colder.

[Mark Deeks]

Whether or not you believe in nominative determinism, it is of note that Colin Murray was quite literally born and raised in County Down. Kind of wishing I'd been born in Excellentpersonalityshire to have any chance here, but, nah, sadly, it was Essex.

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

Whether or not you believe in nominative determinism, it is of note that Colin Murray was quite literally born and raised in County Down.

Ah, my County Down gag.
Nice to see you were paying some attention when trolling the Co:Wat event page in 2020.

As for host, the Rachel hosting, Anne-Marie doing maths... is a horrendous idea, mostly because Anne-Marie can't do maths. She gets the medium-hard ones fed through her earpiece.

Replacement hosts that are acceptable:-
1. Richard Osman.
2. Sue Barker
3. Trevor McDonald
4. Colin Murray
5. Carol Vorderman
6. Anne-Marie Lmfaoidon
7. An unknown... possibly even a suitable ex-contestant.

I'd be tempted to include the likes of Dara O'Briain or Rufus Hound... but those big personalities can be irritating and possibly unsuitable for the role, and I am assuming they will want to minimise risks after the Anne fiasco.

An ex contestant would be an unexpected choice, but they would have the luxury of being able to vet them properly and do decent screentests and groom them, a luxury I feel they did not get with a "name" like Robinson, and would not get with many of the other celeb options. There are plenty of precedents for ex contestants getting a job on the show, so why not this one? (And there are a couple of obvious candidates who'd be good at it. It would be a risk worth taking, but then... risks, the Anne fiasco, etc.)

[Mark Deeks]

If by trolling you mean voicelessly supporting, then sure. Anyway, he really is from there, I learned today several years too late, so it'd be some nice serendipity.

[David Williams]

Ditch the host. Just Rachel and Susie.

You could say the same for Pointless: ditch the co-host and just have Xander read the facts. But, I think ditching the host would make the programme feel lonelier and colder.

If Rachel and Susie were co-presenters I can't imagine anyone saying that the programme was lonely and cold. And if they did, Anne Robinson would be the last person you would think of to solve the problem.

[Graeme Cole]

As for host, the Rachel hosting, Anne-Marie doing maths... is a horrendous idea, mostly because Anne-Marie can't do maths.

You are joking, right? Or are you just shooting for unbelievable new heights in the art of being wrong?

It took me seconds to look up that Anne-Marie received a Masters degree from Oxford in Mathematics and Computer Science at the age of 20, one of the youngest people ever to do that.

This is a bit like saying Conor Travers can't play Countdown.

She gets the medium-hard ones fed through her earpiece.

Do you have any evidence for this?

[Fiona T]

Yep you don't want a big personality presenter - the presenter shouldn't be the talking point, but nor do you want a complete snooze-fest,

I get the impression that a replacement is needed super-quick, so definitely the time for someone on a try before you buy six week (two filming block) contract.

Or get Colin back as stand in, tell him to dial it down a little, and he'll be perfect

[Andy Wilson]

Jeff has pretty much retired from the football stuff, right? Is his return likely? Thought Colin was fantastic.

[Graeme Cole]

Ditch the host. Just Rachel and Susie.

You could say the same for Pointless: ditch the co-host and just have Xander read the facts. But, I think ditching the host would make the programme feel lonelier and colder.

Well, technically, to play the game of Countdown you only need three people in front of the cameras: the host and two contestants.

If you invented Countdown today and tried to get it commissioned, there's no way you'd show one person hosting, another person adjudicating on words, a rotating celebrity guest next to them chipping in with amusing observations and anecdotes, and a fourth person (or, in the distant past, a fourth and a fifth) putting the letters up and doing the maths. You'd have the letters and numbers appearing on a screen or overlay, and the host adjudicating all rounds, perhaps with the help of a computer or someone in their earpiece if necessary, like how every other game show works.

And yet, if you tried to retrofit these changes onto the existing show, it would be like getting rid of the unnecessarily large clock. Technically doable but in a way that would fundamentally change the show from what viewers know and love.

Anyway, even if they took that risk and went ahead with it, they wouldn't have "ditched the host". They'd have ditched the other roles being separate things and made Rachel or Susie the host.

[Dan Byrom]

Do you have any evidence for this?

I had Anne-Marie for my octorun and I don't think she ever actually attempted to do any of the numbers rounds herself, and any I missed appeared to be fed to her through an earpiece.

Of course, the statement that she is exceptional at maths still holds true. It seemed to me more a question of interest rather than ability.

[David Williams]

It took me seconds to look up that Anne-Marie received a Masters degree from Oxford in Mathematics and Computer Science at the age of 20, one of the youngest people ever to do that.

This is a bit like saying Conor Travers can't play Countdown.

It's more like saying, say, Salman Rushdie can't play Countdown, isn't it? I'm sure there have been a few celebrity guests with excellent Oxbridge degrees who aren't great at spelling and anagrams, in the same way as you can be brilliant at mathematics with no particular dexterity at simple arithmetic. Stephen Hawking was nothing special as a child.

[Fred Mumford]

It's like bringing in Mo Farah to do the athletics because he's a superstar athlete, but unfortunately the event required on the show is the 100m sprint.

Actually I suppose it isn't really like that at all, but the point is that whilst there is some correlation between maths academic achievement and outstanding mental arithmetic capabilities by no means is it all that strong (just based on those I have met and worked with anyway).

[Paul Anderson]

For once I agree with Eoin, just not on the Ann-Marie thing, she was well capable of the maths, just not as seasoned as Rachel.

[Graeme Cole]

It took me seconds to look up that Anne-Marie received a Masters degree from Oxford in Mathematics and Computer Science at the age of 20, one of the youngest people ever to do that.

This is a bit like saying Conor Travers can't play Countdown.

It's more like saying, say, Salman Rushdie can't play Countdown, isn't it? I'm sure there have been a few celebrity guests with excellent Oxbridge degrees who aren't great at spelling and anagrams, in the same way as you can be brilliant at mathematics with no particular dexterity at simple arithmetic. Stephen Hawking was nothing special as a child.

If Eoin had said "Anne-Marie is not as strong as Rachel at this specific game based on mental arithmetic against the clock, at which Rachel has had years of practice", it might be more of a defensible position. But I felt that the assertion "Anne-Marie can't do maths" needed challenging.

[Graeme Cole]

Just announced: a certain Paul has been given the presenting job on a famous word-based game show!

[Gavin Chipper]

Clickbait alert!

[Marc Meakin]

Clickbait alert!

Paul O Grady is our equivalent

[Martin Long]

When will be Anne's last episode as host?

[Philip A]

When will be Anne's last episode as host?

July. Specifically, we understand this is to be shown on 13 July if correct, on the basis that she’s recorded 265 episodes.

[Fiona T]

Former warm-up man Greg Scott throws his hat in the ring

https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussio ... _100896550

[Carl Harrison]

When will be Anne's last episode as host?

July. Specifically, we understand this is to be shown on 13 July if correct, on the basis that she’s recorded 265 episodes.

How bizarre that Anne would film just the first few weeks of the next series, rather than leaving after the current series final, as has always been the case in the past. Sounds like this has all happened very quickly and perhaps unexpectedly.

[Rhys Benjamin]

Well, Richard Osman has publicly backed Colin Murray… but more interestingly, Vorderman has not distanced herself from the rumours (like she did last time). That tells me a lot. According to The Sun, “bosses” (C4? Damian? Who knows?) want her back.

[Christy Cooper]

These names might seem random (and it might just be because I've been listening to a lot of Virgin Radio the last few weeks) but Stephen Mulhern could be an interesting choice- he's 45 so not like Love-Island young, but not so young that he'd be a short term appointment either; he's a well-liked presenter; he's light-hearted; has a good rapport with the public. Only problem is it would be a bit of overexposure for him (with Catchphrase, In For a Penny and Saturday Night Takeaway... although Catchphrase films in Salford these days so it obviously wouldn't be too much of a commute for him) and would seem odd to have him host a Channel 4 show (even if it is an ITV studio).

The other name from the station that I was thinking of was Jayne Middlemiss- she'd be a female host, she'd be a nostalgia casting for many viewers; she's down to earth; and at 51, again although it's no spring chicken it's young enough to be able to stick around long term.

But I don't think those names are realistic. I think, considering a few hosts have found the commute hard, why not just hire a northern-based host? Simon Rimmer lives in Manchester and I could actually visualise him in the chair. The Packed Lunch lot have their annoying members but among them there's a few I wouldn't mind hosting Countdown (as long as that Kate Bottley woman never gets it)- Rimmer (aged 59), Gemma Atkinson (aged 37- also a bit of eye candy for male viewers mind you, her and Rachel together, the target audience would have a heart attack), Anton Du Beke (aged 55), or even Steph herself (aged 39) would make sense.

Craig Charles (aged 57) lives relatively near and does his radio show from Salford- perhaps him to host? 'The Craig Charles Quiz Block' with Countdown and Moneybags back-to-back could be fun. Jason Manford (aged 40- I know, I can't believe that's all he is either) maybe too? He's been on the Cats version and is one of the few recurring guests to just play the game straight. Or they could take a risk and have Jimmy Carr host the daytime show as well?

BUT as I said before, I don't think they *need* to go for a 'name'- Countdown should be bigger than its host- the game should be the star. As my posts probably suggests I listen to too much radio.

[Mark Deeks]

Jayne Middlemiss is 51? Dang. It really does fly.

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

Well, Richard Osman has publicly backed Colin Murray… but more interestingly, Vorderman has not distanced herself from the rumours (like she did last time). That tells me a lot. According to The Sun, “bosses” (C4? Damian? Who knows?) want her back.

Carol would be fkn wonderful, and a great redemption story to boot.
Though her having to come to Rachel for numbers... and to praise tricky solves... could be weird.

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

"Anne-Marie is not as strong as Rachel at this specific game based on mental arithmetic against the clock, at which Rachel has had years of practice"

Not sure I know that one.
Could you hum the first few lines please, and I'll try join in on the chorus?

[Mark Deeks]

Does Carol need redemption?

[Andres Sanchez]

Does Carol need redemption?

I don't really know what she's done that gives her the assumption that she shouldn't if there is any. All I know's why she left in the first place since that info's easily available on the wiki. I'd love to know as much as I can though, don't get me wrong.

EDIT: Or what I assume is why she had left, just rereading the bit now and I'm not sure if it's the exact reason but in my mind I thought it was at least a reason why.

[Mark Deeks]

She was essentially made redundant in a business restructure. It will have sucked for her, but it's not unfair. We all are at some point, c'est la vie. The show gave her 26 years of gainful employment and a giant platform for all the other things she has gone on to do, I see no redemption narrative.

[Rhys Benjamin]

It was just that the divorce was so messy I can’t see Channel 4 going back to her. Of course, I have no idea what salary Rachel is on for Countdown (or Anne for that matter) but remember that Vorderman left in a dispute over pay, where they wanted to cut her salary from £900k to £90k in one go. Allegedly. So I would imagine that would be a stumbling block.