c4countdown

Sadly, not me, but it looks like the former “Queen of Mean” is to replace Nick as host if this story on Steph’s Packed Lunch is anything to go by.... https://twitter.com/packedlunchc4/statu ... 06243?s=21

Oh Christ.

She'd better drop the whole "mean" act. That was just so cringeworthy, and not "good" cringeworthy either. It ruined what was a good format with The Weakest Link, and if it ruins Countdown too, that'll be awful. (And if she isn't doing the "mean" act, then why her?)

EDIT: Ah, I dunno. Hopefully she plays it with a straight bat and doesn't make it about her. If so, good for her, three women at the helm of a prestigious show is a far cry from the first series.

Very interesting news! I was under the impression Colin Murray was pretty much all but decided.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/bre ... w-23503605
According to the above she will be airing her first episodes in the summer, so I guess that will be the start of series 84.

Looking forward to seeing her on the screen!

Give her a chance I reckon.

Agree that the "mean" act wouldn't suit countdown, but she's got a good variety of presenting history.

The age thing is the most surprising - 74 is the same as Nick, but I guess at least it shows C4 aren't ageist.

Will be interesting, but doubt she'll be there for the long haul - very long filming day.

Reckon she might be OK though.

I thought The Weakest Link was great and that her act made it. Zero chance she doesn't play it straight on Countdown though...

I think it's a good fit... interested to see how she will do.

Witty banter is great. Predetermined snideness is awful.

Fucking hell she makes Nick look like a simpering pussycat

Dont expect Michael Sheen or Charlotte Church to be in dictionary counter

She won’t be mean, I’ve read in the Radio Times article on this that’s she’s been practising being nice during lockdown.

Agree with Fiona on this. I think Anne will get it right, even if her tenure doesn’t last long.

3 women presenting the show the first o in Countdown should be changed to the female symbol which i am not clever enough to find on my font ♀️♀️

I am also pleased to see ginger representation.

Not convinced by this but we'll see!

If I'd known ginger, banter and the innate ability to divide any room was the magic formula, maybe I should have had a crack at this after all.

Good luck to Anne. #Deeks2022.

I've always felt I needed an agent. Callum, you're it. Make some letterheads, let's do this.

Maybe they were just picking a presenter they knew would fail to give the Deeks team a bit more time to properly kick into action. This is very much not over.

Does that make me the Boris Johnson of the piece?

Terrible appointment and I have no idea why they didn’t go for Colin Murray. The only rationale could be that Channel 4 didn’t bother consulting the Countdown team. If Damian et al did have a say on this then I presume they were drunk at the time.

What it does more than anything else is perpetuate the existing stereotypes of Countdown, that it’s for doddery old farts and geeks only (a narrative Damian once said he wanted to change). If she comes at it different to her Watchdog or Weakest Link days the press will say she’s lost it and gone soft. If she comes at it with both barrels then it will be wrong for the show: “6!? You must think Countdown is a chocolate bar.” Yeah, no.

Obviously I’m willing to give her a chance but I’m not looking forward to this.

Mad cool news. Been out of the habit of watching the show but tapped back in lately and think Colin is excellent. Must say i do have a bit of a bad feeling about Anne but good luck to her. I assume she is much nicer IRL than her weakest link act. Can agree with both Jono and Mark about that, she both made the show and was cringeworthy at the same time (Case in point, we got an irish version with Eamon Dunphy and it was pretty shit and only lasted for 26 shows). Also remember her being a bit of a crank on points of view or watchdog or whatever it was she was on years ago. My old man really hated her and would ask for the channel to be changed just so he didn't have to look at her. I wonder will she be able to resist a sly smirk at an obvious miss or made up word? That probably wouldn't be great. Countdown is a nice show.

Cool, she's a bigger TV personality than the recent hosts, probably since the Deses. I think she's a good fit and looking forward to her tenure.

Lol @ people thinking she's going to host Countdown like she hosted the Weakest Link. She's been a successful broadcaster for decades - take a chill pill.

Anne Robinson says she cannot wait to be nice and is going to “tone down her nastiness”, “well sort of”.

Makes sense, lol.

"She won’t be mean, I’ve read in the Radio Times article on this that’s she’s been practising being nice during lockdown.

Has lockdown lasted long enough?

Anyway, let's give her a chance...

Finals and CoC games should be entertaining. "Who is no longer one from the top?"

Congratulations to Anne!

My two pence worth, I hope I'm wrong but I have a feeling this won't end well. She has a reputation for being a bit of a diva and rubbing up production staff etc the wrong way with her demands.

Jojo Apollo wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 12:19 am My two pence worth, I hope I'm wrong but I have a feeling this won't end well. She has a reputation for being a bit of a diva and rubbing up production staff etc the wrong way with her demands.

I disagree with you. She wants to be pigeonholed as the new host of Countdown because she wants to remind viewers how nice she really is.

Martin Hurst wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 8:16 pm Lol @ people thinking she's going to host Countdown like she hosted the Weakest Link. She's been a successful broadcaster for decades - take a chill pill.

Well that was dismissive, I can see why you'll like her.

Surprised they didn't go for a black presenter like Lenny Henry or Romesh Ranganathan.
-
Mauro

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 12:58 pm

Martin Hurst wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 8:16 pm Lol @ people thinking she's going to host Countdown like she hosted the Weakest Link. She's been a successful broadcaster for decades - take a chill pill.

Well that was dismissive, I can see why you'll like her.

I'm sure if I suggested she would present the show in the style of Keith Lemon that would have been dismissed too, as would be equally as far-fetched.

If you don't think there's a legitimate discussion to be had about Anne's tone, considering not just her character on the Weakest Link but her entire life of let's say "frankness" to date, good luck to you.

Do you think having Anne Robinson presenting have any impact on the roles currentky being held by Rachel and Susie.
I dont have a problem with all female presenters, it might even encourage more women to take part.
But it doesnt look good from a diversity stand point

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 4:01 pm Do you think having Anne Robinson presenting have any impact on the roles currentky being held by Rachel and Susie.
I dont have a problem with all female presenters, it might even encourage more women to take part.
But it doesnt look good from a diversity stand point

It's fine. Don't be an idiot.

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 4:01 pm Do you think having Anne Robinson presenting have any impact on the roles currentky being held by Rachel and Susie.
I dont have a problem with all female presenters, it might even encourage more women to take part.
But it doesnt look good from a diversity stand point

No

That might make up for the relative lack of female contestants (at least in the final stages - we haven't had a female quarter-finalist in the last 2 series.

I actually think Anne will be quite nice to the contestants generally, she knows what she's doing with TV presenting. My concern might be about how she will interact with the top-level players - e.g. she might be quite shocked at the standard of some of the players in the next Champion of Champions series (which I think is due before too long) and I'm not sure what she'll think of all the 8 and 9-letter obscure words being thrown around all over the place by some of our recent finalists

But let's give her a chance - hopefully she's done a good screen test and the producers are all happy with what they've seen...

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 3:21 pm If you don't think there's a legitimate discussion to be had about Anne's tone, considering not just her character on the Weakest Link but her entire life of let's say "frankness" to date, good luck to you.

As you've said, the Weakest Link was her as a character. Sure, an exaggerated version of herself no doubt and I'm sure we will see her natural side come out from time to time, and that indeed is a legitimate discussion, but she isn't going to be calling everyone an idiot and criticising their looks, class etc every 5 minutes like she was expected and scripted to do on the WL (which is a show that has aged really badly - surprised Challenge TV still show repeats of it).

Martin Hurst wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 5:07 pm

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 3:21 pm If you don't think there's a legitimate discussion to be had about Anne's tone, considering not just her character on the Weakest Link but her entire life of let's say "frankness" to date, good luck to you.

As you've said, the Weakest Link was her as a character. Sure, an exaggerated version of herself no doubt and I'm sure we will see her natural side come out from time to time, and that indeed is a legitimate discussion, but she isn't going to be calling everyone an idiot and criticising their looks, class etc every 5 minutes like she was expected and scripted to do on the WL (which is a show that has aged really badly - surprised Challenge TV still show repeats of it).

Also hoping she doesnt adopt her Daily Mail journalist persona which left a lot to desired

Carl Harrison wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 5:03 pm That might make up for the relative lack of female contestants (at least in the final stages - we haven't had a female quarter-finalist in the last 2 series.

I actually think Anne will be quite nice to the contestants generally, she knows what she's doing with TV presenting. My concern might be about how she will interact with the top-level players - e.g. she might be quite shocked at the standard of some of the players in the next Champion of Champions series (which I think is due before too long) and I'm not sure what she'll think of all the 8 and 9-letter obscure words being thrown around all over the place by some of our recent finalists

But let's give her a chance - hopefully she's done a good screen test and the producers are all happy with what they've seen...

Really? Do you think it will inspire Hazel Drury to apply for Series 84 and possibly become the series champion?

Let's not forget her basic inability to ask questions in a coherent manner on The Weakest Link. E.g. if the question was "What is Countdown - a gameshow or a type of shoe?" she would say "What is Countdown, a gameshow or a shoe?" like all three things were part of a list and it led to confusion.

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 7:40 pm Let's not forget her basic inability to ask questions in a coherent manner on The Weakest Link. E.g. if the question was "What is Countdown - a gameshow or a type of shoe?" she would say "What is Countdown, a gameshow or a shoe?" like all three things were part of a list and it led to confusion.

Wow

Also, I'll add that you can't just dismiss her Weakest Link "character". She may have had an edict to be a bit of a git on there - although she has said in interviews that she wasn't told do that and just found herself gravitating towards it over time, which, yeah, red flag right there - but there's a difference between being cutting and/or having a dry sense of humour, and targeting people's insecurities for entertainment purposes. Obviously, she won't be holding people's sexuality against them while hosting Countdown, but she did that in the past, and that matters. That's just not nice even in the relatively unenlightened times of 2003 - it's wrong that it was celebrated then and it's baffling that some just shrug at it now.

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Thu Feb 18, 2021 2:17 pm Also, I'll add that you can't just dismiss her Weakest Link "character". She may have had an edict to be a bit of a git on there - although she has said in interviews that she wasn't told do that and just found herself gravitating towards it over time, which, yeah, red flag right there - but there's a difference between being cutting and/or having a dry sense of humour, and targeting people's insecurities for entertainment purposes. Obviously, she won't be holding people's sexuality against them while hosting Countdown, but she did that in the past, and that matters. That's just not nice even in the relatively unenlightened times of 2003 - it's wrong that it was celebrated then and it's baffling that some just shrug at it now.

Yeah I saw the clips that are doing the rounds yesterday - it wasn't pleasant viewing.

Yeah the clips and the humour have not aged well. She'd need to be thick to not realise that and modify her persona

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 7:40 pm Let's not forget her basic inability to ask questions in a coherent manner on The Weakest Link. E.g. if the question was "What is Countdown - a gameshow or a type of shoe?" she would say "What is Countdown, a gameshow or a shoe?" like all three things were part of a list and it led to confusion.

The question I remember is:

"How many Rs are there in three days?"
"One."
"No, 72."

Graeme Cole wrote: ↑Thu Feb 18, 2021 5:11 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 7:40 pm Let's not forget her basic inability to ask questions in a coherent manner on The Weakest Link. E.g. if the question was "What is Countdown - a gameshow or a type of shoe?" she would say "What is Countdown, a gameshow or a shoe?" like all three things were part of a list and it led to confusion.

The question I remember is:

"How many Rs are there in three days?"
"One."
"No, 72."

Excellent.

Graeme Cole wrote: ↑Thu Feb 18, 2021 5:11 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 7:40 pm Let's not forget her basic inability to ask questions in a coherent manner on The Weakest Link. E.g. if the question was "What is Countdown - a gameshow or a type of shoe?" she would say "What is Countdown, a gameshow or a shoe?" like all three things were part of a list and it led to confusion.

The question I remember is:

"How many Rs are there in three days?"
"One."
"No, 72."

Now Damian will be able to respond: “Somebody shuffle those consonants already.”

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Thu Feb 18, 2021 2:17 pm Also, I'll add that you can't just dismiss her Weakest Link "character". She may have had an edict to be a bit of a git on there - although she has said in interviews that she wasn't told do that and just found herself gravitating towards it over time, which, yeah, red flag right there - but there's a difference between being cutting and/or having a dry sense of humour, and targeting people's insecurities for entertainment purposes. Obviously, she won't be holding people's sexuality against them while hosting Countdown, but she did that in the past, and that matters. That's just not nice even in the relatively unenlightened times of 2003 - it's wrong that it was celebrated then and it's baffling that some just shrug at it now.

The one with Benjamin "I'm famous for arguing with Piers Morgan" Butterworth was 2010, let alone 2003!

The more I look at this the more I see Anne Robinson as a light at the end of the tunnel for Countdown... except that light is actually a freight train coming the other way.

Beyond excited for this I think she will be amazing!

Really, George?

Cancel culture
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity- ... n=sharebar

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Fri Feb 19, 2021 8:35 am Cancel culture
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity- ... n=sharebar

Where?

Wow, it does seem she won't have much of a honeymoon period

Ian Volante wrote: ↑Fri Feb 19, 2021 9:07 am

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Fri Feb 19, 2021 8:35 am Cancel culture
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity- ... n=sharebar

Where?

This is how it usually starts, people picking through someones career try ing ro stir up shit
I would have thought her pro fox hunting past would have been more juicy

Ian Volante wrote: ↑Fri Feb 19, 2021 9:07 am

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Fri Feb 19, 2021 8:35 am Cancel culture
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity- ... n=sharebar

Where?

I'm guessing here:

"She does not want Anne, 76, to be sacked as the host of Countdown."

Seems a bit out of the blue unless you automatically take for granted that those comments made years ago in a previous job might warrant sacking now in a new job.

Although that sentence is followed up by Vanessa Feltz pretty much repudiating 'cancel culture'.

Has anyone seen anything about a start date yet?

She will take over in June, at the start of Series 84

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Fri Feb 19, 2021 8:35 am Cancel culture
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity- ... n=sharebar

I was in the audience for that recording (it was the 1000th show and they invited past contestants back) and I have no recollection of Anne making the remark, although even if she did I fail to see how referring to a black person as black is racist. If anything, what she allegedly said was fat-shaming, not racism. However, if Vanessa had responded by saying "that's racist, you can't use that" (as she claims she did) I'm pretty sure that would have stuck in my mind, and it hasn't, so draw your own conclusions.

One thing I do definitely remember is chatting during a break to the guy who operates Basil Brush, who said that in the green room beforehand Vanessa Feltz was the only one who refused to mix with the other contestants, saying she wanted to win and had no intention of socialising with people she saw as her competition. Again, draw your own conclusions.

FWIW, on both occasions when I've spoken to Anne Robinson "out of character" she's struck me as quietly spoken and surprisingly shy.

Phil Reynolds wrote: ↑Wed Feb 24, 2021 2:42 pm I was in the audience for that recording (it was the 1000th show and they invited past contestants back) and I have no recollection of Anne making the remark, although even if she did I fail to see how referring to a black person as black is racist. If anything, what she allegedly said was fat-shaming, not racism. However, if Vanessa had responded by saying "that's racist, you can't use that" (as she claims she did) I'm pretty sure that would have stuck in my mind, and it hasn't, so draw your own conclusions.

Do you remember everything that was said during recordings? Probably not, because nobody can remember everything from being in the audience of a gameshow 15 odd years ago. The fact that you are dismissing the comments now (in 2020!!) is probably indicative that back then you wouldn't have viewed such a comment as remarkable or noteworthy, providing quite a reasonable explanation of why you don't remember it. The article does cite another contestant who backs up her claims. What would be their motive to lie?

Phil Reynolds wrote: ↑Wed Feb 24, 2021 2:42 pm

Anne Robinson wrote: “Vanessa Feltz, looking the way you do, how do you think you land all these big black boyfriends?”

If anything, what she allegedly said was fat-shaming, not racism.

I disagree. If* these are the words that were used, why is race relevant here? if she just wanted to make a joke about Vanessa Batting out of her league she could have said "tall and handsome" instead of "big black".


*Overall thought I think something unpleasant probably happened on the set, and there's every chance Feltz has embellished to make it sound worse. I've heard and seen enough about Feltz to know she has a reputation as an all round shit stirrer, so there's every chance she's milking this.