'The Weakest Link': Romesh Ranganathan returning to host another celebrity series
Romesh Ranganathan has proved he is anything but The Weakest Link by landing another series as host of the quiz show.
Comedian Ranganathan revived the BBC One quiz previously hosted by Anne Robinson in 2021 with an all-star celebrity version and will be back at the helm for new episodes this year.
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He said: “I’m delighted to be doing another series, partly because it’s a fun show and the response has been amazing, but mainly to avoid ‘Turns out Romesh was The Weakest Link’ headlines.”
Kate Phillips, director of unscripted at the BBC, added: “Led once again by our Ringmaster Romesh, viewers can expect plenty more laughs and almost certainly loads of back stabbing too as the nation’s favourite quick fire quiz returns, I can’t wait!”
Ranganathan was a hit with viewers and the series peaked with 5.3 million tuning in to see the Strictly Come Dancing special.
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Celebrities for the new series, which will film in Glasgow and air later in 2022, are yet to be announced.
When Ranganathan took over as host from long-running star of the show Robinson in 2021, he admitted he had struggled with whether to attempt her trademark wink.
He told The Graham Norton Show: "I have been teased about it a lot online and we’ve spent hours discussing whether I should do it or something else like a wave, a blink, or jazz hands.
"We have talked more about that than anything else and discussed what is the show and what is Anne.
"I didn’t want to steal anything from her, so I do something other than a wink, but it’s probably not as good as I’ve now made it sound."
Meanwhile, Robinson, who recently announced she was quitting as host of Countdown, has said that she turned down the opportunity to return for the rebooted Weakest Link.
Bemoaning how much "wokeness" had changed jokes on TV, she told The Mail: “Times have really changed. I wouldn't want to be a cheesy game-show host, and that is what the BBC wanted. Where's the fun if you can't ask, 'What do you do when you're not eating?' or 'Have you had that hair cut for a bet?'”
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