Q&A with Anne Robinson
The BBC Children in Need Appeal Show is back with an all-star line-up of presenters.
Published: 7 November 2017
Usually someone who goes out in the first round is someone who has annoyed everyone in the Green Room!
How are you feeling about returning to host such an iconic quiz?
I am really looking forward to it and I am looking forward to seeing which celebrities will be taking part. I gave it up because it had gone to Scotland and they asked me to do it up there but I’d just got new grandchildren. I also wanted to stop before someone asked me to stop. I said I would do ten years but I ended up doing 11!
Did you need much persuading to make this special?
No I knew it would be good fun as long as we got a good line-up. We’ve tried to think of people who would make a good mix and also those we can remember who were very good at general knowledge.
So are you getting celebrities who have been on it previously?
We’ve tried to. It’s a bit like Sudoku in the sense you have got to have a good mix. You have to have people who appeal to all sorts of age ranges and most importantly, people who I can play with!
What are you most looking forward to?
Getting back into the swing of it. It will take a while and I am really looking forward to also seeing what the line-up is. I don’t actually meet the celebrities until the moment we start filming the programme.
And is it nice to be doing such a big BBC Children in Need special?
It’s a tremendous charity. I’ve done Comic Relief but I have never had a chance to do BBC Children in Need. When the Weakest Link was on, it was a very hungry horse as we worked five days a week and we made three programmes a day. My diary never managed BBC Children in Need and that’s another reason why I am absolutely thrilled. It’s really nice to help children.
The catchphrase "You are the Weakest Link… Goodbye" has become so iconic! Are you proud of this achievement?
Most good catchphrases just happen rather than people thinking them up and that was one.
Is it tougher when one of your celebrity friends is taking part on the quiz?
It depends. I remember Martha Kearney [doing it] and she is so lovely, I didn’t feel I could be horrible to her! She won so comfortably anyway though.
How much preparation goes into the compiling of the questions?
A lot! We used to have huge teams working on the questions and we would verify them six times because when somebody wins money we have got to make sure it is fair. We will for this too.
And finally, is there a pattern to who goes out in the first round?
Usually someone who goes out in the first round is someone who has annoyed everyone in the Green Room!
