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Metro
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Anne Robinson: I used to tell people on TV they were overweight –I can't anymore
Anne Robinson has admitted that the brazen comments she used to say to contestants on The Weakest Link wouldn't stand today. In 2000, the TV presenter, who began her career in journalism, started presenting the BBC One quiz show, a role she maintained for 12 years. Anne, 80, quickly became known for her sharp wit and cutting remarks, many of which would now be widely regarded as crossing a line. A fact that even she acknowledges. The former Countdown host – who's presenting a new hard-hitting programme called You Be the Judge: Crime & Punishment – spoke to Metro about her latest venture, in addition to delving into her TV career past. In the TV documentary for 5's Lawless Britain Season, Anne highlights the need for prison reform, the public view of sentencing in the UK, and explores whether the justice system is 'too soft'. Her latest presenting role allowed her to show viewers a different side to herself, one that fans of The Weakest Link might not be used to. 'I love the documentary. I got rather side-tracked by creating this character for [The Weakest Link] that I took to America,' she said, referencing when she launched the quiz show in the US in 2001. 'Very nicely, I earned a great deal by the fact that it was thought I had created the character. By the time we'd signed the contract, it was too late for them to realise it was just me.' Even 25 years later, some of the remarks Anne used to make towards contestants on The Weakest Link leave people astonished. Like when she asked a woman who works in the food industry: 'Do you have to taste the products? Is that why you're a bit overweight?' However, Anne argues that the quips that she made on the small screen were 'exactly' what others were saying at home behind closed doors. 'On The Weakest Link, what I was saying on television was exactly what your mum and your dad and your grandparents were saying to each other… I was just saying it out loud to millions of people, and you can't say that now,' she said. 'I mean, I used to be able to say to someone who was overweight, 'What do you do when you're not eating?', and you can't do that anymore. It's just a different time, isn't it?' That was just one of her many icy and controversial comments, with Anne having also made shocking remarks surrounding contestants' sexualities in the past. Nowadays, Anne is turning her focus towards identifying some of the biggest issues our country faces. Though her current programme follows sentencing and prison reform, the journalist wants to front another highlighting discrimination, particularly towards women in the workplace. 'I still think girls are way behind when it comes to job interviews and asking for the money they really want,' she stated. 'I'd rather like to do a programme teaching girls to negotiate. 'We just need to get girls tougher to face what they're facing. There's still loads of discrimination.' Anne first began her career in TV from 1986, appearing on Points of View and later on consumer affairs programme Watchdog. 'In those days, I got the job because I was a writer, not because I had a beautiful face and a shapely body. It's rather different these days,' she remarked. Now, she feels as though her work on 5's You Be the Judge: Crime & Punishment is a 'great gift', because she 'learnt so much from it'. 'It's not as if I knew everything and we were putting it out to other people. There was as much for me to learn as there is for people watching it,' she said. 'Most importantly, was learning that long prison sentences don't work. 'You see in the documentary that people – particularly those who've been affected and the victims of crime – their demands for longer sentences result in more crime, not less crime, because we've got a crisis in our prisons.' Anne urged for more reform and rehabilitation programmes within prisons, outlining how currently, some prisoners leave 'not being able to read or write'. 'There are police cells absolutely blocked up because there isn't the room to send those who've been convicted to prison. I don't think people realise how bad it is.' Anna emphasised that in her view, the country is 'not addressing the problem' of prison reform. More Trending 'If we want the country to be safer, we need less people committing crimes, and you're less likely to commit a crime if you've been in prison for five years and learnt a trade or learnt to read and write,' she said. 'Then, the chances are you've got something when you get out of prison to look forward to.'A Anne concluded: 'I really want the government, just every member of the government, particularly the Home Secretary, to look at this documentary and be very embarrassed and worried by it.' You be the Judge: Crime & Punishment, part of its Lawless Britain season, will air and stream on 5 from Tuesday May 6 at 9pm . Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More » MORE: People are shocked to find out Peppa Pig's first name isn't Peppa MORE: Anne Robinson reveals the moment she wanted to 'shut Rachel Riley up' MORE: The completely free streaming service unexpectedly rivalling Netflix
Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Daily Mirror
Anne Robinson 'completely astonished' by experience in first TV return since Countdown exit
Former The Weakest Link host Anne Robinson has turned documentary maker for Channel 5 as the TV presenter looks at the justice system and how judges come up with prison sentences Anne Robinson has blasted the UK court system and says the public agrees with her sentences are "a mess". The former Weakest Link host, 80, is fronting a new Channel 5 programme You Be The Judge examining real life sentences with participants taking part in reconstructions and asked to compare judgements. Anne said: 'I was completely astonished by what I learnt about how sentencing comes about; it was jaw-dropping. Around 71% of the public don't believe that the courts are tough enough. But, actually, if you look carefully at how judges arrive at their sentences and look at the overcrowding in prisons you learn a great deal. 'The more I looked at this subject, the more I realised we need to know more about what's happening. Prison doesn't work and the sentencing is a mess.' On the programme Anne and the team look at four previous cases, including the murder of teenager Ellie Gould in 2019, and how the judges came to the decision when it comes to sentencing. Anne said the public were confused about sentences and explained: 'In this documentary, we see a Just Stop Oil protester spending more time in prison than someone who got manslaughter for punching an innocent man, who then died. I was shocked. But you see the judicial arithmetic that leads to sentencing - so much is taken into account.' Despite Anne blasting the system, she does not believe it would be solved by longer sentences and more prison time for some offenders. Speaking to promote the programme, she explained: 'If you want a safer society, prisoners have to spend less time in prison. They're not learning a trade or contributing to having a better life when they come out. "The public wants to hand out longer sentences, but nobody is explaining to us that that only makes it worse. The powerful fact is that up to 50% of prisoners are illiterate, and up to 30% reoffend." She says she hopes the show can "change people's minds" about the punishment of crimes. She thinks the public may then start to campaign to the government for changes in the longer term. Anne is best known as the host of BBC game show The Weakest Link from 2000 to 2012. She also posted other shows including Points of View, Watchdog and Countdown. * You Be The Judge: Crime and Punishment is on 5 on Tuesday at 9pm.
Telegraph
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
BBC settles sex and age discrimination dispute with female presenters
The BBC has avoided a potentially damaging employment tribunal by settling a sex and age discrimination claim brought by four female news presenters. Martine Croxall, Annita McVeigh, Karin Giannone and Kasia Madera were due to begin a three-week tribunal on Monday. Instead, the matter has been settled with no admission of liability. The four claimed that they had been overlooked for presenting jobs on the newly merged BBC News channel because they were women in their 40s and 50s. In a statement, they said: 'We can confirm that we have reached a resolution with BBC management that avoids the need for a tribunal hearing in respect of our employment-related claims. 'A protracted process lasting almost three years is now over. We've been deeply moved by the support we've received. 'We look forward to contributing further to the success of BBC News, especially to live programming and the growing streaming services that are so important to our audiences.' At a preliminary hearing last year, the four women claimed that the corporation created a 'hostile, degrading, intimidating' workplace environment which affected their health and damaged their reputations. They alleged that the BBC's then editor of news channels, Jess Brammar, had privately assured four other presenters – two men and two younger women – that their jobs were safe, six months before the recruitment process officially began. 'Sham recruitment exercise' After going through a 'sham recruitment exercise', the women said, they were told in February 2023 that they had not been selected for the chief presenter roles and subsequently spent a year off air 'against our will'. The roles went to Matthew Amroliwala, Christian Fraser, Yalda Hakim, Maryam Moshiri and Lucy Hockings. The BBC denied the pay complaints, saying the recruitment process had been 'rigorous and fair'. In 2020, Samira Ahmed took the BBC to a tribunal and won a landmark judgment after arguing that she deserved to be paid the same for presenting Newswatch as Jeremy Vine received for presenting Points of View. Two years earlier, the BBC settled a gender pay dispute with Carrie Gracie, its former China editor, who had discovered that she was paid significantly less than Jon Sopel, another foreign editor. A BBC spokesman said: 'After careful consideration, we have reached a resolution which brings to an end protracted legal proceedings with four members of staff and avoids further costs for the BBC. 'In doing so, we have not accepted any liability or any of the arguments made against the BBC. We are simply bringing to a close all of the actions brought against us so that all involved can move forward. 'The BBC successfully launched a single BBC News channel in 2023, bringing the best live and breaking news on TV and online both here and around the world. 'We welcome this opportunity to now look to the future, and to work together on delivering for our audiences – which is our first priority.'
