The Weakest Link (UK game show)
| The Weakest Link | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Quiz Show |
| Created by | Fintan Coyle Cathy Dunning |
| Presented by | Anne Robinson |
| Narrated by | Jon Briggs |
| Theme music composer | Paul Farrer |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 13 |
| No. of episodes | 1,693 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Day-Time:Magic Eye Studios (2000-1) BBC Television Centre (2000–1) Pinewood Studios (2001–9) BBC Pacific Quay (2009–12) |
| Running time | 45 minutes (daytime) 50 minutes (primetime 2003–12) |
| Release | |
| Original network |
BBC Two (Daytime: 14 August 2000 – 8 February 2008 and 5 September 2011 – 30 March 2012) BBC One (Primetime: 31 October 2000 – 31 March 2012) (Daytime: 11 February 2008 – 16 June 2011) |
| Picture format |
576i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original release | 14 August 2000 – 31 March 2012 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Weakest Link (U.S. game show) |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The Weakest Link is a British television quiz show, mainly broadcast on BBC 2, but also on BBC 1. It was devised by Fintan Coyle and Cathy Dunning, and developed for television by the BBC Entertainment Department. The first episode went on air on 14 Aug 2000. It has since been replicated around the world. The UK version was hosted by Anne Robinson and narrated by Jon Briggs. In April 2011, Anne Robinson announced that she would end her role as the quiz show's hostess by the time her contract would expire as she had served longer than she originally intended to. The original run ended on 31 March 2012 with a 1,693rd episode. the quiz show itself continues to run internationally on the BBC Entertainment channel.
The original format features 9 contestants who, (in no particular order) take turns answering general knowledge questions. The objective of every round is to create a chain of 9 correct answers in a row and earn an increasing amount of money within a time limit. A wrong answer breaks the chain and loses any money earned within that chain. However, before their question is asked, a contestant can choose to bank the current amount of money earned in any chain to make it safe, after which the chain starts afresh. A contestant's decision not to bank, in anticipation that they will be able to correctly answer the upcoming question allows the money to grow, as each successive correct answer earns proportionally more money.
When the allotted time for every round ends, any money which is not banked is lost, and if the host is in the middle of asking a question, or has asked a question but the contestant has yet to answer, the question is abandoned. Occasionally, the host gives the correct answer whether the contestant is able to answer the question correctly or not. The round automatically ends if the team successfully reaches the maximum amount for the round before the allotted time expires, and the next person says "Bank". Every round thereafter is reduced by 10 seconds as players are eliminated. For Round 8, the last or final round, the remaining 2 players only have 90 seconds (1 and a half minutes) on the clock to "treble" whatever they bank.
The first person to be asked a question in the first round is the player whose name is first alphabetically. Every subsequent round starts with the "strongest link"—the player with the most correct answers—from the previous round, unless that person has been voted off, in which case the 2nd strongest answers 1st.
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Wikipedia