Weakest Link - The Dance Track Weakest Link - Around The World TWL Facts Links
Well here are some fascinating facts about the various Weakest Link shows around the world and their presenters.
Going on holiday? Don't want to be pushed around by the locals? Learn how to say 'You are the weakest link...goodbye' in eight languages.
UK
- Presenter Anne Robinson / Voiceover Jon Briggs
The country where it all started. Some might say that Anne Robinson is the Weakest Link personified, the perfect host for a perfect show. Anne has been a newspaper journalist working on The Times, The Sunday Times, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Express, a radio broadcaster for BBC Radio 2 and a TV journalist for the BBC programme Watchdog. Then she presented The Weakest Link and the world hasn't been the same since. If you want to read more about her then there is a very good BBC interview here. The Weakest Link is shown on BBC1, BBC2 and BBC Choice in the UK. The BBC was also bought the NBC 'Weakest Link' shows to show as 'The Weakest Link USA' on BBC1. To hear audio samples of Anne in action, click here. To watch some Real Movies, you'll want to click here.
Jon Briggs the first ever 'statsman', I'm not sure if that is his official title is on the show but the statsman he is. Jon has one of the UK's best known voices and has lead a long and varied career in radio and TV (who could forget that stint on QVC eh? Sorry Jon!). Fascinating fact - An estimated 23 million people hear Jon's voice every week, gosh. As well as being the voice of TWL he is the voice of BBC Radio 2, he presents his own radio show on LBC in London and he even runs his own voiceover agency. Busy chap. To hear Jon's warm, reassuring dulcet tones click here plus if you want to read our interview with Jon click here.
Australia-
Presenter Cornelia Francis / Voiceover Marcus Irvine
The Australian version on 'The Weakest Link' aired in February 2001 and has a prime time slot on Channel 7, Australia's biggest TV station. Its presented by Cornelia Francis. Cornelia is an actress who has appeared in serials such as The Young Doctors, Sons & Daughters and Prisoner: Cell Block H but most people know her for her role as Morag Bellingham in Home & Away. When the show started, Channel 7 received 100 complaints about her but Cornelia replied 'If people think I'm a bitch in real life then so be it. I know I'm not - although I can be...'. To view some videos of Cornelia in action click here.
Voiceover - The voiceover for the Aus version of TWL is performed by the enthusiastic sounding Marcus Irvine but I'm afraid I know nothing about Marcus or his career.
USA
- Presenter Anne Robinson / Voiceover John Cramer
Anne Robinson
Yes its her again isn't it, when NBC bought the Weakest Link format they realised that the success of the show was down to Anne so they insisted she was part of the deal. What I can't understand is the fact that in the UK the show is 'The Weakest Link', whereas in the USA it's just 'Weakest Link', perhaps they had to pay import duty on the word 'The', I dunno? The first show first aired on 16 April 2001 and it drew an audience of up to 17.5 million in its first week. Anne now spends her time jetting across the Atlantic recording shows for NBC and the BBC. To watch some American trailers for the show, click here. The latest news is that an American Comedian by the name of George Gray will host the Daytime Weakest Link in the US as from January 7 2001. He has hosted two other game shows in the US. Junkyard Wars, known in the UK as Scrapheap Challenge and Extreme Gong for Game Show Network. The US Daytime Weakest Link will feature 6 contestants and will run in a half hour time slot. Top prize right now is slated to be 100,000 in US Dollars. Sounds exciting (and thanks to David Hammond for that info and the pic).
George Gray
Like his UK counterpart Jon Briggs, John Cramer is a well known voiceover artist in the USA, he does a lot of a voiceover work for NBC television doing a lot of promos for their television shows.
John has been the announcer for a couple of game shows; there has been "Twenty-One" which was cancelled last March and of course The Weakest Link. In addition to announcing for "Weakest Link" and "Twenty-One," I've been informed that he has annouced for the discussion show "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher" and "Your Big Break" which was cancelled in May 2001. I've also been told he has announced for two other shows; 'The Newlywed Game' and 'The Dating Game'.
Rumour has it that John will also be doing the voiceover duties for the daytime US Weakest Link show. Thanks to David Hammond for all the info!
To hear John in action click here
Netherlands
- Presenter Chazia Mourali
Chazia
Mourali 
The Dutch version of Weakest Link launched on 6 May on RTL4 and is fronted by former TV news journalist Chazia Mourali. In keeping with the Weakest Link theme, Chazia has her own brand of icy put-downs.
Germany-
Presenter - Sonja Zeetlow
Sonja
Zeetlow 
The German version of Weakest Link 'Der Schwächste Fliegt' (the literal translation in English is "The weakest is kicked out") is shown on the countries biggest TV station RTL every weekday in the afternoons. Sonja was a tough talking, sharp tongued afternoon talk show host and was deemed the perfect host for the show.
To hear mp3s of the lovely Sonja click here
Belgium -
Presenter - Goedele Liekins
Goedele Liekins
The Belgium version of Weakest Link is presented by Goedele Liekins a former Miss Belgium and well-known television personality in Belgium whose television career began in 1986. Goedele has been a successful, practicing psychologist-sexologist working as a sex therapist for The Rutgers Foundation and wrote the best-selling book, "69 Questions about Sex" (gulp). Whatever would Annie say?
Ireland
- Presenter - Eamon Dunphy
Eamon is the first ever male presenter of The Weakest Link. Like Anne Robinson, he's been a radio presenter (on Ireland's Today FM), a TV presenter (like Anne) and a newspaper columnist (again like Anne) so the credentials to be a good Weakest Link host seem to be there. He's also been a football player and has played for Manchester United (which as far as I'm aware Anne Robinson has never done), oh so he's a Red then is he, never mind.
Yes, surprise people in foreign locations with your multi lingual Weakest Link putdowns (courtesy of Heat Magazine)
Indian "Tum sabse kam jor khilara ho, maff karo"
Belgiun "U bent de zwakste schakel, adieu"
Italian "Sei la connetione piu debole, ciao"
German "Du bist der Schwächste, du fliegst...und tschüss"
Dutch "Jij bent DE zwakste schakel, tot ziens"
Spanish "Eres la conexión más débil, adiós"
Turkish "Zincirde en zayif halkasin, eyvallah"
French "Vous êtes le maillon faible...Au revoir"
Russian "ty samaya slabaya svyaz, do svidania!"
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