The Weakest Link, BBC2, review: A revival that is lacking in drama

In 2021, the signature withering put-downs of the original series probably would not fly, and that’s no bad thing

WARNING: Embargoed for publication until 00:00:01 on 04/12/2021 - Programme Name: The Weakest Link - TX: n/a - Episode: The Weakest Link Christmas Special (No. 2) - Picture Shows: The Weakest Link Christmas Special Romesh Ranganathan - (C) BBC - Photographer: Alan Peebles Tv Still BBC

Romesh Ranganathan cracked some truly awful jokes on The Weakest Link (Photo: Alan Peebles/ BBC)

December 18, 2021 7:00 pm

It is almost a decade since The Weakest Link last aired its nightly attempts to make contestants cry. This weekend it returned with a new host, comedian Romesh Ranganathan, and the first of 12 episodes with celebrity line-ups.

It kicked off with a Strictly Come Dancing special starring a mix of past contestants and professionals including Clara Amfo, Ore Oduba, Catherine Tyldesley and, of course, Anton du Beke.

Mostly, this was a reminder that The Weakest Link was a great game show, something often overshadowed by the “Queen of Mean” narrative around Anne Robinson and her saucy winks.

It’s a format that eases players in with obvious general knowledge questions, everyone getting along and the money racking up, but then everything escalates and suddenly people are panicking, passing and forgetting to bank the cash.

In 2021, the signature withering put-downs of the original series probably would not fly, and that’s no bad thing: everything is miserable enough as it is without Jenny from Bradford being teased over her hairdo.

As Robinson’s replacement, Ranganathan was fine, armed with gentle jibes and some truly naff jokes in between rounds – “Who thinks Mother Goose is Ryan Gosling’s mum?”

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The problem with celebrity versions of game shows, though, is that they can come across a bit self-indulgent. The money’s going to charity and ultimately, everyone is happy, so any tension has to be feigned. Having said that, it did appear that du Beke’s insistence on ad-libbing ended up getting him the chop.

The new Weakest Link may not have missed Anne or the cruelty, but it was missing the higher stakes. One celebrity special is more than enough; 12 feels like a bit like a mince pie too many.

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