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Nasty! Very nasty! Expect big trouble in the shape of a shrewish hostess with a razor for a tongue as the next big thing on Star Plus after Kaun Banega Crorepati.
 The ‘Queen of Mean‘ Mary Robinson - host of the UK version of the Weakest Link . |
BBC Worldwide and Star India announced in Mumbai today they had reached a licencing agreement to showcase Weakest Link, the biggest hit to come out of the BBC Worldwide stable in the last ten years (and before that as well?).
The show received a high-powered introduction with BBC Worldwide chief executive Rupert Gavin, Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea and BBC Worldwide director Monisha Shah doing the honours. It was a year ago that BBC Worldwide and Star India first announced their programming alliance with the launch of BBC‘s celebrated Yes Minister in its Hindi avatar Ji Mantriji.
The Indian version of this show will also be in Hindi and will be produced by BBC Worldwide in association with Siddharth Basu‘s Synergy Production‘s. Synergy produces KBC as well, and BBC World‘s mastermind India." The show, to be telecast on Star Plus, will follow the original UK format, including set, graphics and design. Key members from of the UK production team will be involved in the making of this show, it was announced.
The launch of the Hindi Weakest Link comes at a time when the Amitabh Bachchan-hosted KBC has lost much of its sheen and marks a first in that the two shows are being showcased on the same channel. In the UK and the US the two shows fight for the same prime time audience on competing channels. A pity that. It would have been interesting to see how KBC stood up in a straight slugfest.
 On the sets of Weakest Link. |
And if KBC was known for the Bachchan personna and his catchline "Lock kiya jaaye?", Weakest Link is associated even more closely with its "pitiless presenter" Ann Robinson and the catchline "You are the weakest link. Goodbye." In the space of one year Robinson has gone from relative obscurity as a newspaper columnist to superstar television personality - a superbitch who has taken nastiness to a whole new level. She also happens to be every headline writer worth his salt‘s dream concoction. Two gems among the many headlines used to describe her - "Host from Hell", "Queen of Mean".
On the subject of the Indian host for the show, Mukerjea said no one had been found as yet who could fill the nastiness quotient bill, adding the search was still on. Mukerjea said he hoped to find a suitable host within the next three to four weeks.
Questioned on the prize money at stake, Mukerjea said "no decision has been made, but it will be substantial." Mukerjea confirmed that the catchline for the show had already been decided but was unwilling to elaborate further, saying that once the host had been decided, the telecast date fixed and the prize money determined, an announcement would be made.
Queried on the duration of the show Monisha Shah said that it had a run time of 46 minutes which with the ad breaks meant a one-hour prime time slot.
Mukerjea, while acknowledging the difficulties in finding a suitable host for the show, hinted that if a woman was not found, Star might consider a man hosting the show. If Star does finally opt for a man, it will not be a first. Of the 65 countries where Weakest Link has been licensed, the Irish version has a man - Eamon Dunphy - doing the hardball act.
Now if Star could just find that little old nasty so the that the show can get on the road...!
