See ya!

So it is of course the last episode of The Weakest Link this afternoon, rather shamefully sneaking out at 3:45pm on BBC1, after Cash In The Attic. The first one was 12 years ago, and someone put it on Youtube.

Minor changes to the set and Anne Robinson’s persona aside, it’s not changed much in 12 years, maybe that’s a problem, but it was the first show probably since Neighbours in its heyday to demonstrate you could pick up really sizable audiences in daytime. My enduring memory of the first set of episodes was that there would always be a question on JD Salinger’s The Catcher In The Rye without fail. Also of note in that first episode was that the questions in the first round weren’t nearly as easy as they would be these days. The head to head still looks and feels ridiculous, it was good that they changed that a bit in the next batch of recordings.

I was a contestant in one of the early years, I had a great time and it remains a fun game to play (large groups of us on a messageboard I used to be a part of would congregate and play on Internet Relay Chat for actual money late night) although as for watching it I haven’t done so for a number of years. I can’t say I’m all that bothered by seeing it go, but it probably deserves a better send-off than it is getting.

In other news, I’ve had a press release about a certain BBC4 quiz that’s embargoed until tomorrow. It’s very exciting and will be posted automatically (because I’m out late tonight) at five minutes past midnight.