Anne Robinson to be first female host of Countdown
ANNE Robinson says she is excited to work with two “formidable women” after being unveiled as the new host of Countdown.
She will join mathematician Rachel Riley and lexicographer Susie Dent on the Channel 4 daytime show.
Anne, 76, who previously hosted game show The Weakest Link, will replace Nick Hewer, who steps down after nearly 10 years in the hot seat.
She said: “I am beyond thrilled to be joining Countdown. The show is almost as old as I am and just as historic. I am particularly excited to be working alongside the show’s two other formidable women.
“Worryingly, Susie and Rachel are not only very smart but younger, prettier and thinner than me.
“I am a crossword nut so the Countdown conundrums
I can make sense of. But the adding up and taking away – I can’t go much further than working out the fee once my agent takes his cut.” Discussing her curt catchphrase “You are the weakest link, goodbye”, Anne said she is planning to “tone down my nastiness”.
She added: “The catchphrase just came about on the pilot when I got really cheesed off with a contestant and I added the goodbye. These things are best developed just as they happen.”
Discussing working with Susie and Rachel, she said: “I’m slightly scared of those brains but I think the three of us will transform things. It will be Countdown goes chic, won’t it?
“I say just keep watching and please can we have some female contestants?”
The show’s executive producer Peter Gwyn said: “I know viewers will relish Anne’s unique style at the helm of this much-loved institution.”
THIS sensor tracks everything from your blood pressure to how much booze or coffee you have had.
The scientists behind it hope the data combo can stop false alarms.
Study lead author Lu Yin, a doctoral student at the University of California, San Diego, said: “This type of wearable would be very helpful for people with underlying medical conditions to monitor their own health on a regular basis.
“It would also serve as a great tool for remote patient monitoring, especially during the pandemic when people are minimising visits to the clinic.”
Fellow researcher Juliane Sempionatto said: “Let’s say you are monitoring your blood pressure, and you see spikes during the day and think that something is wrong.
“But a biomarker reading could tell you if those spikes were due to
an intake of alcohol or caffeine. This combination of sensors can give you that type of information.”
The soft and stretchy neck patch is the first wearable device to note both cardiovascular signals and biochemical levels at the same time.
It tracks the wearer’s heart rate, while measuring their glucose, lactate, alcohol and caffeine levels.
People who suffer from blood conditions like diabetes could really benefit, researchers said in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.