Weakest Link makes strong stateside impact

More than 50 million Americans watched BBC game show The Weakest Link during the first week of its Stateside run, preliminary data showed today.

The show, hosted by Anne Robinson, could make £30m over the next decade as ‘‘format deals’’ for the programme are sold around the world.

It attracted a combined total of 52.4 million viewers in its first three outings on US network NBC, according to preliminary national figures from Nielsen Media Research.

The BBC said that for a third night, the show was the highest rated programme on any network in the key adult 18-49 demographic.

They also said The Weakest Link won the 10-11pm hour by four ratings points in the adults 18-49 category.

That represented NBC’s widest margin of victory in the time period this season.

The show has attracted more than eight million viewers in the UK, but received a poor reaction from some TV critics in America on its debut.

Robinson’s performances as quizmaster helped the show soar to the heights, as she uses her dry wit to embarrass contestants who get easy questions wrong.