Anne Robinson: It surprises me that people think I am terrifying. No one at home takes any notice

Surrounded by brilliant, smart women, new Countdown presenter Anne Robinson says the brain-teasing quiz can only benefit from a feminine touch.

Tomorrow, Robinson makes her debut as the show’s sixth – and first female – host, joining forces with number-cruncher Rachel Riley and word-wrangler Susie Dent. And forming an all-female team has brought the veteran presenter a real sense of “girl power”.

The 76-year-old broadcaster, who joked she was every bit as historic as Countdown, which first aired in 1982, said working alongside two other formidable women had been refreshing.

“Three Clever Girls Do Countdown! Don’t you love the sound of that?” she said.

“Susie and Rachel are not only very smart but younger, prettier and thinner than me. Sadly, there’s no time for another facelift so I’ll have to make do with this old one.”

The former host of The Weakest Link takes over from Nick Hewer, who stepped down after 10 years – and she is delighted not only with the all-female team but the rising number of women contestants too.

“There are one or two shows we recorded which have turned out to have a female dictionary corner and two female contestants,” she said. “We did punch the air when we looked around and realised there were six women in the studio.”

Being the first female host on the longest-running quiz show in the world, however, doesn’t bring quite as much enthusiasm.

“When they offered it to me and said I would be the first female, I groaned because surely we are past that age where people are astonished that women can do the same jobs as men?” said Anne, who follows in the footsteps of past hosts including Richard Whiteley and Des Lynam.

“But we’re clearly not past it if people are trying to persuade me it’s a wonderful thing that I’m the first woman on Countdown. If you can have a female prime minister, why should anyone die of excitement that we are going to have a woman on Countdown?”

It’s this sharp wit that earned Robinson a long stint at the helm of The Weakest Link, filmed in London then Glasgow, before leaving to spend more time with her grandchildren.

“I had a wonderful time on The Weakest Link,” she said. “I did it for two years in Scotland, but the fact it moved there wasn’t the reason I stopped.

“My grandchildren had just been born. I left so I could be with them. And, to be honest, it was time because you should always leave a programme with viewers wanting more.”

Robinson loves being a gran. In fact, her 11 and 12-year-old grandchildren came to live with her in the Cotswolds at the start of lockdown – and never left.

“We’ve had a wonderful lockdown because it’s been more than a year around my grandchildren and daughter and son-in-law living here with us.

“They live in the centre of London and arrived the day before the first lockdown with a car full of everything from dogs to cricket bats.

“It’s been lovely. But I have to say my daughter is much easier to live with now that I’m working again!”

© PA Photo/Channel 4

While still quick-witted and sharp – and ever so slightly terrifying – Robinson seems to have softened a little in the decade since The Weakest Link. “It always surprises me that people think I am terrifying,” she laughed. “No one at home takes any notice of me, except the dog!”

Renowned for her icy glares and acerbic put-downs, Countdown has brought out Anne’s amiable side. “On The Weakest Link I never, ever met the contestants before, and that included the celebs,” she said.

“In Countdown, I do try to find a few minutes to say ‘hello’.”

Years as a journalist – and doing crosswords – have prepared Robinson for the anagrams on Countdown, although she’s not so confident on numbers: “I am a crossword nut so the 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.”

The audience perception of her, however, is something ruthless Robinson can not predict.

“I am never going to change people who don’t like me,” she said. “I promise you there will be a host of loyal Countdown viewers who will feel I have ruined their programme.

But she’s not going anywhere soon.

“Somebody asked me yesterday, if I would be doing it in 10 years? Well, Mary Berry is 86, so there’s no reason why I shouldn’t. I could go on in my mobility scooter!”

And, with that, she gives an iconic eye-wink – and she’s off. She’s certainly one of a kind.

Countdown, Channel 4, weekdays, 2.10pm