Countdown feud erupts as Anne Robinson turns off Rachel Riley’s microphone after becoming infuriated by her small talk
COUNTDOWN host Anne Robinson had Rachel Riley’s microphone muted as part of a “toxic” feud.
Diva Anne, 77, moaned Rachel was being “too loud” while bantering with contestants before filming.
She’s also griped about her co-star turning up at the last minute and being on her phone so much.
Maths whiz Rachel, 35, says she’s been silenced.
A TV insider said last night: “It’s safe to say there’s no love lost.”
The unprecedented move left a fuming Rachel to announce to the whole crew that she “completely disagreed” with being silenced.
Anne, 77, has also been irritated at Rachel sometimes “turning up at the last minute” and “being on her phone” before filming at Media City in Salford.
It comes after reports of a “young versus old” divide between Anne and Rachel, 35, and Dictionary Corner’s Susie Dent, 56.
A former producer of Anne said last night: “Anne is famously known for two things: her dislike of noise and time-keeping. She’ll tolerate neither.
“Anne also has tinnitus and cannot bear excess sound. Rachel, with her big heels and even bigger personality, can be quite loud on set. Rachel used to chat to contestants before every show, and Anne found it hugely distracting.
“She felt she couldn’t do her job properly, or bond with the contestants to help them to relax, before the cameras started rolling.
“Poor old Rachel didn’t work it out for a couple of days, and was babbling away quite happily before realising no one could hear her.
“When Anne said she wanted silence, Rachel turned around in front of the whole studio and stated publicly that she disagreed; that she didn’t find it necessary.
When Anne said she wanted silence, Rachel turned around in front of the whole studio and stated publicly that she disagreed; that she didn’t find it necessary.
Source
“The tension was palpable. Anne finds the whole thing hilarious. There’s nothing like a bit of good-natured rivalry to get the juices flowing.
“Rachel is obviously a professional and never late for filming — she just cuts things more fine than perhaps stickler Anne would like.
“It’s safe to say there’s no love lost between these two, but it’s ratings gold.”
Yesterday Channel 4 confirmed ratings were the highest since 2012, with audience share consistently up since Anne took over in June.
Last month’s figures were also up 15 per cent.
Director of programmes Ian Katz said: “We are thrilled that viewers are enjoying Anne at the helm of Countdown, helping one of Channel 4’s most iconic shows achieve its biggest share of audience in nine years.”
According to show insiders, Anne has “done a Piers Morgan” and used her bulging contacts book to book big stars for Dictionary Corner.
She has also insisted on having a say in the editorial sway of the show, ensuring greater “banter” between contestants and presenter.
A show insider added: “Everyone at Channel 4 is secretly thrilled this battle is out in the open — it can only boost ratings further.
“Anne is doing exactly what she said she would when she got the job — delivering and ensuring record ratings at a notoriously difficult time for terrestrial telly. But so much for the genteel world of teatime television!”
Anne, the show’s first female host, also ruffled feathers by insisting on her own make-up artist and stylist. Rachel and Susie share a make-up artist.
Anne is also understood to have a budget for clothes, and has a considerably larger dressing room, say insiders.
Rachel, a show favourite since joining in 2009 with then-host Jeff Stelling, has done little to disguise her apparent dislike of Anne.
An on-set source added: “They film five episodes a day so it’s pretty full-on. When they meet there is very little small talk.
“Anne was overheard saying ‘Hello’ and asking how Rachel’s day was going. Basically if looks could kill then Anne would be six feet under. Everyone was laughing.
“Anne is a stickler for time-keeping, and doesn’t like seeing the younger crew members, including Rachel, on their phones, on Twitter, constantly. Basically the two women are worlds apart.
Anne is a stickler for time-keeping, and doesn’t like seeing the younger crew members, including Rachel, on their phones, on Twitter, constantly. Basically the two women are worlds apart.
Source
“Anne actually thinks Rachel is incredibly quick-witted, and hugely talented, but the trouble is they’re both Alpha females and, alas, only one can be top dog.
“Unfortunately for Rachel, Anne’s something of a rottweiler to Rachel’s sweet, no-longer-yapping chihuahua.”
Fans have also commented on social media about the atmosphere between the pair. They went into meltdown in July when, weeks after Anne started, Dictionary Corner comic Rachel Parris suggested the randomly-selected nine letters spell “megabitch”.
Letter picker Rachel was pictured standing gleefully next to the word.
Rachel, now on maternity leave ahead of welcoming her second child with Strictly’s Pasha Kovalev, recently admitted she had struggled to bond with feisty Anne.
She said she got to know former host Nick Hewer well, adding of Anne: “She’s a completely different character.”
Channel 4 declined to comment last night.
Stars who can't stand eachother
THE feud between Anne and Rachel is the latest TV personality clash.
When Eamonn Holmes and Anthea Turner were thrust together on GMTV back in 1994, the gloss soon faded.
He called her “vain” before nicknaming her Princess Tippy Toes. Anthea quit and later said she was left hurt.
Phillip Schofield and Amanda Holden have battled on and off camera. In 2015 he admitted he found her “quite scary”. She later pulled out of replacing Holly Willoughby on This Morning while Holly co-hosted I’m A Celeb in Australia.
And in 2019 she quipped that one of the things she would least like to find in her house was Phillip Schofield.
There was no love lost on The X Factor between Sharon Osbourne and Dannii Minogue in 2007.
Dannii claimed that Sharon likened her to an “annoying mosquito that should be squashed”.