Here are the nine contestants preparing for today's show.

Only one of them will win up to £10,000.

The others will leave with nothing when voted off as the weakest link.

Welcome to The Weakest Link.

Any of the nine people in the studio today could win up to £10,000.

They've only just met, but to get the prize money, they'll have to work together.

However, eight will leave with nothing…

as round by round, we lose the player voted the weakest link.

Let's meet the team.

My name is Antony, I'm 29, I'm from Solihull and I'm opening a teashop.

I'm Vonny, I'm 62, I'm from Oxfordshire and I'm an ambulance driver.

I'm Simon, I'm 41, from Sunderland and I'm a cable jointer.

I'm Valerie, I'm 59, I'm from Leamington Spa and I'm retired.

I'm Nigel, 36, from Whitchurch in Hampshire and I'm an RAF helicopter pilot.

I'm Claire, I'm 42, I'm from Stillington, North Yorkshire and I'm a quality auditor.

I'm Peter, I'm 61, I'm from Dunoon, Argyll, and I'm a contact centre team manager.

I'm Holly, I'm 20, I'm from Wakefield and I'm a student.

I'm Stephen, I'm 54, I'm from Leicester and I'm a cathedral canon precentor.

OK, just to remind you, in each round, there's £1,000 to be won.

The fastest way is to create a chain of nine correct answers.

Break the chain and you lose all the money in that chain.

Say "bank" before the question is asked and the money is safe.

Round One, three minutes on the clock, we start with the person whose name is first alphabetically, that's you, Antony.

Let's play the Weakest Link.

The first question is for £20.

Start the clock.

Antony, the opening words to a traditional children's song are, "Row, row, row your…" what?

Boat.

Vonny, in maths, what is half of 20?

10.

Simon, in TV, which term for a medical professional goes before the word "Who" to give the title of a science fiction series first shown in 1963?

Doctor.

Valerie, in finance, which of these is a common phrase for ready money - hard cash or stiff dosh?

Hard cash.

Nigel, in snooker the 15 balls positioned into a triangle at the start of a frame are which primary colour?

Red.

Claire, when grading the quality of something, the abbreviation "VG" usually stands for what?

Good.

Peter, in the temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere, which season normally experiences the coldest temperatures?

Winter.

Holly, in domestic animals, what K is the term for a small, outdoor shelter for a dog?

Kennel.

Stephen, in cockney rhyming slang, which hot beverage is referred to as Rosie Lee?

Tea.

Antony…

Bank.

END-OF-ROUND JINGLE OK, you've reached and banked your £1,000 target.

That money will go through to the next round, but one of you will not.

Whose disk may go floppy?

Whose study partner is, perhaps, Jordan?

One of you is about to leave with nothing.

It's time to vote off the weakest link.

In an impressive first round, Antony is the strongest link.

The weakest link statistically is Vonny, but who will the players vote off at this early stage of the game?

Voting over.

It's time to reveal who you think is the weakest link.

Claire.

Nigel.

Claire.

Claire.

Holly.

Vonny.

Nigel.

Claire.

Antony.

Antony, where are you from?

Solihull.

What do you do?

I'm in the process of opening a teashop.

Is that the present tense hopeful?

No, I've got quite far.

I'm signing the lease this week, hopefully.

Solihull and teashops - do they go together?

I used to live in Taiwan, Republic of China.

I'm hoping to bring Chinese tea to the people of the Midlands.

What sort of tea do they drink at the moment?

I'm guessing mainly tea bags.

Describe your teashop.

It's contemporary, stylish, it's in the middle of a mall - or it's going to be.

Big?

Seats about 40 people.

Have you got a wife to help you?

No, I have a business partner.

Oh.

Who's that?

My good friend, Steven.

Steven?

He's out in Taiwan.

Do you live with Steven?

I don't.

Do you like musicals?

Not particularly.

Don't you?

Do you have lots of girlfriends?

I wouldn't like to say.

Why not?

Cos I'm on air.

Do you make your own tea at home?

I do.

You live on your own then, do you?

I'm back living with my parents at the moment.

Oh, so this is Antony - how old?

29.

Antony, 29, who lives with Mummy and Daddy and doesn't have a girlfriend?

That's right.

OK.

Why do you want to get rid of Claire?

Is it her dazzling smile?

HE SIGHS I have no reason for picking Claire, other than she was next alphabetically.

I told myself if I had to make an arbitrary decision, I would do it next alphabetically.

Where are you from, Simon?

Sunderland, Anne.

You don't sound as if you're from Sunderland.

Not originally.

I spent the first 20 years of my life in Birmingham.

I'm sorry about that.

What do you do in Sunderland?

I'm a cable jointer, Anne.

What does that involve?

Er, I join electric cables together, to fix them when they're broken.

Oh, I see.

You lay cables.

How many cables do you lay a day?

No, I don't lay them, Anne.

You never lay a cable?

I used to.

I've progressed now, to joining them together.

How long is it since you laid a cable?

It must be 15 years, Anne.

Oh, dear!

Why Claire?

No reason at all, Anne.

I just had to pick somebody and unfortunately, I picked Claire.

What do you do, Holly?

I'm a student.

Are you?

Yep.

Where did you learn to have that squeaky voice?

Wakefield.

Did you?

Yep, born and bred.

That's what they teach us there.

What university are you at?

Loughborough.

Oh!

That's that thick university for sports types.

That's about right, yeah.

So, are you doing sport?

No, I'm doing Publishing with English.

So, you're going to be a publisher.

No.

No, of course not(!

) I don't know what I want to do.

I'd like to present the Weakest Link when you retire.

But your voice is too squeaky.

I know.

I'm sorry.

You have to stop smiling.

All right.

You can't possibly say things like, "I'm sorry".

OK.

I'll be mean.

You can teach me how to be mean.

I'm sorry?

Will you teach me how to be mean?

You know how you were born with a squeaky voice?

I was born mean.

Fair enough.

Stop smiling if you're going to be the presenter of the Weakest Link.

Now, say, "You are the weakest link, goodbye".

You are the weakest link.

Goodbye.

That didn't scare me, Holly.

Have another go.

You are the weakest link, goodbye.

That's a bit better, but I think you'd have to practise.

OK.

Can you do it in a lower voice?

No!

Just try lowering your voice.

DEEPER VOICE: You are the weakest link, goodbye.

Much better!

Why Claire?

No reason, I just thought of someone.

No-one got a question wrong.

Claire, you are the weakest link, goodbye.

Realistically, I think I would've made it into the final two and I am upset that I haven't made it today.

I was really annoyed at Antony's reason for voting me off, which was that I was next alphabetically.

I'm unfortunate my name begins with the letter C.

Round Two, in the kitty, £1,000.

We're taking ten seconds off the time.

We start with the strongest link - that's Antony.

Let's play the Weakest Link.

Start the clock.

Antony, in famous families, what relation is Kylie Minogue to Dannii Minogue?

Sister.

Vonny, in language, which three-letter word could mean a measure of rum and a small child?

Tot.

Simon, shops selling fragile items, such as china and glass often display notices saying that what B must be paid for?

Breakages.

Valerie, fishnet tights are designed to be worn on which pair of limbs?

Legs.

Nigel, in computing, a program used mainly for accounting, in which figures are arranged in a grid and can be calculated is called a spread what?

Sheet.

Peter, in entertainment, a concert was held in Hyde Park in June 2008 to mark the 90th birthday of which former South African leader?

Nelson Mandela.

Holly, in British wildlife, which of these is the name of a game bird - a grumble or a grouse?

Grouse.

Stephen, in the Bible, in the Gospel of Matthew, the address given by Jesus to his followers on a hill above Galilee is known as the what on the Mount?

The sermon.

Antony…

Bank.

In an advertisement offering an item for sale, the abbreviation ONO after the price is short for which three-word phrase?

Or nearest offer.

Vonny, the US celebrity born in 1986 who began modelling aged three, made her acting debut at ten and released her first album at 18 is Lindsay who?

Lohan.

Simon, in weather, what T is the term for the sound caused by the rapid expansion of gases along the channel of a lightning discharge?

Strike.

Thunder.

Valerie, a lightweight version of a device for pressing clothes that is designed for easy packing for use on holiday is a travel what?

Iron.

Nigel, in music, which word is both the name of a family of orchestral instruments and a term for the wires that produce their notes?

Strings.

Peter, in a 2008 action film starring Will Smith, the down-and-out superhero of the title has what surname, Hancock or Steptoe?

Hancock.

Holly, in jewellery, which word is the name of a type of earring and can also mean a male horse kept for breeding purposes?

Pass.

Stud.

Steven, in astronomy, a solar eclipse occurs when which celestial body is directly between the sun and the Earth?

The moon.

Antony, what A follows "step" in the name of an exercise routine whereby participants repeatedly tread up, on and down from a low platform?

Aerobics.

Vonny, in UK finance, the tax year begins on the sixth day of which month?

April.

Bank.

In children's literature, the character Dobby the house elf features in a series of novels by which author?

No idea.

END-OF-ROUND JINGLE Time's up.

The correct answer is JK Rowling.

You had a chain of ten correct answers.

So, although you won £900, it could have been 1,000.

Who thinks Peking duck is an Olympic sport?

Who thinks American Express is a fast train?

It's time to vote off the weakest link.

Simon is the weakest link as he gave the most wrong answers.

Statistically, the strongest link is Antony.

But will the voting reflect reality?

Voting over.

It's time to reveal who you think is the weakest link.

Simon.

Simon.

Holly.

Simon.

Holly.

Simon.

Simon.

Simon.

What do you do, Stephen?

I'm the canon precentor at Leicester Cathedral, Anne.

Is that like being the presenter of the Weakest Link?

Not at all.

There's lots of presenters around the country, but there's only 60-odd precentors of cathedrals.

There's only one of me.

I know!

What's this cathedral called?

Leicester Cathedral.

Are you boss of this cathedral?

No, I'm not boss.

The boss is a lady who is the most senior…

You've got a girl in charge of you?

! Indeed we have.

What's her name?

Vivian Faull.

Do you call her Viv?

Yes, I do.

What does your job involve?

I organise…

I'm head of department of all the worship and music.

Does that mean you can sing in your job?

I can.

Really?

How well can you sing?

I'm an opera singer by past profession.

A lot of people come on this show and say they're opera singers.

I'm sure.

Quite a lot of them aren't.

Oh, right.

So, we need to think of something for you to sing.

I can sing some opera for you, a duet.

Are you going to sing both parts?

No, I thought I'd just lead you in.

No.

No, no.

You do the singing and I'll do the criticising.

That's how it works on here.

That's fine.

Can we have an opera with a tune?

Er, yes.

OK, what is it?

Don Giovanni.

OK.

Do you want it now?

When were you thinking of?

That's fine.

OK.

Crack on.

La ci darem la mano La mi dirai di si

Vedi, non e lontano Partiam ben mio, da qui.

That's very nice.

What did that say?

Well, it's about taking a young lady up to a shack on the hill.

Oh, no, that might be too dirty.

Why Simon?

Well, he got two questions wrong, Anne, I'm afraid.

What do you do, Vonny?

I'm a part-time, non-emergency ambulance driver.

So a not very important ambulance driver?

I'm quite important to the people that I carry around.

Where do you do your job?

In Oxfordshire.

Do you have people being sick in the back of your ambulance?

Um…

It has happened in the past and unfortunately, I had to give them my lunchbox, which was on the seat by my side.

What was in your lunchbox?

Fortunately, I'd already eaten my lunch.

Oh, so you weren't giving them something to eat?

No, but after he'd…

Here's a tip.

What if you…

No, no, Vonny, this will be helpful to you.

What if you took two lunchboxes, one with your lunch in…

…And one for people to be sick in?

Well, yes.

Why Simon?

I'm afraid Simon did get two questions wrong.

He did.

But he used to come from Birmingham.

Simon, you are the weakest link, goodbye!

I definitely expected to get further than Round Two, but obviously you've got to get the questions right to get further than Round Two and I didn't.

Round Three, in the kitty, £1,900.

Another ten seconds off the time, we'll start with the strongest link from the last round - Antony.

Let's play the Weakest Link.

Start the clock.

Antony, in pop music, the US singer who had a 2008 UK hit single entitled All Summer Long uses the stage name Kid what?

Rock.

Vonny, in art, in the well-known painting Bar Aux Folies-Bergere by Manet, the principle subject is a what - dartboard or barmaid?

Barmaid.

Valerie, in maths, what's 84 divided by 2?

42.

Nigel, in navigation, if an outward journey is in a south-easterly direction, the return journey along the same road will be in which direction?

Northwest.

Peter, in the legal profession, what P is the usual term for someone who works in a law firm and often has a share in its ownership?

Partner.

Holly…

Bank.

In European politics, the acronym Benelux combines the countries Luxembourg, the Netherlands and which other?

Belgium.

Stephen, which American term for an underground train system is primarily used in the UK to mean a pedestrian underpass?

Subway.

Antony, a spelunker is a person whose hobby is the exploration and study of what, caves or graves?

Caves.

Vonny, in 2008, which club where Stanley Matthews used to play returned to the top division of English football for the first time in 23 years?

Manchester City?

Stoke City.

Valerie, what L is the usual term for the production of milk by a female mammal for the feeding of her young?

Lactose.

No, lactation.

Nigel, what is the title of the 1978 musical by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd-Webber, that is narrated by a student called Che?

Evita.

Peter, a plant that bears red, pink or white locket-shaped flowers, often on arching stems, has the common name bleeding what?

Heart.

Holly, in technology, a device such as a radio aerial, consisting of parts made to slide within one another is what - telegenic or telescopic?

Telescopic.

Bank!

The abbreviation "conchie", first used in World War I, is short for which two-word phrase for a person who is morally opposed to joining the forces?

Conscientious objector.

In religion, which English word meaning "origin" is also the name of the first book of the Bible?

Genesis.

In the performing arts, the traditional style of dancing called flamenco originated in which European country?

Spain.

What W follows "great spotted" and "lesser spotted" to make the names of two birds that use their beaks to drill into the trunks of trees?

Warbler.

No, woodpecker.

The title of…

END-OF-ROUND JINGLE Time's up.

You won £400.

Who thinks an iPod is something you do with peas?

Whose favourite newspaper is the Daily Fail?

It's time to vote off the weakest link.

For the third round in a row, Antony is the strongest link.

Valerie is statistically the weakest link, but can she survive the vote?

Voting over.

It's time to reveal who you think is the weakest link.

Valerie.

Valerie.

Vonny.

Valerie.

Valerie.

Valerie.

Valerie.

What do you do, Nigel?

I'm a pilot, Anne, in the Air Force.

What rank are you?

Flight Lieutenant, Anne.

And what do you fly?

Chinook helicopters, Anne.

Oh, you fly helicopters(?

) Yes, Anne.

Oh.

Big helicopters?

Very big, Anne, yeah.

Hmm.

Put your board down.

So, have they got any wings, these helicopters?

No, Anne.

It's a helicopter.

Oh!

So how does it go?

It's two rotors on top, Anne.

OK.

Show me.

Pretend you're the helicopter.

You want me to be a helicopter?

Yeah.

OK.

Like this…

It's like…

Like that.

Rotor at the front and back.

Move over cos…

You want me to get out here.

So it's got two rotors?

Yes, Anne.

OK.

Well, put the rotors up, then.

Like that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, OK.

And what noise…

? Is it going round and round, the rotors?

They do, but I'd have to do stupid…

I won't do that.

Oh…

Would you like me to?

Yeah, yeah.

The more stupid, the better?

OK.

OK.

Crack on.

Crack on.

You want me to be a helicopter?

Yeah.

And the noise, remember.

Yeah, yeah.

Wocka, wocka, wocka.

There you are.

MAN LAUGHS I've never heard a Chinook go wocka, wocka, wocka.

Where's your house, Anne?

We'll come and fly over it.

Do it a bit more effectively.

Wocka, wocka, wocka.

Go on.

Wocka, wocka, wocka?

Yeah.

Sounds like Nookie Bear.

No, Fozzie Bear.

Get back to your podium.

What are you going to do after the RAF?

Fly something different.

Are you qualified to fly a jumbo jet?

No, Anne.

I'm studying for my commercial licences, Anne.

And then you'll be a BA pilot?

If BA will take me.

But after that, maybe they won't.

Are you married?

I am, Anne, yes.

That's a bit of a waste, if you're going to become a BA pilot.

There's all that cabin crew to choose from.

Why Valerie?

She got a couple wrong and lost a chain or two.

Peter, what do you do?

I'm a contact centre team manager, Anne.

What does that mean?

I run a team in a contact centre, a call centre as they're sometimes known.

They're always known as call centres.

They're known as contact centres, as well.

Don't argue!

OK.

So, you're in charge, are you?

I am.

Of one team, yes.

One team in a big call centre?

Yes.

Where?

In Dunoon, in Argyll.

What are they discussing on their calls?

We take inbound calls for a mobile network.

Mobile phone network.

So, all your people and you all know about everything to do with mobile phones?

Absolutely.

And if I get a bit nasty with you, or one of your team, what happens next?

That's when you'd get put through to me, probably.

Really?

Yeah.

How scary are you?

Not as scary as you, Anne, but I can be.

Is there any point where you cut me off?

If you started being abusive and swearing and using abusive language, yes, we would warn you.

How would you warn me?

Um…

"Can you please stop using the offensive language?

We may terminate the call if you continue to do so."

How irritating is that?

Why…

? Oh!

Oh, look!

Is that Dunoon English?

It is, yes.

So, in Dunoon, you put a dot on the top of your Ls, do you?

It was just to decorate the plate.

I hope everyone at your call centre is looking at that, and you're their boss.

Why Valerie?

Because she got a couple of questions wrong.

Valerie, you are the weakest link.

Goodbye!

The question about the bird, I'd actually stopped listening by that stage and all I heard was the W, and I'd gone on another planet.

I wasn't there at all, really, but…

Hey, ho.

Round Four.

In the bank - £2,300.

Another ten seconds off the time.

We'll start with the strongest link from the last round - Antony.

Let's play the Weakest Link.

Start the clock.

In the UK, what's the present-day name of the English city that was called Mancunium by the Romans?

Manchester.

In pop music, before going solo, the singer Justin Timberlake was a member of a boy band with what name, 'N Sync or Kitchen Sink? 'N Sync.

In theatre, the plays Relatively Speaking and Absurd Person Singular were both written by the British dramatist Sir Alan who?

Bennett.

Ayckbourn.

In the bathroom, the powdered form of hydrated magnesium silicate is more commonly known by what name?

Talcum powder.

In India, before independence, what "V" was the official title of the British Governor-General?

Don't know.

Viceroy.

In an organisation, when a scandal is uncovered and pledges are made to punish those responsible, it is said that what will roll?

Heads.

In modern art, Martin Creed, Keith Tyson and Jeremy Deller are all 21st-century winners of which annual prize?

The Turner Prize.

In 1990s TV comedy, the spoof crime series starring Dawn French in a different role in every episode was called Murder Most what?

Horrid.

Bank!

In human behaviour, a person described as lachrymose does a lot of what, crying or shopping?

Crying.

In an 1986 film, Paul Hogan played Michael J Dundee, who was better known by what reptilian name?

Crocodile.

Bank!

In food, a turkey that's been prepared so as to remain moist while being cooked is often labelled self what?

Don't know.

Basting.

In politics, what "C" is the term for a government formed by the alliance of more than one political party?

Coalition.

In pop music, the song recorded by many artists that's been a UK hit single for Kenny Lynch and Robson & Jerome is Up On The what?

Pass.

Roof.

In geographical terms, the Levant refers to the countries bordering the eastern shore of which body of water?

Mediterranean.

In a set of stamps issued in 2008 to mark the centenary of British powered flight, the first-class stamp featured which RAF display team?

The Red Arrows.

Bank!

The 1930s England cricket captain Douglas Jardine described who as…

? END-OF-ROUND JINGLE Time's up.

You won £200.

Who thinks IQ is something you do at bus stops?

Who's the Albert Einstein and who's the Albert Steptoe?

Time to vote off the weakest link.

With no correct answers, the weakest link is Holly.

Vonny is statistically the strongest link, but will the other players realise that?

Voting over.

It's time to reveal who you think is the weakest link.

Holly.

Holly.

Holly.

Nigel.

Nigel.

Holly.

Antony, why Holly?

She got a couple of questions wrong.

Vonny, why Holly?

Unfortunately, I think she was the weakest in that round.

She didn't answer a single question correctly.

Holly, you are the weakest link.

Goodbye!

Anne says my voice is squeaky but hers is quite manly, so I'd rather have my squeaky, feminine voice than her manly, mean voice!

Round Five.

In the bank - £2,500.

Another ten seconds off the time.

We'll start with the strongest link from the last round - Vonny.

Let's play the Weakest Link.

Start the clock.

According to the old joke, what do you