The Argus - News, Sport, Brighton and Hove Albion and Entertainment for Brighton, Hove and Sussex

You are the weakest waistcoat, goodbye!

From the archive, first published Thursday 30th May 2002.

Church administrator Nigel Sarjudeen wore his lucky waistcoat and became £3,090 richer as winner of The Weakest Link.

His job at Bishop Hannington Church, Hove, and his distinctive dark green and burgundy flowery waistcoat were the target of presenter Anne Robinson's acid tongue.

When one of the fellow contestants commented they could obviously trust Nigel to play fairly as he worked for the Church, Anne replied: "I would not trust someone working for the Church, especially in a waistcoat like that."

Nigel, 34, said he deliberately wore the waistcoat to get noticed. He said: "It brought me luck."

Nigel insisted he played fairly to win Tuesday night's show on BBC2.

He said: "I did not vote tactically to get my stronger fellow contestants off as some people have done in previous shows. I just made a mental note and voted off fellow contestants who were genuinely the weakest link after failing to answer questions.

"I won because it was not obvious that I was the strongest link throughout the show."

Nigel, who lives in Rowan Avenue, Hove, said he was lucky with many of the questions, including one which was a gift to him. "What D is the head of staff in a cathedral?" Answer, a dean.

He takes an interest in sport and was able to answer all the sporting questions but failed to answer a question about singer Barry Manilow.

He joked: "At least that leaves my street credibility intact."

Nigel was urged to go for the Sussex auditions of the show by friends who thought his wide range of general knowledge would make him an ideal contestant.

He was back at work yesterday administrating the clerical, youth and social work at Bishop Hannington and being congratulated on his TV performance.

Nigel came to Sussex to do a chemistry degree at Sussex University, got involved in church work and has been in Brighton and Hove ever since.

He hopes to spend some of his winnings on camping equipment so he can take his wife Gillian and three young children on lots of holidays.

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