BRITISH Airways pilot Michael Ramsbottom is used to being under pressure.

But flying long haul was nothing compared to facing Anne Robinson on The Weakest Link.

Michael (28), whose parents live in New Road, Radcliffe, appeared on the nerve-wracking BBC quiz last Wednesday (June 5).

"I applied because I thought it would be a laugh and I thought I could do better than the contestants I'd seen," said Michael, who played for Radcliffe Cricket Club for 15 years before moving to London.

Dominatrix Robinson made him do a public announcement in the style of a pilot on the show and was merciless when he got an airline-related maths question wrong.

"She was a bit scary and the studio is a lot smaller than it looks on TV, so it feels like she's right on top of you," said Michael, a former pupil of Chapelfield County Primary School and Bury Grammar School.

"I got down to the last three contestants and was the strongest link in two of the rounds, but two Scottish women conspired against me and I was voted off.

"It was still an enjoyable experience though, and one I'll never forget."