Countdown cat ?!

[szodiac]

Can anybody shed any light as to what the announcer/s is talking about when he/she/they refers to the "Countdown Cat" before the start of most of the programme these days?

thanks

Mauro

[Charlie Hastings]

Got me puzzled too (though today is the first I'd heard it).

Might it have something to do with the 8 out of 10 Cats/Countdown mash up done recently?

Somebody else should have a better idea though....

[Jojo Apollo]

There's a cat hidden away on every show, which you can see if you look hard enough. Think of "Where's Wally?" Harry Hill's: "Where has the knitted character been this week?" etc.

The Countdown Cat was very tricky to see on today's show.

[Charlie Hastings]

I guess I'm not looking hard enough, coz I still haven't seen it. All those letters and numbers are a bit distracting!

Where's Wally was always a bit of fun as a kid, and Harry Hill always revealed where the knitted character (RIP) had been, but I
can't watch an episode of Countdown more than once, esp just for this!

Is there enough interest out there for someone to post its whereabouts in the daily spoiler thread? Or here? I wanna see!!

[szodiac]

Seeing is believing. Until I see it and know what it looks like... then I'll believe. 24th Jan prog told us to look in the bottom left - bin looking all prog and nothing

[Ryan Taylor]

I guess I'm not looking hard enough, coz I still haven't seen it.

I don't want to spoil it for you because it is good when you eventually see it. But listen out very carefully to the clue at the start of the show.

Seeing is believing. Until I see it and know what it looks like... then I'll believe. 24th Jan prog told us to look in the bottom left - bin looking all prog and nothing

Are you watching in HD? If not, try switching to HD and then maybe you will have more luck.

[szodiac]

No Ryan, I just can't see any cat whatsoever. Today (26th Jan): "Don't forget to put the cat out". Yesterday (25th Jan): "have a catnap with Countdown". I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking for. A stuffed animal... or something on the blue screen in the background? Spoliers please when we meet at CoLin! BTW: I am about as useless at finding Wally as spotting conundrums !!

Mauro

[Ryan Taylor]

No Ryan, I just can't see any cat whatsoever. Today (26th Jan): "Don't forget to put the cat out". Yesterday (25th Jan): "have a catnap with Countdown". I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking for. A stuffed animal... or something on the blue screen in the background? Spoliers please when we meet at CoLin! BTW: I am about as useless at finding Wally as spotting conundrums !!

Mauro

I shall reveal all at COLIN. And then I'll tell you about the cat.

[Jon Corby]

I shall reveal all at COLIN. And then I'll tell you about the cat.

Would I be saying too much if I said it's not always literally "a cat"? - I can't figure out if that gives it away or makes it more confusing though for somebody not in the know!

[Kirk Bevins]

I shall reveal all at COLIN. And then I'll tell you about the cat.

Would I be saying too much if I said it's not always literally "a cat"? - I can't figure out if that gives it away or makes it more confusing though for somebody not in the know!

I'm not in the know and it makes it more confusing. The "cat" could be a generic term for "look out for the little special easter egg in each countdown episode" but why use cat? I can't wait to speak to Ryan tomorrow about it

[Graeme Cole]

I shall reveal all at COLIN. And then I'll tell you about the cat.

Would I be saying too much if I said it's not always literally "a cat"? - I can't figure out if that gives it away or makes it more confusing though for somebody not in the know!

I'm not in the know and it makes it more confusing. The "cat" could be a generic term for "look out for the little special easter egg in each countdown episode" but why use cat? I can't wait to speak to Ryan tomorrow about it

I've never seen a cat on the programme. My theories:

1. If Kirk's right, and "cat" is just the term they use for any out-of-place object, there was a Countdown mug in front of Nick on Tuesday which I don't think is usually there. It was in the bottom-left of the screen, which matches the clue the announcer gave. Bit tenuous, perhaps.

2. The diagonal markings on the clock are reminiscent of a cat's whiskers, so maybe it's a reference to the clock?

3. There's what looks like a cat's face on the wall to the left of the letters board. Take a bit of imagination to see it, though.

4. Maybe the "Countdown Cat" is the announcer's nickname for Nick, Susie or Rachel.

5. Or possibly there's no Countdown Cat at all, it's just a silly joke.

These aren't intended as spoilers - I'm not "in the know", so the above could all be wrong.

[Adam Gillard]

I've never seen a cat on the programme
[...]
possibly there's no Countdown Cat at all, it's just a silly joke

Occam-Schrödinger's Razor-Cat suggests this may well be the case.

[Gavin Chipper]

I shall reveal all at COLIN. And then I'll tell you about the cat.

Would I be saying too much if I said it's not always literally "a cat"? - I can't figure out if that gives it away or makes it more confusing though for somebody not in the know!

I'm not in the know and it makes it more confusing. The "cat" could be a generic term for "look out for the little special easter egg in each countdown episode" but why use cat? I can't wait to speak to Ryan tomorrow about it

I don't know if this got resolved at COLIN (obviously I was there, but wasn't involved in any conversations about this), but in a sense you are right about this. For example, on Jack Worsley's eighth game, there was an octpus rather than a cat, because octochamp + pussy cat = octpus. There have been a couple of other nice little touches like that.

[John Bosley]

Have not yet seen a cat on Countdown but have heard the announcer (before it starts) use various cat phrases.

[Kirk Bevins]

Seriously, can someone spill the beans please?

[Rhys Benjamin]

Seriously, can someone spill the beans please?

<goes to kitchen>

[Jon Corby]

Seriously, can someone spill the beans please?

<goes to kitchen>

I actually laughed at that.

[John Bosley]

Seriously, can someone spill the beans please?

Seriously I know nothing, but I have heard several cat references from the announcer before the Wellman ad comes on and it does not come on 'Catch Up' so you need to record the prog if you don't watch it live.

couple of examples:
-yesterday the announcer said something about a cat on the vowels in Countdown....

-last week it was something like 8 out of 10 cats prefer Countdown.

[John Bosley]

and today:
...the Countdown cat's a bit poorly - lucky there's a doctor in the house.

I am going to have to stop this.

[Ryan Taylor]

Remember Channel 4 did that 3D week last year? Well I just heard from internal sources that they're soon to be doing it again and Countdown is set to be one of the shows in 3D this time. Can't wait to see the Countdown Cat in all it's glory.

[Kirk Bevins]

Can't wait to see the Countdown Cat in all it's glory.

its.

[Matt Morrison]

internal sources

sauces

[Ryan Taylor]

Can't wait to see the Countdown Cat in all it's glory.

its.

Haha! After we'd just ranted about it together too.

[Kirk Bevins]

Haha! After we'd just ranted about it together too.

Did we? I probably switched off.

[Michael Wallace]

Haha! After we'd just ranted about it together too.

Did we? I probably switched off.

Yeah, its a pretty boring thing to care about.

[Rhys Benjamin]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS:

"Get your brain into gear in an hour for Deal ( ) but that's all after a CAT..aclysmic Countdown."

Later on, when CAT came up on the letters board there was one hell of a lot of sniggering...

[Charlie Hastings]

CAT... started another letters round today, though I didn't hear any sniggering.

Bottom left, bottom right etc was the clue, but I still haven't seen the pesky thing!