c4countdown

It's time for the game you've all been waiting for

This series has definitely had its fair share of up's and down's, as well as record-breaking performances. 3 of the top 5 all-time octochamp scores have been achieved, and amazingly, only one of those three players has made the final, with the other two losing to the same player

So, in case you haven't been watching the last 6 episodes (and why you haven't is beyond me), the finalists are the #1 and #7 seeds, Dylan "The Malpas Mutilator" Taylor and Callum "The Tingley Tearaway" Todd.

There are loads of amazing records that could be broken today:

If Dylan wins with a score of over 105 points, he'll be the highest scoring Xicount of all time, overtaking the legendary Julian Fell in top spot.

But, if Callum wins, he'll be the first non-octochamp (if you discount the Viscount, Ben Wilson in Series 46) in the 15-round era to win a series, and would also be the first #7 seed since Verity Joubert in Series 30 back in 1995, and he'd also be only the 4th person to defeat the #3, #2 and #1 seeds in the same finals, and the first since Andy Bodle in Series 26 in 1993. (So, some interesting records there for Callum should he win (NO PRESSURE!! ))

Now, time for those all important stats:

Firstly, No.1 Seed Dylan "The Malpas Mutilator" Taylor - 10 Wins, 1,203 Points. (Average: 120.30)
Highest Score: 129 vs. Leone Mitchell (6th Game)
Lowest Score: 108 vs. Gemma Church (Quarter-Final)
9's Achieved: 5/7
Total Points/Max/%: 1203/1301 (92%)
Letters Points/Max/%: 765/807 (95%)
Numbers Points/Max/%: 388/394 (98%)
Conundrum Points/Max/%: 50/100 (50%)

Secondly, No.7 Seed Callum "The Tingley Tearaway" Todd - 9 Wins, 962 Points. (Average: 96.20)
Highest Score: 114 vs. Chris Allum (7th Game)
Lowest Score: 70 vs. Ritch Greenwood (1st Game)
9's Achieved: 3/7
Total Points/Max/%: 962/1283 (75%)
Letters Points/Max/%: 575/802 (72%)
Numbers Points/Max/%: 317/381 (83%)
Conundrum Points/Max/%: 70/100 (70%)

Anthony Endsor will be around with the final recap of 2013 later.

Poor quality game, not worth watching.

Callum Todd wrote:Poor quality game, not worth watching.

ZOMG SPOILERSZ!

Bluff ? Double bluff ??

Bluff^8

Call my bluff.

bluffy the vampire slayah

Must be one of the easiest Teasers ever......

AMARETTO as alt in R1

Alternative first numbers (((9+5)x7)+6) x 4 x 2

Might turn out to be a wise ploy by Callum to go 1L. Not sure it's such a good idea to sit back in your chair when you've got a 9 though. Better to pretend to your opponent that you're still looking for words, like Dylan did. Otherwise your opponent knows you've got a 9 and only needs bother looking for 9s in the selection.

EDIT: I don't know the result, so have no idea if I'll be proved correct or not, RE: 1L

Alt Numbers: (9-5)*(8+2)*4

James Laverty wrote:Must be one of the easiest Teasers ever......

I hope the second teaser made up for your disappointment at the first!

Tony Atkins wrote:

James Laverty wrote:Must be one of the easiest Teasers ever......

I hope the second teaser made up for your disappointment at the first!

certainly did, took a bit longer on that one

I did (9+5+2)x(6+7)x4 for first numbers

Oh. My. God.

In my history of watching Countdown, that's probably been the best final I've ever seen. Absolutely fantastic Callum, all the hard work you put in has finally paid off. And Dylan, no shame at all in losing in a final like this, we all know and respect your ability, just happened to get nicked on the conundrum, it happens. After all this, we need a break going into series 70.

Wow what a game - either the best or second best this year? (The other being the champs final).
VWD to both - I never seem to pick the winner of these things.

Brilliant final worthy of a fantastic series. Well done to both Callum and Dylan and the other finalists.

Congrats to Callum and commiserations to Dylan.
Great final, one of the best.
Thanks to all who took part - Merry Xmas. Time to go home.

Great game and well done to both players - a terrific performance all round. Incredible performance in the finals to beat the calibre of players that you did, Callum. A very worthy champion indeed.

WOW!!! Superb game, best and most exciting game of the series, a very fitting end to the series. Very well done lads. Callum you should be renamed Iceman, you seemed to have no nerves there and excellent match play strategy on the numbers, many congrats on the win. Congrats to you too Dylan on your superb run and record octochamp score.

Well done to the Countdown team also on yet another excellent series.

If Carlsberg made countdown finals they couldn't have come up with one like this!

Wowsers! Congrats to both players for a fantastic show.

Simply stunning! That's one of the best games of Countdown I've ever seen, which is saying something. Brilliant play from both and it could have gone either way. I think this game deserves a Robbo style smiley overload.

Many congrats, Callum! To go behind in round 1 against the record holder and then max the rest of the game was a phenomenal effort. SOUVENIR was a great immediate response to TERATOMA (which was also brilliant from Dylan) and then it was a masterclass by both players. You rounded it off in style with a brilliant conundrum spot to go down in Countdown history. Your improvement rate has been staggering and I can't remember anyone else even coming close to it. For most of the series, people were expecting the series to be won by Dylan, Jen, Glen or possibly Zarte and I was too. I had you down as a dark horse for the finals based on your rapid improvement. You may not have had the high scores that Jen, Glen and Dylan had in their heats but having beaten the top three seeds, all of them superb players, you performed when it really mattered so you can't say the title of series champion hasn't been fully merited.

Credit to Dylan too as he was very gracious in defeat, even if he doesn't tend to show much emotion. He has also been brilliant throughout his run and will also go down as one of the show's greatest ever players.

Thanks as ever to the Countdown team for some wonderful entertainment. This series has been a joy to watch with high-quality players in abundance, with a few of them such as Zarte, Abdi and Mark Hartnett not even making the finals.

EDIT: I like Bradley's idea below. Let's start the new year with a series called the "31st Birthday Championship".

Undoubtedly the best game of Countdown I have ever seen in my life. It was a privilege to watch the game live and be part of a magnificent series! Deserved congratulations to Callum! I think this final will be immensely difficult to top!

Countdown Team wrote:Congrats to Callum and commiserations to Dylan.
Great final, one of the best.
Thanks to all who took part - Merry Xmas. Time to go home.

Given the high quality of contestants in recent series, a Championship of Champions in the near future has to be on the cards, surely?!

Thank you everyone. Series 69 has to be one of the best ever; the quantity of quality players throughout has been astonishing. Probably the best two octoruns ever from our top two seeds, plus by far and away the best pentarun ever from our #9 seed. I felt very out of place going to the finals to play alongside some truly top-class players. I viewed my trip to the studios last month mostly as an invitation to sit back and watch the finals, so I was more surprised than anyone that I wasn't eliminated. Thank you to everyone at the Countdown Studios - and offices - who has been part of my journey from nervously sending in an application form to lifting the Richard Whiteley Memorial trophy. Thank you to my fellow contestants, especially Adam Dexter, who mentioned in conversation a little website by the name of apterous. Without him I wouldn't have achieved 10% of what I have now.

The final has to be one of the greatest games in Countdown history, perhaps the greatest outside of the 30th Birthday Championship. I hope you all enjoyed watching it as much as I did playing it. Dylan was a fantastic opponent and I have always got along well with him before, during, and after our game. Thank you for all of that Dylan, and thank you also to Zarte and Jen, for their radically different but equally inspiring pep talks before the final. Finally, one more thank you must go to Jen for the brownies. They were delicious.

Well done to both of you on an amazing game! You were both superb, And congratulations Callum, your progress at the game over the series has been astonishing!

Callum Todd wrote:Finally, one more thank you must go to Jen for the brownies. They were delicious.

Ah yes, how did Jonathan describe them? "They're lovely, but they're so dense I think light is bending around them..."

Fackin ell

Hard to find the right adjectives for such an exciting Grand Final, has to be one of the best I can remember, and won by a champion who has made a swift and impressive rise to great heights.
Macte nova virtute, puer, sic itur ad astra (continue in the path of new-found excellence, Callum, and you will go far!).
Fantastic records set by Dylan who maintained an amazing standard right to the closing seconds. Thank you both for giving us such a brilliant conclusion to an extraordinary series.

Absolutely fantastic game to watch between 2 contestants whose personalities, attitudes to the game and Apto history are very different, but who would both have been worthy winners of an unbelievable series. Obviously I was a bit biased in wanting Callum to win, partly because I wanted to say I'd lost to the eventual winner (seeing as I only lost to him by 3 points, that makes me official series runner up, right?) and partly because of mine and Dylan's, um, acrimonious history But aside from either of those two facts, he's just a lovely guy generally (which made losing the quarter final a hell of a lot easier to get over) and thoroughly deserved to win.

Giles, Eddie, Alex Fish and I watched it in the Green Room and all predicted that Dylan would win, and were pretty resigned that we'd been proven right after the first round. Some total genius* predicted when the second selection came out that Callum would get it and Dylan wouldn't (*me), and was proven right, and from then on... wow. Max after max after max. It was so tense in there that when the conundrum got solved, three of us jumped up and shrieked (so loudly that the make-up ladies in the studio could hear us ), so I can't imagine how tense it must have been on set - serious kudos to both parties for keeping their cool under the most pressured of circumstances and playing outstandingly. Well done also to Dylan for accepting defeat graciously.

Can't wait to rewatch it!

Callum Todd wrote:thank you also to Zarte and Jen, for their radically different but equally inspiring pep talks before the final. Finally, one more thank you must go to Jen for the brownies. They were delicious.

A-lol'd at the bit about pep talks. I'm glad I inspired you

Also, if there is a CoC and I have to play you, I'm totally spiking your brownie next time. (Kidding. Well done again )

Callum Todd wrote:Thank you for all of that Dylan, and thank you also to Zarte and Jen, for their radically different but equally inspiring pep talks before the final.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm visualizing this as Zarte's and Jen's pep-talk:
http://youtu.be/i0GW0Vnr9Yc

It's all been said but I have to add my twopennorth: BEST EVER FINAL! Well done lads. No shame in being runner up in a match like that and well done Dylan for being so gracious in defeat. Superb stuff.

Aye, that were alreet that.

Well played everyone, particularly Callum. Presumably the strongest regular series there has ever been.

John Garcia wrote:

Callum Todd wrote:Thank you for all of that Dylan, and thank you also to Zarte and Jen, for their radically different but equally inspiring pep talks before the final.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm visualizing this as Zarte's and Jen's pep-talk:
http://youtu.be/i0GW0Vnr9Yc

John Garcia wrote:

Callum Todd wrote:Thank you for all of that Dylan, and thank you also to Zarte and Jen, for their radically different but equally inspiring pep talks before the final.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm visualizing this as Zarte's and Jen's pep-talk:
http://youtu.be/i0GW0Vnr9Yc

This is more accurate.

John Garcia wrote:

Callum Todd wrote:Thank you for all of that Dylan, and thank you also to Zarte and Jen, for their radically different but equally inspiring pep talks before the final.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm visualizing this as Zarte's and Jen's pep-talk:
http://youtu.be/i0GW0Vnr9Yc

Hehe, I'd say it was more like this: http://youtu.be/YEVkm60TPKk?t=49s

Brilliant final, and brilliant series overall. I'd definitely say this was the best series in terms of good players that we've had. To have three 945+ octochamps and one player beating all three of them to win the series is pretty good.

It's good that Countdown is a non-athletic pursuit, otherwise Callum's meteoric improvement would be dismissed as cynical proof of anabolic steroid use.

Good to see such a great standard of play throughout the finals, it seems as if nearly everybody upped their game.

Dylan has overtaken Julian Fell's long standing record for points in a series, but I guess that won't be much consolation. It would be great to see a Dylan v Jen special - any hope??

Congrats Callum, and to all involved in an epic series.

Congrats Callum. A well-deserved and inspiring title win. To maintain such a high standard 3 games in succession was insane.

Callum Todd wrote:

John Garcia wrote:

Callum Todd wrote:Thank you for all of that Dylan, and thank you also to Zarte and Jen, for their radically different but equally inspiring pep talks before the final.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm visualizing this as Zarte's and Jen's pep-talk:
http://youtu.be/i0GW0Vnr9Yc

Hehe, I'd say it was more like this: http://youtu.be/YEVkm60TPKk?t=49s

Jennifer Steadman wrote:

John Garcia wrote:

Callum Todd wrote:Thank you for all of that Dylan, and thank you also to Zarte and Jen, for their radically different but equally inspiring pep talks before the final.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm visualizing this as Zarte's and Jen's pep-talk:
http://youtu.be/i0GW0Vnr9Yc

This is more accurate.

Oops, didn't see that post Jen. Yeah, that one is a good example.

Incredible final lads, barring the 30BC games, I don't think I've ever been as nervous/ excited for a game of Countdown in a long time!

It must be said that Dylan has been exceptional throughout his run, dropping next to nothing throughout, and today the standard was just as superb. If you've got anything from this Dylan, it's a serious ego boost from all the Twitter adorers. Besides, like I always say, the all the cool guys come second! Your grace in defeat was top-class.

But serious, serious kudos must go to Callum, having only dipped in and out of Apterous, and indeed this series, for the last while, I know just how incredible your improvement has been, from someone I never really noticed in the summer, to being a series winner in, arguably, the toughest series ever (and that was not easy to admit! ) is amazing. To be a 7th seed and beat any of the top 3, never blooming mind all 3 (and what a top 3 it was) is just sensational.

Watching the finals this week just brought back all the wonderful memories, and I certainly would not be averse to another CofC.

Well played also to Dylan, though I do think that if Glen or Callum can bring him to a crucial on Friday we may have a surprise...

Nailed it. (and no I didn't have a notion about the result. )

Easily the highest quality Countdown match I've seen. It was like a world class field in a track race running record breaking times.

Tony Atkins wrote:AMARETTO as alt in R1

Golly! I saw that one. Not sure if I would have had the conviction to call it though.

Gavin Chipper wrote:Brilliant final, and brilliant series overall. I'd definitely say this was the best series in terms of good players that we've had..

That's where luck of the draw comes in. You could be a potential quarter-finalist, but if your first match is against players of that standard it's exit time.

Martin Thompson wrote:

Tony Atkins wrote:AMARETTO as alt in R1

Golly! I saw that one. Not sure if I would have had the conviction to call it though.

I saw it too, but didn't write it down because I wasn't sure and panicked when Dylan said 8 so stuck with my safe 6. It would have been nice to get a MAX GAME, but oddly enough I think that would have detracted from the spectacle of the final. Us being neck and neck right from round 2 to the conundrum made it excellent.

It still would have been a crucial conundrum, though.

Gutted Dylan didn't win, the guy's a Countdown legend!

I will always remember walking into the upstairs of the Irish Club in Leamington Spa on 28 Sept 2013. I had arrived early and Andy Platt and Dan McColm (plus his mother) were still busy setting things up. I introduced my wife and 2 youngest daughters who quickly disappeared to go shopping for the day.

I then spotted a skinny kid who looked a bit timid. I started talking to him and asked whether he intended to apply to go on Countdown. "I was actually on yesterday's episode" said Todd. "Oh .... I haven't seen it yet ... we travelled down yesterday afternoon" said I. That was my first encounter with the future series 69 Champion... the one and only.. the fantastic Callum Todd.

I have since met Callum at the recording of the finals and the Huddersfield Aces Trophy tourney. On both occasions, I have been impressed by his humility and skill. Having been out since noon today on a Xmas do, I have yet to see the TV recording. However, having seen what happened "live", I will never forget the whoops of joy from the audience when Callum got the conundrum (I hope that wasn't edited out).

From one Yorkshireman to another, I would like to say "Well done Callum.... that was truly fantastic and you fully deserve all the accolades."

WELL, WORDS FAIL ME FOR THAT FINAL

Watching the rest of the finals beforehand was just enjoyable, and after Callum beat Jen, I had a feeling that the final would be Dylan v Callum, but the final that I saw is just something that will live with me forever, and has definitely now overtaken the Julian Fell v Chris Wills special in 2003, as the best game I have ever had the pleasure of seeing live in the studio.

Dylan, magnificent in the quarter and semi, especially as both your opponents in those games got 10 maxes too And the fact you lost with 13 maxes just shows what top form Callum was in to defeat you, but you performed more than admirably, and took your defeat well in such circumstances.

Callum, when you first appeared, you were just a bog-standard player, with a twinkle at 6 small numbers, you didn't seem to be a champion in the making at all (and probably most people on here expected you to lose to Adam Dexter in your 2nd game), and even when I saw you at Leamington Spa, I thought, hmmm, he's getting better, but will probably be just an also ran at the finals, but you have blossomed into an all-conquering, all-powerful, all-knowledgeable Countdown machine, and to have defeated the top 3 seeds in the final is staggering, and almost hard to believe (as I said above, you're the first person in 20 years to do that )

LET THIS BE REMEMBERED, AS ONE OF, IF NOT THE BEST EPISODES OF COUNTDOWN EVER!!!!

I need a lie down now.............

James Robinson wrote:WELL, WORDS FAIL ME FOR THAT FINAL

Watching the rest of the finals beforehand was just enjoyable, and after Callum beat Jen, I had a feeling that the final would be Dylan v Callum, but the final that I saw is just something that will live with me forever, and has definitely now overtaken the Julian Fell v Chris Wills special in 2003, as the best game I have ever had the pleasure of seeing live in the studio.

Dylan, magnificent in the quarter and semi, especially as both your opponents in those games got 10 maxes too And the fact you lost with 13 maxes just shows what top form Callum was in to defeat you, but you performed more than admirably, and took your defeat well in such circumstances.

Callum, when you first appeared, you were just a bog-standard player, with a twinkle at 6 small numbers, you didn't seem to be a champion in the making at all (and probably most people on here expected you to lose to Adam Dexter in your 2nd game), and even when I saw you at Leamington Spa, I thought, hmmm, he's getting better, but will probably be just an also ran at the finals, but you have blossomed into an all-conquering, all-powerful, all-knowledgeable Countdown machine, and to have defeated the top 3 seeds in the final is staggering, and almost hard to believe (as I said above, you're the first person in 20 years to do that )

LET THIS BE REMEMBERED, AS ONE OF, IF NOT THE BEST EPISODES OF COUNTDOWN EVER!!!!

I need a lie down now.............

Thank you James. Thanks to that post, I no longer regret chickening AMARETTO in round one. If this had been a max game as well, I'd probably have killed you.

Just want to add my congratulations to you both for a superb final.

Jordan F wrote:Oh. My. God.

In my history of watching Countdown, that's probably been the best final I've ever seen.

That was just awesome. I'm old enough to have been watching Countdown right from the very first episode (apart from losing a bit of interest during both Des' s years) and that has to be the most exciting game ever.

Well done Callum and commiserations Dylan, and congratulations both for a terrific final.

Callum Todd wrote:Thank you James. Thanks to that post, I no longer regret chickening AMARETTO in round one. If this had been a max game as well, I'd probably have killed you.

That probably would be appropriate for a big Countdown fan like me.

As has been said, that's the lowest seed who's won since 1995 in Series 30, but Callum's victory is underlined by the fact that he defeated the number one seed whereas the Series 30 winner defeated the number eight seed (yes, it was 7 v 8 in the final!).

Callum Todd wrote:Thank you James. Thanks to that post, I no longer regret chickening AMARETTO in round one. If this had been a max game as well, I'd probably have killed you.

*dying with laughter*

That was fantastic! I gave you some hints as to how to improve, but you really took that to such a high level! I'm still struggling to believe you won, that was an absolutely fantastic run. (P.S. can I have some tips how to deal with nerves please!)

Dan McColm wrote:That was fantastic! I gave you some hints as to how to improve, but you really took that to such a high level! I'm still struggling to believe you won, that was an absolutely fantastic run. (P.S. can I have some tips how to deal with nerves please!)

Bobble your head around like the Churchill dog, seems to work for Chief.

Zarte Siempre wrote:

Dan McColm wrote:That was fantastic! I gave you some hints as to how to improve, but you really took that to such a high level! I'm still struggling to believe you won, that was an absolutely fantastic run. (P.S. can I have some tips how to deal with nerves please!)

Bobble your head around like the Churchill dog, seems to work for Chief.

Oh yes.

I dealt with nerves by not having any, because I went there fully expecting to get thrashed at every turn. It didn't even occur to me that victory was so much as possible until after the last letters round, and even then it wasn't the first thing to come to mind as I thought first about Zarte's 137 score and how that was now guaranteed to be the series high score. I guess that's an official statistic thingy now; congratulations Zarte!

Callum Todd wrote:

Zarte Siempre wrote:

Dan McColm wrote:That was fantastic! I gave you some hints as to how to improve, but you really took that to such a high level! I'm still struggling to believe you won, that was an absolutely fantastic run. (P.S. can I have some tips how to deal with nerves please!)

Bobble your head around like the Churchill dog, seems to work for Chief.

Oh yes.

I dealt with nerves by not having any, because I went there fully expecting to get thrashed at every turn. It didn't even occur to me that victory was so much as possible until after the last letters round, and even then it wasn't the first thing to come to mind as I thought first about Zarte's 137 score and how that was now guaranteed to be the series high score. I guess that's an official statistic thingy now; congratulations Zarte!

*stares coyly at the floor*

I think the most nervous thing would be first coming on and having to talk a bit about yourself. After that, you'd be too busy trying to spot words and numbers within the 30 seconds.