Thursday 27th May 2021 (Series 83, Preliminary 104)

[Rhys Benjamin]

Countdown recap for Thursday 27 May 2021.

Nick talks about a survey about "if in doubt, laugh". The study was apparently inspired on the end of The Vicar of Dibley.

C1: Champion Richard Brookwell (1 win, 96 points.)
C2: Challenger Julie Richards. An office administrator from Chippenham in Wiltshire. Took part in a driving challenge for Marie Curie cancer research, driving all sorts of vehicles. She says she was unable to reverse an HGV. Nick asks whether she drove a red tractor (nope, me neither).
DC: Susie Dent and Janet Street-Porter. Janet introduced as a "difficult woman" by Nick. She appears to be wearing her duvet.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: I A I U E N T Q N
R02: K H T E O A S W E
R03: 9, 4, 2, 4, 8, 10. Target: 625.
TTT: DRIPGOAL - "The biblical son was wasteful and reckless."
R04: R I I M D R E F N
R05: R N A G I E O T T
R06: 75, 25, 5, 10, 9, 2. Target: 788.
R07: B A E R O L S M D
R08: T W P S O E I G M
R09: 4, 9, 2, 10, 7, 5. Target: 271.
TTT: SLIMDUDE - "Carole felt the earth move under her feet."
R10: T C S A I E O C L
R11: O A E A O R M L N
R12: R V B L U I A S G
R13: I O N E A C P Y S
R14: 100, 6, 8, 5, 4, 6. Target: 768.
R15: O L E F R E S C O (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Round 1: I A I U E N T Q N

Richard: QUAINT (6)
Julie: QUAINT (6)
DC: ANTIQUE (7) QUININE (7)
OT: QUINTAIN (8)
Score: 6–6 (max 8, jos 7)
Darren-o-meter: 1/1 (100%)

A solid start for both players, if a little slow off the mark. The Q can obsess you but every word offered above by contestants, corner, and computer, has it in there.

Round 2: K H T E O A S W E

Richard: STAKE/STEAK (5)
Julie: SWATHE (6)
DC: TOWHEES (7)
OT: AWHETOS (7) WEAKEST (7)
Score: 6–12 (max 15, jos 14)
Darren-o-meter: 1/2 (50%)

Richard is not asked for the spelling of his STAKE, but it's immaterial anyway as SWATHE gives Julie an early lead. Ironically for the incoming Anne Robinson, WEAKEST is missed by all.

Round 3: 9, 4, 2, 4, 8, 10. Target: 625.

Richard: 630. (10 × 8 − 4 − 4 − 2) × 9​ (7)
Julie: -
RR: 624/626. (7)
OT: 624. (10 × (4 + 4) − 2) × 8 (7)
Score: 13–12 (max 22, jos 21)

Richard snatches back the lead by maxing this impossible numbers game. Put a 25 in there and it's suddenly a lot easier!

Teatime teaser: DRIPGOAL -> PRODIGAL

Round 4: R I I M D R E F N

Richard: FRIEND (6)
Julie: MINDER (6)
DC: FIRMED (6) REMIND (6) FINDER (6) INFIRM (6)
OT: RIMFIRE (7)
Score: 19–18 (max 29, jos 27)
Darren-o-meter: 2/3 (67%)

It's sixes all round, and Susie fires off a list of them at approximately 200mph, but the computer can beat the studio once again with RIMFIRE. I won't look that up. Dirty minds...

Round 5: R N A G I E O T T

Richard: TREATING (8)
Julie: TREATING (8)
DC: ORANGE (6) ORANGITE (8) TETRAGON (8)
OT: ROTATING (8) TENTORIA (8)
Score: 27–26 (max 37, jos 35)
Darren-o-meter: 2/4 (50%)

Janet moans about ORANGITE being a word as she was stuck on ORANGE.

Round 6: 75, 25, 5, 10, 9, 2. Target: 788.

Richard: 788. Mistake in working.
Julie: 788. Mistake in working.
RR: 788. 75 × 9 + 25 × 5 − 10 − 2​ (10)
Score: 27–26 (max 47, jos 45)

Both contestants do the same thing, and use the 5 twice! It's up to Ar Rach to show us how it's done.

Janet moans about rating things, when your phone pops up saying "how would you rate your X [deliveryman / Uber driver / etc]?". "I JUST WANT THE PARCEL I PAY FOR!" All right, all right...

Round 7: B A E R O L S M D

Richard: MARBLES (7)
Julie: MOLARS (6)
DC: EARLDOMS (8)
OT: BEARDOMS (8)
Score: 34–26 (max 55, jos 53)
Darren-o-meter: 2/5 (40%)

Richard doesn't lose his marbles and extends the lead to eight points. Susie spots one of the two eights in there as well for good measure.

Round 8: T W P S O E I G M

Richard: POSTIE (6) (risk)
Julie: SPIGOT (6)
DC: EGOTISM (7) STOMPIE (7)
OT: MOPIEST (7) OPTIMES (7)
Score: 40–32 (max 62, jos 60)
Darren-o-meter: 2/6 (33%)

Richard risks a six, and of course it's absolutely fine. Sevens from Janet and Susie, the latter of which is via South Africa.

Round 9: 4, 9, 2, 10, 7, 5. Target: 271.

Richard: 271. 7 × 4 × 10 − 9 (10)
Julie: 270.
Score: 50–32 (max 72, jos 70)

Easy enough for Richard, but a lot of dead ends here.

Teatime teaser: SLIMDUDE -> MUDSLIDE

Nick says "I left the clue with you", rather than "I left you with the clue". Aw, bless.

Round 10: T C S A I E O C L

Richard: LOCATES (7)
Julie: LACIEST (7)
DC: LACTOSE (7) COALITES (8)
OT: CALICOES (8) COELIACS (8) SOCIETAL (8)
Score: 57–39 (max 80, jos 78)
Darren-o-meter: 2/7 (29%)

Sevens each - surprised LACIEST is valid, personally - but an eight for Susie. The gap remains at 18.

Round 11: O A E A O R M L N

Richard: MOANER (6)
Julie: MORALE (6)
DC: ALMONER (7) NEMORAL (7)
OT: MOREANA (7)
Score: 63–45 (max 87, jos 85)
Darren-o-meter: 2/8 (25%)

Cut and paste job, really. Contestants evenly matched, Susie goes one further.

Susie gets an email from Kay-Anne Sheen about website creation and asks why subpages (e.g. channel4.com/countdown) are known as slugs.

Round 12: R V B L U I A S G

Richard: sublair (try)
Julie: BRAGS (5)
DC: BLAGS (5) BURIALS (7)
OT: BUSGIRL (7) ISABGUL (7) RAILBUS (7)
Score: 63–50 (max 94, jos 92)
Darren-o-meter: 2/9 (22%)

Unless Richard literally had nothing 5 or above, as a game move, to risk a seven was a poor move here, as he declared second and Julie had five. There are a few sevens there but only BURIALS is a common word. Gap reduces to 13 after that blunder.

Round 13: I O N E A C P Y S

Richard: PONCES (6)
Julie: CANOPIES (8)
DC: CAPONISE (8)
Score: 63–58 (max 102, jos 100)
Darren-o-meter: 2/10 (20%)

Brilliant - Julie spots one of only two eights and reduces the gap to five points, having taken 13 out of Richard in the last two rounds...

Round 14: 100, 6, 8, 5, 4, 6. Target: 768.

Richard: 768. (100 − 4) × 8 (10)
Julie: 768. 100 × 8 − 6 × 5 − (6 − 4) (10)
Score: 73–68 (max 112, jos 110)

Julie picks one large, presumably wanting to take it to the conundrum deliberately: the numbers game is not an Ariana (as regular readers will know, Ariana Grande sang a song called "thank u, next", hence the term. It will catch on, surely?), but is easy enough.

So, it's a crucial conundrum. The last three conundrums have gone unsolved...

Round 15: O L E F R E S C O

No one buzzes. The answer was FORECLOSE.
Final Score: 73–68 (max 122, jos 120)

Make that FORE (ba-doom, tish) in a row. Richard's longest 30 seconds of his life end and he escapes still in the Champions' chair. Julie's comeback was very impressive, but not quite! At least the studio doesn't have to fork out another teapot for another one-time winner...!

Join us tomorrow for more Countdown. Until then, stay Countdown!


Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=83