Friday 28th May 2021 (Series 83, Preliminary 105)

[Rhys Benjamin]

It's Friday theeeeen.... it's Saturday, Sunday, WHAT!? IT'S FRIDAY THEEEEEEEN..... IT'S SATURDAY, SUNDAY, WHAT!?

Countdown recap for Friday 28 May 2021.

Nick reads out a survey about the nation's favourite takeaways.

C1: Champion Richard Brookwell (2 wins, 169 points.)
C2: Challenger Louis Ross. A marketing director from Barnet, and also an Apterite, who represented Nepal in the Apterous Cricket World Cup (hint, hint). Wearing a black T-shirt, which will infuriate the floor manager if my recording experience is anything to go by.
DC: Susie Dent and Janet Street-Porter. Janet moans about vegan food. It's a bit too tomatoey for her.
RR: Rachel Riley, who's just had a vegan lunch.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: O U E O S P N K E
R02: A E E L M L S V U
R03: 9, 2, 5, 8, 8, 6. Target: 475.
TTT: ALLSABIT - "All's a bit hit and miss when firing one of these."
R04: I A A T C W R D E
R05: T O E D L E N O R
R06: 50, 5, 3, 3, 1, 6. Target: 253.
R07: P A U S R B E I L
R08: O I U R M P F N O
R09: 6, 8, 10, 2, 3, 7. Target: 448.
TTT: BONNYHUE - "It sounds like a lovely, sweet cake for a lovely, sweet lady."
R10: U A O H T V P F O
R11: I G E N Y M I R S
R12: O I I B S G R N E
R13: R A S D U R I E S
R14: 50, 4, 5, 5, 4, 1. Target: 903.
R15: J O E Y D R O V E (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: O U E O S P N K E

Richard: SPOKEN (6)
Louis: SPOKEN (6)
OT: KNOOPS (6) PEKOES (6) PEONES (6)
Score: 6–6 (max 6, jos 6)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)

Sixes all round to start us off. Susie can't find any of the three alts.

Round 2: A E E L M L S V U

Richard: MALES (5)
Louis: measle
DC: VALUES (6) LEVELS (6) MALLEUS (7) (from Rachel)
OT: MALLEES (7) VALLUMS (7) VELLUMS (7)
Score: 11–6 (max 13, jos 13)
Darren-o-meter: 0/2 (0%)

A very good try for Louis, but MEASLES is a plural noun, so you cannot have one MEASLE on its own.

Round 3: 9, 2, 5, 8, 8, 6. Target: 475.

Richard: 477. Mistake in working.
Louis: 479. 6 × 8 × 2 × 5 − (9 − 8) (7)
RR: 475. (6 × 8 × 2 − (9 − 8)) × 5 (10)
Score: 11–13 (max 23, jos 23)

Richard does 98 x 5, thus leading him to have gone wrong. Louis gets 7 for four away, but wasn't a million miles away, as Rachel points out.

Teatime teaser: ALLSABIT -> BALLISTA

Round 4: I A A T C W R D E

Richard: WAITED (6)
Louis: WAITED (6)
DC: RADICATE (8)
Score: 17–19 (max 31, jos 31)
Darren-o-meter: 1/3 (33%)

Sixes for the two contestants, but an eight for Dictionary Corner - and the darren to boot.

Round 5: T O E D L E N O R

Richard: LOOTED (6)
Louis: RODENT (6)
DC: RETOOLED (8) REDOLENT (8)
OT: RONDELET (8)
Score: 23–25 (max 39, jos 39)
Darren-o-meter: 1/4 (25%)

Sixes again for the two contestants, and eight for Dictionary Corner - am I on repeat here?

Round 6: 50, 5, 3, 3, 1, 6. Target: 253.

Richard: 253. 5 × 50 + 3 (10)
Louis: 253. 5 × 50 + 3 (10)
Score: 33–35 (max 49, jos 49)

thank u, next... thank u, next...

Nick says we turn "apprehensively" to Janet. Quite. Janet moans about jet skis interrupting her swimming, "DESIGNED TO RUIN MY PEACEFUL SWIM!" Nick agrees with her... crikey. You do know you're not entitled to the water, right, and they have every right to be there as well?

Round 7: P A U S R B E I L

Richard: BRAISE (6)
Louis: ABSEIL (6)
DC: BURIALS (7) UPRAISE (7) BAILERS (7)
OT: BULERIAS (8) SUPERIAL (8)
Score: 39–41 (max 57, jos 56)
Darren-o-meter: 1/5 (20%)

Again, neither contestant can get past six. Susie rattles off a list of sevens, but can't find the two eights.

Round 8: O I U R M P F N O

Richard: MOURN (5)
Louis: UNIFORM (7)
OT: MORPION (7)
Score: 39–48 (max 64, jos 63)
Darren-o-meter: 1/6 (17%)

Ah, wonderful from Louis! He takes his lead out to nine points with a seven, and it's the only fairly common one for good measure.

Round 9: 6, 8, 10, 2, 3, 7. Target: 448.

Richard: 448. (10 × 6 − (7 − 3)) × 8 (10)
Louis: 448. ((3 + 2) × 10 + 6) × 8 (10)
Score: 49–58 (max 74, jos 73)

Not straightforward, but spotted by both contestants.

Teatime teaser: BONNYHUE -> HONEYBUN

Round 10: U A O H T V P F O

Richard: PHOTO (5)
Louis: PHOTO (5)
DC: AFOOT (5)
OT: PHOTA (5)
Score: 54–63 (max 79, jos 78)
Darren-o-meter: 1/7 (14%)

Only fives available here. Time to move on.

Round 11: I G E N Y M I R S

Richard: MINGERS (7) (trying, dodgy)
Louis: MINGERS (7) (not written down)
DC: REMISING (8)
OT: MISERING (8)
Score: 61–70 (max 87, jos 86)
Darren-o-meter: 1/8 (13%)

Strange jump cuts here, suggesting a fit of giggles for MINGERS... but it's perfectly fine and the gap stays at nine.

An email lands in Susie's inbox from an Irish couple asking about the expression "barking mad".

Round 12: O I I B S G R N E

Richard: BORING (6)
Louis: SOBERING (8)
DC: GROINS (6) REGIONS (7) IGNORES (7)
OT: REBOISING (18)
Score: 61–78 (max 105, jos 94)
Darren-o-meter: 2/9 (22%)

Louis with another excellent spot and the lead goes out to 17 points - only a very obscure nine could have beaten him.

Round 13: R A S D U R I E S

Richard: RAISERS (7) (risky)
Louis: sirred (risky)
DC: DURRIES (7) (dodgy) RADIUSES (8)
Score: 68–78 (max 113, jos 102)
Darren-o-meter: 3/10 (30%)

Risks all round. Two of them pay off for Richard and Janet. One doesn't, for Louis, but Susie ends the day with a cheeky darren.

Round 14: 50, 4, 5, 5, 4, 1. Target: 903.

Richard: 901. (5 + 5 + 4 + 4) × 50 + 1​ (7)
Louis: 901. Mistake in working.
RR: 903. 5 × 4 × (50 − 5) + 4 − 1​ (10)
Score: 75–78 (max 123, jos 112)

Playing it safe? This numbers game is horrifically difficult and Louis does 5 x 4, and immediately says he's gone wrong. It's all immaterial as the conundrum is still crucial, but now Louis won't have two chances to win the game...

Round 15: J O E Y D R O V E

Louis buzzes on 1 second to say OVERJOYED which is correct.
Final Score: 75–88 (max 133, jos 122)

Oh. Almost anticlimactic. The first light on the clock flicked on on the nose, and Louis's buzz was as fast as it was impressive. Louis takes the win... first of many?

Anyway, the next Countdown is on Monday. Join me on... probably Monday night for the recap.


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