Friday 24th September 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 64)

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Rhys Benjamin
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Friday 24th September 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 64)

Post by Rhys Benjamin »

Annedown LXIII and we're probably just over halfway through this series. I went to The Oval today and watched the final day of a match where 672-6 played 722-4. I also have a new phone which is currently undergoing the slowest iOS update of all time, and furthermore it came with a USB-C --> Lightning cable, which would be useful if I had anything that had a USB-C port with it.

Also, Kay Burley leaked this episode's result on Twitter, so why are you even reading this...? :roll:

Also, All4 is virtually impossible to use on Windows.

Countdown recap for Friday 24 September 2021.

National Punctuation Day, according to Anne, thus leading to a discussion on the correct spelling of "Saint Thomas'(s) Hospital". Don't look at some of the London Underground stations, they're hopelessly inconsistent on this.

C1: Champion Daaniyal Ali (1 win, 90 points.) 17. Excellent at locating days to dates and birthdays too, for good measure. Goes clubbing in Swindon but refuses to take Anne with him. 9 Jan 1946 = Dolly Parton's birthday, and a Saturday.
C2: Challenger Sam Balmforth. Primary school teacher initially from Yorkshire but now from Dorset. Teaches babies. Does some Victorian ice cream sales too.
DC: Susie Dent and Kay Burley. Susie is wearing a nice black-and-white number with a black chest and white sleeves and trim which gets some horrible comments from Anne and Kay ("skunk", "zebra"), whilst Kay gets compliments for what appears to be a Soviet military uniform.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: O E S R A E M D C
R02: N L A E O S T V O
R03: 25, 100, 5, 7, 3, 8. Target: 441.
TTT: ELECTLINE - "You'll have to give good service if you want to hold on to them."
R04: N K G I O E F N A
R05: G W T I E M D U A
R06: 75, 100, 3, 8, 8, 2. Target: 616.
R07: L E A S B N O I P
R08: R G O E R H A L I
R09: 100, 50, 2, 2, 10, 1. Target: 458.
TTT: RACERTEST - "When visiting the USA, she had a desire to take one of these."
R10: M R D F I U O U Z
R11: I O A R D P L U T
R12: T R A E S M T E N
R13: P C G I A Y P I O
R14: 50, 2, 4, 6, 3, 9. Target: 345.
R15: R O W D Y N U L L (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: O E S R A E M D C

Daaniyal: SCREAMED (8)
Sam: RECODES (7)
DC: COMRADES (8)
OT: DECAMERS (8) MERCADOS (8) RACEMOSE (8) SEMACODE (8)
Score: 8–0 (max 8, jos 8)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)

COMRADES from Kay - what was I saying about a Soviet military uniform?

Round 2: N L A E O S T V O

Daaniyal: STOLEN (6)
Sam: SALOON (6)
DC: SOLVENT (7) NOVATES (7)
OT: ETALONS (7) LEVANTS (7) SOLVATE (7)
Score: 14–6 (max 15, jos 15)
Darren-o-meter: 0/2 (0%)

Sam gets off the mark for the first time with a six, but the classic Countdown word NOVATES was missed by Countdown superfan Daaniyal.

Round 3: 25, 100, 5, 7, 3, 8. Target: 441.

Daaniyal: 450. (not written down)
Sam: 440. (not written down) 100 × 5 − 25 × 3 + 8 + 7 (7)
RR: 441. (100 − 5 × 8 + 3) × 7 (10)
Score: 14–13 (max 25, jos 25)

Sam gets back to within 1 thanks to a good numbers game, but as Rachel shows, it wasn't quite as good as it could have been.

Teatime teaser: ELECTLINE -> CLIENTELE

Round 4: N K G I O E F N A

Daaniyal: FAKING (6)
Sam: faning
DC: oaking NONAGE (6)
OT: FENINGA (7) KAIFONG (7)
Score: 20–13 (max 32, jos 31)
Darren-o-meter: 0/3 (0%)

Susie sort-of suggests "did you mean FEIGNING" but nonetheless Daaniyal's lead is back out to 7.

Round 5: G W T I E M D U A

Daaniyal: MIDGET (6)
Sam: MADE (4)
DC: MIDGUT (6) WIDGET (6)
OT: IDEATUM (7)
Score: 26–13 (max 39, jos 37)
Darren-o-meter: 1/4 (25%)

Daaniyal describes himself, being only 17 of course...

Round 6: 75, 100, 3, 8, 8, 2. Target: 616.

Daaniyal: 616. 8 × 75 + 8 × 2 (10)
Sam: 618.
Score: 36–13 (max 49, jos 47)

Sam somehow misses this super duper easy peasy lemon squeezy numbers game, and thus downgrades the easiness of the round from "Ariana" to "oh my word how did he miss that".

Anne asks if there's any TV celebrity programs that Kay hasn't been on. The answer is probably not, and she claims she's quite good at quizzes, before Anne asks for a detailed account of her Dancing on Ice experience, followed by her Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? experience, her Pointless Celebrities experience... She says she's available for Bar Mitzvahs and weddings, which is why she's probably ended up on Countdown. Obviously that I'll-campaign-for-tougher-lockdowns-daily-but-I'm-going-to-ignore-the-rules-anyway suspension means she needed the money.

Round 7: L E A S B N O I P

Daaniyal: BIPLANES (8)
Sam: PLANES (6)
OT: BONSPIEL (8) OPALINES (8) OPINABLE (8)
Score: 44–13 (max 57, jos 55)
Darren-o-meter: 1/5 (20%)

Daaniyal hesitates on BIPLANES... for some reason... but it takes his lead out to 31 points.

Round 8: R G O E R H A L I

Daaniyal: GOALIE (6) (risky)
Sam: HAILER (6) (slightly risky)
DC: HOARIER (7)
OT: ARGILEH (7) RAGLORE (7)
Score: 50–19 (max 64, jos 62)
Darren-o-meter: 1/6 (17%)

Not for the first time, Daaniyal says a word is risky when it really isn't.

Round 9: 100, 50, 2, 2, 10, 1. Target: 458.

Daaniyal: 454. (not written down)
Sam: 459. (not written down) (2 + 2) × 100 + 50 + 10 − 1 (7)
RR: 458. (100 × 2 − 1) × 2 + 50 + 10​ (10)
Score: 50–26 (max 74, jos 72)

Virtually a carbon copy of round three, as Sam is able to get some points back on Daaniyal but Rachel shows us how to do it.

Teatime teaser: RACERTEST -> STREETCAR

Round 10: M R D F I U O U Z

Daaniyal: FOUR (4)
Sam: DRUM (4)
DC: ODIUM (5) FORUM (5)
OT: DURUM (5) DURZI (5) FIORD (5) MUDIF (5) MUDIR (5) MURID (5)
Score: 54–30 (max 79, jos 77)
Darren-o-meter: 1/7 (14%)

Sam is stuck banging a DRUM whilst Daaniyal gets an eponymous FOUR, but as it is there's no better than five here anyway.

Round 11: I O A R D P L U T

Daaniyal: PAROTID (7) (dodgy)
Sam: PROUD (5) (safe)
DC: TROUPIAL (8)
OT: PLAUDITOR (18)
Score: 61–30 (max 97, jos 85)
Darren-o-meter: 2/8 (25%)

Once again I'm not sure how in any way, shape, or form Daaniyal thought this was dodgy, but as it is it restores his 31-point cushion. The niner goes begging.

OOW Susie talks about the history of the apple.

Round 12: T R A E S M T E N

Daaniyal: MATTERS (7)
Sam: MATTERS (7)
DC: ENTREATS (8)
OT: RATTEENS (8) REMANETS (8) TEAMSTER (8)
Score: 68–37 (max 105, jos 93)
Darren-o-meter: 2/9 (22%)

Both contestants miss the available eights and now Sam is into "needs a nine" territory.

Round 13: P C G I A Y P I O

Daaniyal: COPY (4)
Sam: -
DC: GAPPY (5)
OT: COPAY (5) GIPPO (5) GIPPY (5) GYPPO (5) POPIA (5) YOGIC (5)
Score: 72–37 (max 110, jos 98)
Darren-o-meter: 2/10 (20%)

Oh dear, another awful round, so much so Sam doesn't see anything at all this time, and Daaniyal is over the line.

Round 14: 50, 2, 4, 6, 3, 9. Target: 345.

Daaniyal: 346. (not written down)
Sam: 345. (3 + 4) × 50 − (9 − (6 − 2)) (10)
Score: 72–47 (max 120, jos 108)

Sam gets 345 no trouble at all to claw back some of his deficit, but too little too late.

Round 15: R O W D Y N U L L

No one buzzes. Both Rachel and Susie give the answer, which was UNWORLDLY.
Final Score: 72–47 (max 130, jos 118)

So Daaniyal lives to fight another day in what was a fairly low-scoring game, whilst Sam has to go back to Dorset with a somewhat flattering points total.

Anyway, Countdown will be back on Monday. Join us then (assuming I don't fall asleep after work again). Goodbye. ;)


Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84
The forum's resident JAILBAKER, who has SPONDERED several times...
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