Countdown recap for Friday 8 October 2021.
On this day in 1945, the first microwave was patented. And yet my dad still ovens ready meals.
C1: Champion Ahmed Mohamed (7 wins, 815 points.) Anne says he has been completely brilliant even though "I'm not usually nice to you". She berates him for swinging in his chair to stop viewers being seasick. I don't think Ahmed will hit the 1,000 points mark - he needs 185 to do that - but if this is a three or four nine game, he could end up with something north of 950.
C2: Challenger Kerry Holden. "Kerry from Bury" is a teaching assistant who's just started a nursing degree, having been inspired to do so by Britain's national religion, the NHS.
DC: Susie Dent and Dr Phil Hammond.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: K N U E S E R L F
R02: P I Y R U A C T E
R03: 50, 2, 3, 4, 8, 2. Target: 596.
TTT: HADCIRCLE - "She had a circle of friends who would help her out with this from time to time."
R04: N O A B D S O I R
R05: G F A O R P A E G
R06: 75, 25, 6, 1, 5, 2. Target: 124.
R07: H N I U S C E P I
R08: M A O T L A I D O
R09: 25, 100, 1, 4, 7, 3. Target: 399.
TTT: see below
R10: H U G W E A N M E
R11: P I B T I A N W E
R12: S E M L O S R I D
R13: T M E E S U N S A
R14: 25, 75, 2, 10, 3, 1. Target: 459.
R15: L A Y G E N T L E (conundrum)
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Round 1: K N U E S E R L F
Ahmed: flunkers (try)
Kerry: REFUELS (7)
DC: FUNKERS (7) flukers KERNELS (7)
OT: FERULES (7) FLENSER (7) FRESNEL (7) LUNKERS (7) RUNKLES (7) UNREELS (7)
Score: 0–7 (max 7, jos 7)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)
Well, I'd have done FLUNKERS^ as well, but Kerry takes an early lead.
Round 2: P I Y R U A C T E
Ahmed: PICRATE (7)
Kerry: PIRACY (6)
DC: PAUCITY (7)
OT: CAPTURE (7) CAUTERY (7) CUPRITE (7) PARETIC (7) PICTURE (7) PYRETIC (7) RAUCITY (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 14, jos 14)
Darren-o-meter: 0/2 (0%)
Ahmed levels the tie by, once again, eschewing the most obvious words...
Round 3: 50, 2, 3, 4, 8, 2. Target: 596.
Ahmed: 596. (8 + 4) × 50 − 2 − 2 (10)
Kerry: 596. (8 + 4) × 50 − 2 − 2 (10)
Score: 17–17 (max 24, jos 24)
Easy enough, 10 points each.
Teatime teaser: HADCIRCLE -> CHILDCARE
Round 4: N O A B D S O I R
Ahmed: BIOSONAR (8)
Kerry: BOARDS (6)
DC: INBOARDS (8) ONBOARDS (8) BRADOONS (8)
OT: BORONIAS (8) BRIDOONS (8)
Score: 25–17 (max 32, jos 32)
Darren-o-meter: 0/3 (0%)
Once again, Kerry misses some rather obvious words, and looks like she's going to get away with it until Dr Phil nips that one in the bud.
Round 5: G F A O R P A E G
Ahmed: OARAGE (6)
Kerry: FORAGE (6)
DC: GARAGE (6)
OT: PARAGOGE (8)
Score: 31–23 (max 40, jos 38)
Darren-o-meter: 1/4 (25%)
Once again Ahmed goes for a super obscure word, but there was a darrenic eight that defeats everyone.
Round 6: 75, 25, 6, 1, 5, 2. Target: 124.
Ahmed: 124. 25 × 5 − 1 (10)
Kerry: 124. 75 × 2 − 25 − 1 (10)
Score: 41–33 (max 50, jos 48)
Ariana.
Dr Phil shares more stories, this one he gives Anne a choice: emergency department, maternity, or death? Anne picks emergency, and Dr Phil talks about the overuse of A&E departments. The staple story is, as usual, foreign objects stuck in the body, and people's, er, excuses for having things stuck up their "lower holes", including a story of a man who got a doorknob stuck up his arse (cooking in the nude and didn't have either hand free, so tried to lean on the door to open it). Additionally, he talks about a woman who gave birth upside down, and a woman who ate her placenta raw in the hospital.
Round 7: H N I U S C E P I
Ahmed: ECHINUS (7)
Kerry: PINCHES (7)
DC: PUNCHES (7) CUISINE (7)
OT: ICESHIP (7) NICEISH (7) PICEINS (7) PISCINE (7)
Score: 48–40 (max 57, jos 55)
Darren-o-meter: 1/5 (20%)
Why use PINCHES/PUNCHES when ECHINUS will do? Even if he does butcher the pronunciation of it.
Kerry talks about hospital placements during her nursing course, literally from cradles to graves.
Round 8: M A O T L A I D O
Ahmed: AMATOL (6) (stick with)
Kerry: LAID (4)
DC: DIATOM (6)
OT: MODIOLA (7)
Score: 54–40 (max 64, jos 61)
Darren-o-meter: 2/6 (33%)
I do wish we'd go back to the host asking what they'd have gone for had they gambled rather than stuck.
Round 9: 25, 100, 1, 4, 7, 3. Target: 399.
Ahmed: 399. 100 × 4 − 1 (10)
Kerry: 399. 100 × 4 − 1 (10)
Score: 64–50 (max 74, jos 71)
thank u, next
Oh... we've cut to the ads before the teaser. Blunder from whoever's in the C4 control room, rather than censorship. Anne said "second teaser coming up" and we suddenly went into the ads (not even a bumper). Luckily, however, she reprises the clue after the break, so we can have it in the recap.
Teatime teaser: MEDITATES -> ESTIMATED
"Welcome back. I left you with the clue: "It's thought she meditates for about three hours a day, at a rough guess." And the answer was ESTIMATED."
Round 10: H U G W E A N M E
Ahmed: WHENUA (6)
Kerry: MENAGE (6)
OT: WHANGEE (7)
Score: 70–56 (max 81, jos 77)
Darren-o-meter: 3/7 (43%)
Nope. Not even going to bother with that word.
Round 11: P I B T I A N W E
Ahmed: PINITE (6)
Kerry: TIBIA (5)
DC: TIBIAE (6) WAPITI (6)
OT: ABIENT (6) BINATE (6) PATINE (6) PIANET (6) PINATE (6) PINETA (6) TIEPIN (6)
Score: 76–56 (max 87, jos 83)
Darren-o-meter: 3/8 (38%)
Kerry drops six points by forgetting to put an E on the end of her word.
OOW Susie talks about the origin of CC and BCC in emails.
Round 12: S E M L O S R I D
Ahmed: SOLDIERS (8)
Kerry: dimless
DC: MOSSIER (7) MOILERS (7)
OT: MIDSOLES (8) MISDOERS (8)
Score: 84–56 (max 95, jos 91)
Darren-o-meter: 3/9 (33%)
Ahmed SOLDIERS along and Kerry now needs to win with an 8 in the next round to stay in the game.
Round 13: T M E E S U N S A
Ahmed: TAMENESS (8)
Kerry: UNSEATS (7)
DC: MEATUSES (8)
OT: MUTENESS (8) TENESMUS (8)
Score: 92–56 (max 103, jos 99)
Darren-o-meter: 3/10 (30%)
And there it is. Ahmed is an octochamp. Can he get an eighth century?
Round 14: 25, 75, 2, 10, 3, 1. Target: 459.
Ahmed: 459. (75 − 25 + 3 − 2) × (10 − 1) (10)
Kerry: 459. 3 × 2 × 75 + 10 − 1 (10)
Score: 102–66 (max 113, jos 109)
You betcha. Another century for Ahmed. Well done, that man.
Round 15: L A Y G E N T L E
Ahmed buzzes on 1 second to say ELEGANTLY which is correct.
Final Score: 112–66 (max 123, jos 119)
And Ahmed closes out his preliminary games with another conundrum spot - that makes it 7 spots out of 8.
Anyway, Anne and Rachel will be back on Monday. Depending on what's happening with All4... we'll join you soon. Bye. (No wink from Anne today. Boo.)
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84