Monday 28th February 2011 (Series 64, Prelim 36)

[Marcus Hares]

Countdown recap for Monday 28 February 2011.

Oh you lucky people - Ryan is taking a break this week so me and Robbo will be covering his recaps this week (me today, Robbo tomorrow).

Jeff begins by highlighting our awareness to World Maths Day which happens this week - it's a huge, global event aimed at promoting numeracy amongst young people and Rachel proudly shows off the Guinness World Records certificate to prove that 1,204,766 people participated in the largest online maths competition in March 2010 - thing is, Wikipedia says that 1,133,246 people participated so clearly somebody needs to brush up on their maths before this year's event takes place.

C1: Champion Ned Pendleton (7 wins, 572 points.) Ned is the London-based, Coventry City supporter and keen traveller who once was the owner of daytime TV's best beard (until he shaved it off between filming sessions) and is on the brink of octochampdom. Ned's goals today are to score a century (his best score to date is 92), to avoid scoring the lowest octo winning-total (64pts needed with a win), but more importantly just to win.
C2: Challenger Emmet Masterson. I genuinely thought Emmet was a made up name given to that bloke who used to live next door to Hyacinth Bucket but no, it is actually a real name. Emmet Masterson hails from Longford in Ireland and is known to his friends as 'Magnet' - he's a big sports fan and his favourite place is Croke Park in Dublin but reveals that the most dangerous place to be is the "naked run from the shower to the bedroom" - erm, use a towel Emmet?
DC: Susie Dent and Mark Durden-Smith.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: G A T E U B N S O
R02: Q E M D R O I N F
R03: S A P O E R N T L
R04: D C L A I O N V E
R05: 25, 50, 100, 75, 7, 6. Target: 641.
TTT: IEATLEAN - "The being had lunch so make it feel isolated"
R06: R L J I O E X S A
R07: M O K E A N L D S
R08: T S R U E O T R E
R09: M A S E I H R P S
R10: 25, 1, 8, 8, 7, 4. Target: 704.
TTT: FINALBUS - "The amount of water needed to wash up"
R11: T O M A O D T Z A
R12: T B I E R W A O D
R13: T I S U A P G T U
R14: 50, 4, 5, 6, 10, 2. Target: 919.
R15: F I N C H O W L S (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: G A T E U B N S O

C1: butanes
C2: OUTAGES (7)
OT: GUNBOATS (8) SUBAGENT (8)
Score: 0–7 (max 8)

So far in Ned's run he's had to come from behind 5 times to win, and he'll have to make it 6 times if he's to win for an 8th time after his not too unreasonable risk fails - plenty of 7's around and Emmet spots one of them to take an early lead but DC fail to notice the two 8's which are lurking.

Round 2: Q E M D R O I N F

C1: INFORMED (8)
C2: MINDER (6)
Score: 8–7 (max 16)

Furious head shaking from Ned towards the end of this round as if to suggest he has a modest word but it must be that pesky Q which is causing him frustration as he finds the darrenic 8 here to immediately snuff out Emmet's early advantage.

Round 3: S A P O E R N T L

C1: PRONATES (8)
C2: OPERANTS (8)
DC: PERSONAL (8) POLENTAS (8)
OT: LAPSTONE (8) PSORALEN (8) PETROSAL (8) PLANTERS (8) REPLANTS (8) PLASTRON (8)
Score: 16–15 (max 24)

8's galore - PSORALEN is any of a group of chemical compounds found naturally in certain plants that are used in the treatment of psoriasis and vitiligo, PETROSAL means relating to or located near the petrous portion of the temporal bone, a PLASTRON is a metal breastplate worn under a coat of mail or a quilted pad worn by fencers to protect the torso and side, amongst many other definitions.

Round 4: D C L A I O N V E

C1: CLONED (6)
C2: INVADE (6)
DC: CELADON (7)
OT: VOIDANCE (8)
Score: 22–21 (max 32)

Another darrenic 8 but this time it goes missed by all.

Round 5: 25, 50, 100, 75, 7, 6. Target: 641.

C1: 641. ((100 + 7) x 6) - ((75 - 50) / 25) (10)
C2: 640.
Score: 32–21 (max 42)

4 large numbers aren't everyone's cup of tea but this relatively simple one still manages to stump Emmet while Ned collects all 10pts on offer.

Mark Durden-Smith in his first outing as a DC guest reminisces about his very first sports broadcast with none other than Jeff Stelling, describing it as the most terrifying experience of his life - right up there with meeting Jan Leeming on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here Now! one imagines.

Teatime teaser: IEATLEAN -> ALIENATE

Round 6: R L J I O E X S A

C1: JAILERS (7)
C2: JAILERS (7)
Score: 39–28 (max 49)

Jailers it is then.

Round 7: M O K E A N L D S

C1: LOANED (6)
C2: ANKLES (6)
DC: ALMONDS (7) DAEMONS (7)
OT: DOLMANS (7) MASONED (7) DOLMENS (7) KALENDS (7)
Score: 45–34 (max 56)

Several 7's on offer here but our contestants settle for solid 6's - DOLMANS are women's cloaks with voluminous capelike sleeves, not to be confused with DOLMENS which in British archaeology are Neolithic stone formations, consisting of a horizontal stone supported by several vertical stones, and thought to be a tomb or any megalithic tomb in French archaeology. KALENDS is an alternative spelling for CALENDS which are the days of the new moon and the first days of the month in the ancient Roman calendar.

Round 8: T S R U E O T R E

C1: TROUSER (7)
C2: reroutes
DC: TORTURES (8)
OT: ROUSETTE (8) UTTERERS (8)
Score: 52–34 (max 64)

Emmet falls into that re-routes trap, we've all done it, but there were other 8's available - in zoology a ROUSETTE is a fruit bat, especially the large species (Pieropus vulgaris) inhabiting the islands of the Indian ocean.

Round 9: M A S E I H R P S

C1: SHRIMPS (7)
C2: SIMPERS (7)
DC: SAMPHIRES (18)
Score: 59–41 (max 82)

A glorious find from DC here - SAMPHIRES are any of various plants of the genus Salicornia, growing in salt marshes and having fleshy stems and rudimentary, scalelike leaves - alternatively known as glassworts. SERAPHIM is also a nice 8 but wasn't mentioned.

Susie's Origin of Words explores the meanings behind the phrases "hard up" and "shiver me timbers" - both having nautical origins.

Round 10: 25, 1, 8, 8, 7, 4. Target: 704.

C1: 702. (7 x 4 x 25) + ((8 / 8) + 1) (7)
C2: 702. (7 x 4 x 25) + ((8 / 8) + 1) (7)
RR: 704. ((25 x 7) + 1) x 4 (10)
Score: 66–48 (max 92)

Rachel shows us that she's not all cleavage and legs (which if you were watching the show for the first time today you wouldn't know anyway) by completing an easy-when-you-know-how solution. The 7pts that Ned collects here are enough to avoid the title of lowest scoring octochamp in the 15 round era ever - phew!!

Teatime teaser: FINALBUS -> BASINFUL

Round 11: T O M A O D T Z A

C1: TOMATO (6)
C2: TOMATO (6)
DC: TOMATO (6) MATZO (5)
Score: 72–54 (max 98)

A TOMATO is a widely cultivated South American plant (Lycopersicon esculentum) having edible, fleshy, usually red fruit - whatever!

Round 12: T B I E R W A O D

C1: ABORTED (7)
C2: waitored
DC: ORBITED (7)
OT: BAWDIER (7) TRIBADE (7)
Score: 79–54 (max 105)

After the points were shared in the previous 4 rounds, it's now that Emmet decides to make inroads into Ned's 18pt lead but it backfires spectacularly - only 7's were available and Ned spots one of them to go 25pts ahead.

Round 13: T I S U A P G T U

C1: PITTAS (6)
C2: GAITS (5)
DC: AUGUST (6)
Score: 85–54 (max 111)

And it's here where Ned confirms octochampdon in finding one of two 6's on offer - oddly, Jeff goes to the player with the longer word first which is very unusual and hasn't happened before as far as I can recall.

Round 14: 50, 4, 5, 6, 10, 2. Target: 919.

C1: 918. (10 + 6 + 2) x (50 + 5 - 4) (7)
C2: 916.
RR: 919. (50 - 4) x (2 x 10) - (6 - 5) (10)
Score: 92–54 (max 121)

Rachel shows the boys how it's done with this very nice solve. So Ned has all but completed his octochamp run, and there's one more thing he'd like to do and that's score a century - and it's possible if he solves the conundrum here...

Round 15: F I N C H O W L S

No one buzzes. The answer was CLOWNFISH.
Final Score: 92–54 (max 131)

...but this apterous rated 9/10 difficulty conundrum is a stinker to end on but several hands go up in the audience and one of tomorrow's contestants solves.

No matter, Ned becomes Countdown's 91st octochamp in the 15-round era, and 3rd so far this series - despite having to come back from deficits in 6 of his 8 games he never looked flustered and always seemed to remain calm - many congratulations Ned, some close shaves throughout but very well done indeed.

Join Robbo for the recaps through tomorrow-Thursday, and Mike's Friday recap at the weekend.

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=64

[Adam Gillard]

Ned [...] once was the owner of daytime TV's best beard (until he shaved it off between filming sessions)

many congratulations Ned, some close shaves throughout but very well done indeed

Punmeister. But in all seriousness, well done Ned!

A TOMATO is a widely cultivated South American plant (Lycopersicon esculentum) having edible, fleshy, usually red fruit - whatever!

Very informative recap Marcus

[Scott Gillies]

I would like u to add in the definition of "Tribade" into round 12 please As far as i'm aware its some kind of prostitute lol

[Dan McColm]

I would like u to add in the definition of "Tribade" into round 12 please As far as i'm aware its some kind of prostitute lol

You're in the right sort of area. I got TRIBADE while watching the show, and looked it up in my new dictionary and found out it was an old term for a lesbian.

[Charlie Reams]

I would like u to add in the definition of "Tribade" into round 12 please As far as i'm aware its some kind of prostitute lol

You're in the right sort of area. I got TRIBADE while watching the show, and looked it up in my new dictionary and found out it was an old term for a lesbian.

Haha yep, virtually synonymous.