30BC Grand Final Spoilers For Friday March 1st 2013

[Tom]

Brilliant final guys, played in great spirit and a fixture like this really was going to be a case of having the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. Maybe even more credit due since both of you had to come through the preliminary rounds and face tough opponents in those matches.

Commiserations to you Jack, its just a shame one of you had to lose and as nice as guy as you are, I must admit at times I found it could be a bit unnerving watching you either from the audience or on TV as in a lot of rounds it looks like you have a 9 when there isn't one there! And congrats to you too Conor, when I first met you in 2005 I felt certain you would go on and achieve big things on the show and I'm glad I wasn't wrong!

All the best to both of you going forward; maybe if there's one small niggling factor about the final its a shame the all time record of 146 wasn't beaten as that to me would have been the ultimate tonic in finishing off the event.

TH

[Mark Ivey]

Does any one know whether Julian Fell was invited to attemd this series? Would love to see a challenge match between the two only 146 ers.

Julian Fell has completely retired from the Countdown community. Also, for this championship everyone who has appeared in the past were invited to apply so if he'd wanted to take part he had plenty of opportunity to put himself forward.

[Jon Corby]

Great final, not as close as I was expecting but notable for obvious other reasons. Well done Jack for being runner-up and redeeming himself by being gracious and funny in defeat. Huge congratulations to Conor for winning, equalling the highest-ever score, and for all the other amazing stuff he's accomplished in this series. Well done Dame & the team for making it all happen. Now off to see how Mark & Innis are getting on...

[Thomas Cappleman]

Speaking of Graeme, I look forward to a flood of enthralling new statistics once James has completed the recap.

Will James be alive to do the recap? This game might have actually finished him off.

Ridiculous game throughout - Connor's performances have been amazing through the whole series, and Jack a great runner-up. And well done to all the other contestants for making it the best series ever.

[James Robinson]

Speaking of Graeme, I look forward to a flood of enthralling new statistics once James has completed the recap.

Will James be alive to do the recap? This game might have actually finished him off.

Lol, not yet, but this has taken the show to a whole new level of brilliance that I never thought possible.

I'll just say well done to Conor for equalling the highest score in an individual game and to Jack for being a phenomenal opponent too.

I'll save all the emoticons and the jumbo letters for the recap later.

[Philip Jarvis]

I haven't yet offered my congratulations yet, have I? Well, I will now.

Many, many congratulations, Conor. To win this championship with a hat-trick of perfect games and the joint-highest 15-round score in the final - I think that's a darn good reason to play some Carly Simon...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKAToS9wguc

(I could play Tina Turner too, but that would be a bit too obvious a choice. )

Congratulations as well as commiserations, Jack. To reach the final of this tournament is an achievement in itself, and though Conor was just too darn good, you certainly didn't go down without some sort of a fight. I doubt there could have been a better way to finish second. (As I said, equalling Julian's record is just as good as beating it, and who cares that it wasn't a max game?!?!)

And congratulations to Damian and the team for organising the whole thing (even if I still don't know - yet, anyway - how Jenny came to be chosen as the DC guest for this final week). The phenomenal quality aside, it was good to see the likes of Darryl Francis, Wayne Kelly and several others from a very different era in the show's history - and inviting Marcel over to present the trophy was, as others have already said, a nice touch.

For a minute there, I thought Arthur Bennett was James reincarnated.

[Countdown Team]

Had a text from Des Lynam, who's still a huge fan and compulsive Countdown viewer. He was resident in the presenters chair when Conor first came to our screens in 2005. He was delighted for Conor and wanted to convey his congratulations. Nice touch.

Read quite a bit on here about Penelope, whoever she is, and the perception that it's been a negative to have such a series. All i can say is that from our end, via Twitter, 1000's of emails and letters to the office, the reaction to the whole thing has been truly amazing and it's fair to say that it was a success that exceeded our expectations by a mile.

Once again, for everyone who played, whether it be a first-round loss or a finalist, a huge thanks for bringing your skills to the party and for contributing to something truly spectacular.

[Jennifer Steadman]

Read quite a bit on here about Penelope, whoever she is, and the perception that it's been a negative to have such a series. All i can say is that from our end, via Twitter, 1000's of emails and letters to the office, the reaction to the whole thing has been truly amazing and it's fair to say that it was a success that exceeded our expectations by a mile.

Does this mean that future CoCs (on a smaller scale) haven't been ruled out?

[John Garcia]

Had a text from Des Lynam, who's still a huge fan and compulsive Countdown viewer. He was resident in the presenters chair when Conor first came to our screens in 2005. He was delighted for Conor and wanted to convey his congratulations. Nice touch.

Read quite a bit on here about Penelope, whoever she is, and the perception that it's been a negative to have such a series. All i can say is that from our end, via Twitter, 1000's of emails and letters to the office, the reaction to the whole thing has been truly amazing and it's fair to say that it was a success that exceeded our expectations by a mile.

Once again, for everyone who played, whether it be a first-round loss or a finalist, a huge thanks for bringing your skills to the party and for contributing to something truly spectacular.

I have a complaint. What am I supposed to do with my life now? I mean seriously!!!

Great series & final to all concerned. Just feel gutted that it's all over. If anyone has any suggestions for how to deal with the withdrawal symptoms ...

[Countdown Team]

Nothing ruled out. Who knows...?

[Oliver Garner]

Absolutely superb from both finalists, both today and throughout the championship. Feel that makes Conor the GOAT too.

[Peter Fenton]

Well done to everyone involved - the last two months have been amazing viewing and the series has produced some incredible games. Congratulations to Conor for another awesome performance and being such an deserving champion. I can't believe how calm you looked, even with the prospect of equalling the all time record and being crowned champion of champions of champions! Congratulations also to Jack for an amazing run to the final and being a very gracious runner-up and all round good sport.

[Ben Wilson]

Fantastic final, well done to both players for an amazing performance and the records. See you all for the 40th birthday?

[David O'Donnell]

I can't quantify how beautiful watching that back was and I also haven't commented on the excellent semi final with Jono. I was too busy out getting drunk. Apparently, Jono was okay but I don't know ... I've never seen it nor am likely to...Kidding, there's a lot of love for the ginga ninja in Omagh and Cardiff.

The best Countdowner of all time debate is buried. While I would have beaten Conor by 47 pts and should be the best Countdowner ever, he's definitely proved he's worth my giving a game to sometime on Apterous.

Well done both and all: thoroughly enjoyed.

[Eoin Monaghan]

This was an absolute honour to see live. Sitting in the audience with so many terrific legends of the game (Kirk, David (still my hero, never said that to you!), Jack W, Chris Wills are the ones I hadn't met previously) was great in itself, but to see the two best Countdowners of all time compete in such a historic game was unbelievable. I can't thank the Team enough for allowing to fly over and I'm only sad I had to rush home after the final to get my taxi, rather than stay and chat (was really panicking I'd have to leave the show before the end!)

Jack has been great on the show and it was brilliant meeting him 2 years on from our first encounter. Was really glad to see you make the final, given your record.

Conor, I don't think there are enough superlatives to describe your form in this championship. You didn't just pull it out of the bag once, but every single time. You were a favourite in the créme de la créme of Countdown and your victory was testimony to your brilliance. As much as I was gutted to see you not get the max/ all time record (that would have been insane), I agree it was great to see Rachel find a fantastic solution to the first numbers (not sure how many audience members got that, don't think any!) but it's also good to see Julian Fell's record still stand after all these years and all these greats. I really think it will be broken within the next two years.

Incredible, only wish I could have played!

NB: I overuse brackets and need to find synonyms for 'great' and 'superb'.

[Keith Bennett]

What a fantastic series this has been, thoroughly enjoyed it. If only some silly buggers hadn't given me a job last year (5 mins walk from Media City ironically) I'd have been in the audience. I had seen very little of the show between about 2002 and 2010 so it was a pleasure to be able to watch people like Jon O'Neill and David O'D - great guys both and David's losing post on here must have been the best of the series.

Others have commented about Julian Fell not being involved - same goes for Harvey Freeman, who's not exactly an old man either (wasn't he about Jack's age when he first appeared?) Would have been interesting to see how he got on.

Many congratulations to Conor on both the win and equalling the record score, although given the outcome I think it's a great shame Jack's risk in his earlier game prevented him from having the all-time record to himself. 17 games and a low score of 108? That's awesome. But fully deserved for Conor, spotting PONYTAILS under that pressure was unbelievable.

So impressed by the standard of play and sportsmanship shown throughout this series. Well played and many thanks to all who took part, it's just been brilliant to watch.

[Rhys Benjamin]

Read quite a bit on here about Penelope, whoever she is, and the perception that it's been a negative to have such a series. All i [sic] can say is that from our end, via Twitter, 1000's [sic] of emails and letters to the office, the reaction to the whole thing has been truly amazing and it's fair to say that it was a success that exceeded our expectations by a mile.

Penelope is a person who has commented on the Channel 4 website. It always seems a little bit special to get footage of Series 33, and, in a few years time, maybe this will be regarded highly too.

[Paul Howe]

I hadn't seen Countdown for a long time but watched this whole series from start to finish and it was just magnificent - both in terms of the frankly astonishing standard and the brilliant spirit in which it was played. Congratulations to everyone involved.

Conor, congratulations - in a game based on such fine margins I didn't think it would be possible for anyone to stand head and shoulders above such a high quality field, but you did it. Prodigious is not the word.

[Jayne Wisniewski]

I'd just like to add my congratulations to Conor too on a magnificent run of performances. The whole series has been a joy to watch and wonder at.

[Waynek 74]

Well done to Conor, who went from strength to strength throughout the series, to the point where it was difficult to be much stronger! The whole series rejuvenated my interest in the show which did significantly wane (no pun intended) to the point where I only watched if I knew someone on the show, but I'm not sure watching on Monday is going to be quite the same! Commiserations also to Jack who would have been a worthy winner if Conor had not been so infallible. Conor for Pope maybe?

[Jon O'Neill]

These 2 leviathans

OMFG SPOILERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[Michael Wallace]

gg n1 wp etc.

[James Robinson]

These 2 leviathans

OMFG SPOILERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Crikey, I can't actually said that

I clearly am psychic.

[Rhys Benjamin]

These 2 leviathans

OMFG SPOILERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Crikey, I can't actually said that

I clearly am psychic.

It's a spoilers thread.

[Andy Platt]

It's a spoilers thread.

You missed the point beca...

Hmm, can I be arsed? nope

[Graeme Cole]

Congratulations Conor, and huge respect to Jack for the graciousness he showed in defeat. This tournament must surely settle the question of Countdown's greatest player once and for all. Conor has the most max games (three, and all consecutive), the joint highest score, and was beaten on only one round in 90. I don't think we'll see those stats beaten for a very long time, if ever.

And once again, thanks to the Countdown Team for putting this whole thing together. I don't think anybody was expecting it when it was announced back in September, and it was a huge privilege to have been even a small part in it.

[Gavin Chipper]

Brilliant game. It was a shame that Conor was 18 points ahead so early because they matched each other for most of the rest of the game, untill the POMADES miss I think. But yeah, Conor has to be the greatest now. There isn't really another contender. This can be discussed at length in the other thread though. It was a bit of a shame that the 4 large game wasn't maxed. Another max game and a new record would have topped it off perfectly. But we had so much in this tournament. Oh and Jack played brilliantly throughout too.

Craig Beevers pointed out in another thread that when people reach this high level, it becomes a game of luck because everyone's so close and so many games could go either way especially with crucial conundrums. But actually Conor was enough better than the other contestants for it to show. And while he could still have lost one of his games on a crucial, we could see that he was the best, and the best ended up winning. I think he was good enough so that if this tourament was run in several parallel universes, he would have won overall >50% of the time, even though it massively goes against Raccoon's predictor. Does that sound realistic?

[Gavin Chipper]

Does any one know whether Julian Fell was invited to attemd this series? Would love to see a challenge match between the two only 146 ers.

Julian Fell has completely retired from the Countdown community. Also, for this championship everyone who has appeared in the past were invited to apply so if he'd wanted to take part he had plenty of opportunity to put himself forward.

I think people were invited by posts on the Countdown and Scrabble internet communities, so it's possible he wouldn't have known about it anyway. It's no coincidence that most (all?) of the players from longer ago are Scrabblers. In a way it was a shame. It would have been good to see some of the other old greats back - Harvey Freeman, Allan Saldanha etc. - if they'd accepted their invitations, which they might not have done ayway. Clearly they would have had to put the hours in though to get to a standard to compete at the highest level. It would be interesting to see the likes of Freeman and Saldanha after hours on Apterous.

[Ciaran Thompson]

Had a text from Des Lynam, who's still a huge fan and compulsive Countdown viewer. He was resident in the presenters chair when Conor first came to our screens in 2005. He was delighted for Conor and wanted to convey his congratulations. Nice touch.

Yes indeed. What would have been an even nicer touch is if you'd booked Des in to be the DC guest for this week or even just for the final. Jenny is good, but she somewhat of a newcomer, who's only ever appeared this week and for a week last year. Whereas Des Lynam's association with Countdown extends back to almost half of Countdown's history. After all, I'm pretty sure that he's the only person in those 30 years to have been a contestant, a presenter and a guest. He's pretty much done it all.

All I can say is that from our end, via Twitter, 1000's of emails and letters to the office, the reaction to the whole thing has been truly amazing and it's fair to say that it was a success that exceeded our expectations by a mile.

That just goes to show that having champion's series' only boosts interest in the show, rather than the opposite. Thank so much for organising it.

Conor's three 9's and his usual lightning fast conundrum solve, the sportsmenship of both contestants, Marcel's generous speech and the photo at the end were all just fantastic. What a tribute to the Countdowners on the screens, behind the screens and watching the screens for the last 30 years. It was one of the most enjoyable episodes I've ever watched! You can be sure of it.

[Arthur Bennett]

For a minute there, I thought Arthur Bennett was James reincarnated.

LOL, not quite.

What would have been an even nicer touch is if you'd booked Des in to be the DC guest for this week or even just for the final. Jenny is good, but she somewhat of a newcomer, who's only ever appeared this week and for a week last year. Whereas Des Lynam's association with Countdown extends back to almost half of Countdown's history. After all, I'm pretty sure that he's the only person in those 30 years to have been a contestant, a presenter and a guest. He's pretty much done it all.

Plus one.

I know I keep dragging this up - but are we not supposed to know how Jenny came to be in DC this week?

Nothing against her at all, mind - but it looks like no-one here can deny that she was a peculiar choice...

[JackHurst]

Wow, what a tournament, I feel so honoured to have been part of it, and to get to play against Conor in the final was a dream come true. Indeed I got quite emotional after spotting STRONTIUM in my semi (I still haven't said well played to Jonathan yet: WP GG <3 <3)

I would like to say a big well done to Conor, who played (in my opinion) Unbeatably in his last 5 games in the tournament. I was a little disappointed with what I missed in that game, but I don't think it would have made any difference! On top of all this chat about Conor being the GOAT (which he definitely is) he is also a very nice guy, so it was a pleasure to see him win. I remember watching with my grandparents when Conor was originally on, and he spanked me every time. 7 years on, and it's still much the same! What a guy, what a player.

Thanks to the countdown team for organising this and having me back. I had the best three days I can remember up in Salford, and I know a lot of the others feel the same. It was a pleasure to meet the other contestants, all of which should give themselves a pat on the back for making this tournament what it was.

What to do with my life now?

[Mark Deeks]

and was beaten on only one round in 90

Ben Wilson, take a bow!

[Matthew Green]

Question for Jack: If Conor had been on 137 and you spotted the conundrum before him, would you have possibly considered delaying a scond or two???

[Andy Platt]

Question for Jack: If Conor had been on 137 and you spotted the conundrum before him, would you have possibly considered delaying a scond or two???

I'm not Jack's PR agent or anything but I know Jack well enough to know that he'd still go for it. It would be a farce otherwise, it's not a practice game on apterous, it's a record that would presumably have literally stood forever, bearing in mind the upcoming change in format 12 games into the next series (presuming no miracles) so if you're going to do it, you have to do it properly.


BTW someone should edit the part of the apterous wiki main page where you click on The Highest Score Ever.
(Oh and Scott Mearns is the featured article yet again - might be worth revising?)

[James Robinson]

BTW someone should edit the part of the apterous wiki main page where you click on The Highest Score Ever. (Oh and Scott Mearns is the featured article yet again - might be worth revising?)

I know, I would alter it, but I don't have the magic powers to alter the front page. Ask Mr. Reams or someone with magic to do it.

[Rhys Benjamin]

Question for Jack: If Conor had been on 137 and you spotted the conundrum before him, would you have possibly considered delaying a scond or two???

(Oh and Scott Mearns is the featured article yet again - might be worth revising?)

This changes monthly. It was Allan Saldahna last month.

[Andy Platt]

Question for Jack: If Conor had been on 137 and you spotted the conundrum before him, would you have possibly considered delaying a scond or two???

(Oh and Scott Mearns is the featured article yet again - might be worth revising?)

This changes monthly. It was Allan Saldahna last month.

Yeah but it was Scott Mearns a few months ago. Ah whatever, let's not go on a tangent here

[Chris Philpot]

BTW someone should edit the part of the apterous wiki main page where you click on The Highest Score Ever.

Good shout, will sort that in a moment. I updated some of the records either yesterday or earlier but someone with a better memory for stats than I may like to check it through.

(Oh and Scott Mearns is the featured article yet again - might be worth revising?)

I set that up quite a while ago so that, rather than having to tart up an article every month or else feature an error message, it just cycles through the same 12 ad nauseum. But I agree they have rather enjoyed their moment in the sun, so suggest a handful of well-written new ones and I'll update the templates.

[James Robinson]

Apparently, only 570,000 turned up to watch the final on Friday....................: https://twitter.com/TVRatingsUK/status/ ... 7879270401 (Well, at least we beat The Common Denominator)

[Andy Platt]

I set that up quite a while ago so that, rather than having to tart up an article every month or else feature an error message, it just cycles through the same 12 ad nauseum. But I agree they have rather enjoyed their moment in the sun, so suggest a handful of well-written new ones and I'll update the templates.

Ah I didn't realise that they were in a loop I thought they had to be chosen. Cool

[Chris Philpot]

They were chosen each month originally, but I grew characteristically lazy and thought an annual loop wouldn't hurt.

[Nick Deller]

BTW someone should edit the part of the apterous wiki main page where you click on The Highest Score Ever.

Good shout, will sort that in a moment. I updated some of the records either yesterday or earlier but someone with a better memory for stats than I may like to check it through.

While we're doing front page fixes, can you install Paul in his rightful place as current series champion? It's been bugging me for a while and I didn't know how or who to ask!

[Conor]

Thanks everyone for your very kind messages! I've been getting quite emotional over the number of people who've congratulated me after following the tournament: distant relatives, old friends whom I've not seen for years and people at uni I've only spoken to maybe once or twice. I remember when I played on apterous a bit during September how cool a big tourney would be, and was beside myself when it was announced but what has happened has been completely dreamlike. I'm now a lot worse at my degree, but it's been completely and utterly worth it (and would've been so whatever the outcome). Practising brought back all the memories of my aspirations from years ago and it was great to meet people from before my time, friends from the past and new people I'd yet to meet. I always found my recollection of recording back in 2005/2006 very haphazard and blurry, but from being in the studios and facing the audience the memories come flooding back and what a feeling that is - I'd like to find something that compares!

Definitely want to say how sporting and gracious Jack was both on and off camera, and I'm pleased that came through after his game against Wayne which was both exaggerated and looked worse than it was - he's a thoroughly great guy. It was unfortunate that his early missed word was a nine, had it been anything else I'm sure it would have gone down to the wire, but he pushed me all the way and was about 3 seconds from getting right back in the game in round 10. I'm also really pleased Rachel had the chance to demonstrate just how good she is with the first numbers game - the 6 small and 4 large picks had kinda flopped in the latter stages of the competition and hers was a very elegant solution I likely wouldn't have spotted in 5 minutes. And also, thanks to Rachel for socializing with all us contestants after the final recordings. From when she popped into the green room to say good luck on the first recording session back in November it was clear just how nice and down to earth she was.

After the Snooker World Championship final where Higgins beat Trump my friend confessed that he was holding back tears after the match. I told him I was keeping it together, but was almost crying during the intro, and that was the same in the final - I was close to blubbing when the opening credits were rolling just at the realization of what had already happened. Luckily I didn't, because that would've looked ridiculous. I feel it's a testament to the spirit of the competition, the magnanimity of my opponents and the hospitality of everyone involved with the production that I became less competitive the further the tournament progressed simply because of the sheer enjoyment I'd already had. The last 3 days in Manchester were, quite easily, the best 3 days of my life. And that's why I've decided to end it all...

...nah, still have exams to look forward to. I still haven't thanked the man most culpable for this spectacle: Mr. Countdown Team! Organizing a whole 8 weeks of carnage took a leap of faith, and I'm delighted to hear the response has been so positive. Indeed, I'd never used the twitter before egosurfing during the last few weeks but it's brilliant to see how many people were gripped by a show they'd never really paid attention to before. And I think that's where the satisfaction really lies. Really touched to hear about Des watching - he was a fantastic host and his personality and demeanour was very influential in my enjoyment back in series 54, right from my first when I was a bundle of nerves to the CoC semifinal.

I'll end this very long post by saying: to the future. To another 30 years. To seeing many of you at CO-events or elsewhere (perhaps on apterous after my degree). To Series 68 and beyond, which I'll be watching - this tournament has made me realize just how much I love the game. Best of luck Rachael and all the other apteforumites coming up, I'm expecting spectacular things.

[Matthew Green]

You're a class act Conor, it was amazing to watch.

[Lee Kelly]

ur the pure legend conor!! Well done!

[Chris Davies]

Wonderful post, Conor.
You couldn't have deserved it more, and it's easy for anyone to see what a great guy you are as well as a freaking genius. Thrilled for you.

[Matt Morrison]

Conor is the best at everything including humanity. Amazing stuff, tournament. Incredible in all ways. Everything already said really. Apart from:



PM for me postal address.

[Chris Philpot]

Marvellous post, Conor. I think your Countdown ability and general amenity are best summed up by that Tina Turner song... Nutbush City Limits.

While we're doing front page fixes, can you install Paul in his rightful place as current series champion?

Well spotted, and sorted. Missed that one on my mini-trawl the other day.

[Arthur Bennett]

Magnificent post by a magnificent guy, Conor.

Apparently, only 570,000 turned up to watch the final on Friday....................: https://twitter.com/TVRatingsUK/status/ ... 7879270401 (Well, at least we beat The Common Denominator)

Still can't see Countdown moving back to 3:10 any day soon, though...

[Dave Preece]

Conor, Jack, all the other great contestants, the Countdown production team and everyone else involved — take a huge bow!



x

[Matt Morrison]

[Ryan Taylor]

Belated congrats on the win. Unquestionably the greatest for me. And well done to everyone who took part, some memorable matches and great contestants aplenty making gripping TV!

[Dave Preece]

Like

[Innis Carson]

Just watched this back now, and as a finale to this series it was even more beautiful than I remembered. It may not have been as close a contest as many of the others in the later stages, but in that way it symbolised Conor's solo ascension to all-time greatness, culminating in that iconic score of 146. Just perfect. You've heard it a thousand times already Conor (probably from me alone) but congratulations on an unbelievable tournament performance, and on cementing yourself as the definitive all-time champion we've been looking for for so long. Averaging over 14 maxes in 6 games? Against opposition as fearsome as this? Just insane. It had to be you. It was a pleasure to meet you and I do hope it won't prove the only time I do.

That goes to you too Jack. You played as big a part as anyone in making this series the masterpiece it was, and watching this episode again it was great to see the magnanimous, humble and charming guy I had remembered you being. Congrats on what you achieved. I remember you saying a few times at the recordings that you doubted you would ever return to the apterous/tournament scene after this, but that would be a great shame and I'm sure I'm not alone in hoping you've changed your mind.

Have to give a special mention too to Mrs. Stellman, who spotted PONYTAILS in the green room after about 2 seconds.

[Gavin Chipper]

I'm not sure if this has been said, but I was thinking that even after Jack missed the nine, the game was theoretically winnable. If he'd got the 4-large game, he could have forced a crucial.

[Anthony Endsor]

Theoretically being the operative word. The truth was, once Conor got 18 ahead there was no way back for even the greatest challenger, which Jack was of course.

[Gavin Chipper]

Theoretically being the operative word. The truth was, once Conor got 18 ahead there was no way back for even the greatest challenger, which Jack was of course.

I disagree. Conor was favourite anyway, and massively so after the nine, but no-one's invincible, the 4-large game certainly could have been one that Jack could do but not Conor. And then it would have been edgy stuff. Like when Innis went 18 up against Adam, and Adam clawed 10 back. Could still have gone either way.

[James Robinson]

How fitting that the final is being repeated on the 15th anniversary of the passing of Richard Whiteley...

[Jojo Apollo]

Great seeing all these classic shows again, I remembered PONYTAILS all these years later but still got slaughtered again

Did Conor ever pass his degree? It would be great to see all these greats regularly back on Apterous again.

Here's to the 40th birthday celebrations special series in a couple of years hopefully.

[Gavin Chipper]

Apparently, only 570,000 turned up to watch the final on Friday....................: https://twitter.com/TVRatingsUK/status/ ... 7879270401 (Well, at least we beat The Common Denominator)

I wonder what time they were queueing from?