Countdown recap for Tuesday 31 August 2021.
Anne says children will be going back to school tomorrow. Will they? Won't they be going back on Monday?
C1: Champion Steve Gamble (1 win, 90 points.) Bus driver from Nottingham. Returnee from 2002.
C2: Challenger Tony Cross. Also from Nottingham. Didn't ride on Steve's bus. Wearing the same colour as Anne. Postman, walks around 13 miles a day.
DC: Susie Dent and Johnny Vaughan. Johnny Vaughan, also wearing the same reddish colour as Anne and Tony. Strange jump-cut from Tony straight to Johnny, suggesting that we're about to get a very tight-for-time part one edit.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: D A S E G I R D B
R02: N E E D G I S O H
R03: 75, 50, 7, 5, 10, 6. Target: 693.
TTT: DRAWSTEW - "It sounds like Vivian is heading off to Devon."
R04: R G U N O V E E T
R05: I W B O W O R S E
R06: 75, 25, 6, 5, 3, 6. Target: 654.
R07: J I N V E T A M U
R08: P A L E K P I E D
R09: 25, 2, 7, 3, 9, 8. Target: 442.
TTT: ACORNPIE - "The dental anaesthetic was in favour of Michael."
R10: C U H D E A E S N
R11: I Y R E T S O F R
R12: L C O E D I M S I
R13: T L A O M U N L O
R14: 100, 25, 9, 3, 7, 9. Target: 784.
R15: N E R D A B O D E (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Round 1: D A S E G I R D B
Steve: BRIGADES (8)
Tony: BRIDGES (7)
DC: ABRIDGES (8)
OT: ABRIDGED (8) BRIGADED (8)
Score: 8–0 (max 8, jos 8)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)
An eight from Steve gets us underway.
Round 2: N E E D G I S O H
Steve: HEEDING (7)
Tony: HINGES (6)
DC: heedings SEEDING (7) NEIGHED (7)
OT: DINGOES (7) GENOISE (7) HEDGIES (7) SHOEING (7) SOIGNEE (7)
Score: 15–0 (max 15, jos 15)
Darren-o-meter: 0/2 (0%)
Steve extends his lead whilst Anne shushes Johnny - hooray!
Round 3: 75, 50, 7, 5, 10, 6. Target: 693.
Steve: 693. 75 × 10 − 50 − 7 (10)
Tony: 693. 75 × 10 − 50 − 7 (10)
Score: 25–10 (max 25, jos 25)
Ariana.
Teatime teaser: DRAWSTEW -> WESTWARD
Round 4: R G U N O V E E T
Steve: overtune (risky)
Tony: TONGUE (6)
DC: VENTURE (7)
OT: OUTENER (7) OUVERTE (7) OVERGET (7) OVERNET (7)
Score: 25–16 (max 32, jos 32)
Darren-o-meter: 0/3 (0%)
Tony gets 6 points back with Steve having an eight disallowed, which is not a million miles away from OVERTURE, which is probably what he was thinking of, meaning-wise.
Round 5: I W B O W O R S E
Steve: BROWSE (6)
Tony: WOWSER (6) (risky)
DC: BOWERS (6)
OT: BOOERS (6) BOWIES (6) BOWSER (6) BOWSIE (6) RIBOSE (6) WOOERS (6)
Score: 31–22 (max 38, jos 38)
Darren-o-meter: 0/4 (0%)
WOWSER - it's in! Wowser! BOWSER is not the Mario character, but is in fact a water tanker.
Round 6: 75, 25, 6, 5, 3, 6. Target: 654.
Steve: 655. 75 × (6 + 3) − 25 + 5 (7)
Tony: 637.
RR: 654. (75 + 25 + 6 + 3) × 6 (10)
Score: 38–22 (max 48, jos 48)
Rachel gets something to do as Steve only sees one away and Tony is 17 away.
Johnny, who is quickly becoming one of my least favourite guests, refuses to give an anecdote of his own accord and instead asks to be interviewed by Anne. He then says he was filming in an underground US Air Force base, also serving as a nuclear bunker in the Cold War. He then presses two big red buttons, one marked "war" and one marked "total shutdown".
Rachel looks extremely uncomfortable here, whilst Johnny spins this story as "at least the war button didn't work"... He then switched subject and labels Terry Wogan as his inspiration, which is 7,000,000% more wholesome.Round 7: J I N V E T A M U
Steve: MINUTE (6)
Tony: MINUET (6)
OT: AUNTIE (6) INMATE (6) MANJIT (6) MANTIE (6) MAUNTE (6) NATIVE (6) TAIMEN (6) TAJINE (6) UNMATE (6)
Score: 44–28 (max 54, jos 54)
Darren-o-meter: 0/5 (0%)
Flat.
Round 8: P A L E K P I E D
Steve: LAPPED (6)
Tony: palped
DC: KIPPED (6) akipped APPLIED (7)
OT: LEPAKED (7) PADLIKE (7) PEALIKE (7)
Score: 50–28 (max 61, jos 61)
Darren-o-meter: 0/6 (0%)
PULPED would be valid if there was a U, says Susie (think Alan Partridge) but no PALPED, unfortunately for Tony. Johnny sleeps his way into a seven. Don't sleep on Farage's old party - u kip if u want to.
Round 9: 25, 2, 7, 3, 9, 8. Target: 442.
Steve: 442. 9 × 2 × 25 − 8 (10)
Tony: 442. Mistake in working.
Score: 60–28 (max 71, jos 71)
Tony is 20 away, allowing Steve to extend his lead further.
Teatime teaser: ACORNPIE -> PROCAINE
Round 10: C U H D E A E S N
Steve: CHASED (6)
Tony: CHASED (6)
DC: UNCASHED (8)
OT: ENCASHED (8) ENCHASED (8)
Score: 66–34 (max 79, jos 79)
Darren-o-meter: 0/7 (0%)
Surprised UNCHASED^ isn't in, to be honest. Sixes again.
Round 11: I Y R E T S O F R
Steve: FORESTRY (8)
Tony: FORESTRY (8)
OT: FROSTIER (8) ROTIFERS (8)
Score: 74–42 (max 87, jos 87)
Darren-o-meter: 0/8 (0%)
An excellent spot from both contestants here, even if FROSTIER is a more common word.
OOW A triple-header from Susie here, with: swansong, which was the last sound made by a swan before death; scotfree, meaning without a tax; baker's dozen, coming down to an act of parliament relating to selling by weight rather than size, and to get around this bakers starting doing "buy 12 get one free".
Round 12: L C O E D I M S I
Steve: CLOSED (6)
Tony: DIMES (5)
DC: similes DOMICILES (18)
Score: 80–42 (max 105, jos 105)
Darren-o-meter: 1/9 (11%)
Our first darren of the day and it's a nine, despite which neither contestant is anywhere near it and Steve extends the lead again, and is on the verge of winning, having got himself a 38-point lead.
Round 13: T L A O M U N L O
Steve: AMOUNT (6)
Tony: MOUNT (5)
DC: OUTMAN (6)
OT: LOTMAN (6) MALTOL (6) MANLOT (6) MANOOL (6) MANTOU (6) MOUTON (6) OLLUNT (6) TOLUOL (6) TOUMAN (6)
Score: 86–42 (max 111, jos 111)
Darren-o-meter: 1/10 (10%)
And that'll do nicely, rubbing salt into Tony's wounds and giving him a second win.
Round 14: 100, 25, 9, 3, 7, 9. Target: 784.
Steve: 784. 7 × 100 + 3 × 25 + 9 (10)
Tony: 784. 7 × 100 + 3 × 25 + 9 (10)
Score: 96–52 (max 121, jos 121)
Easy enough, but not Ariana level.
Round 15: N E R D A B O D E
Steve buzzes on 10.5 seconds to say BROADENED which is correct.
Final Score: 106–52 (max 131, jos 131)
And Steve spots the conundrum to get himself a century. Well done that man. A max jos from Susie and Rachel today as well, so well done to them. Anne's already had enough of Johnny, treating him like a child and telling him to be quiet. Thank god.
Steve will be back tomorrow. As will Johnny, sadly. Join us then. Goodbye.
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84