You'll be alright Tom, you won't get a letter from Zef, more likely his lawyer.
I think a little timeline is needed...
2000-2001 Zef joins the old talk4 forum as another anonymous person. During autumn 2001 he sets up the daily summary site, which does a good job of recapping series 45- although the format is somewhat primitive and, well, crap compared to that used on the wiki and cdb (think a different colour coding for every possibility and spoiler space between every round). Zef goes into semi-retirement from the site after series 45. (Though this later turned into permanent retirement.)
2002 Gevincountdown is set up, Zef is amongst the first migrants.
2004. Gevincountdown goes tits up and c4countdown (the old one) is set up by me, Stewart and Gary Male. Here's where things get interesting.
July 2004- Zef joins c4c. Bear in mind the three of us (me, SH and GM) enforced the same 'real name' policy as we do here on the new c4c. We decide to allow Zef's posts on a post-by-post basis. For the most part, he contributes decent stuff in a sensible manner.
August 2004- JOLT is announced by Julian. Zef signs up, having played online games in the meantime. However, there had been a question as to the 'authenticity' of some of his scores. As these were the days before the automatic cheat detector, we had no way of verifying these claims (there have been several claims since, some upheld, and some quite epically proven untrue). Stewart Holden email Julian to advise that there have been questions regarding Zef's cheatiness, and Julian responds by barring Zef from JOLT.
September 2004- First of several emails from Zef to Stewart in which Zef threatens legal action over the JOLT incident. I kid ye not. Zef goes incommunicado for several months, until...
January 2005- Zef resurfaces on c4c around the time of COLT 1 and his Xmas shield/plate/whatever (which finished around February), resumes normal behaviour. However...
February 2005-
Zefgate on uk-scrabble. Read it all- it gives you a good idea of the unstable mindset of the man. Just one week later his real identity was revealed to me- he is none other than Paul (Tranmere) Thomson, a Scrabble player from (Tranmere). Zef also begins his campaign against Mr. Holden on c4c, resulting in some chastising from myself and Mr. Reams (the new moderator).
March 2005-
Countdown Online mailing list founded. 'If you do not post your recap here you will be removed from the thing that is life' etc. It's no wonder he needs to wear ear defenders with a colour scheme like that. This month he also began a scathing attack on the (as it was then known) Countdown Corral, pointing out how Soo had somehow made several critical errors in a recap that was written by, erm, Zef. He also calls the Corral something akin to a 'cheap knock-off' of his site.
May 2005- Zef offers (in a rather threatening way) to become a moderator of c4c. Answer: no.
Sometime in 2005- I (incorrectly) suggest off-hand that Zef had been banned multiple times from c4c, resulting in my becoming public enemy #1 and resulting in two strongly-worded emails, one to c4countdown and one to gevincountdown with the message at the bottom saying 'if this email doesn't appear intact and in full on c4countdown it proves the moderators are all Hitler wannabes'.
September 2005- Zef tries to have Stewart Holden barred from attending Richard Whiteley's memorial service. No, really.
October 2005- c4c's infamous 'pollgate' during which Gary Male is added to the list, thereby completing his alienation of every single authority figure of c4c. There was an original poll featuring four choices for the new host, Zef posted one with about 16 different ways to choose between four hosts (1st choice X, 2nd choice Y etc.). Gary edited in a choice saying 'oh great, another poll repeating one we've only just had'. Zeffy was not amused. Zef claims his posts are being refused because we disrespect him. Well, yes, that and he was a total sociopath. Or, in Reams's words- 'The reason that your posts have to be individually moderated is that you have a history of posting meandering off-topic crap.'
November 2005- Zef attends RW's memorial service and sits down to dinner with me, Stewart, Kirk and a few others. No harsh words are said to anyone's face. Except after he's left, if only to see the look on Dave Coulthurst's face-
August 2006- Zef's last non-psychotic post to c4c, repeated here in full-
Zef sez:
"Zefcountdown" = Zef's COUNTDOWN SUMMARIES WEBSITE
http://www.geocities.com/zefcountdown/f ... ies45.html
For Countdown Series 45 (July to September 2001), the "zefcountdown"
website has webpages which give round-by-round coverage of each of
the following episodes:-
3043 45/01/1 Mo 02/07/01 P001 John Rawnsley vs Leonard Lavelle
3044 45/01/2 Tu 03/07/01 P002 John Rawnsley vs Michael Galgut
3045 45/01/3 We 04/07/01 P003 John Rawnsley vs Mary Hains
3050 45/03/1 Mo 16/07/01 P008 Rita Bean vs Ian Pitkin
3067 45/09/2 Tu 28/08/01 P025 Craig Richardson vs May Thomson
3068 45/09/2 We 29/08/01 P026 Craig Richardson vs Neil Greenall
3069 45/09/2 Th 30/08/01 P027 Neil Greenall vs Jim Hankin
3070 45/09/2 Fr 31/08/01 P028 Jim Hankin vs Beverley Calder
3071 45/10/1 Mo 03/09/01 P029 Jim Hankin vs Jeff Evans
3072 45/10/2 Tu 04/09/01 P030 Jim Hankin vs David Dorward
3073 45/10/3 We 05/09/01 P031 David Dorward vs Mary Blair
3074 45/10/4 Th 06/09/01 P032 Mary Blair vs Ian Robinson
3076 45/11/1 Mo 10/09/01 P034 Mac MacDonald vs Geraldine Hylands
3077 45/11/2 Tu 11/09/01 P035 Geraldine Hylands vs Geoff Clarke
3078 45/11/3 We 12/09/01 P036 Geraldine Hylands vs Billy Armstrong
3079 45/11/4 Th 13/09/01 P037 Geraldine Hylands vs Charlie Neill
3083 45/12/3 We 19/09/01 SF-1 John Rawnsley vs Phil Bennett
3084 45/12/4 Th 20/09/01 SF-2 Geraldine Hylands vs Craig Richardson
Rather than writing fresh summaries/recaps for these Countdown shows,
thus duplicating the coverage provided in some IMO well presented &
very user friendly webpages? I'd suggest that first priority should
be given instead to writing summaries/recaps for the other 2000 or so
Countdown shows for which *no* round-by-round coverage currently
exists.[/zef]
Note how he believes the pages to be well-presented and user-friendly when all evidence clearly points to the contrary.
Finally, a link-
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/gevincountdown/ Gevincountdown, where Zef still to this day posts, his stubborn refusal to relent and join c4c now bordering on the pathetic. Many of his vitriolic rants are still preserved on there for your amusement. And yes, it is worth noting that Gevin himself has become a valued member of c4c whilst Zef is still a lunatic.
