Friday 15 October 2010 (Series 63, Prelim 70)

[Mike Brown]

Countdown recap for Friday 15 October 2010 (Series 63, Prelim 70).

C1: Champion Jack Hurst (2 wins, 234 points.)
C2: Challenger David Smith.
DC: Susie Dent and David Lloyd.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

It’s a Friday recap once again and our very own Jack Hurst takes on his third challenge from David Smith, who hails from Ealing and, rather interestingly, met his girlfriend at a knitting group. Jack already has two centuries under his belt; can he make it three in a row?

R01: B L M U A O M L E
R02: R O U N G O R E N
R03: H B T A O A S R E
R04: V I N S U E R A Y
R05: 25, 3, 7, 2, 1, 1. Target: 301.
TTT: REDLUSTS - "In Germany, these pastries are Eddy's favourites."
R06: H E O D N R I E S
R07: L R N A I E P D S
R08: U D S I E L R A T
R09: X M S E I E N O E
R10: 25, 8, 7, 5, 7, 8. Target: 195.
TTT: THESTICK - "Stocky, like a stupid television perhaps."
R11: A C O E K M F T C
R12: I E G D P I S N E
R13: G T T S I E O W T
R14: 25, 100, 50, 75, 7, 10. Target: 839.
R15: A S H E S T O U R (conundrum)

Vitabiotics Jointace sponsors Countdown.

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Today is Global Handwashing Day, apparently, and after some discussion about the perils of not washing your hands after going to the loo, it leads Jeff nicely into an anecdote about Bobby Robson from the time when he was manager of Ipswich Town. Always nice to hear tales of the legendary football manager, especially as he was one of my personal heroes and a true gent. Anyway, time to get on with that other great game: Countdown.

Round 1: B L M U A O M L E

C1: MUMBLE (6)
C2: LABEL (5)
DC: BUMMALO (7)
Score: 6–0 (max 7)

As Susie points out, a BUMMALO is a South Asian fish, which is more commonly known in this country as Bombay Duck.

Round 2: R O U N G O R E N

C1: GUNNER (6)
C2: GUNNER (6)
DC: GURNER (6)
OT: GUENON (6) NEURON (6) NOONER (6) ORGONE (6) OROGEN (6) RUNNER (6)
Score: 12–6 (max 13)

Having asked Rachel to “hit [him] with a consonant” at the start of the round, David can only spot GUNNER for six. Luckily for him, Jack can’t beat it, which allows him to open his account.

Round 3: H B T A O A S R E

C1: BOASTER (7)
C2: BATHERS (7)
DC: BATHERS (7) EARSHOT (7)
OT: ABREAST (7) BASHERT (7) BERTHAS (7) BREATHS (7) BOATERS (7) BORATES (7) BOTHERS (7) EARBASH (7) ROBATAS (7)
Score: 19–13 (max 20)

Sevens coming out of our ears here in this somewhat flat round. (It’s just occurred to me that ‘flat round’ is a bit of an oxymoron, really.)

Round 4: V I N S U E R A Y

C1: RAVINES (7)
C2: INSURE (6)
DC: RAVINES (7)
Score: 26–13 (max 27)

Round 5: 25, 3, 7, 2, 1, 1. Target: 301.

C1: 301. ((7+3+2)x25)+1 (10)
C2: -
Score: 36–13 (max 37)

David fails to score on a relatively easy numbers game, which allows our champ to go more than twenty ahead.

Before the break, David Lloyd tells us a tale involving one of his friends (‘Brigadier’ Carr) who pretended he was a Falklands veteran and got into a terrible mess as a result.

Teatime teaser: REDLUSTS -> STRUDELS

A clever Teaser today, Mr Eadie: go to the top of the class!

Round 6: H E O D N R I E S

C1: INDORSE (7)
C2: SHRINED (7)
DC: HEROISED (8)
OT: HEROINES (8)
Score: 43–20 (max 45)

It may be the end of the week, but DC certainly haven’t taken their foot of the gas, as they offer a great eight.

Round 7: L R N A I E P D S

C1: PREDIALS (8)
C2: SPRAINED (8)
DC: ISLANDER (8) PRALINES (8)
OT: SPANDREL (8)
Score: 51–28 (max 53)

Good stuff all round from quite a tasty (and nutty and chocolatey) set of letters.

Round 8: U D S I E L R A T

C1: RESIDUAL (8)
C2: STUDLIER (8)
DC: DILUTERS (8)
OT: LARDIEST (8)
Score: 59–36 (max 61)

More eights, including the rather surprising STUDLIER: an excellent risk from David.

Round 9: X M S E I E N O E

C1: MONIES (6)
C2: SEMEN (5)
DC: ENEMIES (7)
Score: 65–36 (max 68)

David apologies for offering SEMEN (as it were), while Jack isn’t certain about his MONIES. They’re fine and he moves even further ahead.

OoW: Susie tells us the origins of the term ‘cloud cuckoo land’.

Round 10: 25, 8, 7, 5, 7, 8. Target: 195.

C1: 195. (25+7+7)x5 (10)
C2: 195. (25x8)-5 (10)
Score: 75–46 (max 78)

This time David gets his ten points, having managed to convert his inverted T selection into the target figure of 195.

Teatime teaser: THESTICK -> THICKSET

Round 11: A C O E K M F T C

C1: COMET (5)
C2: MAsCOT
DC: CAMEO (5)
OT: COMAE (5) FACET (5) KOFTA (5)
Score: 80–46 (max 83)

What’s this? The challenger has beaten Jack to a six? Sadly not (for him), as David is knocked out by a phantom ‘S’. It’s already all over bar the shouting and Jack is on course for another big score.

Round 12: I E G D P I S N E

C1: SPEEDING (8)
C2: pidgens
DC: PIDGINS (7)
Score: 88–46 (max 91)

David misspells PIDGINS, but no matter, as Jack’s eight trumps it anyway and gives the young man from Leicestershire an unassailable lead with three rounds still to go.

Round 13: G T T S I E O W T

C1: EGOTIST (7)
C2: GITES (5)
DC: STOGIE (6) TOTTIES (7)
OT: STOTTIE (7)
Score: 95–46 (max 98)

Jack manages to offer EGOTIST with humility, while David is obviously already thinking about his next holiday in France – probably in order to avoid having to play Countdown against this young whirlwind again in the near future!

Round 14: 25, 100, 50, 75, 7, 10. Target: 839.

C1: 840. (((50/25)x10)+100)x7 (7)
C2: -
RR: 840. (((50/25)x10)+100)x7 (7)
Score: 102–46 (max 105)

A tough final numbers game (impossible to get spot-on, in fact) and David can only get as far as 825, while both Jack and ‘our Rach’ get to a very creditable one away.

Round 15: A S H E S T O U R

C2 buzzes on 14 seconds to say THEOSAURS which is incorrect.
C1 buzzes on 27 seconds to say AUTHORESS which is correct.
Final Score: 112–46 (max 115)

A nice conundrum scramble, presumably in honour of departing guest David Lloyd, and one which initially fools both our players. On fourteen seconds, David offers the very plausible ‘theosaurs’ (religious dinosaurs, presumably), before Jack finally solves it with just under three seconds remaining on the clock. Another day of Countdown is complete, and another 112 points are added to Jack’s total. If he can keep going at this rate, what are we in store for next week? Tune in on Monday for the next exciting instalment!

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=63

[David Smith]

David offers the very plausible ‘theosaurs’ (religious dinosaurs, presumably)...

Thank you for not using the "rolling eyes" emoticon, Mike, although I still get the feeling that your "plausible" is probably sarcastic...

For the record, although I'd love to be able to say that I thought a "theosaur" was a dinosaur, the truth is a little more embarrassing. I genuinely thought it might have been a little-used abbreviated form of the name of erm, that thing with the alternative words in it - like Pears "cyclopaedia" for "encyclopaedia" - and it was about two hours after the recording before I twigged that said tome is of course a thesaurus and not a theosaurus. D'oh!!!

This leaving aside of course the cardinal conundrum rule on which we were briefed before the recording, that the solution will never be a plural...

Hey - the letters all fitted though!

[Mike Brown]

Thank you for not using the "rolling eyes" emoticon, Mike, although I still get the feeling that your "plausible" is probably sarcastic...

Well, maybe a little, but to be honest, there have been plenty of rather less plausible conundrum guesses over the years! Very honest of you to admit to the truth about its possible derivation, by the way, and as for offering a plural, one word: antipasti.

Hope you enjoyed your Countdown experience, anyway - at least you can always say you got knocked out by one of those annoying Countdown experts!

[David Smith]

Hope you enjoyed your Countdown experience, anyway - at least you can always say you got knocked out by one of those annoying Countdown experts!

I did indeed enjoy it very much, thanks Mike. I feel pretty privileged to have been involved in a game that people will probably study in years to come, albeit not for my own performance... Good luck Jack