c4countdown

Michael Wallace wrote:

Jennifer Turner wrote:An opinion piece in the Mirror, bizarre not just for its stereotyping and "alternative" mathematics, but also for the fact that a piece so slight somehow requires an "additional reporting" credit: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/more-spor ... -21037291/

By "alternative mathematics" do you by any chance mean "Riley is earning £100,000 a year, which is £500,000 less than the £800k earned by her predecessor Carol Vorderman"? I'm liking all these 'articles' demonstrating that the people writing them could maybe do with watching a bit more of the show.

Damn, beat me to it. If only that article had a comments feature...

Good for the Daily Mail!

Jennifer Turner wrote:

Lucy Gowers wrote:Surprised that Des I only got 1.8, given his "housewives' favourite" status and the fact that the show had been off air for some months.

He must have been getting well over 2m by Spring 2006 (thanks to the exploits of Conor Travers and the fact that the tabs were running a story a day about the Des/Carol double-act) as I recall Des II being blamed in the papers for "losing" 1m viewers when the show was getting 1.4m in 2007.

Apparently not - 2 million would have got Countdown comfortably into the Top 30 throughout that period, but it wasn't showing up on any sort of regular basis, if at all. None of the episodes in the finals week of June 2006 managed the 1.72 million required to make the C4 top thirty that week.

I was amazed to learn that the 2008 average was only 1 million, I had imagined it was about 1.5m. I'm usually the voice of doom on Countdown's ratings, but even I hadn't realised they were quite that low. It certainly puts the recent upheavals in context.

Hmm, no actually, I had a look at the BARB site, and Conor's final pulled in 2.53 million viewers. You need to look under the last week of May, not June. The fact that the June figures are very low means that the last C of C wasn't very popular. Interestingly, out of the last 10 series, the game with the second highest number of viewers, behind Conor's final, was the Series 55 final, which Tony Warren was in. I guess this means that the two most popular Countdown champions in recent history are Conor Travers, and whoever it was that won Series 55. Interesting.

Richard Brittain wrote:Hmm, no actually, I had a look at the BARB site, and Conor's final pulled in 2.53 million viewers. You need to look under the last week of May, not June.

Ah, sorry about that. I looked at Conor's page on the wiki to find out when his last game was, forgetting that that would have been in C-of-C. 2.53m is pretty respectable, shame it didn't last.

Richard Brittain wrote:I guess this means that the two most popular Countdown champions in recent history are Conor Travers, and whoever it was that won Series 55. Interesting.

That's one way to look at it. Another would be to note that the top box office blockbuster of the time was Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which was (for the uninitiated) a comedy film about a ridiculous-looking and freakish idiot who, despite his lack of social skills and more by luck than judgement, makes it big on a wider stage. A high point of the film is his wrestling match with a large gentleman, conducted naked in a hotel room. So maybe this Series 55 final captured the zeitgeist.

Richard Brittain wrote:

Jennifer Turner wrote:

Lucy Gowers wrote:Surprised that Des I only got 1.8, given his "housewives' favourite" status and the fact that the show had been off air for some months.

He must have been getting well over 2m by Spring 2006 (thanks to the exploits of Conor Travers and the fact that the tabs were running a story a day about the Des/Carol double-act) as I recall Des II being blamed in the papers for "losing" 1m viewers when the show was getting 1.4m in 2007.

Apparently not - 2 million would have got Countdown comfortably into the Top 30 throughout that period, but it wasn't showing up on any sort of regular basis, if at all. None of the episodes in the finals week of June 2006 managed the 1.72 million required to make the C4 top thirty that week.

I was amazed to learn that the 2008 average was only 1 million, I had imagined it was about 1.5m. I'm usually the voice of doom on Countdown's ratings, but even I hadn't realised they were quite that low. It certainly puts the recent upheavals in context.

Hmm, no actually, I had a look at the BARB site, and Conor's final pulled in 2.53 million viewers. You need to look under the last week of May, not June. The fact that the June figures are very low means that the last C of C wasn't very popular. Interestingly, out of the last 10 series, the game with the second highest number of viewers, behind Conor's final, was the Series 55 final, which Tony Warren was in. I guess this means that the two most popular Countdown champions in recent history are Conor Travers, and whoever it was that won Series 55. Interesting.

Surely because it was Des's last show. That's not to say that his rapport with the series champ didn't make for compelling viewing though.

OK, it seems my attempt at humour with obviously invalid logic and a shameless self promotion passed some of you by. The criticisms were both elaborate and instantaneous. Interesting.

Ratings watch...

The Mirror, already writing Deso out of history: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-storie ... -21039687/

The Telegraph puts a negative spin on the ratings: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvan ... -show.html

And Allison Pearson in the Daily Mail asks "why on earth did [Rachel Riley] opt for those ludicrous five-inch heels?": http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/debate/ar ... acist.html

After all those speculative "Andrew Sachs might have a go at Russell Brand!" stories, none of the papers seem to have noticed when it actually happened.

The Mirror says that Rachel Riley hasn't seen herself on Countdown yet: http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/200 ... -21040164/

Jennifer Turner wrote:The Mirror says that Rachel Riley hasn't seen herself on Countdown yet: http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/200 ... -21040164/

you'd think a woman that clever would be able to operate a VCR

Jason Larsen wrote:What, do they think Desmond is a French name?

It was probably a joke.

Rosemary Roberts wrote:* him/her: see how careful I'm being, guys!

Well done that guy!

I see people have been very indifferent about Countdown.

Giles Smith in The Times likes Jeff Stelling: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 518574.ece

This is the right thread to post this in!

I guess all the posts in this thread show the difference between praising and panning.

Jason Larsen wrote:This is the right thread to post this in!

I guess all the posts in this thread show the difference between praising and panning.

What is panning and praising?

Kirk Bevins wrote:

Jason Larsen wrote:This is the right thread to post this in!

I guess all the posts in this thread show the difference between praising and panning.

What is panning and praising?

These are verbs which mean to criticise (usually something arts-based, like a TV gameshow) and to compliment respectively.

How very tedious.

Jon O'Neill wrote: These are verbs which mean to criticise (usually something arts-based, like a TV gameshow) and to compliment respectively.

How very tedious.

Ah thanks. My education obviously wasn't as good as the education you get in Rainham.

Praising means complementing and panning means insulting.

You're right, Mr. O'Neill!

Jason Larsen wrote:Praising means complementing

No, it means complimenting.

I spelled it right, Phil!

Complement and compliment, though quite distinct in meaning, are sometimes confused because they are pronounced the same. As a noun, complement means "something that completes or brings to perfection" (The antique silver was a complement to the beautifully set table); used as a verb it means "to serve as a complement to." The noun compliment means "an expression or act of courtesy or praise" (They gave us a compliment on our beautifully set table), while the verb means "to pay a compliment to."

Oh, I thought both spellings of "complement" were used interchangably, Matt!

Thank you for clearing that Up!

Jason Larsen wrote:I spelled it right, Phil!

Jason, if you'd spelled it right, I wouldn't have corrected you.

Ok, Phil.

More reviews...

Kathryn Flett in The Observer: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/ ... television

Hermione Eyre in The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 18554.html

The Western Mail, via a stocks-and-shares website(!): http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/vi ... id/2962244

From the Telegraph, Countdown ratings are slightly up on last year's average, football fans and lechers are credited, the fact that TV ratings peak in winter anyway is strangely overlooked: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvan ... tings.html

Same story from the Daily Mirror, with an odd choice of photo: http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/200 ... -21061050/

Channel 4 are spinning this well, but the fact remains that they're comparing ratings from one week in TV's peak season, following the show's biggest promotional push in years, with last year's average over the whole year.

Jennifer Turner wrote:Channel 4 are spinning this well, but the fact remains that they're comparing ratings from one week in TV's peak season, following the show's biggest promotional push in years, with last year's average over the whole year.

In all these reports Channel 4 seems to be going out of its way to put the boot in about Carol leaving the show. It does seem a trifle mean-spirited.

Carol Vorderman says she has no intention of watching Countdown again, and has no desire to work on TV unless, y'know, someone pays her to: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sh ... 160998.ece

Jennifer Turner wrote:Carol Vorderman says she has no intention of watching Countdown again, and has no desire to work on TV unless, y'know, someone pays her to: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sh ... 160998.ece

Even the headline is wrong. I believe Carol talks to Damian fairly regularly, which doesn't really fit with "shunning" the show.

I understand Carol won't watch Countdown again, but I thought she said she was going to try like heck to continue her TV career.

I guess she has Damian's phone number, or something.

Jason Larsen wrote:I understand Carol won't watch Countdown again, but I thought she said she was going to try like heck to continue her TV career.

Didn't she say she was "only" going to do three major projects and a load of guest appearances this year? Which if anything would surely represent an increased workload.

I guess she has Damian's phone number, or something.

That, and the dirty photos.

Great!

Not particularly interesting, but the Southport Visiter (sic) catches up with two former contestants. Well, one former contestant and a former contestant's mum: http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/views ... -22754244/

Charlie Reams wrote:

Richard Brittain wrote:I guess this means that the two most popular Countdown champions in recent history are Conor Travers, and whoever it was that won Series 55. Interesting.

That's one way to look at it. Another would be to note that the top box office blockbuster of the time was Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which was (for the uninitiated) a comedy film about a ridiculous-looking and freakish idiot who, despite his lack of social skills and more by luck than judgement, makes it big on a wider stage. A high point of the film is his wrestling match with a large gentleman, conducted naked in a hotel room. So maybe this Series 55 final captured the zeitgeist.

maybe I would have had more luck in a wrestling match

tonywarren wrote:

Charlie Reams wrote:

Richard Brittain wrote:I guess this means that the two most popular Countdown champions in recent history are Conor Travers, and whoever it was that won Series 55. Interesting.

That's one way to look at it. Another would be to note that the top box office blockbuster of the time was Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which was (for the uninitiated) a comedy film about a ridiculous-looking and freakish idiot who, despite his lack of social skills and more by luck than judgement, makes it big on a wider stage. A high point of the film is his wrestling match with a large gentleman, conducted naked in a hotel room. So maybe this Series 55 final captured the zeitgeist.

maybe I would have had more luck in a wrestling match

I would pay to find out.

Ah, this is more like a proper news story! Miffed Carol fan pours iced water over Helen Warner: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... _a_soaking

And the same story in the Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... venge.html

Jennifer Turner wrote:And the same story in the Daily Mail:

...except that according to the Mail the guy is a cameraman while the MEN tells us he is a TV producer, not to mention half-a-dozen other glaring discrepancies between the two reports. I don't know about the MEN, but the Mail routinely tells lies to sell papers to idiots so who knows what the truth of the story is.

Wow!

Follow-up to the executive drenching story from the Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... prank.html

"Riley embarrassed by Countdown mistakes". I can't find the original story for this one online, so here's Digital Spy's second-hand version: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a144800/ ... takes.html

Fame at last for Steven Briers (that's not a valid conundrum, though): http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/4087903 ... how_glory/

Jennifer Turner wrote:Fame at last for Steven Briers (that's not a valid conundrum, though): http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/4087903 ... how_glory/

Apparently Steven will be hoping for "a few easy conundrums" in the final. Not unless there's been a sudden radical change to the format he won't be. And when did Countdown become a "quiz show"? Newspapers, sheesh.

Phil Reynolds wrote:Apparently Steven will be hoping for "a few easy conundrums" in the final. Not unless there's been a sudden radical change to the format he won't be. And when did Countdown become a "quiz show"? Newspapers, sheesh.

Maybe he's hoping to be 10 behind going into the conundrum, and then going on to win it by solving "a few easy conundrums"?

Jon Corby wrote:

Phil Reynolds wrote:Apparently Steven will be hoping for "a few easy conundrums" in the final. Not unless there's been a sudden radical change to the format he won't be.

Maybe he's hoping to be 10 behind going into the conundrum, and then going on to win it by solving "a few easy conundrums"?

I love belonging to a board where there are actually people who can out-pedant me.

Phil Reynolds wrote:I love belonging to a board where there are actually people who can out-pedant me.

I thought you were gonna go for "that would be a couple, 'a few' means more than 2" angle (I don't know what the precise definition of 'a few' is, or even if there is one btw)

Why does every Countdown photo have to make the subject look mega-nerdy?

Jon Corby wrote:I thought you were gonna go for "that would be a couple, 'a few' means more than 2" angle

I was thinking that, from the position you described, there could be 3 or more conundrums to achieve an outright winner - but only if at least one wasn't solved, which means it wouldn't be deemed easy.

Kai Laddiman wrote:Why does every Countdown photo have to make the subject look mega-nerdy?

Could the answer lie in the question?

Phil Reynolds wrote: I was thinking that, from the position you described, there could be 3 or more conundrums to achieve an outright winner - but only if at least one wasn't solved, which means it wouldn't be deemed easy.

Maybe Steven wanted to mentally solve the conundrums for personal satisfaction but not buzz in, allowing 3 or more to take place.

So, it will be Steven and Charlie in the final game today! It should be an interesting game, and I feel well enough to watch it!

And how do we know Wogan's Perfect Recall will be renewed?

Jason Larsen wrote:How ironic that today is Des O'Connor's 77th birthday!

Must be trying not to retire because of Public sector pensions.

Robert you're going to have to stop doing this to me. When I see that something new has been posted in a topic I get a buzz but then I look across and see that the last post is by Robert Baxter and I'm always filled with disappointment.

Ryan Taylor wrote:Robert you're going to have to stop doing this to me. When I see that something new has been posted in a topic I get a buzz but then I look across and see that the last post is by Robert Baxter and I'm always filled with disappointment.

and.......