Let's find out, after all, anything must be better than staying outside in the horrendous weather. Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Wednesday 12 February 2014.
C1: Champion Graeme Cheek (3 wins, 230 points.) A post office worker from Newcastle upon Tyne.
C2: Challenger Andrew Farr. A mechanical engineer in wind turbines from Sheffield. He loves the island of Jamaica, as well as his son, Oscar.
DC: Susie Dent and Richard Arnold.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: B A O U T P D G E
R02: N H A O R J G I R
R03: 75, 8, 1, 5, 9, 7. Target: 888.
TTT: ANTITONE - "It's not what you say, it's more about how you say it"
R04: M D N E U A S G E
R05: S O I A T Z D S I
R06: 25, 10, 7, 4, 8, 10. Target: 672.
R07: R E O A T S N T F
R08: X D I E I N L M O
R09: 50, 2, 2, 6, 4, 5. Target: 706.
TTT: LIONSLIP - "It sounds like a large number of people on the back of a motorbike"
R10: R L H E A O B N E
R11: F O I E P L Q H R
R12: P N A I C T A O N
R13: M E I U R P D T S
R14: 25, 2, 4, 5, 6, 2. Target: 271.
R15: K I N G B R E A M (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Round 1: B A O U T P D G E
C1: POUTED (6)
C2: BUDGET (6)
DC: PODGE (5) UPDATE (6) OUTAGE (6)
OT: BOUTADE (7)
Score: 6–6 (max 7)
Not much in the BUDGET, as Graeme looks on POUTED. Now I know how the people down south are feeling.
A nice 7 is missed by all (apart from AP in the spoilers) here.A BOUTADE is an outburst.
Round 2: N H A O R J G I R
C1: jarring (declared as 6)
C2: JARRING (7)
DC: ROARING (7) JARGON (6)
Score: 6–13 (max 14)
Oh dear, a bad miscalculation in a letters game!!
Both contestants get the brilliant JARRING for 7, but Graeme accidentally declares it as a 6.................Round 3: 75, 8, 1, 5, 9, 7. Target: 888.
C1: 890. ((7 + 5) x 75) - (9 + 1) (7)
C2: 884.
RR: 888. (75 - 1) x (7 + 5) (10)
Score: 13–13 (max 24)
Well, Graeme manages to equalise immediately, although a tiny alteration would've given him the full 10 points.
Teatime teaser: ANTITONE -> INTONATE
Round 4: M D N E U A S G E
C1: dunges
C2: AMUSED (6)
DC: NUDGES (6) MEDUSA (6) MEDUSAE (7) ENDGAMES (8)
Score: 13–19 (max 32)
That looked like desperation from Graeme there, who seemed to just try and rustle up a 6 there, and failed.
An impressive darrenic 8 from DC too. 
Round 5: S O I A T Z D S I
C1: STAID (5)
C2: SADIST (6)
DC: IDIOTS (6)
Score: 13–25 (max 38)
A very impressive find from Andrew there and his lead doubles instantaneously.
Round 6: 25, 10, 7, 4, 8, 10. Target: 672.
C1: 675. (((8 / 4) x 10) + 7) x 25 (7)
C2: -
RR: 672. (25 - (10 / 10)) x 4 x 7 (10)
Score: 20–25 (max 48)
Oh dear, is Graeme playing another player with a lack of a maths brain
A no-show from Andrew lets Graeme cut the deficit to 5 points.Richard dispels the theory that you shouldn't meet your heroes, when he talks about meeting Michael Bublé, and how he played Jacksonville after having a few too many Margaritas.
Round 7: R E O A T S N T F
C1: FATTENS (7)
C2: ROTTEN (6)
DC: TOASTER (7) NOTATES (7) SEAFRONT (8)
Score: 27–25 (max 56)
And it's now a complete turnaround as Graeme FATTENS himself up to take the lead, while DC go to the SEAFRONT for their darrenic 8. (I hope it wasn't Aberdaron SEAFRONT.............
)Round 8: X D I E I N L M O
C1: LINED (5)
C2: loined
DC: LOIN (4) MIDLINE (7) IODINE (6)
OT: DOMINIE (7)
Score: 32–25 (max 63)
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Yet another person falls into the loined trap. People have got to try and remember that loined/loiner(s)/moanier/moaniest aren't in
In Scotland, a DOMINIE is a schoolmaster.
Round 9: 50, 2, 2, 6, 4, 5. Target: 706.
C1: 706. (((2 x 5) + 4) x 50) + 6 (10)
C2: 706. (((2 x 5) + 4) x 50) + 6 (10)
Score: 42–35 (max 73)
Well, that was easy enough for both contestants. Is Graeme on the road to a 4th consecutive crucial conundrum
Teatime teaser: LIONSLIP -> PILLIONS
Round 10: R L H E A O B N E
C1: BOREAL (6)
C2: LEANER (6)
DC: ENABLER (7) EARHOLE (7) BALEEN (6)
OT: EARLOBE (7)
Score: 48–41 (max 80)
Just a couple more 6's from the contestants. This game is still too close to call...............
Round 11: F O I E P L Q H R
C1: PROFILE (7)
C2: piler
DC: PILFER (6) HOLIER (6)
Score: 55–41 (max 87)
Is that the fatal blow from Graeme there
An impressive darrenic 7 has doubled his lead to 14. Can he keep it and avoid a crucial conundrum yet again Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of the foreign words (in the style of an A-Z), of "avocado", "bonsai", "coleslaw", "Dachshund", "enthusiasm", "Flamenco", "goulash", "hedgehog" and "intelligentsia".
Round 12: P N A I C T A O N
C1: ACTION (6)
C2: CAPTION (7)
DC: CAPITANO (8)
Score: 55–48 (max 95)
The answer is no, as Andrew negates it immediately thanks to his CAPTION, while DC go all CAPITANO with their darrenic 8. What's the next twist in this game going to be, I wonder
Round 13: M E I U R P D T S
C1: DISPUTE (7)
C2: DUMPIEST (8)
DC: DUMPSTER (8) STUMPIER (8)
OT: DISPUTER (8) STUPIDER (8)
Score: 55–56 (max 103)
Well, well, well, the game has now been turned on its head again
The DUMPIEST find has now given Andrew a 1 point lead. Is this going to a crucial conundrum yet again, or has Andrew got another surprise in store.............. Round 14: 25, 2, 4, 5, 6, 2. Target: 271.
C1: 271. ((6 + 5) x 25) - 4 (10)
C2: 271. ((6 + 5) x 25) - 4 (10)
Score: 65–66 (max 113)
No is the simple answer to that, but after seeing Chris being overturned yesterday with a lead at this stage, Andrew must definitely beware, as we head into today's CRUCIAL COUNTDOWN CONUNDRUM....................
Round 15: K I N G B R E A M
C2 buzzes on 16.25 seconds to say EMBARKING which is correct.
Final Score: 65–76 (max 123)
Well, as we headed into the 10-15 second period, I thought Graeme would be odds on to win here, but lo and behold, Andrew pops in with the answer and becomes the new champion
So, Graeme's scrappy run comes to an end, after winning his 3 games on crucial conundrums, it almost seemed inevitable that he would lose on a crucial conundrum, but can Andrew now go on a long run himself
I'll be back tomorrow for his first game in the champions' chair. So, till then, bye bye for now.
Statistics Corner
Graeme:
Total score - 65
Raw score - 83
Total % of max - 53
Raw % of max - 67
Total average score per round - 4.3
Raw average score per round - 5.5
Number of maxes - 3
Andrew:
Total score - 76
Raw score - 89
Total % of max - 62
Raw % of max - 72
Total average score per round - 5.1
Raw average score per round - 5.9
Number of maxes - 6
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=70