Countdown !Gotcha!

[jeff wharton]

I remember a number of years ago before I became an avid watcher of Countdown seeing Noels house party
and catching part of the Richard Whitely !Gotcha! I have often thought of it since and hoped that it might
be repeated.So to the main reason for this post.Can anyone tell me if there is anywhere that it can be seen?
I also wonder how much more was actually filmed than was shown on Noels house party.

[Joseph Bolas]

I remember a number of years ago before I became an avid watcher of Countdown seeing Noels house party
and catching part of the Richard Whitely !Gotcha! I have often thought of it since and hoped that it might
be repeated.So to the main reason for this post.Can anyone tell me if there is anywhere that it can be seen?
I also wonder how much more was actually filmed than was shown on Noels house party.

It did used to be on YouTube, but after doing a quick search, it doesn't seem to be on there any more.

[Damian E]

The original 'GOTCHA' was the full-length 30-minute Countdown. I think after editing, it ran about 7 minutes on House Party.

[John Tuttle]

I assume the full programme was never broadcast as an actual episode and was only ever intended to be part of House Party?

[Damian E]

That is correct yeah.

[Julian Fell]

Yeah I'd be interested in seeing it (even just the 7-minute condensed version) as well if anyone knows where I can get it. I think RW mentioned in his memoir 'Himoff' that the full uncut version is quite a prized commodity on the black market!

[Kirk Bevins]

Found it on youtube. Interestingly for the conundrum, Richard said "It was supposed to be EDUCATION but I don't think it is." Really? There would be AUCTIONED/CAUTIONED as well - bad choice for a conundrum then!

Edit: Also, around 1:30 you see the word EMBARRASS behind Carol spelt incorrectly! It's all happening...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zD0VSJlKXEY

[Joseph Bolas]

Found it on youtube. Interestingly for the conundrum, Richard said "It was supposed to be EDUCATION but I don't think it is." Really? There would be AUCTIONED/CAUTIONED as well - bad choice for a conundrum then!

Edit: Also, around 1:30 you see the word EMBARRASS behind Carol spelt incorrectly! It's all happening...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zD0VSJlKXEY

Awesome find Kirk

At 1:28 you see Carol with the word EMBARASS behind her on the board, which I also assume is part of the gotcha because isn't the correct spelling EMBARRASS?

EDIT: Nevermind Kirky beat me to it

[Gavin Chipper]

Found it on youtube. Interestingly for the conundrum, Richard said "It was supposed to be EDUCATION but I don't think it is." Really? There would be AUCTIONED/CAUTIONED as well - bad choice for a conundrum then!

Edit: Also, around 1:30 you see the word EMBARRASS behind Carol spelt incorrectly! It's all happening...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zD0VSJlKXEY

Listening that purposely awful poem by Richard Stilgoe was funny. Especially when it was still better than what I saw from Pam Ayres yesterday. It really just didn't seem to work. I felt almost embarrassed for her. Haven't seen today's though.

[Jon Corby]

Found it on youtube. Interestingly for the conundrum, Richard said "It was supposed to be EDUCATION but I don't think it is." Really? There would be AUCTIONED/CAUTIONED as well - bad choice for a conundrum then!

Edit: Also, around 1:30 you see the word EMBARRASS behind Carol spelt incorrectly! It's all happening...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zD0VSJlKXEY

Great work Kirk, finally remembered to watch this

Stilgoe's poem is awesome

[Phil Reynolds]

Great work Kirk, finally remembered to watch this

Thanks for bumping the thread Jon - reminded me to check it out too. I cried with laughter. What's brilliant is that no one - not Carol, not Susie, not Richard Stilgoe and certainly not the contestants who are superb actors - gives any hint that the whole thing isn't completely genuine. And clearly the whole audience are in on it too, as I realised when they "do-dooed" along to the clock music at the end.

Two sad notes. One is that the video provides an opportunity (at 7:33) to spot, albeit briefly, the late Michael Wylie on screen. The other is that, when it finished, YouTube brought up a link to Carol's tribute piece to Richard that prefaced the final week of Series 53. If there is one clip from the last 26 years that should convince anyone of what a class act Carol is, this must surely be it. I vividly remember being moved to tears when this was first shown, as I was again watching it just now. It was brave of her to do it without a script, but so right and utterly true to the programme.

[Charlie Reams]

Likewise Corbym8. That poem is quality. I like how he acts genuinely surprised when it goes down like a lead balloon.

[Jon Corby]

Likewise Corbym8. That poem is quality. I like how he acts genuinely surprised when it goes down like a lead balloon.

I love Stilgoe, I'm so glad he was in DC for some of my games and I wish we saw him more often.

[Joseph Bolas]

Found it on youtube. Interestingly for the conundrum, Richard said "It was supposed to be EDUCATION but I don't think it is." Really? There would be AUCTIONED/CAUTIONED

Could it be possible that EDUCATION was meant to be the jumble and that only one of the words AUCTIONED or CAUTIONED were valid at the time?

[Charlie Reams]

Could it be possible that EDUCATION was meant to be the jumble and that only one of the words AUCTIONED or CAUTIONED were valid at the time?

Seems unlikely. More likely they just wrote down some random 9 on his card.

[Phil Reynolds]

Could it be possible that EDUCATION was meant to be the jumble and that only one of the words AUCTIONED or CAUTIONED were valid at the time?

Seems unlikely. More likely they just wrote down some random 9 on his card.

Probably didn't want to waste a valid one on a fake contest.

[jeff wharton]

Great work Kirk, finally remembered to watch this

Thanks for bumping the thread Jon - reminded me to check it out too. I cried with laughter. What's brilliant is that no one - not Carol, not Susie, not Richard Stilgoe and certainly not the contestants who are superb actors - gives any hint that the whole thing isn't completely genuine. And clearly the whole audience are in on it too, as I realised when they "do-dooed" along to the clock music at the end.

Two sad notes. One is that the video provides an opportunity (at 7:33) to spot, albeit briefly, the late Michael Wylie on screen. The other is that, when it finished, YouTube brought up a link to Carol's tribute piece to Richard that prefaced the final week of Series 53. If there is one clip from the last 26 years that should convince anyone of what a class act Carol is, this must surely be it. I vividly remember being moved to tears when this was first shown, as I was again watching it just now. It was brave of her to do it without a script, but so right and utterly true to the programme.

The audience were not in on it according to Noel Edmonds when he talks to Richard at the end of the show.It would have been a bit risky to have let too many people in on it.My favourite bit is when Richard spots the nine.Its the way he says "lets start the clock"as though it,s not worth wasting thirty seconds because everyone must have seen the nine.Then his response when they declare just a four and a five.Priceless.

[Phil Reynolds]

And clearly the whole audience are in on it too, as I realised when they "do-dooed" along to the clock music at the end.

The audience were not in on it according to Noel Edmonds when he talks to Richard at the end of the show.

Having watched the unedited version, it's now clear that the audience bit was recorded afterwards and edited in. It's great hearing the laughter break out during the final clock, though, as gradually more and more people work out the conundrum.

[Phil Reynolds]

I wondered when watching the edited version originally (and am wondering anew now that the full version has been posted) about the technicalities of how some of the rounds were rigged. Obviously, the letters were in a preset order; but the second numbers round obviously relied also on having a predetermined target. Did CECIL always have the capability to do this, do you suppose, or did it have to be specially re-engineered (or perhaps disconnected and replaced) for this game?

[Jon O'Neill]

I wondered when watching the edited version originally (and am wondering anew now that the full version has been posted) about the technicalities of how some of the rounds were rigged. Obviously, the letters were in a preset order; but the second numbers round obviously relied also on having a predetermined target. Did CECIL always have the capability to do this, do you suppose, or did it have to be specially re-engineered (or perhaps disconnected and replaced) for this game?

I'm pretty sure it could always do this. They might need that functionality to do re-shoots and stuff.

[Phil Reynolds]

the second numbers round obviously relied also on having a predetermined target. Did CECIL always have the capability to do this

I'm pretty sure it could always do this. They might need that functionality to do re-shoots and stuff.

Ah, good point. (You are so awesomer than Corby BTW.)

[Tracey Anne Mills]

Countdown Goofs has the unedited version on youtube if anyone is interested

[Richard Adams]

Just watched it. Really excellent. Thanks very much, Tracey.

Some very good acting - and an awful lot of work must have gone into it. Amongst other nuggets, Richard Stilgoe was well prepared to come up with (but not quite say) gnomeshit.

Great stuff.