Here we go, enjoy.
Countdown recap for Tuesday 31 March 2015.
C1: Challenger Graeme Parker. A musician from Manchester. His favourite song is Aja by Steely Dan. He also once got a jamming session with BB King backstage at the Royal Albert Hall.
C2: Challenger Kate Ritchie. A retired consultant physician from Waringstown, County Armagh. She is waiting on results to get into an arts institute, which would lead onto a 3 year fine arts course. She previously appeared on the show in Series 43 in the year 2000, reaching the series finals as the #3 seed, before losing to #6 seed Claire Wright on a crucial conundrum in the quarter-finals.
DC: Susie Dent and Chris Packham.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: N P E T I U M F E
R02: L A O M N R I H O
R03: 25, 6, 10, 1, 7, 4. Target: 673.
TTT: SLIDEOUT - "Slide out of the scene in search of this"
R04: A S C I N S D U E
R05: N R I L E O Q S U
R06: 50, 4, 10, 5, 1, 8. Target: 473.
R07: S R H A E I V T O
R08: G D I A S R E N M
R09: 50, 4, 6, 10, 3, 2. Target: 263.
TTT: ONEACTED - "One acted out this rather amusing story"
R10: D I T E J R O T C
R11: N F S A E I K L O
R12: T A M E L S G I T
R13: S L D U A U R T O
R14: 4, 1, 8, 4, 2, 5. Target: 809.
R15: N U T T I B O N G (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: N P E T I U M F E
Graeme: FEINT (5)
Kate: UMPTEEN (7)
DC: MINUTE (6) PINETUM (7)
Score: 0–7 (max 7)
A great risk by Kate which gives her the lead early doors.
Round 2: L A O M N R I H O
Graeme: animal
Kate: HORMONAL (8)
DC: MONORAIL (8) RHINO (5)
Score: 0–15 (max 15)
Chris Packham might be in DC, but there's no animal in the selection, but Kate drives on with a fantastic 8 in HORMONAL.
Round 3: 25, 6, 10, 1, 7, 4. Target: 673.
Graeme: -
Kate: 671. Mistake in working.
RR: 673. (((25 x 4) - (10 - 6)) x 7) + 1 (10)
Score: 0–15 (max 25)
Oh dear, oh dear, double despair for the contestants with Graeme nowhere, and Kate befuddled by her own method...........
Teatime teaser: SLIDEOUT -> SOLITUDE
Round 4: A S C I N S D U E
Graeme: CANDIES (7)
Kate: CANDIES (7)
DC: SUNDAE (6)
OT: ISSUANCE (8)
Score: 7–22 (max 33)
Yummy CANDIES all round, and even a SUNDAE from DC as well.
No darrenic 8 though........... 
Round 5: N R I L E O Q S U
Graeme: SEQUIN (6)
Kate: LINERS (6)
DC: INSURE (6) RISQUE (6) LIQUORS (7)
OT: RONQUILS (8)
Score: 13–28 (max 41)
Level pegging from the contestants again, but a brilliant darrenic 8 (got by Andy Noden earlier in the series of course) goes missing again......
A RONQUIL is a slender bottom-dwelling fish that lives in cold coastal waters of the North Pacific. (Family Bathymasteridae)
Round 6: 50, 4, 10, 5, 1, 8. Target: 473.
Graeme: -
Kate: 473. ((50 - 4) x 10) + 5 + 8 (10)
Score: 13–38 (max 51)
No mistake in the numbers this time for Kate, but it's the same old story for Graeme.........
Chris talks about the devious nature of the drongo.
Round 7: S R H A E I V T O
Graeme: HATERS (6)
Kate: OVERHITS (8)
DC: TOVARISH (8)
OT: HOARIEST (8) VOTARIES (8)
Score: 13–46 (max 59)
No danger of OVERHITS for 8 from Kate, as this masterclass continues.
Round 8: G D I A S R E N M
Graeme: dreamings
Kate: SMEARING (8)
DC: DREAMING (8) READINGS (8) MISREAD (7)
OT: GRADINES (8) MARGINED (8)
Score: 13–54 (max 67)
It's just not Graeme's day is it
Round 9: 50, 4, 6, 10, 3, 2. Target: 263.
Graeme: 263. (4 x 50) + (10 x 6) + 3 (10)
Kate: 263. ((10 / 2) x 50) + 6 + 4 + 3 (10)
Score: 23–64 (max 77)
Well, hopefully that will cheer him up a bit.
Teatime teaser: ONEACTED -> ANECDOTE
Round 10: D I T E J R O T C
Graeme: JOTTED (6)
Kate: COTTIER (7)
DC: JOTTER (6) EROTIC (6) CORDITE (7)
OT: DOTTIER (7)
Score: 23–71 (max 84)
Another impressive find by Kate here and this game is pretty much over already, if we're being brutally honest.......
Round 11: N F S A E I K L O
Graeme: FLAKES (6)
Kate: FINALES (7)
DC: KAOLIN (6)
OT: FANKLES (7) FOLKIES (7) OLEFINS (7)
Score: 23–78 (max 91)
And some fitting FINALES for Kate, which even beats DC too.
In Scotland, to FANKLE is to entangle.
An OLEFIN (or OLEFINE) is another name for alkene.
Susie's Origins of Words talks about the origins of "It Girl".
Round 12: T A M E L S G I T
Graeme: MALTIEST (8)
Kate: LIGATES (7)
DC: GIMLETS (7) GAMIEST (7)
OT: SMALTITE (8)
Score: 31–78 (max 99)
Well, who saw that coming
Kate might've won the game, but Graeme can at least hold his held up high with a brilliant winning 8. A SMALTITE is a grey metallic mineral consisting chiefly of cobalt arsenide, typically occurring as cubic or octahedral crystals.
Round 13: S L D U A U R T O
Graeme: ROUST (5)
Kate: ADULTS (6)
OT: ARDUOUS (7) SUTURAL (7)
Score: 31–84 (max 106)
Kate wins another round, and now she'll be hoping to get a century now........
Round 14: 4, 1, 8, 4, 2, 5. Target: 809.
Graeme: -
Kate: 802. ((4 + 1) x 4 x 8 x 5) + 2 (5)
RR: 808/810. (7)
OT: 808. (((4 + 1) x 5 x 8) + 2) x 4 (7)
Score: 31–89 (max 113)
Weirdly, she decides to go 6 small which brings up a nasty one, which Kate manages to get 7 away from, although with a little tweak she could've got it to 808, which is as good as it gets.
Round 15: N U T T I B O N G
Kate buzzes on 3.75 seconds to say BUTTONING which is correct.
Final Score: 31–99 (max 123)
But, she makes up for it with a pretty quick conundrum solve to finish on an ice cream score.
So, clearly Kate is carrying on where she left off 15 years ago. Can she make another series finals, like Glen Webb did
Join Anthony tomorrow for the next phase.
I'll be back next Wednesday in the curtailed week of shows.............
So, till then, bye for now.
Statistics Corner
Graeme:
Total score - 31
Raw score - 59
Total % of max - 25
Raw % of max - 48
Total average score per round - 2.1
Raw average score per round - 3.9
Number of maxes - 2
Kate:
Total score - 99
Raw score - 106
Total % of max - 80
Raw % of max - 86
Total average score per round - 6.6
Raw average score per round - 7.1
Number of maxes - 9
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=72