Here we are, the final episode with Nick Hewer as the host of Countdown, this is going to be an episode no one will forget no matter the outcome. It's also the last time the OED will be given as a prize, I guess we got to move with the times too. Let's see what the replacement prize is (if any) at the end of the year. Here we go, the last 35 minutes on camera!
Letters: Luke takes an early hit with his invalid pawless in R1, then ties with Adam with MITOGEN in R2. The latter goes ahead with RACOONS in R4 but Luke fight backs with IRENICAL in R5. Afterwards, it was really neck-and-neck with both players getting the maximum length words all the way to the very end. Commendable spots included GUIMPE in R7 by Adam and METAPODE by both in R10, excellent battle we had there!
Numbers: With Luke slightly behind he goes for his usual selection. Oh no!! He ends up getting beaten by Adam and misses the target!
That was such a heavy blow with Nick commenting he had gone on killer mode. Next up, Adam goes for "6 Small" in R6, and phew, Luke manages to save himself thanks to some quick last-second thinking which had that not happen, would have clearly decided the match there and not later on. He then tries "3 Large" in R9 but that didn't throw Adam off and as I expected with Adam in the lead into R14, he would pull out the "go safe" card like yesterday. What's this? He gets another perfect solution to beat Luke and with that, he becomes the Grand Champion of Series 83!!!
Conundrum: A lot of people in the Daily Chat (including me) were actually predicting a scrabble that had HEWER in it but sadly that wasn't to be. Still, at least it referenced Nick WAS to be NO MORE after presiding this Final Round. Luke gets the final conundrum under his tenure to bow out in style which probably must have left the former satisfied (I got this one pretty quickly though).
What an incredible game that was! This is the first time since get this, 12.5 years ago in December 2008 that a #3 Seed has won the Series! (Yes, that was when the late Des O'Connor was still the host and when Carol Vorderman was still the Arithmetician!)
This is what I call a 'David vs Goliath' battle and you all know who the victor was. Just as most people thought Luke would be the front runner, I too predicted he would win but I had to adjust my margin after seeing how strong Adam was yesterday and dropped it from 40 to 15 points and without a Crucial Conundrum. While my last two predictions was on the dot, the winner was not.
I really feel sorry for Luke, because he suffered the exact same fate as Elliott Mellor around this time two years ago by being the front runner to become the Grand Champion, then not becoming a Xicount and it was much worse because not only could he not force a Crucial Conundrum whereas the former at least managed to, a 17-year wait for the title was dashed just like that.
His initial stumbles were what cost him the game and Adam proved to be tough to beat afterwards not least to say his tactics were quite wise as well. However, if there's one thing you can leave that's positive, that's the fact that you're the first person to declare 12 nine-letter words in your Octochamp run and a flawless letters run during that same period! These are some records that will be hard to beat for ages to come! Commendable performance from start to finish and I'm sorry it had to end this way for you.
As for Adam, that was nothing short of a meteoric rise to the Grand Champion spot. From that literal "stay of execution" Colin Murray mentioned in your very first appearance, to the upsets you caused with James and Luke is nothing but amazing. That training on Apterous really helped you for months behind-the-scenes and you brilliantly showed that off yesterday and today. Hard work does indeed pay off and I could see you savouring every moment of the trophy in the credits scene when you were by yourself in the centre of the studio. At least you got to lift the trophy on-camera unlike Luke Johnson-Davies in December last year when he had no chance at all!
Congratulations, you really deserved it and you are a worthy player not to be underestimated!
That's it, after 2,129 episodes since 09 January 2012, Nick Hewer bows out for good on the show. There were hundreds of memorable moments with you over the last 9.5 years, from that hilarious slip-up of playing along and declaring CONIFERS prematurely and that infamous "Susie's special spot" blooper after Zarte Siempre (our eventual Series 78 Grand Champion) had AREOLA back in 2013 as mentioned today, to seeing three contestants scoring over 1000 points in their Preliminaries (Two Lukes and Elliott), overseeing the switch from the OED to the ODO, the transition to nine, then back to eight-letter Teatime Teasers, not least to say hosting an incredible 30th Birthday Championship (and in the middle of that, moving from the Manchester studios to the current Salford studios where the set has remained ever since!) with some of the famous or best players in history up to that point taking part and which were the first few episodes I've ever watched on Countdown when I was barely 15 (and re-watched it last year during the Lockdown) and two brilliant Championship of Champions in 2016 and 2019. Of course, how could we not forget COVID-19 wrecking everyone's lives upside down but despite that still bravely and courageously carrying on with your hosting duties until now. It has really been an incredible journey from start to finish, but like all good things, it has to come to an end someday, and that day is today, 25 June 2021.
It's a shame there was no in-person audience to send you off unlike Jeff Stelling a decade ago due to social distancing, but I'm sure all of us, be it regular Countdown watchers, those who just took an interest of the show because of today's occasion or even because of your former appearances in "The Apprentice", were here virtually to send you off (not least to say that sizeable crowd in the Daily Chat today which if my memory serves right could be the largest I've seen since the Series 80 Grand Final) and wish you well in whatever way we can. Thank you for being such an awesome host and keeping all of us entertained (albeit it kept getting earlier and earlier in the afternoon haha
) I'm sure as you left the studio, you have left a permanent impression not just as the second-longest host of Countdown since Richard Whiteley's untimely passing, but also as someone who is respected and loved by all. Take care and may you have a Happy Retirement! Stay safe and we'll miss you!
Series 84 begins on Monday, 28 June 2021 with Steve Francom seeking for his second win but with a brand new host, oh yes, the former host of 'The Weakest Link' and 'Outtake TV', Anne Robinson! "Countdown has a new host, that's me!" and "Nothing's changed, well, not yet...". An exciting time for all of us, tune in then to see her debut in that chair (and hopefully she won't have too many traits of the 'Queen of Mean' if you know what I mean...)! Let's be generous to her as Nick Hewer as he mentioned as well!
Progress:
QF1 (17 June):
Luke Boynton (#1) vs Dave Lomax (#8) (
99 - 47)
QF2 (18 June):
James Burley (#2) vs Tom Vincent (#7) (
100 - 66)
QF3 (21 June):
Adam Latchford (#3)* vs Declan McGurk (#6) (
99 - 40)
QF4 (22 June):
Louis Ross (#4)* vs Coral Heath (#5) (
88 - 83)
SF1 (23 June):
Luke Boynton (QF1 Winner) vs Louis Ross (QF4 Winner)* (
98 - 76)
SF2 (24 June): James Burley (QF2 Winner) vs
Adam Latchford (QF3 Winner)* (65 -
82)
GF (25 June): Luke Boynton (SF1 Winner) vs
Adam Latchford (SF2 Winner)* (86 -
101)