Friday 20th August 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 39)

[Rhys Benjamin]

Annedown XXXIX and IT'S FRIDAY THEEEEEEEEEEEEN... IT'S SATURDAY, SUNDAY, WHAT!?

Countdown recap for Friday 20 August 2021.

It's Rachel's 3000th episode (her 3,009th if you include Catsdown, specials, unbroadcast eps, etc. - or around 2,850 without any of those), and Pasha and Maven make an appearance to commemorate this.

C1: Champion Jeremy Slaney (2 wins, 187 points.) Returnee from 2002.
C2: Challenger Shireen Ahmed. Returnee from 2011.
DC: Susie Dent and Jeremy Thompson.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: T D G E O E E P H
R02: M T R I O O K S E
R03: 25, 3, 8, 5, 7, 4. Target: 553.
TTT: LOVEDUTY - "He loved his God, and it was his duty to behave this way."
R04: U E N W G I S N R
R05: L S B A E E R S F
R06: 25, 7, 1, 2, 6, 4. Target: 881.
R07: P T J C I U A A N
R08: S D N U O E R M G
R09: 75, 5, 6, 7, 3, 10. Target: 315.
TTT: OKAYBORE - "OK, allow me to bore you with photos and details from my last 12 months at college."
R10: N P L A A O O Y L
R11: V S T I E E B F R
R12: S T M U A I O R L
R13: C W C N A E I O G
R14: 25, 50, 75, 100, 7, 4. Target: 544.
R15: C R O N E S T E W (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

Enjoy the show.

Round 1: T D G E O E E P H

Jeremy: peeted (try)
Shireen: epogee
DC: PODGE (5)
OT: GEODETE (7)
Score: 0–0 (max 7, jos 5)
Darren-o-meter: 1/1 (100%)

Well, that's a great start. Jeremy and Shireen don't get any points at all and DC are only on five.

Round 2: M T R I O O K S E

Jeremy: ROOMIEST (8)
Shireen: MOTORISE (8)
DC: ROOKIES (7) rookiest MISTOOK (7)
Score: 8–8 (max 15, jos 13)
Darren-o-meter: 1/2 (50%)

Eight for both contestants, and they clean up all the available maxes.

Round 3: 25, 3, 8, 5, 7, 4. Target: 553.

Jeremy: 553. (25 × 3 + 4) × 7 (10)
Shireen: 553 (not written down). 25 × 4 × 5 + 7 × 8 − 3 (10)
Score: 18–18 (max 25, jos 23)

Both contestants find ways of getting there easily.

Teatime teaser: LOVEDUTY -> DEVOUTLY

Round 4: U E N W G I S N R

Jeremy: SEWING (6)
Shireen: WINNERS (7)
DC: SWINGER (7) ENSURING (8)
Score: 18–25 (max 33, jos 31)
Darren-o-meter: 2/3 (67%)

Shireen takes the lead with a Winner!!!! (to resurrect a C4C term from 10+ years ago) and DC see the darren.

Round 5: L S B A E E R S F

Jeremy: FEARLESS (8)
Shireen: BLARES (6)
DC: FABLERS (7)
Score: 26–25 (max 41, jos 39)
Darren-o-meter: 3/4 (75%)

Jeremy's turn to get the darren and takes the lead.

Round 6: 25, 7, 1, 2, 6, 4. Target: 881.

Jeremy: 881 (not written down). (6 − 1) × 25 × 7 + 4 + 2 (10)
Shireen: -
Score: 36–25 (max 51, jos 49)

Jeremy takes out another 10 points on Shireen as she is too far away.

Jeremy T talks about his love for the English language and tries to get Susie out of a job by talking about the origin of doolally tap from training camps of the British Army in India.

Round 7: P T J C I U A A N

Jeremy: CAPTAIN (7)
Shireen: CAPTAIN (7)
Score: 43–32 (max 58, jos 56)
Darren-o-meter: 4/5 (80%)

Darrenage from both contestants here.

Round 8: S D N U O E R M G

Jeremy: RESOUND (7)
Shireen: mounders
DC: GUERDONS (8)
OT: MODERNUS (8) MURGEONS (8) NURSEDOM (8)
Score: 50–32 (max 66, jos 64)
Darren-o-meter: 4/6 (67%)

No MOUNDERS^ for Shireen, meaning that Jeremy extends the lead to 18 points.

Round 9: 75, 5, 6, 7, 3, 10. Target: 315.

Jeremy: 316. (75 − (10 + 3)) × 5 + 6​ (7)
Shireen: 310.
JT: 315. (7 − 3) × 75 + 5 + 10 (10)
Score: 57–32 (max 76, jos 74)

Rachel finally thinks she has something to do on her anniversary episode, but Jeremy T steals her thunder and does it for her.

Teatime teaser: OKAYBORE -> YEARBOOK

Round 10: N P L A A O O Y L

Jeremy: ANALLY (6)
Shireen: LOYAL (5)
DC: LOONY (5) LOOPY (5)
OT: APOLLO (6) PAYOLA (6) POLLAN (6) POLONY (6) POLYOL (6) YOLLOP (6)
Score: 63–32 (max 82, jos 80)
Darren-o-meter: 4/7 (57%)

Jeremy gets to the bottom of the problem.

Round 11: V S T I E E B F R

Jeremy: BRIEFEST (8)
Shireen: verbiest (risk)
DC: FESTIVE (7)
OT: BIERFEST (8)
Score: 71–32 (max 90, jos 88)
Darren-o-meter: 4/8 (50%)

Shireen's challenge, sadly, is falling apart here, as Jeremy extends the lead further after VERBIEST^ is disallowed.

An email from Christine Smith from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, asking about the origin of "ce ne faire rein". And, unsurprisingly, it comes from French and the Second World War. Susie then leads into more terms that derive from war.

Round 12: S T M U A I O R L

Jeremy: TOURISM (7) (not written down)
Shireen: MORTALS (7)
DC: SIMULATOR (18)
Score: 78–39 (max 108, jos 106)
Darren-o-meter: 5/9 (56%)

Shireen finally scores for the first time since round four, but Jeremy can match her, but both miss the nine in Dictionary Corner.

Round 13: C W C N A E I O G

Jeremy: COCAINE (7)
Shireen: COINAGE (7)
OT: OCEANIC (7)
Score: 85–46 (max 115, jos 113)
Darren-o-meter: 5/10 (50%)

Jeremy snorts his way into another win.

Shireen allows Rachel to pick the numbers.

Round 14: 25, 50, 75, 100, 7, 4. Target: 544.

Jeremy: 544. (75 − 7) × (100 ÷ 25 + 4)​ (10)
Shireen: 544 (not written down). 75 × 7 + 25 − (100 ÷ 50​ + 4) (10)
Score: 95–56 (max 125, jos 123)

Easy enough for both contestants, although Shireen's solution is perhaps more "normal" than Jeremy's.

Round 15: C R O N E S T E W

Jeremy buzzes on 5.25 seconds to say CROWSNEST which is incorrect.
Shireen buzzes on 25.25 seconds to say CREWSTONE which is incorrect.
The answer was SWEETCORN.
Final Score: 95–56 (max 135, jos 133)

Illegal conundrum alert: SNOWCRETE is also a valid solution.

Jeremy is back on Monday. Jeremy T won't be back on Monday. We'll be back on Monday too. Join us then. Goodbye.


Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84

[Gavin Chipper]

It's Rachel's 3000th episode (her 3,009th if you include Catsdown, specials, unbroadcast eps, etc. - or around 2,850 without any of those), and Pasha and Maven make an appearance to commemorate this.

I thought this was a bit weird. You'd have Pasha and Maven to make the presentation if she didn't see them for months on end. It would have been more logical for it to be someone connected to the show (the presenter or an ex-presenter), or maybe even another Man Utd player (after Ryan Giggs previously). As it was, they might as well just have congratulated her at home. The viewer doesn't need to see her partner or child.

[Fiona T]

It's Rachel's 3000th episode (her 3,009th if you include Catsdown, specials, unbroadcast eps, etc. - or around 2,850 without any of those), and Pasha and Maven make an appearance to commemorate this.

I thought this was a bit weird. You'd Pasha and Maven to make the presentation if she didn't see them for months on end. It would have been more logical for it to be someone connected to the show (the presenter or an ex-presenter), or maybe even another Man Utd player (after Ryan Giggs previously). As it was, they might as well just have congratulated her at home. The viewer doesn't need to see her partner or child.

I enjoyed seeing the baby

[Countdown Team]

I thought this was a bit weird. You'd Pasha and Maven to make the presentation if she didn't see them for months on end. It would have been more logical for it to be someone connected to the show (the presenter or an ex-presenter), or maybe even another Man Utd player (after Ryan Giggs previously). As it was, they might as well just have congratulated her at home. The viewer doesn't need to see her partner or child.

How was it weird'????

The viewers, many of whom have bombarded the Countdown office with knitted blankets, bootees, baby-grows etc for Rachel's forthcoming baby, absolutely love seeing the daughter. Countdown viewers are part of a family, so they're invited to see whatever we can give them in that respect. 1000's of viewers will have loved seeing it, that's why we did it. And how do you know what the viewer 'doesn't need to see' ? It's her husband, not her 'partner'.
Try and bear in mind also, that this was filmed under strict Covid restrictions, and Mave and Pasha were already part of Rachel's 'bubble', so bringing in anyone else outside of that bubble wasn't allowed. I shake my head sometimes at the criticism from some of you folk.

[Rhys Benjamin]

It's Rachel's 3000th episode (her 3,009th if you include Catsdown, specials, unbroadcast eps, etc. - or around 2,850 without any of those), and Pasha and Maven make an appearance to commemorate this.

I thought this was a bit weird. You'd Pasha and Maven to make the presentation if she didn't see them for months on end. It would have been more logical for it to be someone connected to the show (the presenter or an ex-presenter), or maybe even another Man Utd player (after Ryan Giggs previously). As it was, they might as well just have congratulated her at home. The viewer doesn't need to see her partner or child.

I enjoyed seeing the baby

As did I.