Is Colin Murray making Countdown too competitive?

[Marc Meakin]

I've noticed recently that Colin is almost treating each Countdown episode like a sports competition rather than a parlour game.
It can come a cross as a bit intimidating sometimes but I very much admire his love of the game and enthusiasm and will bode well for the CoCs later on.

[Paul Anderson]

I think he builds it up far too much like he’s Rob Walker getting the boys on the baize. Don’t have a full cup of tea in Rd 15 as he shouts “YASS”
I personally think such exclamations are ill-suited to the game.

[Philip A]

Colin Murray is too aggressive.

[Andres Sanchez]

I think he leaned into that a lot when I saw Tom's run. Wish he could back off that honestly

[Dan Byrom]

It's my favourite thing about him, and the main reason why I love him as a presenter.

He's so engaged and invested in what's going on

[Philip A]

I agree that Colin Murray shows interest in every game as it happens, is a fun person to be around and is passionate about the show. But to entertain everyone in the studio is one thing, to entertain viewers at home is another. He’s a good presenter but he gets too shouty at times which is a style that better suits a physical game show rather than a quiz show which can arguably intimidate some contestants. He also commentates too much in between requesting contestant’s answers; seems to fill up the void for about 5 or 10 seconds before resuming the game which gives the contestants extra thinking time. He needs to be slicker in technique. However, he seems to ask to the contestant who chose the letters/numbers to declare first more often since the 40th anniversary presenters who adopted this formality almost all the time (well, Jeff Stelling did reverse declarations, but consistently) – there’s signs of improvement there. He’s certainly brought unmatched energy, passion and oozing enthusiasm to the table, but he needs to settle down and do away with over-commentating and upstaging; probably better to save the energy for the finals, since heat games have new contestants. To be a good presenter, you have to make all the guests feel welcome, but you also have to have touch with the public. As a contestant under Nick Hewer, he was quite stern and picky at the beginning and end of his tenure, but turned out quite a nice guy after he’d grown into the rule. One member of the Countdown team even said in a conversation with my Mum from the audience, “Nick Hewer is the best presenter.”

[Marc Meakin]

He certainly makes you feel welcome but he can make a newbie nervous with the competitive edge.
I mean yes, you can score 40 points just in the numbers round but being reminded of it just as you are about to play can be off putting.
I would think his presenting style will definitely suit CoCs and series finals, and Its great to have a genuine fan of the show presenting it

[Philip A]

He certainly makes you feel welcome but he can make a newbie nervous with the competitive edge.
I mean yes, you can score 40 points just in the numbers round but being reminded of it just as you are about to play can be off putting.
I would think his presenting style will definitely suit CoCs and series finals, and Its great to have a genuine fan of the show presenting it

Totally agree. It’s a bit like celebrating a £100 win for a first correct answer on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire when you’ve still got 14 to go.

[Paul Anderson]

The reality has failed to live up to the potential. I enjoyed the guest presenters more, particularly Moira

[Philip A]

The reality has failed to live up to the potential. I enjoyed the guest presenters more, particularly Moira

I think all the 40th anniversary hosts were good with a few weak areas. But Les Dennis nailed it.

Murray is not in my top 3 (Whiteley, Dennis, Lynam), but if he could relax as he grows into the role he could be perfect. I wish he could at least wear a suit as well. The jumper attire is too casual for the show.

While Colin Murray is talented, he’s comparatively inexperienced.

Jeff Stelling was also good, but he’s massively overrated.

[Graeme Cole]

I like how Colin Murray clearly understands the game and follows along with the match. He knows when the conundrum is crucial, when a trailing contestant is starting a comeback, and why picking an easier/harder numbers selection in R14 is significant. They're little things, but it shows he doesn't see the job as just turning up, reading off an autocue and going home - he takes an interest in the game. Nobody has done that as well as Colin, possibly since Jeff Stelling.

I wish he could at least wear a suit as well. The jumper attire is too casual for the show.

Why? If anything, I think the casual approach better fits the nature of Countdown. There aren't huge sums of money at stake like The Chase or Millionaire. It isn't a high-pressure interrogation like Mastermind. It's two people playing word and number games for a teapot.

[Philip A]

Yes, Colin respects the format but so did most other hosts who, in my view, had better touch with the public as they were calmer. Colin is the most enthusiastic presenter but that doesn’t mean he’s the best presenter. Anne Robinson was the most disinterested of the lot, in all areas. Nick Hewer’s interest in the format slowly but surely improved after his first year, and he didn’t use the same stock phrases as much. That’s why Hewer hosted for almost 10 years. If he’d got bored enough and decided couldn’t face another year of it (as Des Lynam did), then there’d have been yet another presenter in 2013. I think Colin has grown too hard. But that’s just my view. Give Colin another year or two and his touch will improve.

[Mark Deeks]

My God it's so much more relaxing on the show these days. Night and day.

[Mark Deeks]

seems to fill up the void for about 5 or 10 seconds before resuming the game which gives the contestants extra thinking time

Well you can't be too against this as a practice if Whiteley is your all-time favourite, because that man was an absolute freestyler.

[Martin Long]

The reality has failed to live up to the potential. I enjoyed the guest presenters more, particularly Moira

I think all the 40th anniversary hosts were good with a few weak areas. But Les Dennis nailed it.

Murray is not in my top 3 (Whiteley, Dennis, Lynam), but if he could relax as he grows into the role he could be perfect. I wish he could at least wear a suit as well. The jumper attire is too casual for the show.

While Colin Murray is talented, he’s comparatively inexperienced.

Jeff Stelling was also good, but he’s massively overrated.

I find it interesting that you rate Lynam so highly. I loved him as a sports broadcaster and he was possibly one of my favourites in that role but I didn't like him as host of Countdown.

IMO, Richard is number one, Jeff next, Nick third, Des L fourth and Des O'Connor definitely last. I thought Richard and Jeff to be similar in terms of styles and humour. I have mixed feelings about Colin so far. He is very green but the enthusiasm and potential are definitely there. He clearly loves the game though so that will do for now. He is definitely better than Des OC and Des L but not up to the level of the other three yet IMO.

[Philip A]

Lynam had a good sense of humour and his banter with Carol, Susie and the contestants was fun. They even gave the show an extra Saturday slot for 8 weeks. Des Lynam the most underrated presenter. He was just too monotone in delivery, I think. But I think he did well given the circumstances of following Whiteley and the 4-hour commute, and he did seem a popular choice.

That said, having watched today’s show, Murray seemed more chill. I think he’ll be perfect in years to come.

[Steve Hyde]

Colin's competitiveness is great when the matches are competitive, but in a one-sided landslide or low-stakes prelim where neither contestant is much cop it can be tonally odd. He just needs a change of pace once in a while

[Martin Long]

Lynam had a good sense of humour and his banter with Carol, Susie and the contestants was fun. They even gave the show an extra Saturday slot for 8 weeks. Des Lynam the most underrated presenter. He was just too monotone in delivery, I think. But I think he did well given the circumstances of following Whiteley and the 4-hour commute, and he did seem a popular choice.

That said, having watched today’s show, Murray seemed more chill. I think he’ll be perfect in years to come.

I had forgotten about the Saturday slot. That's a great achievement.

[JackHurst]

... They even gave the show an extra Saturday slot for 8 weeks...

I had forgotten about the Saturday slot. That's a great achievement.

Thinking about how TV scheduling works, I suspect this was down to "We need to fill 45 mins on Saturday for 8 weeks with something cheap and reliable" rather than the "Lynam is doing such a great job let's reward him by making him record en extra episode each day" that you both seem to think

[Gavin Chipper]

I think Des Lynam was just lost not presenting on a Saturday afternoon.

[Jason William Larsen]

There is speculation that Michael Davies, the current executive producer of Jeopardy in the US, is doing the same thing. He's the producer though and not the host.

Mind you, he is also British. However, if Damian has no problem with Colin and his hosting style, that's fine. Whoever ends up taking the Countdown hosting position full time has to make it their own show. If people are tired of Colin's hosting style, so be it.

[Marc Meakin]

I think i should have changed the topic to is Colin Murray too enthusiastic.
Which during the knockout games is a good thing even if Rachel called him out on it yesterday

[Philip A]

I think the OP is fine, and discussion-worthy. Nothing wrong with the question.

[Gavin Chipper]

I don't really like it when Colin makes a big announcement that someone has won the game when there are still rounds to play. It doesn't seem quite appropriate to me.

[Ronan M Higginson]

I don't really like it when Colin makes a big announcement that someone has won the game when there are still rounds to play. It doesn't seem quite appropriate to me.

Really hope that won't happen tomorrow if either player does that...

[Marc Meakin]

I do love his enthusiasm for the finals and probably the CoC but I hope he is encouraged to reign it in when we get back to normal duties at the end of January

[Rhys Benjamin]

I *do* like it when he does that - the Eurovision Song Contest picked up on this in 2013-15 after most of the audience went home in 2012 when Euphoria was winning by miles. The mathematical winning moment therefore works a lot better.

[Gavin Chipper]

I *do* like it when he does that - the Eurovision Song Contest picked up on this in 2013-15 after most of the audience went home in 2012 when Euphoria was winning by miles. The mathematical winning moment therefore works a lot better.

What did the Eurovision Song Contest do? How would announcing the winner before the end stop people going home?

[Rhys Benjamin]

In 2012, partly because it was in Baku and therefore started at 12am local time, by the time Loreen was leaving the Russian grannies behind practically no one was left in the hall. Similar situation in Moscow 2009.

Rather than a slow realisation that a winner has, well, won, a moment of declaration allows the winner to have a mini-ceremony early, and thus the audience felt more compelled in 2013-15, to stick around. Particularly pertinent in 2015 as the show HUGELY overran, lasting nearly 4 hours.

[Ian Fitzpatrick]

I don't really like it when Colin makes a big announcement that someone has won the game when there are still rounds to play. It doesn't seem quite appropriate to me.

I agree totally with this, so disrespectful to the ultimate loser. He's done it twice this week already.

[Countdown Team]

Football teams are announced champions and also as relegated when the season is still in progress with games to play.
UK Governments are declared winners of elections with several constituency seats still undecided.
Snooker players lorded as tournament winners before the frame is officially over.
Marathon runners hold their arms aloft in triumph way before the finish line.
Cricketers celebrate T20 wins with their opponents still batting, in the knowledge they need 34 runs from the last 3 balls.

All these are examples where something is over before its over, due to the lead being unassailable. Wouldn't call it disrespectful at all.

[Callum Todd]

Yeah I think it's absolutely fair enough. Actually it's a nice touch to share an element of the game that most competitive players keep an eye on (close games particularly at a high level are constant underlined by the effort to establish an 11+ gap by round 13 or 14 for this very reason) with the viewing public who might not consider such a thing.

Especially if it's been this week, which I believe had been the series finals, where the games are more competitive and the players are likely to be aware of this anyway.

Hosts of co-event matches, particularly finals, often make this observation too and as someone who's been on the losing side of that plenty of times I don't mind it at all. I normally take it as an opportunity to congratulate my opponent.

[Rhys Benjamin]

Countdown is not RuPaul's Best Friend race; I've seen a few comments suggesting it should be. Someone's also nominated the low scores page on the wiki for deletion, for example.

[Adam S Latchford]

Someone's also nominated the low scores page on the wiki for deletion, for example.

Fuck that page. Worst page on there - absolutely unnecessary.

[Fiona T]

Agreed that the deletion of that page is worthy of discussion

[Graeme Cole]

Someone's also nominated the low scores page on the wiki for deletion, for example.

Fuck that page. Worst page on there - absolutely unnecessary.

Agreed that the deletion of that page is worthy of discussion

I agree with this. Why have a list of 15-round scores under 30? What's it for? The lowest score record can still be mentioned as part of the wider records page, but a list of contestants who scored below some arbitrary number just feels like an unnecessary hall of shame to me.

[Rhys Benjamin]

Someone's also nominated the low scores page on the wiki for deletion, for example.

Fuck that page. Worst page on there - absolutely unnecessary.

Agreed that the deletion of that page is worthy of discussion

I agree with this. Why have a list of 15-round scores under 30? What's it for? The lowest score record can still be mentioned as part of the wider records page, but a list of contestants who scored below some arbitrary number just feels like an unnecessary hall of shame to me.

Very surprised at this reaction.

I don't think all of the following are worthy of deletion:

List of 15-round scores under 30
Category:15-round scores under 30
List of 9-round scores under 10
Category:Scores under 10
Category:Wins by over 100

These pages have been around since the wiki's inception, and even predate the wiki. I certainly don't think it's a case of schadenfreude or any such like?

[Andres Sanchez]

Yeah I'm kinda with Rhys on this one; may be standing from a statistical standpoint but I don't see any schadenfreude nor nothing with bullying anyone. If anything I'd just put a disclaimer in general saying that the people if the wiki mean absolutely no harm or ill intent to the people mentioned.

[Fiona T]

People should probs add their views to the wiki talk page rather than a random thread we'll never find again!

I think marking the page for deletion was premature - it was raised as a topic for discussion, not immediate action.

[Gavin Chipper]

Someone's also nominated the low scores page on the wiki for deletion, for example.

Fuck that page. Worst page on there - absolutely unnecessary.

Agreed that the deletion of that page is worthy of discussion

I agree with this. Why have a list of 15-round scores under 30? What's it for? The lowest score record can still be mentioned as part of the wider records page, but a list of contestants who scored below some arbitrary number just feels like an unnecessary hall of shame to me.

I think it's interesting statistical stuff. In any case it's no more of a shame thing than having the individual lowest score.

[Gavin Chipper]

Here is that discussion page by the way. Looks like it's another page where I haven't got round to separating out old and new 15 as well. Cos they're different formats.

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

Fuck that page. Worst page on there - absolutely unnecessary.

Worst page on there?
Are you sure?!
https://wiki.apterous.org/Adam_Latchford

Merry Christmas, Latchbabe!

[Marc Meakin]

Even though low score discussions SHOULD BE ON A SEPARATE THREAD, choosing what stats to include is a slippery slope to go down.
This is not about hurting people's feelings its recording stats.
I mean I am happy to be included in a start of worst genuine attempts at solving a conundrum (can't include GANDISEEG on this)