c4countdown

FURIOSO, round 2.

Day One of another week's Countdown and Gyles is losing no time in invading Susie's personal space.

Phil Reynolds wrote:Day One of another week's Countdown and Gyles is losing no time in invading Susie's personal space.

And mine too. I swear I used to like his energy and enthusiasm before, but since coming here and realising how much (the majority of) people dislike him, it seems to have changed my mind. Today I'm just finding him annoying.

Is this the first ever heat game featuring two apterousers?

R8- EMBOLISE?

Also I can't help but notice how Susie's almost falling off the right-hand side of her chair.

Matt Morrison wrote:

Phil Reynolds wrote:Day One of another week's Countdown and Gyles is losing no time in invading Susie's personal space.

And mine too. I swear I used to like his energy and enthusiasm before, but since coming here and realising how much (the majority of) people dislike him, it seems to have changed my mind. Today I'm just finding him annoying.

Imagine finding him annoying for the past 20odd years.

I hope Susie chinned him during her bells and whistles bit there.

Doesn't beat DC, but assume BELIES is a good 6 for round 8. Also, having not watched the show regularly since i was a kid until late in Des O's term, i can't remember how often Richard and Des L pitched in with a big word, but Jeff seems to do it quite a bit. How do ye long term viewers feel he compares?

I like Gyles. I expect he'll grow off me!

Entwiners?

Obviously entwines... assume i have letters correct, didn't write em down... (thank you apterous)

I thought I had winterise..but if the letters could make entwiners then I may have noted wrong

Aaron Higgs wrote:I thought I had winterise..but if the letters could make entwiners then I may have noted wrong

No WINTERISE was there.

Andy Wilson wrote:I can't remember how often Richard and Des L pitched in with a big word, but Jeff seems to do it quite a bit. How do ye long term viewers feel he compares?

There is absolutely no question that Jeff is the most accomplished host ever in terms of his actual ability at the game - he gets less of a chance to shine at the numbers than at the letters but has also mentioned contestant-beaters in that department too.

It's a point that's been made before but I don't mind answering it again on behalf of the forum, as there's no harm in reminding everyone how much of a star Jeff is.

Innis Carson wrote:Is this the first ever heat game featuring two apterousers?

Yes indeed.

I thought Gyles' mention of the letters selection that represented full words was interesting: TWINE/IS/RE

Anyone else remember a letters selection made entirely from valid words? Has to have been a few.

I have warming and cooling attitudes towards Brandreth but I am dead cool now. He is really annoying and the team need to help Susie out of this - or did they? What a space-invading wanker and at his age he has not learnt. I feel embarrassed to be a man.

Andy Wilson wrote:Obviously entwines... assume i have letters correct

No, that would need two Ns.

ah, one n.. whoops.

Interestingly, don't know if anyone else does this, assume some do, but i've been noting scores for many of the shows i've watched recently. I rarely win, but even with my gaffe in round 11, i won comfortably today against both contestants. It's also the first time i've done it not writing words down, as in apterous, although it obviously let me down in 11 so i must watch that. It's obviously a lot easier sitting watching. Encouraging though.

I dunno, i think Brandreth is quite entertaining. That's what here's there for isn't it? Every DC guest is different, but he's a veteran of the show so must feel very comfortable and let himself go. Loved his exceedingly good poetry remark... as cheesy as it was.

I was watching with the sound down - was wineries mentioned?

Matt Morrison wrote:I thought Gyles' mention of the letters selection that represented full words was interesting: TWINE/IS/RE

Anyone else remember a letters selection made entirely from valid words? Has to have been a few.

It happens pretty regularly. For example, in last Tuesday's game between Karyn Cooke and James Robinson, the selection in Round 3 was SOT/ID/RARE.

There was a game last year some time when the selection spelled out a nine-letter word backwards - can't remember what it was.

THROATED - is it normal to allow words that are "in combination"? I thought not but I might be wrong and the way Susie said that she'd allow it sort of implied that it was an arbitrary one-off decision.

Matt Morrison wrote:I thought Gyles' mention of the letters selection that represented full words was interesting: TWINE/IS/RE

Anyone else remember a letters selection made entirely from valid words? Has to have been a few.

I might have written them down in the wrong order but I had TWNIE as the first five letters.

Gyles is my all-time favourite tory.

Phil Reynolds wrote: There was a game last year some time when the selection spelled out a nine-letter word backwards - can't remember what it was.

It was round 8 here.

Gavin Chipper wrote:I might have written them down in the wrong order but I had TWNIE as the first five letters.

Yep, just checked and you're right.

Stuart Arnot wrote:Gyles is my all-time favourite tory.

Hmm. A bit like saying "non-specific urethritis is my favourite venereal disease".

Did anyone else notice than when the clock was counting down in round 10 the scores read 24-18?

Charlie Reams wrote:

Phil Reynolds wrote: There was a game last year some time when the selection spelled out a nine-letter word backwards - can't remember what it was.

It was round 8 here.

Brilliant! Thanks Charlie.

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Gavin Chipper wrote:I might have written them down in the wrong order but I had TWNIE as the first five letters.

Yep, just checked and you're right.

In that case Gyles is an utter knob. And/or dyslexic.

Matt Morrison wrote:

Phil Reynolds wrote:Day One of another week's Countdown and Gyles is losing no time in invading Susie's personal space.

And mine too. I swear I used to like his energy and enthusiasm before, but since coming here and realising how much (the majority of) people dislike him, it seems to have changed my mind. Today I'm just finding him annoying.

Weirdly, I used to dislike him quite intensely during the early years; it was always a bonus when Bill Tidy was on instead (the two seemed to moreorless alternate, although that's probably my memory playing tricks), but over the last few series I've found myself enjoying his contributions more and more and he often provides some genuine laugh out loud moments. Mellowing with age? Premature senility?

Of course, his Toryness is still offputting, but at least he doesn't use Dictionary Corner as a soapbox like bloody Ann Widdicombe.

Gavin Chipper wrote:THROATED - is it normal to allow words that are "in combination"? I thought not but I might be wrong and the way Susie said that she'd allow it sort of implied that it was an arbitrary one-off decision.

The dictionary doesn't have a "-THROATED [in combination]" which it used to which was disallowed. Now it just says "THROATED [in combination]" which I think is partly Susie's reasoning for allowing it.

OBLIGEES is a beater in round 8 and WINTERISE later on too. I liked BAASIE in round 13 but I found Gyles so frustratingly annoying today. Sorry.

Phil Reynolds wrote:Day One of another week's Countdown and Gyles is losing no time in invading Susie's personal space.

John Bosley wrote:He is really annoying and the team need to help Susie out of this - or did they? What a space-invading wanker and at his age he has not learnt.

Kirk Bevins wrote:I found Gyles so frustratingly annoying today.

Is respect for people's personal space something public school boys fail to learn (because the poor saps don't get any)?

Could somebody please Twitter him about it? Could everybody perhaps Twitter him about it?

Gyles is so incredibly invasive to the viewer and to Suzie. I should hate everything about him, but when i see him i have the irrational reaction of extreme laughter. I think its because i asociate him with my granparents' comical reactions to how he behanves.


Does anyone else agree that todays conundrum was possibly the most blatantly obvious one of the series?

JackHurst wrote:Does anyone else agree that todays conundrum was possibly the most blatantly obvious one of the series?

It must have been - even I got it immediately.

Man, whenever someone on the show generates this level of hate in the spoilers thread it almost makes me want to go and watch the show.

(I appreciate I haven't really contributed anything there, but oh well.)

Today was the first show I have seen with Gyles on and he was the most annoying DC guest I have seen so far. I wondered what he was on about when he was saying about SNOG being in the selection, I had to rewind because I thought I had written it down wrong - oh well it was it funny watching him make an idiot of himself (and again when he said THROATED wouldn't be in).

I got PONGIER in the POOPING round.

I was pleased to find it was valid having had three words disallowed in part 2 - ENTRAIL (I should've known better, having remembered Susie disallowing it recently), OUTRATED (which I thought was a reasonable prospect), and sandwiched between them I did as Gyles did and misheard M as N.

However, in spite of throwing away three rounds, it was good to get within a second of beating Julie on a crucial conundrum.

Julie looks good for a place in the finals, depending, of course, who's coming up in the next few days.

Howard Somerset wrote:I got PONGIER in the POOPING round.

Yeah, me too.

I did as Gyles did and misheard M as N.

Hopefully though you weren't doing as Gyles did and claiming that meant SNOGGABLE was there which, apart from not being valid and needing an N, would also need an A and a second G - unless he was spelling it SNOGIBLE which would just be ridiculous. I was surprised when both contestants declared 5 in that round, as I noticed a few 6s within the time including GLOBES and BILGES, though to be be fair I didn't spot MOBILES.

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Howard Somerset wrote:I did as Gyles did and misheard M as N.

Hopefully though you weren't doing as Gyles did and claiming that meant SNOGGABLE was there which, apart from not being valid and needing an N, would also need an A and a second G - unless he was spelling it SNOGIBLE which would just be ridiculous. I was surprised when both contestants declared 5 in that round, as I noticed a few 6s within the time including GLOBES and BILGES, though to be be fair I didn't spot MOBILES.

No. My word using N instead of M was a much more mundane BELONGS.

Kirk Bevins wrote:The dictionary doesn't have a "-THROATED [in combination]" which it used to which was disallowed. Now it just says "THROATED [in combination]" which I think is partly Susie's reasoning for allowing it.

OK that's fine. Is that just the way it writes all "in combination" words now - i.e. are they all allowable?

Gavin Chipper wrote: OK that's fine. Is that just the way it writes all "in combination" words now - i.e. are they all allowable?

Pass - and I'm too tired to find a counter example.

Darren Carter wrote:Today was the first show I have seen with Gyles on and he was the most annoying DC guest I have seen so far. I wondered what he was on about when he was saying about SNOG being in the selection, I had to rewind because I thought I had written it down wrong - oh well it was it funny watching him make an idiot of himself (and again when he said THROATED wouldn't be in).

To be fair to him, when we were filming I thought he was very entertaining and good value. He seemed very quick witted and funny. However, I remember either on my show or Tuesday's Susie had to put her hand over his mouth when he was getting too much for her! She did apologise afterwards and I assume it was edited out but it shows how far he was pushing it, when Susie had to do that! Having watched it on TV I definitely agree with the personal space issues, and think Susie handles it very well.

As for the show - well, Jeff beat me on one round, then I missed several obvious ones (ROASTED, MOBILES...) and misdeclared, whilst Julie was very solid, so she definitely deserved to win. I would put myself in the category of 'simply pleased to be on the show', rather than desperate to win a teapot. Although, next time (every gets a second chance now!) I will defo be on Apterous more beforehand and gunning for a teapot. Loved my time there and looking forward to seeing the finals.

Dominic Colley wrote:I would put myself in the category of 'simply pleased to be on the show'. Loved my time there and looking forward to seeing the finals.

Excellent glad you enjoyed the experience Dominic.