Monday 4th May 2009 (Series 60, Prelim 62)

[Howard Somerset]

Countdown recap for Monday 4 May 2009.

C1: Champion Hamish Williamson (3 wins, 273 points.)
C2: Challenger Linda Lofthouse.
DC: Susie Dent and Martin Lewis.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

Today we see Hamish, going for his fourth win. After his sensational opening game last Wednesday, in his next two games he did just enough to beat his opponent. Indeed, Hamish has the rather unusual record, considering we are more than three months into the series, of having both the highest winning score and the lowest winning score of the series so far.

Trying to limit his run to just three wins, we have Linda, a retired maths teacher from Coalville in Leicestershire. She's learning Italian, enjoys playing badminton and going to the gym, and has recently learned to rock n roll.

Another new face to Countdown is our DC guest for the week, Martin Lewis, a financial journalist.

R01: S S O A T R U L I
R02: N E T A G E A V D
R03: Q N E I B E S O F
R04: D E M A T O N I K
R05: 100, 4, 10, 3, 5, 7. Target: 407.
TTT: IRULEDIM - "It's a state but you can't travel to it."
R06: L E T U P E S J A
R07: U I N H O C I D R
R08: P E L I A R S O R
R09: S W A A N T E C R
R10: 100, 50, 5, 6, 4, 5. Target: 363.
TTT: DEFTTREE - "Chained up with a piece of cheese, perhaps."
R11: X D E O S R E H T
R12: I S I B E T M O G
R13: R E Z O N O L T E
R14: 25, 3, 9, 3, 8, 9, . Target: 292.
R15: W A R M T A K E R (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: S S O A T R U L I

C1: SALTS (5)
C2: STAIRS (6)
DC: ORALISTS (8)
OT: OUTSAILS (8) SAUTOIRS (8)
Score: 0–6 (max 8)

First blood to Linda right from the start.

A sautoir is a necklace.

Round 2: N E T A G E A V D

C1: AVENGED (7)
C2: VANTAGE (7)
DC: NEGATED (7)
OT: ENDGATE (7)
Score: 7–13 (max 15)

Round 3: Q N E I B E S O F

C1: OBESE (5)
C2: EBONIES (7)
DC: EBONISE (7)
Score: 7–20 (max 22)

And Linda edges even further ahead. Is Hamish facing defeat only three game after his record opening score?

Round 4: D E M A T O N I K

C1: TANKED (6)
C2: TANKED (6)
DC: MINTED (6) DOMINATE (8)
Score: 13–26 (max 30)

Round 5: 100, 4, 10, 3, 5, 7. Target: 407.

C1: 407. 4 x 100 + 7 (10)
C2: 407. 4 x 100 + 7 (10)
Score: 23–36 (max 40)

That numbers game certainly doesn't test the contestants. Surprisingly, Rachel uses a sheet of paper to write down the solution.

Martin Lewis tells us that on his website he has a Money Saving IQ test, for which the average score is only 7 out of 25. Today he gives us one of the questions from the test concerning orange juice, but as Dinos has already given details in the spoiler thread, I'll simply move on to the break to learn all about the solutions to rhumatic pains brought to us by the programme's latest sponsors.

Teatime teaser: IRULEDIM -> DELIRIUM

Round 6: L E T U P E S J A

C1: PULSATE (7)
C2: PLATES (6)
DC: PESTLE (6) PETALS (6)
OT: ELUATES (7)
Score: 30–36 (max 47)

It looks as if Hamish has refreshed himself during the break with some of Martin's orange juice, as he makes an immediate attempt to cut Linda's lead.

An eluate is a solution formed when a substance is removed washing with a solvent. It's only two weeks since I saw a chemical definition which meant nothing at all to me, and here we are again. Help, Dinos!

Round 7: U I N H O C I D R

C1: URCHIN (6)
C2: chorion
OT: CRINOID (7)
Score: 36–36 (max 54)

Linda sees too many Os in the selection, to let Hamish draw level.

A chorion is the outermost membrane surrounding an embryo.
Crinoid is a derivative of Chrioidea, as class of echinoderms comprising sea lilies and feather stars. I think I'll go back to eluate; it's more easily understood.

Round 8: P E L I A R S O R

C1: POLARISE (8)
C2: PARRIES (7)
DC: POLARISER (18)
Score: 44–36 (max 72)

With three consecutive rounds won, Hamish jumps into the lead, which could've been even greater had seen R to give him the niner.

Round 9: S W A A N T E C R

C1: CANTERS (7)
C2: CANTERS (7)
DC: WANTERS (7) TRANCES (7)
OT: CATERANS (8)
Score: 51–43 (max 80)

Susie talks about the connection between bankers and butchers, and tells us the derivation of SHAMBLES and BANKRUPT. No doubt the famous street in York got its name through its connection with butchers.

Round 10: 100, 50, 5, 6, 4, 5. Target: 363.

C1: 365. 5 x 50 + 100 + 6 + 4 + 5 (7)
C2: -
OT: 364. (50 + 5 + 5) x 6 + 4 (7)
Score: 58–43 (max 87)

Rachel was within one of the target, but didn't tell us whether she'd got 364 or 366, and later in the programme she mentioned that the target was indeed unachievable. Presumably someone upstairs has access to the number solver.

Teatime teaser: DEFTTREE -> FETTERED

Round 11: X D E O S R E H T

C1: EXHORTED (8)
C2: SHORTED (7)
DC: DEXTROSE (8)
Score: 66–43 (max 95)

Round 12: I S I B E T M O G

C1: BIGOTS (6)
C2: BOGIES (6)
OT: EGOTISM (7)
Score: 72–49 (max 102)

Round 13: R E Z O N O L T E

C1: ROOTLE (6)
C2: ROOTLE (6)
DC: RETOOL (6) RELENT (6)
OT: LOOTER (6) TOOLER (6)
Score: 78–55 (max 108)

With one further letters round win in part 3, Hamish is now unbeatable with two rounds still to play.

Round 14: 25, 3, 9, 3, 8, 9. Target: 292.

C1: 292. (3 + 9) x 25 - 8 (10)
C2: 293.
Score: 88–55 (max 118)

Surprisingly, Linda misses out on this easy numbers game. Is this how retirement affects maths teachers, I wonder? Maybe Kirk should start worrying too, though his retirement is probably a fair while away.

Round 15: W A R M T A K E R

No one buzzes. The answer was WATERMARK.
Score: 88–55 (max 128)

So after an early scare, Hamish has a comfortable win, and in doing so knocks Kate Richardson out of the top eight places on the leaderboard. His place in the finals is now looking more and more likely.

Perhaps the timing of Martin Lewis's stint in DC was a little unfortunate, the budget coming between the recording and the transmission, as two of the facts related by Martin during the programme were superseded in the recent budget.

My apologies for the delay in completion of this recap; dinner got in the way.

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=60

[Phil Reynolds]

Thanks for the recap Howard. No apologies needed for any perceived "delay" - IMO getting the recap posted on the same day as the show's first transmission is pretty speedy service! The one typo that probably does warrant an edit: DC's first offering in round 6 was PESTLE (there's no such word as PESTEL).

[Howard Somerset]

The one typo that probably does warrant an edit: DC's first offering in round 9 was PESTLE (there's no such word as PESTEL).

Thanks Phil. Sorted.

[Michael Wallace]

Whilst I don't like encroaching on Phil's territory, you've written "chirion" instead of "chorion" in the notes after round 7 (which at first confused me, since I wasn't sure which was the correct spelling).

[Howard Somerset]

Whilst I don't like encroaching on Phil's territory, you've written "chirion" instead of "chorion" in the notes after round 7 (which at first confused me, since I wasn't sure which was the correct spelling).

I'm quite sure that Phil won't mind. After all he did refer to one typo, suggesting that he'd seen at least one more. Thanks for pointing it out. CHIRION, had it been a word, would have been acceptable, since there were two Is in the selection. CHORION was the disallowed word, as there weren't two Os.

Recap sorted.

[Kai Laddiman]

Round 8: P E L I A R S O R

C1: POLARISE (8)
C2: PARRIES (7)
DC: POLARISER (18)

Rachel was within one of the target, but didn't tell us whether she'd got 364 or 366

Well, I'd assume it was 364, seeing as the target was 363.

Thanks again for the recap Howard, and sorry if I sounded rude.

[Darren Carter]

Not very important I know, but she's from COALVILLE, not COLVILLE - literally 10 mins away from me.....

[Howard Somerset]

Not very important I know, but she's from COALVILLE, not COLVILLE - literally 10 mins away from me.....

Not important? Of course it's important! Fixed. And thanks.

It looks as if I was suffering a bit yesterday. I usually manage to get recaps done before dinner. Maybe too much wine with the meal.

[Rosemary Roberts]

... I was suffering a bit yesterday... too much wine with the meal.

Poor you !

[Derek Hazell]

So after an early scare, Hamish has a comfortable win, and in doing so knocks Kate Richardson out of the top eight places on the leaderboard.

As much as Hamish is an enjoyable character, it is such a shame he has knocked Kate Richardson out of the top 8, as it would have been fascinating for Charlie, Kirk etc. to have met her at the finals!

[Jon Corby]

So after an early scare, Hamish has a comfortable win, and in doing so knocks Kate Richardson out of the top eight places on the leaderboard.

As much as Hamish is an enjoyable character, it is such a shame he has knocked Kate Richardson out of the top 8, as it would have been fascinating for Charlie, Kirk etc. to have met her at the finals!

If she's 9th seed she may well get invited as a "stand-in". I don't know if they always do this but Marie Hayden came along to our finals in this capacity.

[Derek Hazell]

If she's 9th seed she may well get invited as a "stand-in". I don't know if they always do this but Marie Hayden came along to our finals in this capacity.

That's good. That way they won't be marginalising her standinability.

[Howard Somerset]

If she's 9th seed she may well get invited as a "stand-in". I don't know if they always do this but Marie Hayden came along to our finals in this capacity.

For series 59, the 9th seed did get to play, and I believe, but am not certain, that the 10th seed was there too.

[Dinos Sfyris]

If she's 9th seed she may well get invited as a "stand-in". I don't know if they always do this but Marie Hayden came along to our finals in this capacity.

For series 59, the 9th seed did get to play, and I believe, but am not certain, that the 10th seed was there too.

Oh yeah IIRC Alex Horne didn't return for the finals so Patricia Jamieson stood in as the new 8th seed. Also the guy who lost in the penultimate game before the finals was on equal wins to Patricia and only a couple of points behind her so I guess he was possibly there as well. 9th and 10th seeds of series 58, Jason Cullen and Matt Coates were there when I went to watch Doddy's final too.