c4countdown

I mentioned this on the old yahoo mailing list thing, but now I can do a poll!

Susie will no doubt be back on the screen soon, but what will happen to Alison?!

I sure know what I'd like to see...

Two lexicographers is unnecessary but it would be a shame if we didn't see Alison on the show again when Susie returns.

My vote goes to Susie permanently.

Susie is the best in so many ways. I love how gently she tells contestants that their words are misspelt/capitalised/not in the selection (or all three) and how she is still excited to declare a 9.

Charlie Reams wrote:Susie is the best in so many ways. I love how gently she tells contestants that their words are misspelt/capitalised/not in the selection (or all three) and how she is still excited to declare a 9.

Also forgot to add Susie started to do a segment of word origins, which I found quite interesting too.

Susie is clearly superior - I don't know if it's just because Alison is new, but she seems to check a lot of words that are pretty clearly going to be in the dictionary.

Plus it's just not the same when someone spots 'erotica'...

I don't dislike Alison, but I just don't think she is a good fit for Dictionary Corner. Yes, I agree with Soo that a lexicographer should be very reserved and not have too much personality. Not to get too far off topic, but I would vlove to hear how she is doing with her new baby when she gets back from maternity leave. She has a right to talk about that, and honestly I think she is just as much fun as Des and Carol.

Back in the olden days, they had lots of different lexicographers, but then decided to settle upon Susie. I actually quite liked the variation. I think Susie was chosen because she was popular, but I don't think she was necessarily any better at the job than anyone else. And I've seen errors over the years.

I'll take Susie all day long.



No matter what the question was.

Corby wrote:I'll take Susie all day long.

Only the day? What about the night?

In my case I've voted for alternating them. They've very different, but each of them seems to add something to the programme.

Would most of the people who watch "Countdown" today know who these alternate lexicographers are?

Yes, I agree with Soo that a lexicographer should be very reserved and not have too much personality.

Well, I said the opposite of that, but I appreciate the thought.

Alison doesn't have Susie's depth of knowledge, and I find Susie's occasional other-worldliness quite endearing. She will sometimes explain the meanings of words, but have no idea how to pronounce them, despite the fact that they are not excessively obscure.

I think that Susie should be given the option to job-share if she so desires. A working mother with 2 children needs to have flexibility in her work life.
It may come as a welcome break from parenthood though.

I look forward to seeing Susie back and would be more than happy to see Susie and Alison on a job-share basis.

Heather

harry wrote:Alison doesn't have Susie's depth of knowledge, and I find Susie's occasional other-worldliness quite endearing. She will sometimes explain the meanings of words, but have no idea how to pronounce them, despite the fact that they are not excessively obscure.

I have also seen Susie mispronounce words. You were talking about Alison mispronouncing I take it, being a pro-Susie post?

Depth of knowledge is not really required for the job, since pronunciation of words is given, so in that sense there is no "excuse" for anyone.

I have also seen Susie (and probably others) say whether a word is allowable before the second contestant even gives their word. I have always found this back-to-front. They should wait for both declarations.

I've said this elsewhere before, but the actual job of determining whether a word should be allowed is something that anyone could do, with a small amount of training. There is no particular skill involved. So it comes down to how someone comes across on the television and that they don't annoy too many viewers.

I'll rephrase my question. How many of the people who watch "Countdown" today would know about the old lexicographers?

I have no idea who the other lexicographers are (bar Mary from the first ever show. Now she was a stunner!), or that Alison had been on before. I'd certainly like to know who they were.

I do like Susie very much though, and I'll be glad to see her back!

Ben wrote:Two lexicographers is unnecessary

Agreed, I just quite like the idea of them both in the corner getting SLATHERED and then GRAPPLING.......

Bring back Catherine Clarke! Even though she did disallow "unplaited"!

(I remember Richard Samson - I think he emigrated to New Zealand, didn't he? - but came back for 1 week as a special.)

Gevin-Gavin wrote:

harry wrote:Alison doesn't have Susie's depth of knowledge, and I find Susie's occasional other-worldliness quite endearing. She will sometimes explain the meanings of words, but have no idea how to pronounce them, despite the fact that they are not excessively obscure.

I have also seen Susie mispronounce words. You were talking about Alison mispronouncing I take it, being a pro-Susie post?

Yes, it was a pro-Susie post, but I was referring to Susie mispronouncing.

As much as I like Alison (Alison being in DC during my recording and me not getting to meet Susie) and what she has brought to the show in Susie's absence, I do feel that Susie will always be what I associate with Dictionary Corner and she should come back permanently.

Alternating might be good for Susie, especially when filming five weekdays in succession as they did recently. The variety would be nice. Susie is better at the job - very natural, and good at learning and explaining very complex words. Alison is a stunner though, very slim.

Does anyone have a rough idea when Susie is likely to be back in DC?

I think she is due back after the break for the races. I think the show breaks from Wed onwards but I cannot tell for certain.

That sounds right. The first 25 episodes of this series were filmed in five successive weekdays in December, but they aren't returning to film again until this week (I think), which would make Susie's baby about 3 months old, so she's probably ready to return for the odd day.

Susie comes back on-screen tomorrow, Weds Feb the whatever.

Damian will you be having Alison back? I mean, more than once every 5 series or so? I do think Susie is excellent but I also think Alison brings something to DC which Susie doesn't, and it's always nice to have variety...

Yes, Susie has been back now.

Were you all prepared for your favorite softie when the time came?

I'm glad Susie's back. While both are fine as lexicographers, Alison seems to enjoy saying "very good" (with vigorous nodding) and giving definitions for 5 or 6-letter words, which I find a bit patronising as the words are never obscure and there are 7s and 8s available.

I should give Susie a very alliterative nickname. I shall call her "Susie the Surrey Softie" from now on. (Try saying that 5 time fast!)

At what point did that seem worth posting?

I wanted to show my sense of humor.

First of all, Susie is a Goddess and therefore has to be included in some capacity.

Personally I would bring back Alison for DC and move Susie to the main presenters chair. Let's face it, it's time to pension Des off. I bet he's still using the same old joke book that he used when he was a redcoat at Butlins and the jokes probably weren't funny even then. The only thing you can say for him is that he is infinitely better than Des Lynam but that's not saying a lot. That guy was terrible.

I would also get rid of the guests in DC. After all, you get fed up of hearing the same recycled old stories from the same old faces. It is obvious that new guests like James Whittaker are far from the answer. Channel Four would probably save themselves a lot of money by these measures with little detriment to the program. It's true that they would save a hell of a lot more money by getting rid of Carol but I don't think the program would work without her.

The worst thing that happened to Countdown was when it moved to a 45 minute slot. Too Long. With less rabbiting time, because of the above measures, you would only have to drop about three rounds to move it back to a 30 minute slot. Just right.

So, we are left with Carol, Susie and Alison, all easy on the eye, and the game can flow better with less interruptions. Problem solved.

Wasn't Damian the expert in DC, on and off, for quite a while?

I think he had to quit that when his suit rejected him.

Absolutely.

I think Des O'Connor is much better than Des Lynam also, but we all miss Richard Whiteley.

I like Susie, but I don't think she would be a good fit as host of Countdown. However, Meredith Vieira, our host of Millionaire in daytime here in the US is also a woman. So, I don't have anything against female game show hosts.

But, it really does seem awkward to have a woman as the host of Countdown. Also, Susie has a lot of knowledge of words and origins of words so she might as well use it in Dictionary Corner.

James Turner wrote:First of all, Susie is a Goddess and therefore has to be included in some capacity.

Personally I would bring back Alison for DC and move Susie to the main presenters chair. Let's face it, it's time to pension Des off. I bet he's still using the same old joke book that he used when he was a redcoat at Butlins and the jokes probably weren't funny even then. The only thing you can say for him is that he is infinitely better than Des Lynam but that's not saying a lot. That guy was terrible.

I would also get rid of the guests in DC. After all, you get fed up of hearing the same recycled old stories from the same old faces. It is obvious that new guests like James Whittaker are far from the answer. Channel Four would probably save themselves a lot of money by these measures with little detriment to the program. It's true that they would save a hell of a lot more money by getting rid of Carol but I don't think the program would work without her.

The worst thing that happened to Countdown was when it moved to a 45 minute slot. Too Long. With less rabbiting time, because of the above measures, you would only have to drop about three rounds to move it back to a 30 minute slot. Just right.

So, we are left with Carol, Susie and Alison, all easy on the eye, and the game can flow better with less interruptions. Problem solved.

I hope you're being ironic. This is the worst set of ideas I've ever read, and I've read Mein Kampf.

Charlie Reams wrote:I hope you're being ironic. This is the worst set of ideas I've ever read, and I've read Mein Kampf.

Me In Camp F? Is that Hitler's coming out story

Charlie Reams wrote:
I hope you're being ironic. This is the worst set of ideas I've ever read, and I've read Mein Kampf.

I hope you're being ironic, comparing ideas about a television game show with ideas expressed in an infamous book written by an evil dictator, war criminal and mass murderer.

James Turner wrote:

Charlie Reams wrote:
I hope you're being ironic. This is the worst set of ideas I've ever read, and I've read Mein Kampf.

I hope you're being ironic, comparing ideas about a television game show with ideas expressed in an infamous book written by an evil dictator, war criminal and mass murderer.

I think the word you are looking for is "funny", not ironic.

Kirk Bevins wrote:

James Turner wrote:

Charlie Reams wrote:
I hope you're being ironic. This is the worst set of ideas I've ever read, and I've read Mein Kampf.

I hope you're being ironic, comparing ideas about a television game show with ideas expressed in an infamous book written by an evil dictator, war criminal and mass murderer.

I think the word you are looking for is "funny", not ironic.

Whatever word I was looking for, I can assure you it wasn't the one that you suggest.

James Turner wrote:Whatever word I was looking for, I can assure you it wasn't the one that you suggest.

Hi. You seem nice.

Oh dear, Reductio ad Hitlerum. Godwin's law broken, argument over.

Whenever I hear the word irony misused I always think of Ed Byrne's set about the Alison Morrisette song. 10,000 spoons, hilarious.

George