Friday 10 December 2010 -Coronation Street Special

[Joseph Krol]

Countdown recap for Friday 10 December 2010. (Coronation Street Special)

C1: Challenger Norris Cole. From Weatherfield.
C2: Challenger Mary Taylor. Also from Weatherfield. She applied because a close friend of hers did…
DC: Susie Dent and Carol Smillie.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: Y T H O T R E S O
(Rounds 2-12 unbroadcast)
R13: L D A R Y G N I A
(Round 14 unbroadcast)
R15: T O Y S P C H I C (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show. If anyone’s interested, this was shown during Corrie: The Big 50, at around 2150 hours.

Round 1: Y T H O T R E S O

C1: HOOTERS (7)
C2: TOOTHY (6)
OT: RESHOOT (7) SHOOTER (7) SOOTHER (7) HOTTERS (7) TOOTERS (7)
Score: 7-0 (max 7)

Slightly obscene start from Norris, but nevertheless it is a max start. Nice word from Mary though too. Perhaps she didn’t want to say ‘I’ve got hooters’ on TV.

Here, there is a bit of a problem, as rounds 2-12 were not broadcast. However, we can deduce from the scoreline that Norris is doing rather well.

Round 13: L D A R Y G N I A

C1: DARLING (7)
C2: adoringly
OT: DARINGLY (8)
Score: 69–0 (max ?)

Mary looked so happy when she declared her ‘9’, but Carol breaks the seemingly obvious news to her that there is no O. The darrenic 8 is untouched by all except me.


Round 14 was unbroadcast too.

Round 15: T O Y S P C H I C

C1 buzzes on 8 seconds to say PSYCHOTIC which is correct.
Final Score: 79–0 (max ?)

And Mary now has the lowest score of the fifteen-round era. However, and I’m sure the statisticians will help me with this, I think there’s been a couple of instances in the nine round era where no points have been gotten. Sad though, as they both seemed to get the answer immediately, then Mary was just a second behind Norris. Unlucky.

Join us on Monday for some regular Countdown. Goodbye!

[Gavin Chipper]

Has the Big Brother special been recapped?

[Joseph Krol]

Has the Big Brother special been recapped?

Don't think so. Would be grateful if someone did it.

[Mike Brown]

Having been in the audience for the recording, I can add a few bits and pieces to the above.

There was another letters game recorded after Round 1, the selection being HGIOEDLEY. I'm not sure whether Norris and Mary offered anything, I think they may have cut at this point. I think Howard may have been making notes as well, so he may be able to add to this.

The score after the DARLING round was originally 49-0 and another round with a selection of NAPMRATSE where Norris offered RAMPANT was edited out (which left the scores as 56-0).

There was then a brief letters round (declarations only) before the conundrum where Norris offered WINSOME to get his 69 points on the scoreboard, which again was edited out so we cut straight from the DARLING declaration and a score of 69 to the conundrum. Shame they didn't do any numbers, really.

All in all, I thought it was well worth watching for any joint Corrie and Countdown fans, and I'm sure there are several. Pity about the canned laughter, though, I guess the audience didn't do a good enough job!

[Howard Somerset]

I think Howard may have been making notes as well, so he may be able to add to this.

No sorry, Mike, I wasn't taking notes of this game.

Well done with the recap, Joseph!

[Joseph Krol]

I think Howard may have been making notes as well, so he may be able to add to this.

No sorry, Mike, I wasn't taking notes of this game.

Well done with the recap, Joseph!

Thanks! I'd rather stick to televised rounds myself, but if you want to make a partial recap for the other rounds, please do and I'll edit them in later.

[Mike Brown]

I'd rather stick to televised rounds myself, but if you want to make a partial recap for the other rounds, please do and I'll edit them in later.

I tend to agree with you, Joseph. I just thought it was worth adding the info for general interest and posterity.

[Joseph Krol]

I'd rather stick to televised rounds myself, but if you want to make a partial recap for the other rounds, please do and I'll edit them in later.

I tend to agree with you, Joseph. I just thought it was worth adding the info for general interest and posterity.

Indeed.

[Gavin Chipper]

Stupid question possibly - are both contestants characters in Coronation Street or was just one of them and the other just an extra? (I don't watch it.)

[Dinos Sfyris]

...and another round with a selection of NAPMRATSE where Norris offered RAMPANT was edited out...

Oh yeah and Mary offered TRAM that round.

[Gavin Chipper]

So hang on - they decided to have a brief Countdown bit on Coronation Street and show a couple of rounds, but they filmed virtually a whole show anyway?

[Michael Wallace]

So I thought this was just another one of those completely made up things (cf. Formula 1 Countdown) which people like to do from time to time. But apparently not. Genuinely still have no idea what's going on, though.

[Mike Brown]

So hang on - they decided to have a brief Countdown bit on Coronation Street and show a couple of rounds, but they filmed virtually a whole show anyway?

Not really (and I'd hardly call five rounds a whole show, anyway), but presumably they filmed enough rounds to give them some flexibility about exactly how long the final piece in the Corrie special was going to be. Maybe we should hold out for a director's cut!

[Gavin Chipper]

So I thought this was just another one of those completely made up things (cf. Formula 1 Countdown) which people like to do from time to time. But apparently not. Genuinely still have no idea what's going on, though.

Me neither. I assumed it was just that someone on Coronation Street applied to go on in the story, and they showed some of their performance. I didn't realise Coronation Street was supposed to be a "comedy".

[Mike Brown]

Me neither. I assumed it was just that someone on Coronation Street applied to go on in the story, and they showed some of their performance. I didn't realise Coronation Street was supposed to be a "comedy".

Those of us in the audience were given the impression (mainly by Dudley, to be fair) that they were going to insert the clips into a standard episode of Corrie, which actually might have looked better than a rather random-looking Countdown game in the middle of the Corrie quiz (although I suppose it might have seemed a little incongruous against the backdrop of a tram crash and several characters getting bumped off). As for whether it's a 'comedy', have you never watched it??

[Rhys Benjamin]

Having just seen the clip on YouTube, Mike, why on the "credits" is the clock at 20 seconds but Norris buzzes in at 8?

[Howard Somerset]

Having just seen the clip on YouTube, Mike, why on the "credits" is the clock at 20 seconds but Norris buzzes in at 8?

I've not seen the programme on TV yet, but certainly during the recording, I'd have said it was more like 20 seconds than 8. But then on many programmes (other than Countdown), what finally goes out on the air is different from what is seen in the studio.

[Matt Morrison]

I think I want a go on Smillie but I'm not sure.

[Scott Gillies]

I think I want a go on Smillie but I'm not sure.

she would give me a real smillie!

[Peter Staveley]

When was the show recorded? Rather than the recording date it would be more helpful to know if it after/before a show's transimittion number or the names of the contestants on that normal show.

Also so far as I can see it was Carol Smillie's first appearance on Countdown. Assuming it was not a special day, was there any reason why the guest who happened to be there that day was not used for this?

[Ryan Taylor]

was there any reason why the guest who happened to be there that day was not used for this?

Yeah because Paul Zenon was being shit.

[Mike Brown]

Having just seen the clip on YouTube, Mike, why on the "credits" is the clock at 20 seconds but Norris buzzes in at 8?

I've not seen the programme on TV yet, but certainly during the recording, I'd have said it was more like 20 seconds than 8. But then on many programmes (other than Countdown), what finally goes out on the air is different from what is seen in the studio.

As Howard says, Norris originally buzzed a shade under 20 seconds, hence the position of the clock during the 'credits'. I assume they edited it to 8 to save 12 seconds of airtime.