Friday 15 July 2011 (Series 65, Prelim 30)

[Mike Brown]

Countdown recap for Friday 15 July 2011 (Series 65, Prelim 30).

C1: Champion Mark Deeks (3 wins, 312 points.)
C2: Challenger Taymar Pitman.
DC: Susie Dent and John Stapleton.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

The very popular Mark Deeks is still in the champion’s chair (or should that be champions’ chair? - discuss), while it’s nice to see a female challenger for the first time since Liz Dey graced the seat in the last series – and by strange coincidence, they both hail from the fine city of Newcastle. Let’s get going and see whether Mark can achieve half-octochampdom...

R01: K U S B O E P S N
R02: V H R T A I O L E
R03: T F O T M I E C R
R04: D G S A I A D R I
R05: 50, 100, 75, 25, 10, 1. Target: 633.
TTT: OSCARVET - "Cloudy, with too many actors, perhaps."
R06: L G D O E A N J O
R07: S E T D I N F O R
R08: G T B R A E I M T
R09: M S T O A N C E W
R10: 50, 75, 10, 5, 1, 3. Target: 926.
TTT: PIPGRIND - "Soaking wet, like Lizzie perhaps."
R11: N I R P A S E X C
R12: P L M O E Y Z O W
R13: I S D A G S U O E
R14: 75, 5, 1, 2, 10, 7. Target: 572.
R15: M A D E T R A C K (conundrum)

Countdown is sponsored by Neurozan.

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

Apparently, it’s time for the Festival of British Archaeology, which is probably more interesting than Jeff makes it sound. Naturally, it’s the cue for a few jokes during the programme, most of which are old enough to qualify as archaeological finds...

Round 1: K U S B O E P S N

C1: SPOKES (6)
C2: SPOKES (6)
DC: BONUSES (7)
Score: 6–6 (max 7)

DC waste no time in getting darrenic, while Mark and Taymar make an even start.

Round 2: V H R T A I O L E

C1: LOATHER (7)
C2: TRAVEL (6)
DC: VIOLATE (7) OVERHIT (7)
OT: LEVATOR (7) RATHOLE (7)
Score: 13–6 (max 14)

Mark’s not sure about his agent noun, but it’s good. A LEVATOR is a type of muscle, while RATHOLE has various meanings (among other things, it’s a somewhat more polite version of SHITHOLE, and it’s also a verb meaning to hide money or goods, often in a deceptive fashion).

Round 3: T F O T M I E C R

C1: METRIC (6)
C2: MORTICE (7)
DC: TOTEMIC (7)
OT: COMFIER (7) COTTIER (7)
Score: 13–13 (max 21)

A great spot from Taymar evens up the scores, while DC offer the rather nice TOTEMIC, which all aficionados of Countdown will be familiar with.

Round 4: D G S A I A D R I

C1: GRIDS (5)
C2: RAIDS (5)
OT: DIAGRIDS (8)
Score: 18–18 (max 29)

Everyone misses the kind of word only aptogeeks will know. In case you were wondering, a DIAGRID is a supporting framework in a building formed with diagonally intersecting ribs of metal or concrete.

Round 5: 50, 100, 75, 25, 10, 1. Target: 633.

C1: 635. ((50+1)x10)+100+25 (7)
C2: -
RR: 633. ((75+1)x(10-(100/50)))+25 (before break) (10)
Score: 25–18 (max 39)

Mark does well to get within two of the target and Rachel only gets 634 in the 30 seconds.

In his last slot, John Stapleton talks about a recent school reunion, where he recalled some comments from his old school reports. Jeff picks him up on his maths when he says he came 26th out of 34 and did better than six other people. He concludes by telling a story involving his wife and the search for a breast pump while on holiday in Portugal.

Teatime teaser: OSCARVET -> OVERCAST

Round 6: L G D O E A N J O

C1: GONDOLA (7)
C2: JANGLED (7)
DC: JANGLED (7) GONDOLA (7)
OT: GALJOEN (7)
Score: 32–25 (max 46)

Mark was toying with LAGOONED^, but he was right to be hesitant. A GALJOEN is a marine fish with a spiny dorsal fin found around the coast of South Africa.

Round 7: S E T D I N F O R

C1: RODENTS (7)
C2: FOISTED (7)
DC: FOISTED (7) FINDERS (7)
OT: FRONTSIDE (18)
Score: 39–32 (max 64)

A stunning niner is missed by all concerned. FRONTSIDE is not the opposite of your backside (although I suppose it could be); it is, in fact, a manoeuvre in surfing and other board sports.

Round 8: G T B R A E I M T

C1: RAGTIME (7)
C2: BATTIER (7)
DC: MIGRATE (7)
OT: BIRETTA (7) GAMBIER (7) MEGABIT (7)
Score: 46–39 (max 71)

Nice to see Julian Fell favourite GAMBIER coming up in the selection. As a reminder, it’s a plant extract used in tanning (and, unfortunately for Mr Fell, also a mass noun).

Round 9: M S T O A N C E W

C1: scatmen
C2: STANCE (6)
DC: STANCE (6) WOMAN (5) COWMAN (6)
OT: SNOWCAT (7)
Score: 46–45 (max 78)

Mark risks a plausible seven, but comes unstuck. BASSMAN^ has also not made it into the dictionary - does Oxford have something against musicians, I wonder? Despite the fact that it sounds like a kind of leopard, a SNOWCAT is a tracked vehicle for travelling over snow.

OoW: Susie discusses the origins of the terms ‘pecking order’ and ‘rank and file’.

Round 10: 50, 75, 10, 5, 1, 3. Target: 926.

C1: 926. ((10+3)x75)-50+1 (10)
C2: -
Score: 56–45 (max 88)

Mark shows his ‘four large’ numbers skills and manages to create the largest lead of the show so far. What will the third part of this close contest bring?

Teatime teaser: PIPGRIND -> DRIPPING

Round 11: N I R P A S E X C

C1: PRANCES (7)
C2: PINCERS (7)
DC: ARSENIC (7) CAPRINE (7)
OT: CARNIES (7) INSCAPE (7) PRINCES (7) SCRAPIE (7) SPACIER (7)
Score: 63–52 (max 95)

The flattest round of the day, but probably not flat enough to make too many pancakes.

Round 12: P L M O E Y Z O W

C1: EMPLOY (6)
C2: EMPLOY (6)
DC: EMPLOY (6)
OT: POMELO (6)
Score: 69–58 (max 101)

Shame no one mentions POMELO, which is the largest of the citrus fruits and is also known as a PUMMELO or SHADDOCK.

Round 13: I S D A G S U O E

C1: DOSAGES (7)
C2: DOSAGES (7)
DC: DEGAUSS (7) GASEOUS (7)
OT: ADIOSES (7) GAUDIES (7) GUSSIED (7)
Score: 76–65 (max 108)

Susie wields the pen-cam to show us the definition of DEGAUSS (that little button that gives so much pleasure when you haven’t pressed it for a while, and sadly being phased out by the introduction of flat-screen monitors). And it’s looking like we’re not going to have the first female champ of the series, although Mark could still slip up.

Round 14: 75, 5, 1, 2, 10, 7. Target: 572.

C1: 572. ((75+5)x7)+10+2 (10)
C2: 575.
Score: 86–65 (max 118)

Despite the scoreline at the start of the round, Taymar plays it safe with ‘one large’ (although to be fair, any selection would still have been ‘advantage Mark’). As it turns out, Mark takes away ten points while his opponent has scored a numbers duck today.

Round 15: M A D E T R A C K

C2 buzzes on 23.75 seconds to say TARMACKED which is correct.
Final Score: 86–75 (max 128)

A tricky conundrum, perhaps, but there was a clue in the scramble. Just in the nick of time, Taymar lays down the black stuff and recovers some pride, but it’s not enough to win her the teapot and Mark will be back on Monday as a four-time winner. Judith Chalmers’ son, Mark Durden-Smith will be alongside Susie next week before we head into Countdown’s summer break with lots of horse racing and a few Specials, so get your Countdown fix while you can. See you next week!

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=65

[Rhys Benjamin]

TTT: OSCARVET - "Cloudy, with too many actors, perhaps."

Not only they're running out of Conundrums, they're running out of teasers too - Second teaser here. - RW's last.

[Mike Brown]

TTT: OSCARVET - "Cloudy, with too many actors, perhaps."

Not only they're running out of Conundrums, they're running out of teasers too - Second teaser here. - RW's last.

Now, if only there was an online database of all of the previous teasers...

[James Robinson]

Round 5: 50, 100, 75, 25, 10, 1. Target: 633.

C1: 635. ((50+1)x10)+100+25 (7)
C2: -
RR: 633. (75+1)x(10-(100/50)) (before break) (10)
Score: 25–18 (max 39)

Unless I'm not mistaken, Mike, that only adds up to 608. I think you need to add "+25" to the end of that.

[Clive Brooker]

Now, if only there was an online database of all of the previous teasers...

I'm afraid I can't quite read you here, Mike. Are you saying "wouldn't this be nice, shame it will never happen"? I'm not aware of any database which enables the sort of search you're alluding to.

[James Robinson]

Now, if only there was an online database of all of the previous teasers...

I'm afraid I can't quite read you here, Mike. Are you saying "wouldn't this be nice, shame it will never happen"? I'm not aware of any database which enables the sort of search you're alluding to.

I think he's referring simply to the episodes from the not too distant past, Clive.

If you look at the wiki page, or on here even, the episodes do have the teasers, as well as the clues that go with them.

[Mike Brown]

Now, if only there was an online database of all of the previous teasers...

I'm afraid I can't quite read you here, Mike. Are you saying "wouldn't this be nice, shame it will never happen"? I'm not aware of any database which enables the sort of search you're alluding to.

I wouldn't read too much into it, Clive, I was just attempting to amuse the recap-reading public (all 93 of them). I suppose it was partly ironic, inasmuch as we do have the wiki to consult, and partly it was a lament that it's not (and many never be) complete.

[Mike Brown]

Unless I'm not mistaken, Mike, that only adds up to 608. I think you need to add "+25" to the end of that.

Thanks James, as effective a proofreader as ever.

[Mark Deeks]

Didn't think TARMACKED had a K in it. In hindsight, it obviously does.

[Steve Balog]

Tarmac (the original non-genericised noun) doesn't have a k in it -- I guess it's like panic where the past tense is panicked.

[Gavin Chipper]

Didn't think TARMACKED had a K in it. In hindsight, it obviously does.

I think it should be TARMACCED. More logical. PANICCED as well. Actually I think TWOCCED is allowed (it is).