c4countdown

I haven't watched it in ages

Still watch it all the time. How do you think the wikicaps are done

Most days unless there's something unmissable on.

I haven't watched Countdown in over 18 months, apart from 2 episodes in which people I know were contestants.

If Jeff does get replaced, I might watch a couple of shows out of curiosity.

I went years watching religiously but have become very bored of it over the past year or so and have watched less and less, at the moment I haven't seen an episode since the S64 final. Can't say I particularly miss watching the show either.

Will probably watch Jeff's finals, but I doubt I'll bother with the new series.

We record it every day and watch it later in the evening - normally rather than watch the depressing news. Being away so much we catch up when we can, currently running 5 days behind!

I barely ever watch it. I made a concious effort to watch Andy wilson, but the rest of the time, If I see it its because Josh is watching it. Pretty much the only thing I like about countdown is actually playing the game, but seeing as though it drags out over 45 minutes, and the contestants never pick letters the way I want them to, It's far better for me to play on apterous.

I try to watch it all the time these days. I used to watch it a lot when Richard Whiteley was the host, then stopped watching it when Des Lynam hosted, didn't watch it much when Des O'Connor was host but started watching it all the time when Jeff Stelling became host. The man is a legend!

I hope he doesn't get replaced as host.

Rarely. Reckon apart from the finals I've watched about 10 episodes of Countdown in the past 6 months. Worse yet I haven't read a single Countdown recap in about a year. Sorry recappers And I only ever bothered to read one historical recap evarr. Sorry James!

I didn't watch for a while, but I'm back to watching regularly now. For some reason I kinda fell out of the habit slightly, let a load of episodes build up on Sky+, then thought "I'll never catch up!" and stopped. Now I don't get upset if I miss an episode or a few, and just drop back in. After all, if needs be you can whizz through an episode quickly, or at the very worst it's just 36 minutes. I was watching crappy old repeats of stuff I'd seen countless times before, whereas now that time is better spent watching Countdown again.

So to summarise, I voted "usually".

I sky+ it every day and watch it at a time to suit me. Sometimes I'm weeks behind but the recent long break means I'm currently up to date.

For most episodes I watch it if I happen to be in (which is not that often), but for the quarter finals onwards, I will record them, and sometimes will also if there is a contestant I particularly want to watch.

I wonder what this poll would be like if we had AV in operation...

I watched the series 63 final, that's the only episode I can remember seeing in the last 12 months, and I read the recaps occasionally.

At the moment yes. Always record it so that we can speed through the opening crap, the adverts, the DC guests' waffle, unless it's someone I find tolerable (there aren't many) and Susie's lexi bit.

I watched most episodes from approx 1994 to the latter days of Des Lynam, then only occasionally until I was in hospital this time last year, and then out of work. With time on hands started watching again. It was something said by (or to?) Jack Hurst on the show that prompted me to look for this site, thus further filling some of that time.

Have to say that Jeff S is the best host we've had for the way he handles the contestants. Unlike RW and later CV he doesn't seem to see the show as revolving round him; ironically perhaps if he did he'd not be leaving (assuming he still is).

Nearly always. I've got out of the habit of practising my trumpet while watching, but need to get back into that. I always watch it on 4oD, with Adblock Plus on, so no adverts. I always skip to 5:00 which is the length of the intro, skip through the DC guest as apart from the odd interesting one, they've got little of any interest to say, and (sorry) skip through Susie's bits as they're usually stuff you could get off Google. That makes the programme about 25 minutes, which still wouldn't be enough trumpet practice.

I've seen pretty much every programme in the last ten years, but I haven't watched it live since it was on at 4:30, and I don't think I've seen a full show since I stopped relying on a VCR that sometimes chewed up tapes in fast forward. 20 minutes tops, mostly.

This thread does rather explain why there's so little discussion of the programme itself these days. When was the last time anyone posted anything that Damian would have stormed out over?

It would've been 'usually' at uni - assuming it didn't clash with lectures/seminars, Countdown was the only thing that gave my empty, useless-arts-student days any semblance of routine or structure, and somewhat tragically ended up being the highlight of my day from November onwards (which is a testament to how much I've enjoyed uni). But this summer I've watched every show with my mum from Sky+/4OD from the last four months, though it's more out of routine than necessity since joining Apterous.

I try my best to watch it every day on 4+1, but if I miss it so be it. I usually have it on in the background whilst I do other things. But if someone such as James Nguyen is on ( if he is on), I'll probably try and see all his games, mainly because he has a chance of being awesome.

David Williams wrote:When was the last time anyone posted anything that Damian would have stormed out over?

Judging by the stuff he stormed out over in the past, I'd say it's about 50% of posts.

I'm always home too late to see it on C4+1 and lost the habit of recording it about three years ago now. I usually record the finals (although sometimes just the Grand Final) and then not get round to watching them until long after the results are common knowledge. When I'm on holiday I sometimes try to watch live, but usually I'm far too drunk by 3.10pm to make much sense of what's going on. I do read all the recaps, though.

I still watch countdown regularly, despite having pretty much stopped playing apterous since I appeared on the show.

Haven't watched it for months, probably getting on for a year or more. Always go swimming at the time it's on.

Still a regular viewer. Sky+ it and then watch it when I can.

I would like to see more responses to this poll, it's really quite interesting.

I never watch an episode completely live - at the very least I start 15-20 minutes behind but often later. Of course, the usual reason - to fast forward through DC (for 95% of guests), OoW, and adverts.
But I usually do watch most of the rounds of nearly all games - if I've been away and missed a series of episodes I might watch the whole thing in fast forward or if I know a result and have no interest in either contestant I'll watch just the last couple of letters, the numbers, and conundrum.

I still watch it on Youtube pretty much every day, although given the option, I invariably end up skipping through everything except the contestant declarations and DC segments. Whenever I'm staying with my parents I make a point of watching it at broadcast time so that I can't do this, and won't miss the occasional amusing moments.

I'm told I watched Countdown even when too young to remember it. When I was at school I watched semi-regularly, thinking that one day I'd apply to go on it. Then I stopped watching it when I was at university (the inverse of the student stereotype). After that I watched occasionally, but when googling for the word TNETENNBA after the IT Crowd episode last year I found this place and apterous.

Since then I've watched regularly up to the current series. At the start they let some insufferably smug squeaky-voiced computer nerd hog the champion's chair, but despite that it's still enjoyable to watch.

At the start they let some insufferably smug squeaky-voiced computer nerd hog the champion's chair

I remember him. The water sipping Jools Hollandy-channeling bastard. Yeah, fuck that guy.

i watch it regularly. i still wish it would swap times with DOND and i wish the quality of guests would improve but there are still legs in the show although i do wish there were an equal amount of numbers rounds

Yep, watched every episode since the days of the Supreme Championship ( hopefully we will get to see another one in the near future ).

Usually, basically if i get home from school in time to catch it on +1.

I watch it all the time. In fact I can claim to have missed about 20 episodes over the years - live or taped. (Start time altered - tape running out etc.) Daughter Jessica comes home from school and thrashes not just me but contestants too. We've both been practicing very hard! If Countdown returns in January I hope she will be called up for recording after her GCSC exams having passed her audition!

In the mean time I'll be definitely watching .... on Thursday 27th October..... !!

Mauro Pratesi

Now that could be interesting! Those who follow the UK Scrabble scene will certainly know of Jessica's achievements. I'm surprised she's keen on trying Countdown, with its different dictionary to CSW - but good luck to her. And indeed, good luck to any other Scrabblers who give Countdown a go.

szodiac wrote:I watch it all the time. In fact I can claim to have missed about 20 episodes over the years - live or taped. (Start time altered - tape running out etc.) Daughter Jessica comes home from school and thrashes not just me but contestants too. We've both been practicing very hard! If Countdown returns in January I hope she will be called up for recording after her GCSC exams having passed her audition!

In the mean time I'll be definitely watching .... on Thursday 27th October..... !!

Mauro Pratesi

Thrashing both contestants using the correct dictionary or do you assume your scrabble words are valid? This is a major sticking point for a scrabbler. Apterous is the way forward

i watch it every day but never live. can't stand the inane chat, boring guests (with the exception of Dr Phil), origins of words and adverts. Reckon the whole show takes me 20 minutes to watch. I play along but just to get in some practice for Apterous.