C1: Champion Jack Hurst (10 wins, 1163 points.)
C2: Champion Eoin Monaghan (10 wins, 1133 points.)
DC: Susie Dent and Paul Zenon.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
It may be nine days after the event, but what better way to fill a gap in my Boxing Day evening than with a recap of last week’s final? The rest of the finals have (just) run true to form; can number one seed Jack continue the trend and see off the challenge of fellow unbeaten contestant Eoin, or will be the form book be overturned? As Harry Hill is wont to say, there’s only one way to find out...
R01: K D T A E A S Y R
R02: O E A M R D S E G
R03: P R B I O E L S I
R04: E U E F R D H A U
R05: 75, 50, 100, 25, 5, 3. Target: 276.
TTT: NIGELBED - "Oh, Nora - the director's cut."
R06: E U I N V Q S T R
R07: G S P A O U M P W
R08: A I A S T M D D O
R09: N S T I U I N A I
R10: 100, 1, 2, 9, 4, 2. Target: 821.
TTT: FANSDONT - "These insects adore each other - how sweet."
R11: H S N E E I Z C E
R12: A E I C P L T O E
R13: J A D N I E V I X
R14: 8, 10, 1, 9, 6, 9. Target: 561.
R15: S M A R T I A C E (conundrum)
The final week of this series has been sponsored by Neurozan.
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Jeff uses the opening of the show to inform us that the runner-up will take home a cheque for £1000, while the winner will receive the 20-volume set of the Oxford English Dictionary (which, shock, horror, is no longer leather-bound!!), a lifetime subscription to Oxford Dictionaries Online and a Dell laptop computer (plus, of course, the opportunity to hold aloft, and have their name engraved upon, the Richard Whiteley Memorial Trophy).
Round 1: K D T A E A S Y R
C1: STRAYED (7)
C2: DARKEST (7)
DC: STREAKY (7)
OT: RAKYATS (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)
A RAKYAT is a term describing the ordinary people (as opposed to the government) in South-East Asia.
Round 2: O E A M R D S E G
C1: ORGASMED (8)
C2: RADOMES (7)
OT: MEGADOSE (8)
Score: 15–7 (max 15)
Jeff (in response to Jack’s word): “Dare I suggest that’s as good as it gets?”
Rachel (to Jack, before next letters selection): “Well, if that doesn’t get you a girlfriend, I don’t know what will.” If only women were really so easily impressed....
Round 3: P R B I O E L S I
C1: SPOILER (7)
C2: BOILERS (7)
DC: LIBEROS (7)
OT: BOILIES (7) RISIBLE (7)
Score: 22–14 (max 22)
Jack was obviously thinking about C4C threads during this round. A BOILIE is a type of flavoured fishing bait, used chiefly to catch carp.
Round 4: E U E F R D H A U
C1: FEARED (6)
C2: FEARED (6)
DC: HEADER (6)
OT: ADHERE (6) DEAFER (6)
Score: 28–20 (max 28)
Round 5: 75, 50, 100, 25, 5, 3. Target: 276.
C1: 276. (100-(5+3))x(75/25) (10)
C2: 276. (5x75)-100+3-(50/25) (10)
Score: 38–30 (max 38)
At the End of Part One, Jack’s still on a max game, but Eoin’s far from out of touch.
Paul Zenon resurrects the Great Stellini for his final slot of the week, which means it’s time for Jeff to don his turban once more and look into Rachel’s future using the power of cartomancy. Apparently, her house is going to be repossessed in the New Year. She looks suitably unimpressed with the news!
Teatime teaser: NIGELBED -> BLEEDING
Round 6: E U I N V Q S T R
C1: SQUINTER (8)
C2: SQUINTER (8)
DC: INQUEST (7) SEQUIN (6)
OT: UNRIVETS (8) VENTURIS (8)
Score: 46–38 (max 46)
Eoin is less sure of his word than Jack, but he needn’t have worried. Paul suggests SEQUIN “because of Susie’s dress”.
Round 7: G S P A O U M P W
C1: PUMPS (5)
C2: SWAMP (5)
DC: GAMPS (5)
OT: GAWPS (5) MAGUS (5) OGAMS (5) OUMAS (5) OUPAS (5) POMAS (5) POMPS (5) PUMAS (5) WOMAS (5)
Score: 51–43 (max 51)
Round 8: A I A S T M D D O
C1: MASTOID (7)
C2: MASTOID (7)
DC: DIATOMS (7)
Score: 58–50 (max 58)
Round 9: N S T I U I N A I
C1: STAIN (5)
C2: UNITS (5)
DC: SUNTAN (6)
OT: ISATIN (6)
ISATIN is a red crystalline compound used in the manufacture of dyes.
Score: 63–55 (max 64)
OoW: Susie discusses the related origins of the words CAMPAIGN and CAMPUS, as well as the fact that WEIRD used to mean lucky.
Round 10: 100, 1, 2, 9, 4, 2. Target: 821.
C1: 821. ((100-(4x2)-1)x9)+2 (10)
C2: 820.
Score: 73–55 (max 74)
Jack’s numbers prowess puts him further in front, but thanks to the previous letters game, he’s no longer on for a max. I don’t suppose he’s too bothered.
Teatime teaser: FANSDONT -> FONDANTS
Round 11: H S N E E I Z C E
C1: INCHES (6)
C2: SNEEZE (6)
DC: SNEEZE (6) CHEESE (6)
OT: CHINES (6) NICHES (6) NIECES (6) SEICHE (6)
Score: 79–61 (max 80)
Bit of a rubbish round, so to make up for it, two sets of definitions for you: A CHINE is a backbone, a ravine in the Isle of Wight or Dorset, or part of a ship; while a SEICHE is a temporary disturbance in the water level of a lake.
Round 12: A E I C P L T O E
C1: POETICAL (8)
C2: POETICAL (8)
DC: OPTICAL (7) TOPICAL (7)
Score: 87–69 (max 88)
Round 13: J A D N I E V I X
Jack is quite excited when his name starts to get spelled out, but his joy is soon quashed.
C1: INVADE (6)
C2: JINXED (6)
OT: AVIDIN (6) DIVINE (6)
Score: 93–75 (max 94)
Eoin, rather unkindly, hopes that Jack is JINXED. Poor Jack. Still, desperate situations call for desperate measures, I suppose, and it’s all meant in jest, of course! AVIDIN is a protein found in raw egg white. Apparently, it combines with BIOTIN, which is found in egg yolk, liver and yeast. Ah, recaps, so educational...
Round 14: 8, 10, 1, 9, 6, 9. Target: 561.
C1: 561. ((6+1)x8x10)+(9/9) (10)
C2: 561. ((6+1)x8x10)+(9/9) (10)
Score: 103–85 (max 104)
Eoin tries “six small” in an attempt to jinx Jack, but it fails and the Pembroke College undergraduate is confirmed as champion. But there’s still the small matter of a conundrum to be unravelled.
Round 15: S M A R T I A C E
C1 buzzes on 0.25 seconds to say MARCASITE which is correct.
Final Score: 113–85 (max 114)
Well, that didn’t take long, then! A worthy winner in Jack and an equally worthy second place for Eoin. They’ve both been fantastic ambassadors for the show; with C of C seemingly out of the question at the moment, let’s hope this isn’t the last time we see them gracing our TV screens, as that would be a pity. Countdown will be back (after its now-customary three-week Christmas break) on Monday 10th January at the new, scarily early start time of 3.10 p.m. So, don’t forget to arm yourself with a copy of the 3rd Edition of the Oxford Dictionary of English before the series begins, and most of all, DON’T MISS IT (or you’ll miss out!).
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=63