Friday 22 July 2011 (Series 65, Prelim 35)

[Mike Brown]

Countdown recap for Friday 22 July 2011 (Series 65, Prelim 35).

C1: Challenger Peter Staniland.
C2: Challenger Shireen Ahmed.
DC: Susie Dent and Mark Durden-Smith.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

Well, thank Countdown it’s Friday and it’s time for another recap from the wilds of Norfolk. After c4c favourite Mark Deeks departed yesterday having won eight and become the top seed of the series so far, it’s ‘two new contestants time’ once again and we have Peter Staniland (what a shame his surname isn’t Statland), who originally hails from Maidstone, although he now lives in Manchester, and Shireen Ahmed from Glasgow doing battle in the studio. Yep, after the drought of females in the first few weeks of the show, we’ve now had a new lady contestant every day since last Friday - bizarre. Anyway, let’s make a start...

R01: Q S W D E I U B A
R02: R Y N U O A I N T
R03: P H T D E A I M E
R04: D S R Z U I O E S
R05: 50, 10, 7, 2, 4, 8. Target: 617.
TTT: STOPLARA - "Lara hits lots of sixes, but this was Beethoven's."
R06: L N P I O E U S M
R07: S N L T O I O E L
R08: X H G I U A R E C
R09: N S R P A E S E N
R10: 25, 9, 1, 6, 8, 7. Target: 408.
TTT: NICEBATS - "One screw out of place and they fall apart."
R11: V G T R O A E B W
R12: P M J R N O I U R
R13: T D K C E O E O I
R14: 100, 50, 75, 3, 6, 7. Target: 886.
R15: Y O U V B O I L S (conundrum)

Countdown is sponsored by Pregnacare.

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For a change, Rachel gets to open the show (after a brief intro from Jeff) and notes that they’ve had a letter from viewer Vanessa Mullet, who’s written in about her Countdown-obsessed five-year-old Sonny, who absolutely loves the show. I wonder how long it’ll be before he signs up to apterous? For now, he’ll have to make do with his box game with electronic clock and suit that she bought for him when he was four, so he could impersonate Jeff. Bless.

Round 1: Q S W D E I U B A

C1: ABIDES (6)
C2: BUSIED (6)
DC: BASQUE (6) BISQUE (6)
OT: ABUSED (6) ADIEUS (6) BIASED (6) DAUBES (6) EQUIDS (6) WADIES (6)
Score: 6–6 (max 6)

We start off with a flat round, but it enables our contestants to settle their nerves with six apiece. An EQUID is a member of the horse family.

Round 2: R Y N U O A I N T

C1: untrain
C2: tiranny
DC: UNITARY (7) ANNUITY (7)
OT: RAINOUT (7)
Score: 6–6 (max 13)

Double trouble for the contestants. Susie reckons that tyranny needs two R’s - oopsy.

Round 3: P H T D E A I M E

C1: HEATED (6)
C2: HEATED (6)
DC: MEDIATE (7) PITHEAD (7)
OT: EMPTIED (7) HEADTIE (7)
Score: 12–12 (max 20)

A HEADTIE is a colourful tie worn round the head by West Indian women.

Round 4: D S R Z U I O E S

C1: DOSSIER (7)
C2: drowsed
DC: SERIOUS (7) SIRES (5)
OT: DESIROUS (8)
Score: 19–12 (max 28)

Another blob from Shireen; let’s hope her luck improves soon.

Round 5: 50, 10, 7, 2, 4, 8. Target: 617.

C1: 618. ((50+8+4)x10)-2 (7)
C2: 611.
RR: 617. ((8+4)x50)+10+7 (10)
Score: 26–12 (max 38)

Peter is beginning to look like the winner already, but let’s not jump the gun. I was a bit surprised that neither player got this one; maybe you were too.

Mark explains to us all how he proposed to his fiancée (now wife) Rachel by dressing up as a frog and hiring a pig costume for her (because it’s a bit like a pygmy, apparently). Not as bad as it sounds, to be fair, and I’ve quite enjoyed him in DC this week.

Teatime teaser: STOPLARA -> PASTORAL

Nice clue: it was ages before I realised Jeff was referring to Brian Lara; I’m obviously subliminally addicted to Tomb Raider.

Round 6: L N P I O E U S M

C1: pilons
C2: IMPULSE (7)
DC: SIMPLE (6) PLUMES (6)
OT: EMULSION (8) SPLENIUM (8)
Score: 26–19 (max 46)

A cringy misspelling from Peter allows Shireen to act on impulse and reduce some of the deficit. Despite SPLENIUM sounding like the 53rd element in the periodic table, it’s actually part of the brain.

Round 7: S N L T O I O E L

C1: LOONIEST (8)
C2: LOTIONS (7)
DC: LOTIONS (7) LOONIEST (8)
OT: OILSTONE (8)
Score: 34–19 (max 54)

Shame DC didn’t mention the anagram of LOONIEST, although I expect it was got by lots of c4cers.

Round 8: X H G I U A R E C

C1: CHARGE (6)
C2: CHARGE (6)
DC: GAUCHE (6)
OT: GAUCHER (7)
Score: 40–25 (max 61)

I was rather surprised that DC didn’t put the R on GAUCHE. Maybe they think you’re either unsophisticated and socially awkward or you’re not. I confess I was stuck on CAGIER for six; interestingly, neither CAGY^ or CAGEYNESS^ are now listed in the dictionary.

Round 9: N S R P A E S E N

C1: SPANNERS (8)
C2: SPANNERS (8)
DC: ENSNARES (8)
OT: NEARNESS (8)
Score: 48–33 (max 69)

No one can accuse the contestants of being SPANNERS in this round, as they spot one of the three available eights.

OoW: Susie discusses the origins of some London place names.

Round 10: 25, 9, 1, 6, 8, 7. Target: 408.

C1: 408. ((9+6+1)x25)+8 (10)
C2: 408. ((9+7)x25)+8 (10)
Score: 58–43 (max 79)

Teatime teaser: NICEBATS -> CABINETS

Round 11: V G T R O A E B W

C1: BOATER (6)
C2: WATER (5)
DC: BORGATE (7)
Score: 64–43 (max 86)

Susie mentions a word that is fast becoming a Countdown favourite. VW Borgate sounds rather like a car – probably some kind of coupé or MPV.

Round 12: P M J R N O I U R

C1: JUNIOR (6)
C2: MINOR (5)
DC: JUNIOR (6)
Score: 70–43 (max 92)

Our contestants are thinking small on this round, but six is almost enough for Peter to put the result beyond reasonable doubt.

Round 13: T D K C E O E O I

C1: TICKED (6)
C2: TICKED (6)
DC: COOKED (6) COOKIE (6)
OT: COOEED (6) COOTIE (6) DECEIT (6) DECOKE (6) DOCKET (6)
Score: 76–49 (max 98)

Lotsa sixes again. DC get out their Delia book and bake us some biscuits.

Round 14: 100, 50, 75, 3, 6, 7. Target: 886.

C1: -
C2: 893. ((6+3)x100)-7 (5)
RR: 886. ((75x6)-7)x100/50 (at end of programme) (10)
Score: 76–54 (max 108)

Rachel initially gets 885, but comes good at the end of the show. I was a bit surprised she didn’t spot it more quickly, as it was one of her beloved split-multiplication solutions. Maybe she was thinking about the cookies Susie and Mark had rustled up in the previous round.

Round 15: Y O U V B O I L S

C2 buzzes on 1.25 seconds to say OBVIOUSLY which is correct.
Final Score: 76–64 (max 118)

A rather insulting conundrum scramble (as if offending Vanessa Feltz earlier in the week wasn’t enough) is soon unravelled by Shireen to make her final score more acceptable, but it’s Peter who takes the win and earns the right to return on Monday – but it won’t be next Monday, as we instead have a Countdown Special to entertain us with Glorious Goodwood taking up Countdown’s space in the schedules for the rest of the week (boo! hiss!). So enjoy your word game fix while you can! See you soon for the next Friday Recap – whenever that is!

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