C1: Champion Graham Jones (1 win, 89 points.)
C2: Challenger Tom Curran.
DC: Susie Dent and David Lloyd.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
Graham, a modern languages graduate from Whixall in Shropshire, unseated a three-time winner with an excellent performance against Jennifer Bett yesterday. Tom, from Durham, is studying for a geology degree at Leeds University.
R01: L N W E O I O S L
R02: M S I A D T E N B
R03: S S F E A E P N U
R04: T S G O A E N N F
R05: 100, 6, 2, 5, 1, 7. Target: 361.
TTT: ENDSLICE - "Gagged the exhaust pipe, perhaps"
R06: C G R A O A J D E
R07: R T W I E A Y R C
R08: I O U D P M T N O
R09: R R N E O A T K I
R10: 100, 5, 6, 2, 5, 7. Target: 697.
TTT: SETCLOUT - "They're not total pants, just half-pants"
R11: N L D E O E T S A
R12: R H S I E I B S E
R13: M L T I A E Y R U
R14: 100, 1, 4, 3, 5, 8. Target: 135.
R15: C O S I G N F U N (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Round 1: L N W E O I O S L
C1: WOOLLIES (8)
C2: NOISE (5)
DC: SWOLLEN (7)
OT: WOOLLENS (8)
Score: 8–0 (max 8)
Tom looks distinctly nervous and apologetically declares "an embarrassing 5", while Graham spots a good 8 to take an early lead.
Round 2: M S I A D T E N B
C1: BANDIEST (8)
C2: STEAM (5)
OT: MEDIANTS (8)
Score: 16–0 (max 16)
Poor Tom looks even more mortified as he declare another 5 "I'm afraid". Could we be witnessing a trouncing...?
Round 3: S S F E A E P N U
C1: SPANS (5)
C2: PAUSES (6)
OT: ANUSES (6) ASPENS (6) ENSUES (6) FUSEES (6) UPASES (6) SNAFUS (6) UNEASE (6) UNSAFE (6)
Score: 16–6 (max 22)
...Maybe not. Graham fails to spot any of the many 6s available and Tom is visibly relieved to have scored some points.
Round 4: T S G O A E N N F
C1: tonnages
C2: FASTEN (6)
DC: TANGOES (7) GANNETS (7) NONAGES (7)
Score: 16–12 (max 29)
Tom's recovery continues as Susie somewhat controversially disallows a seemingly great spot by Graham. I don't have an ODE2r to hand, but the online Oxford dictionary gives one of the definitions of "tonnage" as "the size or carrying capacity of a ship measured in tons", which is surely pluralisable - different ships have different tonnages. (When I entered the round details into the recap writer, it even put up TONNAGES as an "other" solution.)
Round 5: 100, 6, 2, 5, 1, 7. Target: 361.
C1: 361. Mistake in working.
C2: -
RR: 361. (100 - 7 x (6 - 2)) x 5 + 1 (10)
Score: 16–12 (max 39)
This numbers round seemed easy watching at home (100/2=50; 50x7+6+5=361), but under studio pressure both players failed and even Rachel's solution was unnecessarily complicated. Maybe she was distracted by the fact that the drawing pins holding the paper to the board were coming adrift, as the round ended with a somewhat chaotic props malfunction. Nice to see this bit of Friday afternoon anarchy surviving the edit.
David Lloyd rounds off his week in DC with a fairly funny shaggy dog story.
Teatime teaser: ENDSLICE -> SILENCED
Round 6: C G R A O A J D E
C1: GRACED (6)
C2: -
DC: CORDAGE (7)
Score: 22–12 (max 46)
Round 7: R T W I E A Y R C
C1: WAITER (6)
C2: WAITER (6)
DC: WARTIER (7)
OT: AIRCREW (7) ERRATIC (7) TRACERY (7)
Score: 28–18 (max 53)
Round 8: I O U D P M T N O
C1: IMPOUND (7)
C2: MOUNT (5)
OT: TOMPION (7)
Score: 35–18 (max 60)
A good spot by Graham. TOMPION is a variant spelling of TAMPION, a plug placed in the muzzle of a gun when not in use to keep out dust.
Round 9: R R N E O A T K I
C1: TERRAIN (7)
C2: TRAINER (7)
DC: KERATIN (7)
OT: ANTERIOR (8)
Score: 42–25 (max 68)
No one spots the darren 8.
Round 10: 100, 5, 6, 2, 5, 7. Target: 697.
OoW: Susie discusses various theories about the origin of the word SPIV.
C1: 697. 100 x 7 - 5 + 2 (10)
C2: 697. 100 x 7 - 5 + 2 (10)
Score: 52–35 (max 78)
Teatime teaser: SETCLOUT -> CULOTTES
Round 11: N L D E O E T S A
C1: DONATES (7)
C2: DENOTES (7)
DC: DESOLATE (8)
Score: 59–42 (max 86)
Round 12: R H S I E I B S E
C1: hissier
C2: SHEERS (6)
DC: SHIRES (6)
OT: HEIRESS (7) REISHIS (7)
Score: 59–48 (max 93)
Graham risks a comparative of the adjective "hissy", as in "hissy fit", but it's not in. (Actually, according to JimDic, neither is "hissy".
)Round 13: M L T I A E Y R U
C1: MALTIER (7)
C2: MATURE (6)
DC: MATURELY (8)
Score: 66–48 (max 101)
Tom kicks himself as he spots MATURE but doesn't think to add the -LY. However, he hasn't played as badly as his self-consciously apologetic demeanour might suggest - with two rounds to go, he could still win.
Round 14: 100, 1, 4, 3, 5, 8. Target: 135.
C1: 135. 100 + (4 + 3) x 5 (10)
C2: 135. 100 + 8 x 5 - 4 - 1 (10)
Score: 76–58 (max 111)
And an easy final numbers round means the game is now in the bag for Graham.
Round 15: C O S I G N F U N
C2 buzzes on 4 seconds to say FOCUSING which is incorrect.
C1 buzzes on 19 seconds to say CONFUSING which is correct.
Score: 86–58 (max 121)
And so Graham takes his second win. One more game under his belt and no one else but him will have the opportunity to become the last octochamp of Series 61. Can he do it? Find out on Monday.
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=61
I had a vague idea it was to do with words that are valid in Countdown but not in Scrabble, or something. Thank you for that quantum of knowledge. 
