C1: No. 7 Seed Nicki Sellars (8 wins, 745 points.)
C2: No. 1 Seed Oliver Garner (10 wins, 1030 points.)
DC: Susie Dent and Paul Zenon.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
Another six months have passed, so it must be time for another Countdown grand final, and this time it’s the turn of number seven seed Nicki Sellars, the first female finalist since Anita Freeland in Series 56 and bidding to be the first female series champion since Kate Ogilvie in Series 39, and number one seed Oliver Garner, who has scored 228 points in his two appearances in the finals, so could be hard to beat. Who will take home the leather-bound dictionaries and who will be left holding the golden envelope containing a grand? Let’s find out!
R01: M S R A E O X T A
R02: O E O P T S G B R
R03: L T G U E O U R T
R04: M C I O I F Y T E
R05: 25, 7, 9, 3, 1, 8. Target: 642.
TTT: RATTONIC - "If you want to get this, you need to get a grip."
R06: P T N O A E C D M
R07: S V S N O I E O D
R08: A I E N R W N J T
R09: N R D A I E G M A
R10: 25, 8, 2, 9, 4, 2. Target: 111.
TTT: RIOTTRAP - "It's a bad habit; I get the picture."
R11: Z K R L E A I R O
R12: S D H Q U A E S B
R13: P T N C I E A O L
R14: 100, 3, 9, 6, 10, 3. Target: 466.
R15: B E D I S C L U E (conundrum)
Countdown is sponsored by Vitabiotics Jointcare. Ideal for keeping that conundrum button arm supple, I expect.
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
A handshake between Nicki and Olly and we’re off!
Round 1: M S R A E O X T A
C1: MASTER (6)
C2: MAESTRO (7)
DC: MAESTRO (7)
Score: 0–7 (max 7)
Oliver shows he’s the maestro by taking an early lead.
Round 2: O E O P T S G B R
C1: POOREST (7)
C2: POOREST (7)
DC: REBOOTS (7)
OT: BOOGERS (7) GOOBERS (7) BOOSTER (7)
Score: 7–14 (max 14)
BOOGERS are American bogies (of the nasal variety), while a GOOBER is a term for someone from the south-eastern United States (often used derogatorily).
Round 3: L T G U E O U R T
C1: OUTLET (6)
C2: GUTTER (6)
DC: TURTLE (6)
OT: REGULO (6) ROTGUT (6) ROUGET (6) TOUTER (6)
Score: 13–20 (max 20)
ROTGUT is OK for six, but GUT-ROT is hyphenated, so watch out! ROUGET is a French term for red mullet.
Round 4: M C I O I F Y T E
C1: MOTIF (5)
C2: MOIETY (6)
DC: COMITY (6) COMFIT (6)
OT: MEIOTIC (7)
Score: 13–26 (max 27)
Another good spot from Oliver puts him further into the lead. MEIOTIC is the adjective derived from MEIOSIS, which is either a kind of cell division or another term for litotes. I’m not sorry I told you that.
Round 5: 25, 7, 9, 3, 1, 8. Target: 642.
C1: 649.
C2: 642. (((9x3)-1)x25)-8 (10)
Score: 13–36 (max 37)
Nicki misses a relatively easy target, which means Olly is now over 20 ahead.
Before we go to the Teaser, Paul Zenon shows us a trick involving the stuffed cat ‘Professor Lucky’, who, as well as apparently being able to predict his own death, also has a rather impressive rapidly-spinning tassel on the top of his hat.
Teatime teaser: RATTONIC -> TRACTION
Round 6: P T N O A E C D M
C1: TAMPONED (8)
C2: NOTEPAD (7)
DC: TAMPONED (8)
Score: 21–36 (max 45)
Nicki takes a gamble with TAMPONED, but it pays off: DC are already looking it up, and it’s fine (as all Countdown aficionados knew it would be).
Round 7: S V S N O I E O D
C1: VOIDNESS (8)
C2: VOIDNESS (8)
Score: 29–44 (max 53)
Both our players gamble on the dodgy-sounding VOIDNESS, but it’s perfectly acceptable, as is the rather obscure seven in the selection – NOSODES, which are preparations used in homeopathic medicine.
Round 8: A I E N R W N J T
C1: RETAIN (6)
C2: TAWNIER (7)
DC: ENTRAIN (7) TINWARE (7)
OT: TRANNIE (7)
Score: 29–51 (max 60)
Oliver’s seven means he’s over 20 in front once more.
Round 9: N R D A I E G M A
C1: DREAMING (8)
C2: DREAMING (8)
DC: MARGINED (8)
OT: DRAINAGE (8) GARDENIA (8) GRANDAME (8) MARINADE (8)
Score: 37–59 (max 68)
Plenty of eights available; both our contestants go for the obvious one (although I didn’t see it: I stopped looking after getting two of the others).
OoW: Susie tells us about the origins of the expression ‘to josh around’, which is named after the American humorist and lecturer Josh Billings, whose real name was Henry Wheeler Shaw. One of his many sayings: “Flattery is like cologne water, to be smelt of, not swallowed.” Take note, people!
Round 10: 25, 8, 2, 9, 4, 2. Target: 111.
C1: 111. (25x4)+9+2 (10)
C2: 111. (25x4)+9+2 (10)
Score: 47–69 (max 78)
Teatime teaser: RIOTTRAP -> PORTRAIT
Round 11: Z K R L E A I R O
C1: oralize
C2: RAILER (6)
OT: KERRIA (6) LAZIER (6) OAKIER (6)
Score: 47–75 (max 84)
Nicki makes the same mistake as me, as sadly only ORALISM and ORALIST are in. Olly picks up the pieces with a good six. KERRIA is a type of shrub, as found in my mum’s garden.
Round 12: S D H Q U A E S B
C1: SQUASHED (8)
C2: SQUASHED (8)
DC: SUBHEADS (8)
Score: 55–83 (max 92)
A great eight from Nicki and Olly (which I always think is one of those words that only looks like a seven); DC mention SUBHEADS (another term for subheadings), which also came up (in the singular) on yesterday’s programme.
Round 13: P T N C I E A O L
C1: CAPTION (7)
C2: POLENTA (7)
DC: PELICAN (7)
OT: LEPTONIC (8) PLATONIC (8) POETICAL (8)
Score: 62–90 (max 100)
Perhaps surprisingly (
), no one spots any of the available eights. LEPTONIC is the adjective deriving from LEPTON, which is a subatomic particle, such as an electron or a neutrino.With the gap still at 28, Nicki can no longer catch up. Olly may now be the champ, but, as Rachel is quick to ask, can he hit the ton? No pressure, then.
Round 14: 100, 3, 9, 6, 10, 3. Target: 466.
C1: 463.
C2: 465. ((100-10-9-3)x6)-3 (7)
RR: 466. ((100-(9x6))x10)+3+3 (10)
Score: 62–97 (max 110)
No century for Olly yet, as Rachel is left to show us how to do it. A relatively tricky one to end the series.
Round 15: B E D I S C L U E
C2 buzzes on 12 seconds to say SEDUCIBLE which is correct.
Score: 62–107 (max 120)
Not the hardest conundrum to grace a grand final, but a witty scramble nevertheless.
Well done to Oliver for winning the series; well done to Nicki for competing so well and with a big smile on her face most of the time; in fact, well done to all the contestants who have taken part and entertained us all for the last twenty-three weeks. Here’s to Series 63, which, as Jeff points out, starts on Monday at the usual, if slightly odd (or as the younger members of the viewership might say these days, random), time of 3.25, when a certain Scott Gillies will return to the studio to see if he can add to the five wins he has already amassed. Be there...
This recap was brought to you by the power of leptons.
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=62
