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00:00This programme contains strong language and adult humour.
00:05APPLAUSE
00:31Good afternoon and welcome to Countdown Studio.
00:34Now, if you're into astronomy and all things celestial,
00:37you may well be interested to know that TV's The Sky At Night
00:41started 60 years ago and, of course, for so much of that time,
00:46the wonderful Sir Patrick Moore fronted that programme.
00:49But, of course, a number of other great characters have been involved.
00:53Certainly our very own John Culshaw,
00:56who comes here, as you know, Rachel, a lot.
01:00He's not only a great impressionist but he's also fascinated with astronomy.
01:05And Brian May, the great guitarist from Queen Two.
01:09So it's a fascinating subject, astronomy.
01:13I know nothing about it other than...
01:16I've got on my phone an app, a free app,
01:20to go outside on a starry, starry night
01:23and look up and find out where everything is
01:25and just pick some random star and point your phone at it
01:30and then get to know what it's called.
01:32I think it's wonderful. Yeah, it's brilliant.
01:34And also, it just shows...
01:36I mean, the whole concept of infinity is so difficult to understand,
01:39if that's still OK in physics,
01:41but to think that it goes on for light years
01:44and there's stars that we can't see and we'll never see.
01:47It's amazing.
01:48One of the most interesting things I ever went to last year
01:51was a Russian billionaire scientific philanthropist.
01:54That's a little mouthful.
01:56He's talking about getting a project together
01:58to send nanospaceships by using lasers to the next star system
02:02to send pictures back.
02:04And the scale of the project was just something that blows your mind.
02:07It's kind of needed cooperation from governments all around the world
02:11and the idea of using lasers to send these things up.
02:15The actual laser itself,
02:17it's kind of sending a message to the rest of the universe,
02:19saying, here we are, in case there's anyone out there,
02:21and the implications. Very interesting.
02:23I mean, the thing is, if space is infinite,
02:27then what's to say that we don't have doppelgangers
02:30in a different galaxy somewhere?
02:32Oh, it's more likely than not that there's someone else out there.
02:35Yeah, for sure. Yep.
02:37Hello! Maybe not another Nick Hewer.
02:39Terrifying thought.
02:41That would be a nasty thought. You're quite right.
02:43But we have got a Nick here.
02:45We've got Nick Smith with us,
02:47an author from Fifield in Oxfordshire.
02:49Welcome back, Nick. Good win yesterday.
02:51Your first win, beating a four-times winner, too.
02:55Well done. Snatching victory on a crucial conundrum.
02:59What could be better?
03:01And you're joined by Carl Gregory,
03:03a teacher from Grantham in Lincolnshire.
03:06Does a lot of community work
03:08and is on committees that organise carnivals and other town events.
03:11Is that right? That's correct, yes.
03:13And you teach where? What's the name of the school?
03:15Grantham Academy St Hughes.
03:17OK. And which particular subject do you teach?
03:20ICT.
03:22Excellent stuff. Well, they're all watching you.
03:24Hopefully. Well, they certainly are.
03:26So let's hope you do brilliantly for them. Thank you.
03:29All right, big round of applause for Carl and Nick.
03:36And, of course, over in the corner,
03:38Susie Denton from Countryfile to Countdown.
03:41It's Adam Henson. Welcome back, Adam.
03:44Well done. Now, then, what shall we do?
03:47Shall we have a word with Nick? Letters game?
03:50Consonant, please.
03:52Thank you, Nick. Start today with D.
03:57Vowel.
03:59O.
04:00Consonant.
04:02R.
04:04Vowel.
04:06E.
04:08Consonant.
04:10T.
04:13Vowel.
04:15A.
04:18Consonant.
04:20D.
04:24Vowel.
04:26E.
04:29And a consonant.
04:31And the last one, W.
04:33And here's the Countdown clock.
04:43CLOCK TICKS
05:06Yes, Nick? Seven.
05:08A seven, Carl? Seven.
05:10Nick?
05:12Watered.
05:14And watered.
05:16Both watered.
05:18And Adam and Susie?
05:20Yeah, we had watered over here. Well done. Anything else, Susie?
05:23That was our best, Nick, for seven.
05:25Thank you. Seven apiece.
05:27And Carl, your letters game.
05:29OK, can I have a consonant, please?
05:31Thank you, Carl. F.
05:33And another.
05:35T.
05:36And another.
05:38D.
05:39A vowel, please.
05:41One more.
05:43O.
05:44And another vowel.
05:46E.
05:47A consonant.
05:49R.
05:50Another consonant.
05:52H.
05:54And a vowel.
05:55And the last one.
05:57A.
05:58Stand by.
06:11CLOCK TICKS
06:29Yes, Carl?
06:31Seven.
06:32A seven, Nick?
06:34Six.
06:35And your six?
06:37Orated.
06:39And Frost?
06:41Yeah, very good.
06:43Frost. Very good. Susie and Adam?
06:46Yeah, Frost, that was good.
06:48Any others, Susie?
06:50No, I was looking to see if you could be toadier than the next person,
06:53but you can't, so that was our best, too.
06:55OK, 14 plays up.
06:57Nick's seven.
06:59And now, Nick, it's your numbers game.
07:02Could I have four big ones, two little ones, please?
07:04Of course you can. Thank you, Nick. Four from the top row.
07:06Two smalls.
07:08OK, your numbers are five, four, and the large four.
07:12150.
07:1425.
07:1575.
07:17And the target...
07:19Not much of a challenge. 200.
07:21200.
07:38MUSIC PLAYS
07:54Yes, Nick?
07:56200.
07:57Well done. And Carl?
07:58200.
07:59And Nick?
08:00Ooh, 100 plus 75 plus 25.
08:03I don't know why you're looking at Nick, I'm the one that has to check this.
08:06And Carl?
08:0725 multiplied by four equals 300, take away the 100.
08:11Yeah, hand for the wave.
08:13Let's not wrestle with that too much.
08:1524 plays 17.
08:17Carl on 24, and it's time for our first tea time teaser,
08:20which is Nora Often.
08:23And the clue, Nora would often grab 40 winks at this time of day.
08:28Nora would often grab 40 winks at this time of day.
08:32MUSIC PLAYS
08:38APPLAUSE
08:46Welcome back. I left with a clue.
08:48Nora would often grab 40 winks at this time of day.
08:52And this time of day would be afternoon, of course.
08:56Afternoon. There we are.
08:58Carl on 24, Nick on 17, and Carl, your letters game.
09:03Thank you. Can I have a vowel, please?
09:05Thank you, Carl.
09:07And another one.
09:09And one more.
09:12Consonant.
09:15And another one, please.
09:18And one more.
09:20And a vowel.
09:24A consonant.
09:27And another consonant, please.
09:29And lastly, R.
09:31Stand by.
09:32MUSIC PLAYS
09:36RHYTHMIC TAPPING
09:40RHYTHMIC TAPPING
10:03Carl. Six.
10:04A six and a neck.
10:06Six.
10:07Carl.
10:08And Nick.
10:10Opener as well.
10:11Two openers.
10:13Now, what has the corner got?
10:15There's a lot of writing going on over there.
10:17Adam?
10:18I've got a six. Reaper.
10:20Well, you know about that as a farmer.
10:22Yeah.
10:23And Susie, anything else?
10:24A panner as well. Somebody who pans for gold.
10:27Yeah.
10:28I'm sure you do that very often.
10:30But, no, six was our best.
10:32Well done. Thank you.
10:34N.
10:3530 plays 23.
10:37Nick, your letters again.
10:39Consonant, please.
10:40Thank you, Nick.
10:41D.
10:42Vowel.
10:44E.
10:45Consonant.
10:47N.
10:49Vowel.
10:51I.
10:53Consonant.
10:55R.
10:58Vowel.
11:00A.
11:02Consonant.
11:04S.
11:06Vowel.
11:09E.
11:11And a consonant.
11:14And lastly, T.
11:16Standby.
11:31MUSIC PLAYS
11:49Nick?
11:50Eight.
11:51Carl?
11:52Seven.
11:53Your seven?
11:54Strained.
11:55Nick?
11:56Strained.
11:58Now, then.
11:59What have we got over there? You could have deniers, can you?
12:03Erm...
12:04Isn't that the sort of mesh size of a stocking or something?
12:07Yes, it certainly is.
12:08I shouldn't know that sort of thing.
12:10Different denier.
12:11Well, I just need to pick up, because strained is an eight rather than a seven,
12:14so I have to disallow Carl's rather meanly, I'm afraid. Sorry.
12:17Bad luck.
12:18Adam?
12:19We've got resonated as a nine.
12:21Yes, that's not resonated, but resonated, which means flavoured with resin,
12:25so you can have a resonated white wine, for example.
12:28Thank you.
12:29Very good.
12:31And only one point in now, Nick's just one point ahead,
12:3531 to 30 as we go into Carl's numbers game.
12:38Carl?
12:39Thank you. Can I have two from the top and any four, please?
12:42You can indeed, thank you, Carl.
12:44Two large, four small this time.
12:46And these four small ones are one, five, three, nine,
12:51and the large one's 50 and 25.
12:54And the target, 434.
13:28Well, Carl.
13:29434.
13:31And Nick?
13:32434.
13:33Thank you, Carl.
13:35OK, 50 times nine is 450.
13:38Yep.
13:39Five times three is 15.
13:41It is indeed.
13:42Add the one, gives you 16, and then take it away.
13:44Perfect. 434.
13:45And Nick?
13:46I followed exactly the same route.
13:48OK. There we are. Well done.
13:51Thank you.
13:52Thank you.
13:55So still just one point in the lead there, Nick,
13:58as we turn to Adam.
14:00And Adam, you've managed to combine your love of farming with a TV career.
14:05I mean, they're two very separate things.
14:07I know that your TV career talks a lot about the countryside.
14:10How did it all happen?
14:12Well, going back a few years now, 2001,
14:15Presenter Search was put out on Countryfile,
14:18and my partner, she works in television,
14:20and persuaded me to apply.
14:21And you had to send in a two-minute video of yourself,
14:23why you thought you'd be good at it.
14:25And there's a bit of thespian in my family.
14:29My grandfather was a famous comedian and actor
14:32and entertained the troops during the war,
14:34a guy called Leslie Henson.
14:36And then my father had done a little bit of television work.
14:39He worked with Johnny Morris on Animal Magic
14:42and with Angela Rippon and Phil Drabble on a programme called In the Country.
14:46But his brother is also a famous actor, a guy called Nicky Henson.
14:49So if you think about the Fawlty Towers series,
14:52so the guy with the hairy chest and a medallion
14:54had a lady locked in his bedroom and Fawlty's trying to catch him out
14:57and falls off the ladder, that one.
14:59Well, that's my wicked Uncle Nicky.
15:01And so I suppose it was in the bones to perform,
15:04although I'd never thought about a media career at all.
15:07I just wanted to be a farmer ever since I was a little boy.
15:10But anyway, I applied, I went for auditions,
15:13and then amazingly got the job and been doing it ever since.
15:16And I have to say, I absolutely love it.
15:18It's lovely to have a bit of diversity in my life,
15:21but also I now travel around the countryside visiting farms
15:24and looking at fascinating visitors and meeting extraordinary people.
15:28And talking about Johnny Morris, he was a pal of my grandpa.
15:32Amazing.
15:33Lived in Aldbourne and he was a farm manager
15:36and then he became a big TV personality in his own way.
15:40His cousins ran the big butchers, Smith's in the old town, yeah.
15:45Most people would be too young to remember Johnny Morris.
15:47Johnny Morris was a great character.
15:49He was wonderful. He used to imitate animals' voices
15:51and pretend that he was their character, which was fantastic.
15:54He was brilliant, wasn't he? He was, he was a good man.
15:56Lovely. Big round of applause.
16:02In his day, Johnny Morris was quite something.
16:0541 plays 40, Nick on 41, and it's Nick's letters game.
16:09Consonant, please, Rachel. Thank you, Nick.
16:11X
16:14And vowel?
16:16U
16:18Consonant?
16:20T
16:22Vowel?
16:24E
16:26Consonant?
16:28N
16:30Vowel?
16:32I
16:35Consonant?
16:37T
16:40Vowel?
16:42O
16:46Consonant?
16:48And lastly, L.
16:50Stand by.
17:16WHISTLE BLOWS
17:22Yes, Nick?
17:24Seven. A seven and...?
17:26Only a five. Your five?
17:28And ten. And Nick?
17:30Outline.
17:32Yes, very good.
17:34Outline. Very good.
17:36Is Toluene in there somewhere?
17:38You need two Es for that, but it's a very good word.
17:42Mm. But it's not there, unfortunately.
17:45It was very sweet of you to try to be kind.
17:48I didn't do too well on that one.
17:50If it was Scrabble, I'd have done OK. I had Oxen.
17:52But where else could we go on that one?
17:54There's a six there. Lutein, L-U-T-E-I-N,
17:57which is a deep yellow pigment that you'll find in egg yolk.
18:00Mm. Thank you.
18:0248 plays 48 points in the lead now, Nick.
18:05And we look to Karl to try and close that gap.
18:08Karl. OK, can I have a consonant, please, Rachel?
18:10Thank you, Karl. C
18:12And another?
18:14G
18:16And a vowel?
18:18A
18:20And another, please?
18:22I
18:24And a consonant?
18:26F
18:28And another consonant?
18:30R
18:32And a vowel?
18:34E
18:36A consonant?
18:38D
18:40And a consonant, please?
18:42Stand by.
19:13Well, Karl? Seven.
19:15Nick? Five.
19:17And that five? Brief.
19:19Now, then. Frigate.
19:21Frigate, indeed, yeah. Very good.
19:23Frigate. Anything else in there? Adam?
19:26No, that's the best we could do. Frigate.
19:29Yep. You can have a ribcage as well. That's a one-word for seven.
19:32That'll do. All right. But a frigate, yep. All right.
19:35Still one point in it. Look, we're back to that situation.
19:3848 to Karl's 47.
19:40And now it's a numbers game for Nick.
19:42I'll have the four big ones again, please.
19:44Same again. Thank you, Nick. Four from the top row.
19:47Two small ones. And these two small ones are nine and five.
19:51And then the large ones, 75, 25, 100 and 50.
19:56And the target to reach, 723.
19:59Seven, two, three.
20:10CLOCK TICKS
20:30Yes, Nick?
20:32Seven, two, five.
20:34Two away, Karl? No.
20:36No? Nothing. Nick?
20:38Five minus 50.
20:4025.
20:42Times 25.
20:43Six, two, five.
20:44Plus 100.
20:46Pretty close, but not quite there.
20:48Seven, two, three. Rachel, can you?
20:50Yes, with this one.
20:52If you say 100 plus 50, 150.
20:56Times that by five for 750.
20:59And then 75 divided by 25 is three.
21:03Times nine is 27.
21:05And take it away. Seven, two, three.
21:07Very good.
21:09As ever.
21:11So, it's Nick on 55 and Karl, 47,
21:14as we go into our second Tea Time teaser,
21:16which is Mail Rings and the clue.
21:19The mail rings in sick again and has another lazy day off work.
21:24The mail rings in sick again and has another lazy day off work.
21:31MUSIC
21:38APPLAUSE
21:45Welcome back.
21:46Left with the clue, the mail rings in sick again
21:48and has another lazy day off work.
21:53And the answer is malingers.
21:56Malingers.
21:58He's a malingerer.
22:0055 to 47, Nick in charge.
22:02Karl.
22:04Consonant, please.
22:05Thank you, Karl.
22:06N.
22:07And another.
22:09H.
22:11And one more.
22:13S.
22:14And can I have a vowel, please?
22:16I.
22:17And another.
22:18O.
22:20And a consonant.
22:22J.
22:23And another consonant.
22:25D.
22:26A vowel.
22:28A.
22:30And a consonant, please.
22:32And lastly, T.
22:34Stand by.
23:05Karl.
23:06Seven.
23:07A seven, Nick?
23:08No, I haven't got one.
23:09Karl.
23:10Adjoins.
23:11Adjoins.
23:12Well done.
23:13Well done, indeed.
23:15Only a point behind now.
23:16You're clambering up there.
23:18And Adam and Susie, what have you got?
23:20Adam's smiling there.
23:21Yeah, adjoins.
23:23It was very good, so that's all I could get, I'm afraid.
23:25That's it.
23:26Anything else, Susie?
23:27Six there.
23:28Handies.
23:29H-A-N-D-I-S.
23:30Ironware or metal pots used in Indian cooking.
23:33Right, 55-54, Nick on 55, and it's Nick's letters game.
23:37Nick.
23:40Consonant, please.
23:41Thank you, Nick.
23:42S.
23:44Vowel.
23:46U.
23:47Consonant.
23:49M.
23:51Vowel.
23:53I.
23:55Consonant.
23:57T.
23:59Vowel.
24:01E.
24:03Consonant.
24:05S.
24:07Vowel.
24:09U.
24:11And a consonant.
24:13And the last one, the Z.
24:15And here's the Countdown Clock.
24:31CLOCK TICKS
24:49Nick.
24:50Six.
24:51Six, Carl.
24:52Six.
24:53Nick.
24:54Smites.
24:55Yes, Carl.
24:56Sweets.
24:57Thank you.
24:58Yeah.
24:59Anything else?
25:00Nine.
25:01Strike with a firm blow to smite.
25:03Yeah.
25:04Tricky one, this one.
25:06Yeah, misuse.
25:07Yeah, it's a good six.
25:08It's pretty good.
25:09Smite, it's sort of a biblical term, isn't it?
25:11It is, isn't it?
25:12We think about smote in the past tense, don't we?
25:14Yeah.
25:15Yeah.
25:16We talk about being smitten as well, that's probably the sense...
25:18Do you think that's the same thing?
25:19It is, yes.
25:20Really?
25:21To be struck by someone in a figurative sense.
25:23He's been smitten.
25:24Yeah.
25:25Never happened to me.
25:2661-60.
25:27Still that one point.
25:28We'll take the lead as we turn to Susie.
25:30Your origins of words is up.
25:33Well, thanks, Nick.
25:34We hear a lot about icons these days.
25:37It's a word that's bandied about left, right and centre.
25:40And it's a term that used to refer to a supremely admirable person or thing,
25:45especially one that in some way characterised or symbolised
25:48a particular way of life or a set of beliefs.
25:51So in the past, it could have been Marilyn Monroe,
25:53it could be the mini car, they've all been hailed as icons.
25:57But today, as a result of linguistic inflation, really, we tend to overuse it.
26:04And it's lost most of its strength in meaning,
26:07so it's used to refer to anyone who's got any kind of importance in society,
26:11even to minor celebrities, they're called icons.
26:14Which is a real pity because the word has a really distinguished history.
26:19Before it came into English, in the Eastern Orthodox churches,
26:22it was the name given to a representation of Christ or the Virgin Mary
26:26or another Christian deity that was revered by worship.
26:32And then when the word came into English in the late 1500s,
26:35it comes from the Greek icon, e-i-k-o-n, meaning likeness.
26:40It meant something very, very different to how we know it today.
26:44It actually meant a simile, so likeness in linguistic terms.
26:47So as white as snow, for example, would have been an icon in those early days.
26:53Then it went on to mean a portrait or a picture,
26:55an illustration in a natural history book,
26:58and then a celebrated figure as we know it today.
27:02Icons in computing, the graphic representations, if you like, on our screens,
27:07appears with the release of Apple Macintosh computers.
27:11That was in 1984.
27:13But as I say, it's sad.
27:15It's a little bit like tragedy or unique or hero.
27:19Because of our over-egging the linguistic pudding, if you like,
27:22its trajectory in terms of power has been slowly downwards,
27:25and I just hope that one day these words will regain their strength
27:29and will have all the power that they once held.
27:31Indeed.
27:37I think you're right. 61 plays 60, Nick on 61,
27:40and it's Carl's chance to catch up or even overtake.
27:45OK, can I have a vowel, please?
27:47Thank you, Carl. E.
27:49And another? I.
27:51And one more? O.
27:53And a consonant? M.
27:56And another consonant? L.
27:59One more, please? P.
28:02And a vowel? E.
28:06And a consonant? K.
28:10And another consonant, please?
28:12And the last one? N.
28:14Dumbo.
28:22BUZZER RINGS
28:46Yes, Carl? Just a five this time.
28:48Five. Nick?
28:50I'll go with a safe five, yes.
28:52Carl? Neal.
28:54Neal and...? Lemon.
28:56Thank you.
28:58Now, what have we got? Adam and Susie?
29:01Well, we've got pole men here.
29:03Pole men? Yes.
29:05Those who use or wield a pole as a means of propelling a boat
29:08on a punt, for example.
29:10OK. Thank you. Anything else?
29:12That's it. That'll do.
29:14That'll do. 66-65, still that wretching one point in it.
29:18The final letters game.
29:20Consonant, please. Thank you, Nick.
29:22L.
29:24Vowel?
29:26I.
29:28Consonant?
29:30G.
29:32Vowel?
29:34A.
29:36Consonant?
29:38P.
29:40Vowel?
29:42E.
29:44Consonant?
29:46S.
29:49Vowel?
29:51I.
29:53And a consonant, please.
29:55And lastly, R.
29:57And here's the Countdown Clock.
30:16CLOCK TICKS
30:30Mm, Nick?
30:32Just six.
30:34A six, Karl? Six.
30:36Nick? Spiral.
30:38And? Grapes.
30:40And grapes. Can we wring anything else out of it, I wonder?
30:43Yeah, I had six grapes.
30:45Have you got any more than that, Susie?
30:47Well, we have girlies.
30:49Come on! Yeah.
30:51I'm not that keen on it myself, but in the dictionary for seven.
30:54Girlies.
30:56Terrible, isn't it? It is.
30:58Terrible.
31:0072 plays 71.
31:02Look at this, we're heading for a crucial conundrum, if we're not careful.
31:06Karl, Numbers game.
31:08OK, thank you. Could I have the usual two big and four small, please?
31:11You can indeed, thank you, Karl.
31:13And the final one of the week is...
31:16Seven.
31:18Six.
31:20Another six.
31:22Three and a large two.
31:2475 and 100.
31:26And the target, 180.
31:28One, eight, zero.
31:43MUSIC PLAYS
32:00Yes, Karl? 180.
32:02Yes, Nick. 180.
32:04All right, Nick, let's hear from you first.
32:06100 plus 75.
32:08175.
32:10Plus seven.
32:12182.
32:14Minus three.
32:16179.
32:18And then six divided by six is one.
32:20And I've been reprimanded for not doing my bully bullseye impression.
32:23180.
32:25All right, and Karl?
32:27OK, I did 100 plus 75 is 175.
32:29175.
32:31Seven minus the six is one.
32:33And then six minus the one is five, and then add it on.
32:35Perfect.
32:37180.
32:39Well done.
32:42Thank you for that.
32:44All right, so we do indeed have a crucial conundrum coming up.
32:47Fingers on buzzers.
32:49Deep concentration.
32:51Let's roll today's crucial countdown conundrum.
32:54MUSIC PLAYS
33:12MUSIC STOPS
33:25All right, well, we're foxed up here. Stumped indeed.
33:28But who? Nobody in the audience either?
33:30Let's roll and see. This must be a tricky one.
33:33Interlock. There we are. Interlock.
33:36Bad luck. Well, not bad luck for Nick Smith.
33:38Cars. You hung on.
33:40I was very, very lucky.
33:42Well, it was, you know, neck and neck all the way.
33:45So Karl's back to Grantham,
33:47and your students will be proud of you, actually,
33:49because you did a cracking job.
33:5181's fine, and you had him on the ropes all the way through.
33:54So thanks for coming.
33:56Take this goodie bag back to Grantham
33:58and carry on with that good community work, too.
34:00It's a great thing to do.
34:02Nick, have a quiet weekend, because you're back here on Monday,
34:05all rested and ready to go.
34:07I hope so.
34:09All right, we'll see you then.
34:11And, Adam, you'll come back Monday, please.
34:13Susie, of course.
34:14Will do. All right, well done.
34:16See you both then. And Rachel, too, of course.
34:19See you Monday. See you then.
34:21Same time, same place, you'll be sure of it.
34:23A very good afternoon.
34:25Contact us by email at countdown at channel4.com,
34:28by Twitter at c4countdown,
34:31or write to us at countdown, leeds, ls3, 1js.
34:35You can also find our web page at channel4.com forward slash countdown.
34:43Well, tonight at 7.30,
34:45Unreported World follows a hit South Korean TV show
34:48making stars out of North Korean defectors.
34:51New Posh Porn starts at 8, a supercar to sell tonight.
34:55But next up, it's the series finale of 15 to 1.
35:05Unreported World