Countdown | Wednesday 22nd February 2017 | Episode 6525
Transcript
00:00This programme contains strong language and adult humour.
00:05APPLAUSE
00:31Good afternoon and welcome to the Countdown Studio
00:34on the very day that, way back in 1732,
00:37George Washington was born in Virginia
00:40and became, of course, the first President of the United States
00:43and now, of course, we have the 45th President of the United States,
00:47none other than the reality TV star Donald Trump.
00:52Let's hope that he proves to be as successful as all the others have been.
00:56So there we are, America, what a great country.
00:59I remember when I was a young man, I travelled the States on the Greyhound bus
01:03and I loved it, it was an extraordinary place.
01:05My favourite spots, I suppose, who couldn't love New York City?
01:10But also, I guess, just being on the road
01:14and travelled all the way down to New Orleans,
01:17which in those days was a great, great city.
01:19It was then, of course, devastated by that terrible hurricane,
01:22but, Rachel, New Orleans was great.
01:25Oh, I loved New Orleans.
01:26Yeah, the French Quarter was still intact because I went just after Katrina,
01:29so obviously the rest of the place was devastated,
01:32but all the historic buildings are still there.
01:35That's right.
01:36It's fun.
01:37The French Quarter.
01:38All right.
01:39Who have we got?
01:40Wesley's back.
01:41Rachel, Wesley Jardine's back.
01:43Tremendous competitor here, six wins under his belt
01:46and you're joined by Gillian Simpson,
01:49a retired business consultant from Bronze Grove.
01:52Loves painting, secretary of a local art group,
01:55what fascinates me about Gillian from our research that we've done
01:59is that you travelled to Russia by bus when you were just 15.
02:03That's right, Nick.
02:04Fantastic.
02:05It was amazing.
02:06It was a really great experience
02:08and it gave me a taste for adventure and travel, really.
02:11And there were four of you, 15 years old, from the same school?
02:13Four of us with a group of slightly older students
02:16and we all headed off for three weeks overland, there and back.
02:21Brilliant.
02:22Some fantastic times, yes.
02:24Good for you.
02:25Well, good luck to you.
02:26Let's have a big round of applause for Gillian and Wesley.
02:32And over in the corner, of course, Susie Dent,
02:34joined once again by the wonderful Richard Arnold.
02:37Mr Showbiz.
02:38Oh, you flirt.
02:44Now then, Wesley, let's have a letters game.
02:47Hi, Rachel.
02:48Hi, Wesley.
02:49Start with a consonant, please.
02:51Thank you. Start today with G.
02:53And another.
02:56Y.
02:57And a vowel.
02:59U.
03:00And another.
03:02E.
03:05A consonant.
03:07S.
03:08And another.
03:10L.
03:12Vowel.
03:14I.
03:16A consonant.
03:19C.
03:21And I'll finish with a consonant, please.
03:23And finish with M.
03:26And here's the Countdown Clock.
03:50CLOCK TICKS
03:59Yes, Wesley?
04:00Six.
04:01Gillian?
04:02Six.
04:03Now, Wesley?
04:05Muscle.
04:06Muscle, Gillian?
04:07Clumsy.
04:11Now, can we beat that, I wonder?
04:13Richard?
04:14Lyceums, for seven.
04:16Without a capital L?
04:18It's not the garden in Athens, made famous by Aristotle,
04:21but with a small L, it's a literary institution,
04:24lecture hall or teaching place.
04:26Yes, you see.
04:27Lyceum.
04:28All right, six apiece, and Gillian, your letters game.
04:31Hello, Rachel.
04:32Hi, Gillian.
04:33Could I have a consonant, please?
04:35You can indeed, thank you.
04:36S.
04:37And a vowel.
04:39E.
04:40And another.
04:42I.
04:43And another vowel.
04:46E.
04:48Another vowel.
04:50I.
04:52Consonant, please.
04:54L.
04:55And another.
04:57R.
04:58Another consonant.
05:00M.
05:02And a final consonant, please.
05:04And a final D.
05:06Stand by.
05:18CLOCK TICKS
05:37Gillian?
05:40I'm going to try an eight.
05:43Wow. Wesley?
05:45A seven.
05:46And your seven?
05:47Resiled.
05:49Gillian Simpson?
05:50Miseried.
05:53No, miseried, I'm afraid, Gillian.
05:55A brilliant effort.
05:56Thank you.
05:58We just took the I out, didn't we?
06:00Yeah.
06:01Misered.
06:02Hoarded up, in that sense.
06:04But no miseried, sorry.
06:05Well done. Misered, and that's it?
06:07Yeah, to resile is to abandon a position.
06:09Wesley's worth it.
06:10Thank you. So it's 13 points to Wesley.
06:12Gillian, six.
06:13As we turn to Wesley and the numbers game.
06:16Six in the bottom row, please, Rachel.
06:18Thank you, Wesley. Six little ones coming up.
06:22And for the first time today, they are...
06:32And the target...
06:35399.
06:46MUSIC PLAYS
07:07Wesley?
07:08400.
07:09And Gillian?
07:11Sorry, I've lost it. No.
07:13Too far? Yeah.
07:14Wesley?
07:157 x 6 is 42.
07:18Yep.
07:19Take the 3 up to 1.
07:2240.
07:245 x 2 is 10.
07:25And you haven't used any of those.
07:27Yeah, one away, well done. 400.
07:29Well done. But still one away.
07:31Is it possible, Rachel?
07:33It is possible.
07:35If you say 6 plus 1 is 7,
07:38times 2 is 14,
07:40add 5 is 19,
07:43and then 3 x 7 is 21,
07:46and times them together.
07:48Well done. Well done, Rachel.
07:53So, Wesley on 20, Gillian on 6,
07:56and we turn to our first Tea Time teaser,
07:58which is Warm Voice, and the clue.
08:00It won't warm your voice up, but it'll warm up your dinner.
08:04It won't warm your voice up, but it'll warm up your dinner.
08:09MUSIC PLAYS
08:14APPLAUSE
08:24Welcome back. I left you with the clue.
08:26It won't warm your voice up, but it'll warm up your dinner.
08:30And the answer to that one is...
08:32It's a microwave.
08:34Microwave.
08:35So, 20 plays, Gillian, 6, and it's Gillian's Lettuce Game.
08:41Consonant, please, Rachel.
08:43Thank you, Gillian. R.
08:45And another?
08:47X.
08:49And a vowel?
08:51A.
08:53And another?
08:55U.
08:57Consonant?
08:59N.
09:01Another one, please?
09:03R.
09:05Another vowel?
09:07E.
09:10Another vowel?
09:12I.
09:14And a consonant?
09:16And the last one? D.
09:18Stand by.
09:20MUSIC PLAYS
09:39MUSIC STOPS
09:51Gillian?
09:52Six.
09:53A six. Wesley?
09:55Yeah, six as well.
09:57Gillian?
09:58Rained.
09:59And...?
10:00Yeah, that as well.
10:02Any more rain?
10:04Er...
10:06Like most of my best work, unaired.
10:09Like the worst of my work, randier?
10:13Richard?
10:14Thank you.
10:15Susie?
10:16That leaves me with drainer.
10:20Well done. A drainer. 26 plays, 12, and we turn to Wesley.
10:24Lettuce, Wesley.
10:26Consonant, please, Rachel.
10:28Thank you, Wesley. B.
10:30And another?
10:32N.
10:33And a vowel?
10:35U.
10:36E.
10:37And a consonant?
10:39T.
10:41And another?
10:43F.
10:45A vowel?
10:47I.
10:49A consonant?
10:51V.
10:53And I'll finish with a consonant, please.
10:56And finish with R.
10:58Stand by.
11:00MUSIC PLAYS
11:07MUSIC CONTINUES
11:31Wesley.
11:32Six.
11:33Gillian?
11:34Five.
11:35Burnt.
11:36No, then, Wesley.
11:37Virtue.
11:39Virtue, yes. Very good.
11:41Excellent. Now...
11:43Richard, what are you up to?
11:45Vertive.
11:47Of course.
11:48Very good. Susie?
11:50And Tribune is also there for another seven.
11:52Tribune of the People.
11:54Thank you. 32 plays, 12, and we look to Gillian now for a numbers game.
11:58Gillian.
12:00Could I have two large, please, and four small?
12:02Thank you, Gillian. Two from the top row.
12:04And four little ones this time.
12:06And your four small ones are one, six, another one, and four,
12:12and the large, 225, and 100.
12:15And the target, 334.
12:18334.
12:20MUSIC PLAYS
12:34MUSIC CONTINUES
12:51Gillian.
12:52Just 326.
12:54326. And...
12:57Wesley?
12:58I think I've got 334.
13:00Let's try it, shall we?
13:02100 plus one?
13:03100 plus one, 101.
13:05Four minus one is three.
13:07Four minus the other one is three.
13:09Multiply them.
13:10303.
13:11And add the 25 and the six.
13:13Perfect. Well done. 334.
13:15Well done, Wesley. Very good.
13:17APPLAUSE
13:20Well done.
13:2242 plays, 12, as we turn with trepidation...
13:26LAUGHTER
13:28..to Richard Arnold. Now, then.
13:30I hear you went off on a big road trip recently.
13:32A lot of regular viewers will know that I'm a big fan of Texas and Dallas
13:36and wherever there's a tall tale, to be honest.
13:38But anyway, I packed a little light hat box and went on the road.
13:41It was my first ever road trip around Texas.
13:44And you know the song Go West?
13:46Well, Go Yes, young man, I was determined to do,
13:49but this time I didn't want to look like one of the village people,
13:51I wanted to go to a dude ranch, OK?
13:53I did try my luck with a trusty steed,
13:56a phenomenal horse called Diesel, right, on this dude ranch,
13:59which is in Bandera, which is a small town in Texas Hill Country,
14:02which is magnificent.
14:04950 people, loosely.
14:07It's the self-proclaimed cowboy capital of the world.
14:11So I arrived at this ranch and I didn't have all the gear.
14:15I've got quite a few Stetsons at home, as I say,
14:17cos it isn't my first rodeo, so to speak.
14:19So I pulled a hat off the wall of the ranch and sort of put it on,
14:22and obviously cos I've got such an infeasibly large cranium,
14:25I sort of had to twist it around.
14:27I did look more like Wendy Miller than I did John Wayne, to be honest,
14:30but it was a look I was determined to pull off.
14:32And I'm wearing shorts, OK, so I don't have the clobber.
14:35I know you've often pictured me in chaps and washed-out denim, Nick,
14:38but I had these seersucker shorts on.
14:41It was like 110 degrees.
14:43I was sweating like Judith Chalmers without a passport, right?
14:46So I get down to Diesel the horse,
14:50and the man I get to help me mount my steed
14:53is the ubiquitous Marlborough man.
14:55I've never felt so emasculated in my life.
14:58When he said, hello, darling, it was like a lion roaring in the jungle
15:01and every part of you turned to jelly.
15:03Probably just me, but no, the whole crowd sort of fell about him.
15:06But it was a magnificent experience.
15:08A brilliant story.
15:10Hold on, can we go back to the seersucker shorts for a second?
15:13If we may.
15:15Oh, I knew you'd jungle that image.
15:17Are you being helped onto a horse wearing seersucker shorts and a Stetson?
15:21Yes.
15:22That was uncomfortable.
15:24I'm coming back with leather chaps and saddle soap next year.
15:27Let's put it that way.
15:28Well, good for you. Sounds great.
15:30Good fun.
15:37Good old Richard. Always good for a tale.
15:39Now then, Wesley, let's have a letters game, shall we?
15:42Consonant, please.
15:44Thank you, Wesley.
15:45L
15:46And another.
15:48S
15:49And a vowel.
15:51A
15:52And another.
15:54E
15:56A consonant.
15:58T
15:59And another.
16:01R
16:03A vowel.
16:05O
16:07A consonant.
16:10N
16:13And I'll finish with a vowel, please.
16:15And finish with I.
16:18And the clock starts now.
16:22CLOCK TICKS
16:26CLOCK TICKS
16:50Yes, Wesley?
16:51A nine.
16:52And Gillian?
16:53Nine.
16:55Well done. Wesley?
16:57Orientals.
17:00Gillian?
17:01Relations.
17:03And relations.
17:10Well done.
17:12And Richard's nine?
17:15Tensorial.
17:17No.
17:18I know. But you can't tell, can you?
17:20What a thing!
17:22And Susie?
17:23Yeah, all to do with the muscles that tighten or stretch part of the body.
17:27Tensorial muscles. Very, very good.
17:29Fantastic. Fantastic. Well done.
17:31All right.
17:3260 plays 30.
17:34And it's Gillian's letters game.
17:36Gillian.
17:38Thank you, Rachel. Could I have a vowel, please?
17:41Thank you, Gillian.
17:42E
17:43And another.
17:45A
17:46And another.
17:48B
17:49Consonant.
17:51M
17:52And another.
17:54R
17:55And another one.
17:57T
17:59A vowel, please.
18:01A
18:03Another consonant.
18:05Q
18:06And a consonant, please.
18:08And finally, B.
18:10Stand by.
18:22MUSIC PLAYS
18:42Gillian.
18:43Six.
18:44A six. Wesley?
18:46Yeah, six.
18:47Gillian.
18:48Beta.
18:49Now, then. Both of you.
18:51Yes.
18:52There we are.
18:54And in the corner.
18:56Beamer. We used to always use this at school when I was in rural Aberdeenshire.
19:02Yeah.
19:03If you take a beamer, it means you're flushed, you're blushing, you're embarrassed.
19:07Really?
19:08Yeah.
19:09And that's the dictionary definition?
19:11No, I like it, though.
19:12Thanks, Suze.
19:13No, the dictionary definition is all about cricket and the ball
19:15bowled directly at the batsman's head, which is very unsporting.
19:18And that is the beamer in the dictionary.
19:20But I like that one, the blushing version.
19:22Very good.
19:23All right. 66 based 36, and it's Wesley's numbers game.
19:27Wesley?
19:28Six from the bottom row, please.
19:30Same again. Thank you, Wesley.
19:32Your favourite six little ones coming up.
19:34And for this round, they are two, seven, six, nine,
19:39another six, and ten.
19:41And this target, 791.
19:44791.
19:46791.
20:16Wesley?
20:17790.
20:19One away. Gillian?
20:20No, too far away.
20:21Too far? Down to Wesley.
20:24Six add two.
20:26Eight.
20:27Times nine.
20:2872.
20:30Plus seven.
20:3279.
20:33Multiplied by ten.
20:35One away. 790.
20:37Well done.
20:39But 791, Rachel, can you help?
20:42Yep, I found it in there.
20:44If you say six plus six is 12,
20:47times ten, 120,
20:50minus the nine, add the two for 113,
20:53and times it by seven.
20:55Fantastic. Well done.
21:00Excellent stuff. 791 there.
21:02As we turn to our second Tea Time teaser, which is Went Paris.
21:05And the clue.
21:06She went to Paris for the day and got thoroughly soaked.
21:09She went to Paris for the day and got thoroughly soaked.
21:28Welcome back. I left you with the clue.
21:30She went to Paris for the day and got thoroughly soaked.
21:33In fact, she was rain-swept.
21:36Rain-swept.
21:38So there we are. 73 plays Gillian's 36.
21:41Gillian, your letters go.
21:43A consonant, please.
21:45Thank you, Gillian.
21:46N.
21:48And another?
21:50T.
21:51A vowel, please.
21:53U.
21:55A consonant.
21:57G.
21:59A vowel.
22:01O.
22:02Another vowel.
22:04U.
22:06Another vowel.
22:08E.
22:10And a consonant, please.
22:11K.
22:13And a final consonant, please.
22:15And a final L.
22:17Stand by.
22:37MUSIC
22:49Gillian?
22:50Six.
22:51A six, Wesley?
22:52Yeah, a six.
22:54And Gillian?
22:55Lounge.
22:56Lounge.
22:57Tongue.
22:58Thank you.
23:00Can Guillaume be on tongue?
23:02No.
23:03No.
23:06I was hoping for a French word, but sadly not in.
23:09Longuet.
23:11But you need double T-E. So, yeah, tongue was ours for six.
23:13That's it. Thank you very much.
23:15All right, 79-42.
23:17Wesley?
23:19Try this letters game.
23:21Start with a consonant, please, Rachel.
23:23Thank you, Wesley.
23:24J.
23:25And another?
23:27P.
23:28And a vowel?
23:30A.
23:31And another?
23:33O.
23:34Consonant?
23:36S.
23:37And another?
23:39V.
23:41A vowel?
23:43A.
23:45A consonant?
23:47H.
23:50Er...
23:52I need about six more, Aidan.
23:54I'll finish with a consonant, please.
23:56And finish with P.
23:58Go.
24:00MUSIC
24:04MUSIC
24:31Yes, Wesley?
24:33A four, Gillian?
24:35Four.
24:36And a four, yes? Wesley?
24:38Hops.
24:39Hops and?
24:40Shop.
24:41And shop.
24:43Hmm.
24:44Tricky.
24:45Slim pickings indeed.
24:46Isn't it slim?
24:47Can you have Pasha?
24:49Yes, we like Pasha.
24:51It's the title of a Turkish officer of high rank.
24:54Good.
24:55Pappas, we had.
24:57Pappas?
24:58Pappas.
24:59For five.
25:00We'd have Pajavas if you were in an American coffee shop.
25:03Yeah.
25:04But five was our best.
25:05That's it.
25:06Yeah.
25:07Slim pickings indeed.
25:0883 plays 46.
25:10And, Susie, you're back again for your wonderful origins of words.
25:14And today?
25:16Well, you may remember, Nick, that I like those words
25:19that actually wear their hearts on their sleeves
25:22and we often don't recognise them.
25:24So, a freelancer was a knight
25:26who was free to work for whomever he pleased.
25:29He carried his lance and he could be hired out at will.
25:32Well, there's another word whose origin is simple, when you know it,
25:35and that's witness.
25:37And if you go far, far back in linguistic times,
25:40there was the ancient word waid, W-E-I-D,
25:43which meant to see or to perceive, and hence to know.
25:47That word gave us the Old English wit
25:50for the part of the mind that deals with thought as well as feeling.
25:54But most of all, it meant intellect or reasoning.
25:57But it wasn't for another two centuries
25:59that wit came to mean a clever remark, a clever riposte,
26:02or simply the sort of ability, if you like, to be funny,
26:06which is pretty much what we use it for today.
26:09Before that, there was a lovely verb as well, to wit,
26:12which meant to have knowledge of.
26:14Witness literally meant the state or condition of knowing.
26:17So the "-ness", there, means the condition or state of.
26:20So we have smugness, state of being smug, paleness,
26:23state of being pale, etc.
26:25And so the first meaning of witness was simply wisdom.
26:28And it also came to mean knowledge
26:30particularly gained through the observance of a particular situation.
26:34And, of course, that's pretty much the meaning
26:37that we get a sense of today.
26:39A testimony, and then eventually to the person who bore that testimony,
26:43to the person who was there at that particular event
26:46and can be witness to it.
26:48But it goes back to the idea we talk about somebody having a great wit,
26:51and witness actually has exactly the same story.
26:54Excellent. Wonderful.
27:00Very good.
27:02Thank you. 83 plays 46, and Gillian, we turn to you for a letters game.
27:07Vowel, please.
27:09Thank you, Gillian.
27:11U
27:12And another one?
27:13E
27:14A consonant?
27:16D
27:18Another consonant?
27:20P
27:22And another?
27:24W
27:26And a vowel?
27:28A
27:30Another?
27:32O
27:34Consonant?
27:36N
27:38And a final consonant, please.
27:40And a final S.
27:42Stand by.
27:52ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS
28:14Gillian?
28:16Six.
28:18A six. Wesley?
28:20Thank you.
28:22Spawned.
28:23Oh, no!
28:24No, it's spawned.
28:26Yes, just...
28:27There we go. Well done.
28:29It's giving you the extra letter. Very good.
28:31Well done, Wesley. What have we got in the corner there?
28:33Richard and Susie?
28:34Weapons for seven.
28:35Yeah.
28:36Yeah, spawned as well. And upend is there for six.
28:39To be upended.
28:41Thank you.
28:4390 to 46. Wesley, final letters game for you.
28:47A consonant, please, Rachel.
28:49S
28:51And another?
28:53W
28:55And a vowel?
28:57A
28:59And another?
29:01E
29:03A consonant?
29:05S
29:07And another?
29:09Z
29:11A vowel?
29:13O
29:15A consonant?
29:17C
29:20And I'll finish with a consonant, please.
29:22And finish with G.
29:25Stand by.
29:27ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS
29:47ELECTRONIC MUSIC CONTINUES
29:57Wesley?
29:59Just a five.
30:01A five gillion?
30:03A five.
30:05Now, Wesley?
30:07Gazes.
30:09And gillion?
30:11Sages.
30:13And sages?
30:15A-G-E-S.
30:17Shaped tools for giving a desired form to metal by hammering it
30:20or applying pressure.
30:22That is a swage.
30:24We could have that for six.
30:26No, I thought we were team players.
30:28Oh, sorry, at the very last minute.
30:30You just pulled that out at the last minute, did you?
30:32I apologise. Is that how it's going to be?
30:34No. Just so we're clear? Never again.
30:36Be patient with her, Rachel.
30:38All right, 95 to 51.
30:40Gillian, final numbers game.
30:42I'll just have one from the top, please, and four small ones.
30:45Shall I have five small ones? Oh, yes, I'll have five.
30:47Thank you, Gillian. One extra for free.
30:49One big, five little.
30:51And the final one of the day is...
30:5395465.
30:57And the big one, 25.
30:59And the target, 932.
31:02932.
31:04ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS
31:12ELECTRONIC MUSIC CONTINUES
31:34Gillian? 930.
31:36930.
31:38Wesley? 934.
31:40934. So, Gillian?
31:42Right, nine times four is 36.
31:45Yep.
31:47And six minus five is one.
31:49It is.
31:51Add them together and multiply them by 25.
31:5437 times 25, 925.
31:56So, 95 and then add on the other five.
31:59Yes. So, 932 away.
32:01There we go. And Wesley?
32:03Er, 25 times four...
32:06Is 100.
32:08Add the five, 105.
32:10Multiply by nine.
32:12945.
32:14And then subtract the six and the other five.
32:16Yep, two the other way.
32:20Pretty good, even Stephen there.
32:22But 932, Rachel?
32:24Possible?
32:26Well, I can get you to 931, but 932 is impossible.
32:29All right. But rather better than their attempts.
32:32So, 102 plays 58 as we turn now to the final round.
32:37It's conundrum time.
32:39Fingers on buzzers. Wesley, Gillian, we're rolling.
32:42Today's countdown conundrum.
33:07MUSIC PLAYS
33:15Two good players are stumped, but who in the audience?
33:18I wonder.
33:20Do I see a hand? No?
33:22Let's roll it and see. Let's roll it and find out the answer.
33:26Serviette. There we are.
33:28A serviette.
33:30So, 102 plays Gillian's 58. Well played, Gillian.
33:33Thank you. I've got to tell you, you're up against Wesley there
33:36and now with seven wins.
33:38So, 58's a very good score. Well done.
33:40Thank you.
33:42You take this goodie bag back to Bromsgrove.
33:44Thank you very much, Nick. Did you enjoy it?
33:46I've had a great time, thank you. Excellent.
33:48And good luck for the next rounds.
33:51Indeed. All right. Thanks for coming again.
33:53Well done. Well done.
33:55Excellent stuff.
33:57Tomorrow is a big day, Wesley.
33:59Yeah? Yeah.
34:01All right. Well, you've had a great run, but never relax for a minute.
34:04Thank you. See you tomorrow. Well done.
34:06And, Richard, will you join us again tomorrow?
34:10You've asked nicely, Nick, of course.
34:12All right. And Susie, too, of course.
34:14Yes. See you then, Nick.
34:16And Rachel, too, of course. See you then.
34:18Same time, same place. You'll be sure of it.
34:20Let's see whether Wesley will become an OctoChamp tomorrow.
34:24Good afternoon.
34:26Contact us by email at countdown at channel4.com,
34:30by Twitter at c4countdown,
34:32or write to us at countdownleadsls31js.
34:36You can also find our web page at channel4.com forward slash countdown.
34:428 o'clock tonight on Channel 4, we're in Deptford,
34:45an up-and-coming spot, a brand-new location here for you.
34:49And then at 9, new testimonies from members of the Queen's extended family
34:53shedding a whole new light on the Royal House of Windsor in a brand-new series.
34:58And up next on 4, it's Sandy and 15 to 1.