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00:00This programme contains strong language and adult humour.
00:04APPLAUSE
00:31Hello, everybody. It's Tuesday afternoon.
00:33Welcome to another Fix of Countdown
00:35and thank you so much for tuning in.
00:37Always appreciate it.
00:38And, Rachel, we've been buzzing.
00:40Second day of having Ardalo Hanlon in Dictionary Corner.
00:43We didn't want to freak him out on day one
00:45because, if I say I'm a fan of Father Ted, you're a fanatic.
00:49I wouldn't say fanatic in a creepy way.
00:52It's just good, isn't it? Really? It's a bit good.
00:54Is that why you requested the dressing room next door to him?
00:57Right? What's your favourite episode?
00:59It's got to be Lost in the Lingerie Department. OK.
01:02It's one of the best. Or Father Ted's a racist.
01:04I hear you're racist now, Father.
01:06Yeah, that's the line.
01:08So, there's a website that ranks
01:11every Channel 4 programme ever made.
01:14The public vote for which is the best.
01:17So, Father Ted is number three in the history.
01:20Robbed.
01:21Countdown ranks at 41!
01:2441.
01:2541, a travesty.
01:26I'm going to just single out some shows that are ahead of us.
01:29Right.
01:30Grand Designs. I'm sorry, it's a good show.
01:32It's not Countdown, it doesn't have the history.
01:34And the other, the one that really annoyed me, that's ahead of us,
01:37Eight Out Of Ten Cats!
01:39That's like picking the wings over beetles!
01:41Well, you know, we do like a little bit of cats, don't we, Suze?
01:44We do.
01:45Right, well, let's get over to Dictionary Corner.
01:47We've done the intro ahead of time.
01:49What can we say, Suzy Dent and Arnold O'Hanlon!
01:51APPLAUSE
01:54Right, can we get our number one,
01:56I'm at Vadera.
01:58One win under the belt, my friend,
02:00and you didn't need your Etch-A-Sketch
02:02that you usually do Countdown on at home.
02:04Now, you're a big cricket fan, so we get to know you a bit more.
02:07Give a shout-out to the team.
02:09Yeah, shout-out to the boys that play every weekend.
02:12Can't currently play with them at the moment,
02:14but because of the two little ones,
02:16so priorities have changed, but I'll be back, I'll be back.
02:19What's your outstanding cricket memory you have as a player?
02:23Well, to get to my maiden century,
02:27when I was in the early 20s,
02:30I was on 97 and got a double bouncer
02:34and hit it straight up in the air
02:36and somehow got caught by the bowler.
02:38There you go. Well, you were caught fair and square.
02:40Hoping to do the same to you today is our new challenger, Mike Toms.
02:44Hi, Mike.
02:45Hi, Colin.
02:46I love this.
02:47You retired and then you were like,
02:49I'm having none of it, and you're coming back to work.
02:52What was wrong with retirement?
02:54Well, as my wife does say to me on a regular occasion,
02:57I'm not very good at gardening.
02:59We've done all the stuff that we're going to do on the house.
03:02There's not really much else to paint or to refit or whatever.
03:05And I'm not very good at golf,
03:07so I thought I'd better try something new that will keep me occupied
03:10and keep the brain cells working.
03:12And you've done a lot in your life,
03:14so what particularly are you going back in to do?
03:16I'm currently studying, or re-studying,
03:19teaching English as a foreign language as a qualification,
03:22which I did a long time ago.
03:24But I think it's a flexible option that gives me the chance to work
03:28the way that I would like to work, which is not as much as before.
03:31There you go. Perfect balance.
03:33Right, well, good luck today to our challenger, Mike,
03:35and our champion, Amit.
03:40Let's get the first letters done. It's the champion, Amit.
03:43Can I have a consonant, please, Rachel?
03:45Thank you, Amit. Start today with S.
03:48And another.
03:50R
03:51And another.
03:53T
03:54And another.
03:56R
03:57And a vowel.
03:59E
04:00And another.
04:02A
04:03And another.
04:05I
04:07And another.
04:09E
04:10And a final consonant, please.
04:12A final W.
04:14At home and in the studio, let's play Kind Time.
04:45Mike?
04:46Seven.
04:47And Amit?
04:48Risky eight.
04:49OK, we'll go with a seven first.
04:51Waiters.
04:52Yes, no worries with that. And Amit?
04:54Waterers.
04:55Waterers.
04:56So, something that Mike's not able to do in his garden.
04:59What have you got?
05:00Yeah, in the dictionary.
05:01Brilliant.
05:02APPLAUSE
05:05Arnold, how did you get on?
05:06I had waiters as well.
05:08Shame you can't re-waiter, you know. Re-waiters.
05:10But there you go. We all had...
05:12Yeah, that would have been nice.
05:14Well, not far on from waiters, you've got weariest,
05:17and then you can have weariest as well, which will give you an eight.
05:20Weariest. Loads of it, and they're a very healthy start for a champion.
05:23But let's get your first letters now.
05:25Mike, you can say hello to Rachel.
05:27OK, hi, Rachel. Hi, Mike.
05:28May I have a consonant, please?
05:30You may indeed. D.
05:31And another one.
05:33G.
05:34And a vowel.
05:36U.
05:37And another vowel.
05:39E.
05:40E.
05:42And a consonant.
05:43R.
05:44And another one.
05:46S.
05:47And another one.
05:49N.
05:51And a vowel.
05:52A.
05:54And another consonant, please.
05:57And lastly, G.
05:5930 seconds.
06:10MUSIC PLAYS
06:31Amit.
06:32Seven.
06:33And Mike.
06:34Seven.
06:35Amit, what's your word?
06:36Ganders.
06:37Different. Mike?
06:38Daggers.
06:39Ganders.
06:40I think there's a whole load of sevens in there.
06:42Arda, what have you written down?
06:43I have snagged.
06:44Yes.
06:45And I think it would gagers.
06:47People who gauge stuff.
06:49They probably would just be...
06:50Oh, no, it is in the dictionary.
06:51Yeah, very nice.
06:52Beautiful.
06:53Excellent.
06:54What a lovely start.
06:55As we get our first numbers round now,
06:57and, Amit, let's see what way you're going to go.
06:59Can I have three large, three small, please?
07:01You can indeed.
07:02Three from the top, three little, mixing it up.
07:05And the small ones to start are 2, 7 and 9,
07:09followed by the big ones, 75, 100 and 50.
07:13And the target to reach, 910.
07:16910, numbers up.
07:18MUSIC PLAYS
07:35MUSIC CONTINUES
07:48How did you get on, Mike?
07:49909.
07:50One away, and, Amit?
07:52909.
07:53909. Mike, I'll give you this one.
07:559 x 100.
07:569 x 100, 900.
07:58Plus 7, plus 2.
07:59Yep.
08:00One away, 909.
08:01There you go.
08:02One away, exactly the same for Amit.
08:05Confirmed.
08:06So, 910, Rich.
08:08Yes.
08:09Same start.
08:109 x 100, 900.
08:13Add on the 7, 907.
08:15And then 75 x 2 is 150.
08:19Divided by the 50 gives you 3 and 910.
08:22That's it, lovely.
08:23APPLAUSE
08:26OK, good start.
08:2722 plays 14, the first tea time teaser.
08:30It amount.
08:31It amount.
08:32It amounts to a certain degree of change.
08:34It amounts to a certain degree of change.
08:44APPLAUSE
08:51Welcome back, tea time teaser.
08:53It amount.
08:54It amounts to a certain degree of change.
08:57Mutation, mutation.
08:59And hoping to change the scores right now
09:01is our challenger, Mike Toms.
09:04Originally from Blexley Heath, nine letters.
09:07OK, a consonant, please, Rachel.
09:09Thank you, Mike. L.
09:10And another one.
09:13M.
09:14And a vowel.
09:16I.
09:18And another vowel.
09:20A.
09:21And a consonant.
09:23L.
09:25And another one.
09:27F.
09:29And another one.
09:31D.
09:34And a vowel, please.
09:37O.
09:39And a final consonant.
09:40A final S.
09:42Thanks, Rich.
09:59MUSIC PLAYS
10:14Time's up.
10:15Amit?
10:16Five.
10:17And Mike?
10:18Six.
10:19Right, good chance to claw back some points.
10:21What's the five?
10:22Folds.
10:23Yes, and what's the six?
10:25Flails.
10:26Flails.
10:27Susie?
10:28Excellent.
10:29Good, there you go.
10:30Brings it within two points.
10:32Ardal, how did you get on?
10:33Yes, I had flails as well.
10:35Anything else but a variety from Susie?
10:37Yes, but a variety, no longer, but slalom there for six.
10:40Very good indeed.
10:41More letters, please.
10:42Consonant, please.
10:43Thank you, Amit.
10:45L.
10:47And another.
10:48S.
10:49And another.
10:51K.
10:53And another.
10:54Q.
10:56Vowel, please.
10:57I.
10:58And another.
10:59E.
11:00And another.
11:01U.
11:03And another.
11:05E.
11:07And a final consonant, please.
11:10A final T.
11:11Good luck.
11:27MUSIC PLAYS
11:43Time's up.
11:44Amit?
11:45Er...
11:46Six.
11:48A long six.
11:50Mike?
11:51Five.
11:52OK, what's the five?
11:53Quest.
11:54He's obviously not that sure about the six
11:56Quilts.
11:57Quilts, that's fine.
11:58I had a seven in my mind, but...
12:00OK.
12:01It's too late.
12:02OK, well, a six is fine with quilts.
12:04Do we have a seven, though, Arnold?
12:06I don't, anyway.
12:07I have quilts, but I also have quiets.
12:09Quiets, yes.
12:10That's the two, but, yeah, no better than the six.
12:12There you go.
12:13Right, 28 plays 20,
12:15and we move on to the numbers, Mike.
12:17Your first time picking them.
12:18OK, could I have two from the top, please, Rachel?
12:20You can indeed.
12:21Thank you, Mike.
12:22Two large, four little for your attempt to turn the lead.
12:25Little ones are eight, five, five and four,
12:29and the big ones, 75 and 25.
12:32And the target, 609.
12:35609, numbers up.
12:55MUSIC PLAYS
13:07609, Aaron, Mike.
13:09609.
13:10And Amit.
13:11609.
13:12Yes, Mike got it in three seconds, Amit got it in 27 seconds.
13:15I love watching that.
13:17Amit, you go.
13:1875 times the eight.
13:20600.
13:21Plus the five, plus the four.
13:23Nice and straightforward.
13:24Same way.
13:25Exactly the same, yeah.
13:26Yeah.
13:27And it really doesn't matter.
13:28As long as you see it, you see it.
13:30You get the ten points.
13:31Fairly straightforward.
13:32As we take a little break and talk yet again
13:34to our very special guest, Ardal O'Hanlon.
13:36And we're going to concentrate yet again on your new book,
13:39Brouhaha.
13:40But let me just say before you talk about it,
13:42I love what you're wearing today.
13:43It's a milk tray man black.
13:45Yes, I appreciate that.
13:49One of my favourite words in my new novel, Brouhaha,
13:53is a coinage similar to your own there.
13:55It is a shade of blue.
13:56It's David Soul denim blue.
13:58Yes.
13:59I think I used it in my novel to describe a particular sky
14:03one bright summer's morning.
14:06So I think it was very apt.
14:07It's one of my favourite things about writing,
14:09the writing process, is trying to come up with the perfect word
14:13or expression to describe the emotion or the situation
14:16that you're trying to describe.
14:18And I had another one, another few.
14:20So you know the great 20th century jazz bass player,
14:23Charlie Mingus?
14:24Yes.
14:25You know him.
14:26So his music is very brooding.
14:27It's very edgy, very heavy.
14:29And I think I described some characters,
14:32the vein in his neck was throbbing mingously.
14:35So, you know, I mean, that was worth the effort
14:39in writing the novel, just that one little word.
14:41I think I danced around the room after that.
14:44That's brilliant.
14:45And I had another lovely one as well.
14:46I came up with a verb, a lovely verb,
14:48to Sam Shepard.
14:50So it describes like a man, usually a kind of a macho kind
14:54of a character who's swaggering around from bar to boudoir.
14:58So he Sam Shepard-ed his way around town.
15:00You know.
15:02Now, most of the words in my book, it's 100,000 words.
15:04I mean, most of them I didn't come up with,
15:06but there's three or four that I did.
15:08But the dictionary must be full of examples of authors
15:12creating words and then it becomes part
15:14of the everyday conversation from Shakespeare
15:16to Arlo Hanlon.
15:17And that is the author's prerogative,
15:19to use that creative license and expand a vocabulary.
15:22Yeah, that's exactly how it's worked.
15:24And things like chortle was a Lewis Carroll invention.
15:28Tolkien was the master of inventing words.
15:31He knew his old English, Tolkien,
15:32because he was a professor of Anglo-Saxon.
15:34But, yes, they're all in the dictionary
15:35and then they lose their mooring,
15:36so you kind of forget where they come from.
15:38Love it. Fantastic, Arlo. Thank you.
15:40APPLAUSE
15:42Well, we'll look out for Vian Straubing menacingly
15:45from Amit and Mike as we progress through today's countdown.
15:48And, Amit, champion your letters.
15:50Consonant, please. Thank you, Amit.
15:52J
15:54And another.
15:56G
15:57And another.
15:59T
16:00And another.
16:02P
16:03And a vowel.
16:05I
16:06And a vowel.
16:07O
16:08And another.
16:10I
16:11And a consonant.
16:13P
16:15And a final vowel, please.
16:18A final A.
16:20Here we go.
16:41MUSIC PLAYS
16:51Just eight points in it, Mike.
16:53Five.
16:54And, Amit?
16:55Risky five.
16:56OK, the risky five?
16:58Topia.
16:59Topia.
17:00And, Mike?
17:01Patio.
17:02Yeah, unfortunately, no topia.
17:04There's topiary, obviously, and there's utopia,
17:06but no topia on its own. Sorry about that.
17:08No utopia for you there, Amit.
17:10Amit, what about yourself? Ardal?
17:12Patio, likewise, best I could come up with.
17:14Susie?
17:15Yeah, just another five, if you want a bit of variation.
17:18Popia, P-O-P-I-A,
17:20which in Singaporean and Malaysian cuisine is a spring roll.
17:23Nice.
17:24Let's get more letters now. Mike?
17:26Could have a consonant, please. Thank you, Mike.
17:29S
17:30And another one.
17:32H
17:33And a vowel.
17:35E
17:36And another one.
17:38A
17:39And a consonant.
17:42R
17:44And another consonant.
17:46M
17:48And another consonant.
17:51G
17:54And a vowel.
17:56O
17:59And a final consonant, please.
18:01A final T.
18:02Start the clock.
18:09CLOCK TICKS
18:34Time's up, Mike.
18:35Seven.
18:36And Amit?
18:37Seven.
18:38OK, what have you got, Amit?
18:39Hamster.
18:40Hamster.
18:41And Mike?
18:42Hostage.
18:43Hostage. Hold on now. Hamster hostage.
18:46Dictionary Corner, Ardal O'Hanlon?
18:49I've got masher.
18:50Masher.
18:51Susie?
18:52Yeah, you can get two and eight with homages,
18:55people who show reverence, respect and pay homage to others.
18:59Very good indeed.
19:00Amit, let's get some numbers.
19:02Six more, please.
19:03Six little ones.
19:04You are going through the selections.
19:06Like yourself.
19:07Let's see how you fare with this one.
19:09All the littles.
19:10Six, nine, three, one, two and nine.
19:16And the target.
19:17973.
19:19973. Numbers up.
19:36MUSIC PLAYS
19:51973. Amit?
19:53Not close enough.
19:54Mike?
19:55Might have 973.
19:56Wow, let's hear it.
19:58OK, nine times nine...
20:00Yep. ..is 81.
20:01It is.
20:02Two times six is 12.
20:06Multiply them together for 972 and add the one.
20:10Perfect, 973.
20:11Wonderful.
20:14Ardal, I've seen a little bit of brain ooze out of your ear there.
20:17No, no, no, I have huge respect for Mike and Amit,
20:19but I lost interest.
20:23I do that sometimes.
20:25If it's too hard, I take a round off.
20:28I'm delighted I didn't get that.
20:30I think you do that at home as well.
20:32Right, let's get an RT Time teaser.
20:34Her plans.
20:35H-E-R.
20:36Her plans.
20:37It amounts to a certain degree of change.
20:39Did we have that before?
20:41It amounts to a certain degree of change.
20:58Welcome back.
20:59Same clue, different answer.
21:00Her plans.
21:01It amounts to a certain degree of change.
21:03I love this word, shrapnel,
21:05because it's what you used to bark, Susie,
21:08at your aunties and uncles and granny and grandmas.
21:10Got any shrapnel?
21:11And it didn't mean, sort of, you know, parts coming off an explosion.
21:15Oh, no.
21:16It was just change in your pocket.
21:18Yeah, small change.
21:19Yeah, it's an eponym, shrapnel,
21:21so it was named after General Henry Shrapnel,
21:23who invented the sort of small fuse many years ago.
21:27Got any shrapnel?
21:29Let's get more letters now.
21:30Mike?
21:31Can I have a consonant, please?
21:33Thank you, Mike.
21:34N.
21:35And another?
21:37R.
21:38And a vowel?
21:40A.
21:42And another vowel?
21:43I.
21:44And a consonant?
21:46T.
21:48And a vowel?
21:50E.
21:52And another consonant?
21:54B.
21:55And another consonant?
21:57C.
21:59And a final vowel, please?
22:01A final O.
22:03Here we go.
22:30MUSIC STOPS
22:35Mike?
22:36Seven.
22:37And Amit?
22:38Seven.
22:39What's yours, Mike?
22:40Certain.
22:41And Amit?
22:42Cabinet.
22:43Cabinet and certain.
22:44Gets a little bit serious at this stage in a close game,
22:47so seven points each.
22:48Anything else, Arnold?
22:49Possible seven.
22:51Bat coin.
22:52A bat coin?
22:53A bat coin.
22:54I did look it up.
22:55It's not there.
22:56It's great manners to look it up, though.
22:58Yes.
22:59What is in there?
23:01A couple, or three, actually, eights that we could find.
23:04Creation, reaction and obtainer.
23:06Wonderful.
23:07If you got that at home, very well done.
23:09Seven points still the difference here,
23:11as Amit gives us nine more letters.
23:14Consonant.
23:15Thank you, Amit.
23:16L.
23:18Another consonant?
23:20P.
23:21Another one?
23:22G.
23:23And another?
23:24R.
23:25And a vowel?
23:27U.
23:28And another?
23:29A.
23:31And another?
23:32A.
23:34And another?
23:36O.
23:39And a final vowel, please?
23:42Final E.
23:43Here we go.
23:57MUSIC PLAYS
24:15Mike?
24:16Six.
24:17OK, and Amit?
24:18Seven.
24:19OK, big moment.
24:20Mike?
24:21Plague.
24:22No worries with plague.
24:23Amit?
24:24Pergola.
24:25Pergola.
24:26Nice indeed.
24:27Excellent.
24:28Ardal, how did you do?
24:29I got a six.
24:30Parole.
24:31Thank you, D.I. Jack Mooney.
24:33We'll allow that.
24:35Anything else?
24:36Earplug.
24:37There you go.
24:39Needed often in this studio of an afternoon.
24:42Let's take a little bit of time out,
24:45and we're all ears now for Susie Dent's Origins of Words.
24:50Well, close to your ears, you might wear a wig.
24:54Do you remember just a few days ago I was talking about
24:57all the words in English for the big enchilada, the big cheese...
25:00Yes.
25:01..the boss and the kahuna, where those came from.
25:04Top banana was one you particularly liked.
25:07Well, I'm going to kick off with a big wig today,
25:11because what has a wig got to do with anything,
25:14sort of being a boss?
25:15I suppose most of us might think of a judge or a magistrate
25:18and somebody who's in a position of power,
25:20and it is all about power.
25:21But first of all, wig is short for periwig,
25:24and a periwig was a natural, full, glossy head of hair
25:28before it became an imitation of hair and false hair, if you like.
25:33And periwig itself goes back to the French perique,
25:37which was a name for the parakeet,
25:40which obviously has very beautiful, shiny feathers quite often,
25:43so that's the link there.
25:45But we have been wearing wigs for thousands and thousands of years,
25:49and archaeologists have uncovered evidence
25:51of the ancient Egyptians wearing really beautiful, quite elaborate wigs.
25:55But big wig was used in English around the 17th century
25:59when it became a really big aristocratic fashion trend, as we know,
26:04normally worn by men and very much associated with, as I say,
26:08those who were well-born and noble and genteel.
26:13And eventually, obviously, those wigs became smaller
26:16and slightly simpler, but big wig recorded around the 1700s.
26:20And today's big wigs don't always wear wigs, I suppose,
26:23but they definitely still have power,
26:25and sometimes they might sit on their high horse,
26:27which was originally a very literal reference
26:30to those who were rich enough
26:32to buy incredibly sort of well-bred, thoroughbred horses,
26:36and often they would be higher than anyone else,
26:38so they would look down on the peasants from far.
26:41And I mentioned the big cheese.
26:42You might wonder what cheese has to do
26:44with any kind of authority or power.
26:46It's because it began with a Hindi word, chiz,
26:48C-H-I-Z, brought back by British servicemen from the war,
26:52and chiz in Hindi means the thing.
26:54So if you were the big chiz, you were the big thing.
26:56Love it. Thank you.
27:00Ama and Mike in a hurry raising battle here, 59 points each.
27:04Mike, choose carefully.
27:06Consonant, please, Rachel. Thank you, Mike.
27:08C. And another one.
27:10N. And a vowel, please.
27:13A. And another vowel.
27:15O.
27:17And a consonant.
27:19M. And another consonant.
27:22R. And another consonant.
27:25N.
27:28And a vowel.
27:30I.
27:32And a final vowel, please.
27:34A final E.
27:3730 seconds.
27:40ELECTRONIC MUSIC
27:43ELECTRONIC MUSIC
28:09Mike? Seven.
28:11OK, Amit? Seven.
28:13Can't separate them. What have you got, Mike?
28:15Cania. Cania.
28:17And Amit? Cinnamon.
28:19You need three Ns for that, so we've got the two,
28:21but you need three, so it's C-I-N-N-A-M-I.
28:23Yeah, sorry.
28:25Anything else, Ardell? Romance.
28:27Wonderful. Yeah, seven.
28:29And possibly another seven. Carmine?
28:31Carmine, yeah, vivid, crimson colour.
28:33Very nice. Yeah, that's a good seven.
28:35Good round, Ardell. Very impressed.
28:37Getting the hang of it.
28:3927 points for Mike.
28:41We've got three rounds left.
28:43And, Amit, you're in control of these letters.
28:45Consonant, please.
28:47Thank you, Amit. T.
28:49And another.
28:51C. And another.
28:53T.
28:55And another.
28:57N.
28:59Vowel, please. O.
29:01And another. E.
29:03And another.
29:05O.
29:07And another vowel.
29:09I.
29:11And a final consonant, please.
29:13And a final O.
29:15Last letters.
29:37MUSIC PLAYS
29:47Amit? Six.
29:49And Mike? Six.
29:51OK, Amit? Cotton.
29:53Cotton. And Mike? Rotten.
29:55Rotten. And Cotton.
29:57And Ardell?
29:59Well, I'm going for it, Ace.
30:01Yes, go for it. A cuttner.
30:03A cuttner, somebody who...? Who cuttens.
30:05Ha-ha-ha!
30:07Susie, a cuttner.
30:09No, it's not there, unfortunately.
30:11Somebody who cottons on to something, I'm afraid.
30:13I'm sorry about that.
30:15Susie, do you give these letters a good licking?
30:17Ah, very nice.
30:19You know what's coming.
30:21Just one. Cornetto.
30:23I only...
30:25APPLAUSE
30:27I only knew because Rachel had already put it up
30:29and the board down. I love the fact we've got the one
30:31just above it as well. Beautiful.
30:33One Cornetto. Shall I tell you what it is?
30:35It's not an ice cream. What?!
30:37It's a Woodward instrument of the 16th and 17th centuries.
30:39So in the dictionary it doesn't... I suppose it's a brand name.
30:41Brand name, yeah. It wouldn't do.
30:43OK, just seven points in it.
30:45Mike is our challenger, Ace,
30:47the slight edge, and you're picking the last numbers.
30:49Two from the top, please.
30:51Thank you, Mike. Two large, four little,
30:53and a possible crucial coming up.
30:55Final numbers of the day.
30:57Nine, seven, five,
30:59two, and the big one's 50,
31:01and 25,
31:03and the target, 284.
31:05284.
31:07Last numbers.
31:31MUSIC PLAYS
31:39Amit, what have you got? 284.
31:41And Mike? 284.
31:43Amit, you go first. 50 x 5.
31:4550 x 5, 250.
31:47Plus the 25 and the 9.
31:49Yep. It can't be the same way,
31:51it's got to be the same way. It's the same way.
31:53Let's have a look. Yeah.
31:55Wonderful.
31:57It's been a long time, hasn't it, Susie,
31:59being in this situation? It certainly has.
32:01Yeah, it's been a while, but that's what I love about this show.
32:03You never know what you're going to get from day to day.
32:05But, Amit, I need your finger
32:07on the buzzer. Mike,
32:09I need your finger on the buzzer.
32:11Let's reveal today's
32:13crucial
32:15Countdown Conundrum.
32:17MUSIC PLAYS
32:19BUZZER
32:21Mike for the win. I've got it wrong.
32:23I was about to say backpacker, but it's not, is it?
32:25Let's have a look and see if you're right.
32:27Are you sure? Time starts again.
32:29MUSIC PLAYS
32:57The time is up,
32:59which means we have a new champion,
33:01but no luck in getting the
33:03Crucial Countdown Conundrum. All eyes
33:05on you, Amit. You know, we
33:07love when we get the numbers when you don't.
33:09Similarly, you love getting the
33:11Conundrum. Pick me! Pick me!
33:13Pick me! It's me. Yes, absolutely.
33:15I think it's something Aldo's book might be coming out in
33:17paperback. Oh, let's have a look.
33:19Very good.
33:21APPLAUSE
33:23Just had to hold on to champion.
33:25After our OctoChamp, Tom,
33:27our history-making OctoChamp.
33:29It's one and done, Amit, but a
33:31champion forever. You get the teapot.
33:33Loved having you here, too.
33:35But look at this, no retirement for you. You're
33:37gainfully employed tomorrow, Mike. We'll see you back.
33:39All right. And, Ardal,
33:41that coin may not have been in, but a
33:43dynamic duo is forming in this corner, so
33:45we'll see you tomorrow, yeah? Thank you, yes.
33:47Can't wait. Thank you, Suze.
33:49Thanks. Rich, I talked about
33:51that public poll, best ever Channel
33:534 shows, which by now I think would be
33:55at number one. What's your favourite
33:57ever Channel 4 show,
33:59serious question, outside of Countdown?
34:01It's hard to pick that, but I remember one I watched
34:03when I was younger and I thought was hilarious.
34:05And I think your mate might have worked
34:07on it. Do you remember Banzai?
34:09Banzai, you bet! With the shaky, shaky
34:11hand, Matt? Yes. Just ridiculous, ridiculous
34:13scenes. I used to like that when I was quite young.
34:15I love that. I've got a clear answer
34:17to this, which is Phoenix
34:19Nights. I absolutely love
34:21Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights.
34:23Yeah, Dave Spiker used to come on here
34:25back in the day, good old Dave. That's right.
34:27Well, I'm getting a word. Goodbye,
34:29Rachel, Suze and I will be here again tomorrow.
34:31You can count on us.
34:33You can contact the programme
34:35by email at Countdown at Channel
34:374.com or write to us at
34:39Countdown Leaves LS3
34:411JS. You can also
34:43find our webpage at Channel 4.com
34:45forward slash Countdown.
34:47The country
34:49is in chaos and MPs
34:51are up in arms. Can our aspiring political
34:53primos keep a lid on the situation?
34:55Let Me Prime Minister continues tonight
34:57at 9.15. Next, a winter
34:59getaway on A Place In The Sun.