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00:00This programme contains strong language and adult humour.
00:05APPLAUSE
00:31Good afternoon, good afternoon, and welcome to the Countdown Studios.
00:35So here we are, tomorrow, the start of the fourth Invictus Games,
00:38way down there in Sydney, in Australia.
00:41Started, of course, by Prince Harry, the Invictus Games,
00:44four injured servicemen serving their country.
00:46Invictus, of course, comes to Latin, which means undefeated,
00:49and there's a poem called Invictus, two great, great lines,
00:53which really sums up the whole sort of spirit of the Invictus Games.
00:57I'll just give you those two lines.
00:59I'm the master of my fate, I'm the captain of my soul.
01:02And those brave guys, you know, who've served their country
01:05and become injured from 18 countries, I think,
01:08now something like 500 athletes will be competing,
01:11and, you know, they deserve our thanks and applause,
01:14and we shall certainly be watching them.
01:16Will you be watching the Invictus Games, I wonder?
01:18I will. If it's in Australia, I think I'll probably be getting
01:21the highlights afterwards. I don't think I'll be watching it.
01:24Prince Harry's done an amazing job putting that together.
01:27It's obviously something he's really passionate about
01:29and really believes in.
01:31Did you see his speech last year, the opening? I thought it was fantastic.
01:34Yeah, it's giving servicemen and women something to aim for
01:37mentally and physically to work towards,
01:39and it's showing us what they go through and who they are.
01:42Spot on. Good for Harry.
01:44And good for all those 500 competitors. Brilliant stuff.
01:47Now, we've got some terrific competitor here
01:51from Adlington.
01:53He's only been out twice.
01:55We let him out the first time he scored, I think, 96 yesterday.
01:58Brilliant score of 117.
02:00So you're firing on all 18 cylinders over there, Martin.
02:03How are you feeling? I'm feeling good.
02:05Feeling good, feeling calm. So you should.
02:08You're joined by Seamus Bradley, an accountant from Ballyfolet.
02:13Your mum says, and I don't believe that, actually,
02:16she said your first word was conundrum.
02:18Yeah, apparently I was watching it back home with my granny in the prom,
02:23and one day she came back from work and I was just saying
02:26everything was conundrum this, conundrum that.
02:28Brilliant stuff. And you've been watching it ever since?
02:31That's it, yeah, that's right.
02:33Big round of applause for Martin and Seamus.
02:40And Susan's in the corner, there she is, with another Irish woman,
02:44the wonderful Gloria Hunniford, TV presenter and broadcaster.
02:48Ireland is a nation of great storytellers and talkers.
02:51Very much so, and actually the whole area you're in
02:54is just full of musicians who turn up just for the joy of playing together.
02:58Nothing's sort of structured. It's fabulous, really good.
03:01You've got to go, Nick, on your honeymoon.
03:03Great place for your honeymoon.
03:05You should be quiet about this. Thank you, I will.
03:07And I'll take you, too. All right.
03:09Now, Martin, off we go, let us go.
03:11Afternoon, Rachel. Afternoon, Martin.
03:13Thank you. Start today with tea.
03:15And another.
03:17N.
03:18And another.
03:20W.
03:22And a vowel.
03:24E.
03:25And another.
03:27O.
03:29And a consonant.
03:31N.
03:33And a vowel.
03:35A.
03:37And a consonant.
03:39R.
03:41And a final vowel, please.
03:45And a final U.
03:47And here's the Countdown Clock.
04:11CLOCK TICKS
04:20Well, Martin? A seven.
04:22A seven. Seamus? Just six.
04:24And your six is? Out round.
04:26Out round. Martin? A tonneau.
04:29Yes.
04:31The part of an open-top car that's covered by the back seats,
04:34or you can have a tonneau cover as well, obviously.
04:37Very good. A tonneau, yeah.
04:39And...
04:40There is an H just about there.
04:42It's an old term from the mid-17th century, so slightly specialised,
04:46but it's a wantoner. A wantoner. A person who acts wantonly.
04:50Very good.
04:52Now, Martin, on seven. Seamus, your letters again.
04:55Hi, Rachel. Hi, Seamus. Can I have a consonant, please?
04:58Thank you. Start with L.
05:00And another.
05:02F.
05:03A third consonant.
05:05V.
05:06Vowel.
05:08I.
05:09Another.
05:11A.
05:12Another.
05:14U.
05:15A consonant.
05:17S.
05:19Another consonant.
05:21T.
05:22And a final vowel, please.
05:24And a final I.
05:26Stand by.
05:38MUSIC PLAYS
05:58Seamus. A six.
06:00A six. Martin. A seven.
06:02Now, Seamus. False.
06:04Yes, Martin. I think I missed this yesterday. Fistula.
06:07Something we had on the programme the other day. We did.
06:10Yes. That word again.
06:12Anything else, Susie?
06:14Another seven for you. Vatfuls.
06:16As in vatfuls of beer, possibly, or wine.
06:19Vatful. Yeah.
06:21Thank you. Martin, your numbers again.
06:24Can I have two from the top again, please, Rachel? I know the other four.
06:27You can indeed. Thank you, Martin. Two large, four little coming up.
06:30And the first one of today's contest is...
06:32..one, four, six, two.
06:35And the large ones, 50 and 25.
06:38And the target, 656.
06:41656.
07:02MUSIC PLAYS
07:12Well, Martin?
07:14655, but not written down.
07:16One away, Seamus?
07:18654.
07:20So, we're with you, Martin.
07:22Right. Six times two is 12.
07:24Six times two, 12.
07:2625, take off the 12, is 13.
07:28Yep. Times 50.
07:30Plus four, plus one.
07:32Yep, that gets you to one away, 654.
07:34Close, but not perfect.
07:36Now we turn to Rachel.
07:38Rachel?
07:40Yes, if you say 25 plus one is 26,
07:44divide that by two and you get 13,
07:46and then you can times that by 50 again for 650,
07:49and add on the six, 656.
07:51There she is. Perfect, perfect, perfect.
07:53APPLAUSE
07:56Thank you, Rachel.
07:58As ever, spot on.
08:00Let's have a teatime teaser.
08:02It's ladder lop.
08:04And the clue...
08:05Eve climbed a ladder to lop off the tops of the trees.
08:10Eve climbed a ladder to lop off the tops of the trees.
08:22CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
08:28Welcome back, welcome back.
08:30I left with the clue,
08:31Eve climbed a ladder to lop off the tops of the trees.
08:34And the answer to that one is pollarded.
08:37Pollarded.
08:38Susie, what's the exact description of pollarding a tree?
08:42It is to cut off the top and branches
08:44to encourage new growth at the top.
08:46And the pole is the same pole that you'll find in depole,
08:49poll tax, it means head.
08:51So you're cutting the heads off the top of the tree.
08:53Got it, OK.
08:55But Eve pollard, Gloria?
08:57Eve pollard these days is quite a royal commentator,
09:01particularly when the babies were born, etc.
09:03But she was originally one of the,
09:05maybe the only female editor at that time of, I believe,
09:08the Sunday Express.
09:09And her husband, Sir Nick Lloyd,
09:11he was editor of the Daily Express,
09:13so you can imagine the pillow talk, can't you?
09:16And also, of course, Eve pollard is the mother of Claudia Winkleman.
09:21Oh, I didn't know that.
09:23Yes.
09:24But they are very well known in the journalistic world.
09:27Excellent. Thank you for that.
09:29Now, 21 points to Martin and Seamus we turn to.
09:33Good luck, Seamus.
09:35Can I start with Cosmo, please?
09:37Thank you, Seamus.
09:38G.
09:39And another?
09:41H.
09:42And another?
09:44R.
09:46A vowel?
09:48E.
09:49Another?
09:50A.
09:52Another vowel?
09:54I.
09:55A consonant?
09:57P.
09:58Another consonant?
10:00S.
10:02And a final consonant?
10:04And a final N.
10:06Stand by.
10:22CLOCK TICKS
10:38Seamus?
10:39I think I've got a nine.
10:41A nine. And Martin?
10:42Yeah, I think I've got a nine as well.
10:44Here we go, chaps. Seamus?
10:46Reshaping?
10:47Thank you, Martin.
10:48Yeah, exactly the same.
10:49There we go.
10:50Well done.
10:56A juicy 18 points each.
10:59Helps things along, doesn't it? My word.
11:01And your nine?
11:03We were all thinking the same, weren't we?
11:05It's the only thing we had apart from gripes, which was a paltry one.
11:08Oh, spearing, yeah, but that was a really good nine.
11:11It'll do. It'll do indeed, it will.
11:1339 plays 18. Seamus off the blocks and it's Martin we turn to.
11:17Hi, Rachel. Can I have a vowel, please?
11:19Yes. Thank you, Martin. O.
11:21And another?
11:23U.
11:24And a consonant?
11:26R.
11:27And another?
11:29T.
11:30And a third?
11:32H.
11:33And a vowel?
11:35O.
11:36And a consonant?
11:38T.
11:40And another consonant, please?
11:42Y.
11:44And a final vowel, please?
11:46And a final E.
11:48Stand by.
12:19Martin?
12:20Six.
12:21Seamus?
12:22I may as well risk a six, yeah.
12:24Martin?
12:25Hooter.
12:26And Seamus?
12:27I had a truthy.
12:29A truthy for Y, I don't think it's there.
12:31A truthy is definitely in there, yes.
12:33Well done.
12:34Appearing to be true. It's fake news, in other words.
12:36They use that word in Donny Golden.
12:38Give me a wee truthy.
12:40And in the corner there, Gloria?
12:42We had hotter, H-O-T-T-E-R, for a six.
12:45Yep.
12:46And the Asusi?
12:47Theory also there for six. Couldn't get beyond six.
12:49Thank you. All right.
12:5145 plays 24.
12:53Seamus, your numbers game.
12:55Can I have one large number and five small, please?
12:58You can indeed. Thank you, Seamus.
13:00One from the top, five little. See what we have this time.
13:03They are four, six, two, eight, ten,
13:08and the large one, 100, all be even.
13:11And the target, 720.
13:13Seven, two, zero.
13:46So, Seamus?
13:47Yeah, 720.
13:48Thank you. Martin?
13:49Yeah, 720.
13:50And Seamus?
13:51I did eight times 100 for 800.
13:54Eight times 100, 800, yep.
13:56Six plus two is eight.
13:58Another eight.
13:59And times that by ten for 80.
14:01Lovely.
14:02720.
14:03Martin?
14:04Ten times two is 20.
14:06Ten, yep.
14:07Plus 100 is 120.
14:09Yep.
14:10Times six.
14:11Perfect. Again, 720.
14:15APPLAUSE
14:17Thank you, Charles. 55-34 as we turn to Gloria.
14:21What have you for us today, Gloria?
14:23Well, somebody actually on the team,
14:25they were asking me something about Cliff Richards' court case.
14:29You know, it was four years of torture for something that was false,
14:33and what really, really irked him the most was the fact
14:36that the person making the false allegation never gets named.
14:40And so the person, you know, the accused,
14:42sits there taking all the torture.
14:44And I was one of the first people who rang him when he was in Portugal.
14:48So I was sort of there from the very beginning,
14:51and I've known him for nearly 50 years.
14:53So when it came to the court case, he only had one day in the dock as such,
14:57and the BBC lawyer said to him,
14:59Sir Cliff, you know, you say that this really affected your life.
15:03How did it affect your life?
15:05And he just said, look, these were his words,
15:07when the BBC did to me what they did, he said,
15:10at that point I felt as if I'd lost my life, lost my career,
15:14and he just fell to his knees and he just wept buckets
15:17until a friend came in and said, get up off your knees,
15:20you haven't done anything wrong.
15:22And although he's made great progress and et cetera,
15:25I don't think he'll ever truly get over it.
15:28It's been one heck of a period for four years,
15:31but we all need a pal sometimes, and I must say from my own point of view,
15:35I was really glad to be able to be there when he needed it as such.
15:39Yeah.
15:45Thank you so much.
15:4755 now to Martin.
15:49Seamus, on 34.
15:51And now, Martin, it's your letters game.
15:54Can I get a vowel, please, Rachel?
15:56Thank you, Martin. A.
15:58And another.
16:00E.
16:02And a third.
16:04O.
16:06And a consonant, please.
16:08S.
16:10And another.
16:12W.
16:14And another.
16:16S.
16:18And one more.
16:20N.
16:22And a vowel.
16:24I.
16:26And a final consonant, please.
16:28And a final R.
16:30Stand by.
16:34WHISTLE BLOWS
16:59Martin? Seven.
17:01Seamus? I only have five.
17:03Rhomes.
17:05Now then, Martin. Mossier.
17:07Susie, you happy?
17:09Yes, happy with Mossier. Yeah.
17:11Gloria, any of the...?
17:13I'm afraid I'm useless at this particular one.
17:15It's a funny combination of letters,
17:17but, Susie, you've got a word that I'm not familiar with, actually.
17:20It's from Newfoundland, and to be airsome in Canada
17:24is to be cold, windy or bracing.
17:26Airsome. All right.
17:2862 to 34. What does Seamus think? Letters?
17:32Can I start with a consonant, please?
17:34Thank you, Seamus. Z.
17:36And another.
17:38D.
17:40A third.
17:42L.
17:44A vowel.
17:46U.
17:48Another vowel. O.
17:50Another vowel.
17:52E.
17:54A consonant.
17:56G.
17:58Another consonant.
18:00And a final T.
18:02Tone tone.
18:31Well, Seamus?
18:33I've a risky seven.
18:35Martin?
18:37A seven as well.
18:39A seven. Seamus?
18:41Outbled.
18:43No, Martin?
18:45A doublet.
18:47Both excellent words. Yes, outbled is in there.
18:49It is admittedly very rare and historical,
18:51but it's in the dictionary, so very good. Both very good.
18:54And a doublet. A doublet, yes.
18:56Doublet and hose. Yes.
18:59Yes, those were the words we had as well.
19:01Thank you. Nothing else, Susie? No.
19:03All right. 69, 41.
19:05Martin, here we go.
19:07Numbers. I'm going to be cheeky. Can I get six more, please?
19:10You can indeed. It's not cheeky.
19:12How about you like six little ones coming up?
19:14See how much of a challenge they are.
19:16They are 5, 10,
19:188, 3,
19:206 and 7.
19:22And the target.
19:24999.
19:26BELL RINGS
19:57Martin?
19:59996, I think.
20:01You're away. Seamus? No, I wasn't close.
20:03No, this is complicated.
20:05Now, Martin.
20:07Right, this might go wrong. 8 x 5 is 40.
20:098 x 5, 40.
20:11Minus 7 is 33.
20:13Yep.
20:15Times 3 is 99. 99.
20:17Times 10 is 990. 990.
20:19I don't think I've used the 6. You haven't. Nope.
20:22Well done. Three away.
20:24Are you close, Rachel?
20:26Leave it with me, Nick. Certainly will.
20:28In the meantime, let's have a tea-time teaser,
20:31which is army close, and the clue.
20:33If you're in the army,
20:35you certainly wouldn't want to get too close to these.
20:38If you're in the army,
20:40you certainly wouldn't want to get too close to these.
20:51APPLAUSE
20:55Welcome back. Welcome back.
20:57I left you with the clue.
20:59If you're in the army, you certainly wouldn't want to get too close to these.
21:03Too close to these claymores.
21:05In the old days, of course, it was a broadsword,
21:07the opposite of a stiletto.
21:09But what are we talking about here?
21:11So, as you say, used by Scottish Highlanders as a sword,
21:14but today it describes a type of anti-personnel mine in the army.
21:18Nasty. Thanks, Susie.
21:20And now, Rachel, what have you done?
21:22I found one way to get there.
21:24If you say 8 x 5 is 40,
21:27minus 6 is 34,
21:30times by 10 is 340,
21:33minus 7 is 333,
21:35and you have to work for this one,
21:37times 3, 999.
21:38Oh, yes. Well done.
21:45Never defeated. Brilliant.
21:48Seamus, your letters game.
21:50Thanks, Nick. Can I start with a consonant, please?
21:53Thank you, Seamus. R.
21:55Another consonant.
21:57L.
21:58A third.
22:00T.
22:01A vowel.
22:02A.
22:03Another vowel.
22:05I.
22:06A third vowel.
22:08A.
22:09Consonant, please.
22:11D.
22:12Another consonant.
22:14M.
22:15And a final vowel.
22:17And a final U.
22:19Countdown.
22:50Seamus.
22:52Six.
22:53Martin.
22:54A seven.
22:55No.
22:56Seamus.
22:57Really ill.
22:58Martin.
22:59Marital.
23:00Yeah.
23:01Yes, marital we had.
23:03And we also had martial.
23:04A seven.
23:05Well done.
23:06Martial.
23:08Ah!
23:0983 to 41.
23:10Martin, here we go.
23:12Your letters game.
23:13Hi, Rachel. Can I start with a vowel, please?
23:15Thank you, Martin.
23:16I.
23:18And another.
23:20O.
23:21And a third.
23:23E.
23:24And a consonant.
23:26P.
23:27And another one.
23:29Q.
23:31And a slightly better one, please.
23:33S.
23:34That's better.
23:35And a vowel.
23:37U.
23:39And a consonant.
23:42P.
23:44And a final consonant, please.
23:46I.
23:47And a final G.
23:48Countdown.
24:17Yes, Martin?
24:19A seven.
24:20A seven.
24:21I think I have a seven not written down.
24:23What would that be?
24:24Guppies.
24:26And?
24:27Yeah, exactly the same.
24:28Same word.
24:29Well done.
24:30Now, what else have we got in the corner?
24:32Yes, we have an interesting little word,
24:34which I think Susan's going to elaborate on.
24:36Guppies.
24:37Yeah, well, we had guppies as well.
24:39Small, life-bearing, freshwater fish.
24:41You'll find them in aquaria.
24:43But they've been introduced to control mosquitos
24:46in certain countries.
24:4890 plays 48.
24:49Martin on 90.
24:51Susie, let's give them a rest
24:53as you entertain us and educate us
24:55with your origins of words.
24:57Thanks to Colin Parry from North Wales for this one.
25:00He says,
25:01When listening to cricket commentaries,
25:03I often hear a scampered run
25:05and often hear scarpered when watching crime films.
25:08What is the derivation of scamper and scarper?
25:12I'm going to start with the word scamp
25:14because that's closely related to scamper.
25:17Nowadays, if you talk about someone being a little scamp,
25:20you're usually referring to a mischievous child.
25:22But in the 18th century, a scamp was much more serious
25:25and deadly, in fact, sometimes,
25:27because they were highwaymen.
25:29They were the original scamps.
25:31And over time, it kept its sort of criminal connotations
25:34and then moderated into the idea of a swindler or a cheat.
25:39The word itself probably goes back to an early Dutch word schampen,
25:43which meant to steal away,
25:45always the idea of slight furtiveness and duplicity about it.
25:49By 1692, there was a slang glossary that defined scamper as
25:53to run away or scour off either from justice,
25:56as thieves, debtors, criminals that are pursued,
25:59or from ill fortune.
26:01So that's scamper for you from early Dutch.
26:04And scarper, again, slightly interesting history.
26:07It's from Italian this time, scappare, meaning to escape.
26:10But it was influenced by something very unlikely
26:13and apparently completely disconnected, certainly in chronology,
26:16and that's a body of water in the Orkney Islands
26:19that during World War I or just after that
26:21really was propelled into public consciousness
26:24because of a German fleet that was interned there
26:28and deliberately scuttled by its admiral
26:30to avoid the German ships being taken up and divided
26:33by the Allied powers.
26:35That stretch of water was known as the scarper flow,
26:39and the drama of the events, headlines, real interest,
26:43public interest, then propelled the slang scarper into currency,
26:47all based on the rhyming slang scarper flow go.
26:51Well, well, well.
26:57Scarper flow go, well, 1948.
27:00Seamus, penultimate letters game for you.
27:03Consonant, please, Rachel.
27:05Thank you, Seamus. C.
27:07And another.
27:09T.
27:10A third.
27:13N.
27:14A vowel.
27:16A.
27:17Another vowel.
27:19O.
27:20A third vowel.
27:22I.
27:23A consonant.
27:25L.
27:26Another consonant.
27:28P.
27:29And a final vowel.
27:31U.
27:32Time's up.
28:02MUSIC STOPS
28:05Seamus.
28:06Six.
28:07Martin.
28:08Manereska, nine.
28:10Good man.
28:11Seamus.
28:12Action.
28:13Now, then, Martin.
28:14I might have just made this up. Culpation.
28:17It's not there, I'm afraid.
28:20I can see where you were going, but sadly not in the dictionary.
28:23You might find it in an older one.
28:25Good job, though. Good try.
28:27We had platonic, which I think is a good word in this case.
28:31Again, an unusual mix of letters.
28:33Yeah.
28:34Thank you very much for that.
28:3690 plays 54, and it's Martin we turn to.
28:38Yes, Martin.
28:39Can I get a vowel, please?
28:41Thank you, Martin. E.
28:43And another.
28:45A.
28:47And a third.
28:49I.
28:50And a consonant.
28:52N.
28:53And another.
28:55S.
28:57And another.
28:58C.
29:00And a fourth.
29:02M.
29:04And a vowel.
29:06O.
29:08And a final consonant, please.
29:10And a final S.
29:12Stand by.
29:28MUSIC PLAYS
29:43Martin.
29:45Just a six.
29:46Seamus. Six as well.
29:48Martin.
29:49Minces.
29:51No, then, Seamus.
29:52Mannix.
29:54Mannix.
29:58There.
30:00Only there is an adjective in the dictionary, I'm afraid,
30:03so we can't put the S on. I'm sorry about that.
30:05Bad luck.
30:07What can we have?
30:08We have casinos.
30:10Now, Susie, anything else?
30:12Mosaics there as well, for another seven.
30:1696-54, in we go.
30:18Final numbers game, Seamus.
30:20OK, we'll try to redeem ourselves with number six small.
30:23Why not?
30:24Six small to finish the day. Thank you, Seamus.
30:27Let's see what we have this time.
30:29They are six, seven,
30:31six, five,
30:33three and four.
30:35And this target, 991.
30:38991.
30:40MUSIC PLAYS
30:58MUSIC STOPS
31:11No, Seamus, what do you think?
31:13No, I was nowhere near.
31:15What about Martin?
31:16I think I've got 993.
31:18Let's try.
31:20OK, seven times six is 42.
31:22Seven sixes 42.
31:24Times six times four.
31:26Seven times six times four.
31:28So that's 24.
31:30So that is one... Sorry?
31:32I think it's 1008.
31:33Yep, you're right.
31:34And then five times three is 15, and take it away.
31:36Five times three, yep.
31:39Two away.
31:40Two away, but is it possible to actually crack it?
31:42991, Rachel?
31:44Yes, if you nick some of Martin's method and mess it about a bit.
31:47If you say seven times six is 42,
31:51times the other six is 252,
31:55take away the five for 247,
31:58times that by four for 988,
32:06and you have a three left over.
32:08Oh, wonderful. Well done.
32:13That's wonderful.
32:15Absolutely spot-on.
32:17Extraordinary.
32:18103 to 54.
32:20So, Martin, as we go into the final round,
32:23he is scoring heavily once again.
32:26Final round, chaps. Fingers on buzzers.
32:28Let's roll today's countdown conundrum.
32:53BELL RINGS
33:02Nope. Foxed.
33:04So we're stymied up here, then.
33:06Two good players.
33:07But who in the audience will take this on?
33:09Yes, you, sir.
33:10Infuriate.
33:11Infuriate. Let's see whether you're right.
33:14APPLAUSE
33:18We should be...
33:20We should be infuriated, but we're not.
33:23We're not, because Martin's scored 103,
33:25and Seamus, a very creditable 54.
33:28Thank you very much, Seamus.
33:30You go home with a goodie bag back to a ballet buffet.
33:34Well done. Thank you very much indeed.
33:36Quiet weekend for you, young man.
33:38I doubt it.
33:39And we'll see you on Monday. Well done again.
33:41See you then.
33:42Terrific performance.
33:43Will you come back on Monday? That's the question.
33:45You try and keep me away.
33:46I'm going to take Seamus out for a pint of the black stuff, though,
33:49just to commiserate.
33:50I'm with you.
33:51OK, that's good. You're on.
33:52See you on Monday.
33:53Yeah, me too.
33:54All right. And Rachel, too, of course.
33:56That was brilliant.
33:57Well, I'm in for the black stuff as well. We can celebrate.
34:00We'll see you... No, we won't. I'll see you in a minute.
34:02But we'll see you on Monday, same time, same place, as usual.
34:05You be sure of it. A very good afternoon.
34:07APPLAUSE
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34:42CHEERING AND APPLAUSE