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00:00This programme contains strong language and adult humour.
00:05APPLAUSE
00:31Good afternoon and welcome to the Countdown Studio.
00:34Every year there's a list of the most popular names for boys and girls
00:39in that particular county.
00:41Why not pets? Well, now we've started.
00:43There's a list of the most popular pet names last year, Rachel.
00:46You'll like this. Let's start with the dogs.
00:49Girls are apparently...
00:52Poppy is the one that tops the list and Alfie for boys.
00:56Alfie for the boys.
00:58Cats, Bella for a girl and Charlie for a boy.
01:02And hamsters and gerbils.
01:05They're all called nibbles, apparently.
01:07But some people, of course, come up with some great names.
01:10There's one, a chihuahua, apparently, knocking about somewhere or other,
01:13that's called Bone Crusher. Nice. That's what I like.
01:16And a cat called Grandma.
01:18And a couple, their little girl, named the Doberman.
01:21They said, come along, darling, what would you like to call the Doberman?
01:24And the Doberman, she said, I think we'll call it Sparkle Cloud.
01:28Aw! Big Doberman.
01:30I'm thinking of getting a Whippet, because it won at Crufties, you remember.
01:35I'm going to call it Max.
01:38What was your favourite?
01:41Any reason?
01:43I'm not going to tell you, but I think it's rather witty.
01:46Now then, what's your favourite? What are your cats called?
01:48You had Beastie or something.
01:50Beastie, she looks like a cat that's won at a basketball.
01:53So Beastie suited her.
01:55Beastie, Raffa, because he likes to chase balls,
01:57and we got him the year that Raffa Nadal won Wimbledon.
02:01And then Clubs Clubs, because he just goes around bashing stuff.
02:04That's funny. Anyway, I'm really thinking about Max, the Whippet.
02:08I've heard nothing but good things about Whippets.
02:11Good.
02:12Who have we got with us? We've got Darren Findlay's back.
02:15Bit of a season ticket holder here. Three good wins, well done.
02:18You're doing very well. You're joined now,
02:20I think we have to overcome Diane Cordery.
02:22Welcome, Diane.
02:24From ASCA to a retired accountant
02:26who enjoys sailing down the Thames on her motorboat
02:29with her husband and their dog.
02:31Tell us a little bit about this dog.
02:33Right, we have a golden Labrador and he's called Roy.
02:37Lovely. And you take him on the motorboat and he's...
02:40Well, he'd be a good swimmer anyway.
02:42Yes, he did have an incident where he fell off
02:44and we had to get him back on board.
02:47Yeah, but he would have swum like a fish.
02:49Yeah, he was fantastic.
02:50He just swam straight to the shore and we picked him up.
02:53And then you dragged him back on board.
02:55Yeah.
02:56Brilliant stuff. All right, well, have a lot of fun, both of you.
02:59Let's have a big round of applause for Diane and Darren.
03:07And over in the corner, Susie, of course, and, gosh, Nina Hussain.
03:12Newsreader and journalist, until you come back again,
03:15well, we'll have some more stories from you a little bit later on.
03:18Thank you so much, Nina. Now, Darren, we get down to work.
03:21Letters game.
03:22Thanks, Nick. Good afternoon, Rachel.
03:24Afternoon, Darren.
03:25Can I start with a consonant, please?
03:27Thank you. Start today with D.
03:29And another, please.
03:31F.
03:33And another.
03:35P.
03:37And another.
03:39V.
03:41And a vowel, please.
03:43E.
03:44And another vowel.
03:46O.
03:48And another vowel.
03:50A.
03:52And another vowel, please.
03:55E.
03:56And a final consonant.
03:58And a final T.
04:00And here's the Countdown Clock.
04:17CLOCK TICKS
04:33Darren.
04:34Six.
04:35And Diane?
04:36Five.
04:38And your five, Diane?
04:39Paved.
04:40Paved and...
04:41Peeved.
04:42Erm, how are you spelling peeved?
04:44P-E-A-V-E-D.
04:46Right, you need three E's for peeved, unfortunately.
04:49Oh, right.
04:50It's P-E-E-V-E-D. Sorry.
04:52P-E-E-E.
04:54Nina and Susie?
04:56A six, I think, in devote.
04:59Very good.
05:00Yes.
05:01A seven using the two E's, not the missing third E, adoptee.
05:08Five for Diane.
05:09Darren yet to score.
05:10And it's Diane's letters game.
05:13Good afternoon, Rachel.
05:14Afternoon, Diane.
05:15I'll have a consonant, please.
05:17Thank you. Start with H.
05:19And another one.
05:21W.
05:22And a vowel.
05:24U.
05:26And another one.
05:27E.
05:29A consonant.
05:31R.
05:33And another consonant.
05:35T.
05:37And a vowel, please.
05:39A.
05:41And another vowel.
05:43U.
05:45And a consonant, please.
05:47And lastly, G.
05:50Stand by.
06:14MUSIC CONTINUES
06:22Diane?
06:23I've gone wrong here, sorry.
06:25Over to you, Darren.
06:26Five.
06:27A five. Your five?
06:29Wager.
06:30A wager.
06:31Nina and Susie?
06:33It looked like a pretty straightforward set of letters,
06:36but it was a tough one, in reality.
06:38We went one better than five with a six gather,
06:42but I think that's the limit, wasn't it?
06:44It was for us.
06:45That's it, Susie?
06:46Yes.
06:47Thank you. Five apiece.
06:48And Darren?
06:49Numbers for you, Darren.
06:51Hi, Rachel. We'll have two large and four small, please.
06:54The usual. Thank you, Darren. Two from the top, four little.
06:57And the first one of the day is...
06:5910, 7, 6, 4, 150.
07:05And your target?
07:06543.
07:08Five, four, three.
07:29Well, Darren?
07:41543.
07:43Diane?
07:44542.
07:45542. Darren, let's go with you first.
07:4950 plus 4.
07:5154.
07:52Times 10.
07:54Times 10, 540.
07:56Oh, no, I've used the four twice.
07:58Oh, dear.
07:59Apologies.
08:00Oh! Diane Cordery.
08:02Right. 50 by 10 is 500.
08:07500.
08:087 by 6 is 42.
08:10Yep.
08:11Add it together.
08:13One away, 542.
08:14And there we are. Well done, Diane.
08:16543, though. How tricky is that, Rachel?
08:20Well, if you say 6 times 100 is 600,
08:25then you only have to take the 50 and the 7, and you get 543.
08:29There we are. Perfect. Thank you, Rachel.
08:32Spot on, as ever.
08:34As we turn to our first Tea Time teaser, which is Point Dire and the clue.
08:38Everything in his life was dire at this point,
08:41and it was about to get worse.
08:43Everything in his life was dire at this point,
08:46and it was about to get worse.
08:56APPLAUSE
09:04Warm welcome back.
09:05I left you with a clue.
09:07Everything in his life was dire at this point,
09:09and it was about to get worse.
09:11And the answer to that one, poor chap, is perdition.
09:14Perdition.
09:16So, 12 plays 5, Diane on 12, and it's Diane's letters game.
09:21Adam.
09:22Right, I'll have a consonant, please.
09:24Thank you, Diane. D.
09:26And another one.
09:28N.
09:29And another.
09:31C.
09:32A vowel, please.
09:34I.
09:35Another.
09:36O.
09:37And another.
09:38E.
09:40Consonant.
09:42D.
09:44And a consonant.
09:46Y.
09:47And a vowel, please.
09:49And the last one, O.
09:51Done by him.
09:54MUSIC
09:58MUSIC
10:24Diane.
10:255.
10:26Darren.
10:276.
10:286.
10:29And Diane, your 5 is?
10:31Dined, D-I-N-E-D.
10:34Darren.
10:35Codeine.
10:36Codeine.
10:38Codeine is A7.
10:40You need two E's, so it's C-O-D-E-I-N-E.
10:42Now, what else can we have?
10:44Susie and Nina. Nina?
10:45I only managed a 5 as well. Diced.
10:48Yep.
10:49Susie.
10:50Much harder than it looked.
10:52There is a zoological term, conoid, C-O-N-O-I-D,
10:56meaning approximately, chronicle, in shape.
11:00So, very, very specific, that one.
11:02But it was the most we could do.
11:04Cones, indeed.
11:0617 plays 5.
11:07Diane on 17.
11:09And it's Darren's letters game now.
11:11Yes, sir.
11:12Thanks, Nick.
11:13Can we start with a consonant, please, Rachel?
11:15Thank you, Darren.
11:16M.
11:17And another, please.
11:19S.
11:20And another.
11:22R.
11:24And a vowel, please.
11:26E.
11:27Another vowel.
11:29A.
11:31And another vowel.
11:33B.
11:35And a consonant, please.
11:37S.
11:39And another consonant.
11:41K.
11:43And a final consonant, please.
11:45And a final T.
11:47Stand by.
11:50C-O-N-O-I-D
11:53C-O-N-O-I-D
12:19Darren.
12:21I'll go for an 8.
12:23Diane.
12:24Er, 7.
12:26And your 7 is?
12:27Masters.
12:29Masters. And Darren?
12:30Steamers.
12:32Yeah, excellent.
12:33Yeah?
12:34Very good.
12:35APPLAUSE
12:38Very good. Nina?
12:40Another 8.
12:41A lovely word, I think, and a lovely animal.
12:44The meerkats.
12:46Oh, indeed, yeah.
12:47Yes.
12:48Very good.
12:49A meerkat.
12:5017 to Darren's 13, closing the gap there, Darren.
12:54And now, Diane, it's your numbers game.
12:57Can I have one large and the rest small, please?
13:00You can indeed, thank you, Diane.
13:02One large, five little.
13:04And for the second time today, the numbers are 7, 6, 2, 4, 4 and 75.
13:13And the target, 209.
13:15209.
13:20BELL RINGS
13:48Diane?
13:49214.
13:50214, Darren.
13:52201.
13:53Diane, your nearest.
13:55OK, 6 minus 2 is 3, times 75...
14:016 minus 2...
14:03Sorry, I meant to say 6 divided by 2 is 3.
14:056 over 2 is 3.
14:07Times 75 is 225.
14:09225.
14:10And then I got the 11 and took it away.
14:15Where did I get it from?
14:17The 7 and the 4.
14:19Brilliant.
14:207 plus 4 is 11, take it away.
14:21Yep, 214, 5 away.
14:23Well done, Diane.
14:25But, Rachel, we turn to you for 209.
14:28Start the same way as Diane.
14:306 over 2 is 3, times 75, again 225.
14:35And then 4 times 4 gives you 16 to take away, 209.
14:39Well done.
14:40APPLAUSE
14:43Thank you, Rachel.
14:44So, Diane, 24 now to Darren's 13, as we talk to Nina.
14:49Nina, language is evolving in the newsroom, too.
14:53Yeah, I mean, this is kind of Susie's area of expertise, really,
14:57but I am fascinated by the choice and responsibility we have
15:01in the scripts that we write, because the words that we use,
15:04especially in that context, can help change perceptions.
15:07So, for example, years ago, we would have described somebody
15:10with a certain disability being wheelchair-bound.
15:13We wouldn't use that now.
15:14It describes the limitations.
15:16We would talk about somebody who has a wheelchair
15:18or uses a wheelchair.
15:20The same when we're talking about something like a disease.
15:23We wouldn't say, won their battle with cancer.
15:26It implies that somebody had a choice about fighting
15:29and they somehow fought harder to survive cancer.
15:33So, the other day, this was very kind of front and centre
15:37when I was interviewing the fire commissioner,
15:40the London fire commissioner.
15:42She was launching a campaign to change the word fireman
15:45to firefighter, 35 years after the UK's first firefighter
15:50joined the fire service, Josephine Reynolds.
15:54So, I asked the commissioner if her campaign extended
15:58to the much-loved children's character, Fireman Sam,
16:01should he indeed change his name to Firefighter Sam?
16:05Bit of a cheeky question. I thought I could get away with it.
16:08To my utter surprise, she had an immediate answer,
16:11yes, he should, and she said, I'm contacting the creator
16:14to try and make this happen.
16:16So, I thought that was a great story.
16:18We put that story online and it got a record number of hits
16:22on our website.
16:24Nearly 3 million people saw the story, joined in the debate.
16:28The vast majority of people who joined in the debate
16:31were absolutely outraged that Fireman Sam would have
16:35to change his name.
16:37So, I think it is really language evolution and not revolution
16:41because people do need time to get the importance of why
16:44one subtle change in a word could enable lots of women
16:48to join the fire service and fight fires across the UK.
16:52But firefighter tells you exactly what's what.
16:55But extraordinary. Good for you.
17:02Thank you. Thank you, Nina.
17:05Now, what shall we do? Darren, how about a letters game?
17:08Thanks, Nick. Start with a consonant, please, Rachel.
17:11Thank you, Darren. R.
17:13And another consonant.
17:15G.
17:17And a vowel, please.
17:19O.
17:21And another vowel.
17:23E.
17:24And a consonant, please.
17:26R.
17:28And another consonant.
17:30J.
17:32And a vowel, please.
17:34O.
17:36And a consonant.
17:38L.
17:40And a final consonant, please.
17:42And a final N.
17:44Stand by.
18:05CLOCK TICKS
18:16Well, Darren?
18:18I'm going to risk a seven.
18:20Diane? Five.
18:22And you're five, Diane.
18:24Enroll. Enroll, Darren.
18:26Jongler.
18:28Oh!
18:30Definitely got to have the U, unfortunately.
18:33So, in historical times, they were minstrels, the jonglers.
18:37But it's J-O-N-G-L-E-U-R.
18:40That's really bad luck, Darren. Sorry.
18:42Bad luck. Takes Diane up to 29, to Darren's 13.
18:46Now, Nina and Susie?
18:48Couldn't get any longer than longer, I'm afraid.
18:51Six. Six or longer.
18:5329 to 13, as I say. Darren on 13.
18:56And it's Diane's letters game.
18:58Consonant, please, Rachel. Thank you, Diane.
19:01L. And another one.
19:03T. And another one.
19:06R.
19:08A vowel.
19:10A. And another one.
19:12E.
19:14Another vowel.
19:16U.
19:18Consonant.
19:20L. And another one.
19:23T.
19:25And a vowel, please.
19:27And an A.
19:29Stand by.
19:57MUSIC PLAYS
20:02Diane? Six.
20:04A six and...? Seven.
20:06And a seven. Diane, six?
20:08Taller.
20:10Now then, Darren. Lateral.
20:12Nina and Susie?
20:14No lateral thinking over here, cos we also got seven with lateral, I'm afraid.
20:18And that's it?
20:20Yeah, otherwise down to six. Thank you.
20:22Only nine points in it.
20:24Keeping up there, 20 plays Diane's 29.
20:27And it's Darren's numbers game. Yes, Darren?
20:29Thanks, Nick.
20:31We'll switch it up, please, Rachel.
20:33We'll have three large and three small, please.
20:35Try and make up the deficit.
20:37See if that's a good decision. Thank you, Darren.
20:39Three small ones are one, five and one.
20:43And the large ones, 25, 50, 75.
20:47And the target, 955.
20:50Nine, five, five.
20:52MUSIC PLAYS
21:22Darren?
21:24No idea. Diane?
21:26No. Too far away, both of you?
21:28Yeah. Let's see whether Rachel can crack this.
21:30Rachel?
21:32This one is impossible.
21:34Yeah, you could have got to one away, but not a 955.
21:36Thank you. Thanks, Rachel.
21:3829 to 20.
21:40Diane in the lead, and it's time for our second tea time teaser,
21:44which is Rest in Pip.
21:46And the clue, it's not a club, spade or diamond,
21:49it's a different type of suit.
21:51It's not a club, spade or diamond,
21:54it's a different type of suit.
22:11Welcome back. I left with the clue,
22:13it's not a club, spade or diamond,
22:16it's a different type of suit.
22:19It's, in fact, a pinstripe suit.
22:21Pinstripe is what we're after.
22:23Nine points in it, 29 to 20.
22:25Darren on 20. Diane's letters game.
22:27Madam.
22:29I'll have a consonant, please, Rachel.
22:31Thank you, Diane. D.
22:33And another.
22:35B. And another.
22:37T.
22:39And another.
22:41N.
22:43Vowel, please.
22:45O. And another.
22:47P. And another.
22:50I.
22:52A consonant.
22:54P.
22:56And another consonant, please.
22:59And lastly, R.
23:01Stand by.
23:17CLOCK TICKS
23:32Diane.
23:34Seven. Seven.
23:36Darren. Seven.
23:38Diane.
23:40Pointer. Pointer and...?
23:42Pointer. Two pointers.
23:45Not as nice as a whippet, apparently.
23:47Now, Nina.
23:49A pointerd.
23:51A pointerd? A pointerd.
23:53Pointerd. Pointerd. A. Pointerd.
23:55Thank you. And...?
23:57And a protein, so two more sevens there.
24:00Yep, another seven.
24:02Boronite, a reddish crystalline mineral.
24:05We couldn't get beyond seven, but quite a few sevens there.
24:08Thank you. 36 to 27.
24:11Darren.
24:12Start with a consonant, please, Rachel.
24:14Thank you, Darren. S.
24:16And another, please.
24:18F.
24:20And a third.
24:22N.
24:23And a fourth.
24:25M.
24:27And a vowel, please.
24:29A.
24:30And a second vowel.
24:32E.
24:34And a third vowel.
24:36I.
24:38And a consonant, please.
24:40P.
24:42And a final vowel, please.
24:45And a final E.
24:48Stand by.
25:10MUSIC PLAYS
25:21Yes, Darren.
25:23Seven. Diane?
25:25Seven.
25:26Darren.
25:27Famines.
25:28And Diane?
25:29Meanies.
25:30That is a good one.
25:32And they're there, yes, they're both excellent. Well done.
25:34Really, really good.
25:35What did we conjure up?
25:37Not enough. Nina?
25:38We stopped on six. Piemann.
25:40Piemann, yeah.
25:42Thank you, Susie.
25:44It's your origins of words time.
25:47I have an email from Pauline Bolton
25:50who asks whether I can elaborate on the word dowry.
25:54She says,
25:55Playing Scrabble with Dow are already down.
25:57A friend and I decided to check the spelling
25:59and were surprised to find that the meaning of the word dowry
26:02referred not to brides but to widows.
26:04Is this another case, Pauline, of meaning changing over time
26:07and, if so, which came first?
26:10Well, back in the 13th century, it was indeed all about widows
26:14and it was specifically the portion of a deceased husband's estate
26:17that a wife was allowed to keep by the law.
26:21A tenant in Dower was a widow who had land as a result.
26:25A lady of Dower was a dowager lady.
26:28And we're quite familiar with the term dowager these days,
26:31even if we don't really use it.
26:33It was a woman whose husband was dead
26:35and who was in the enjoyment of some title or some property
26:38that came to her from him.
26:41But very soon after, and, in fact, the dates, if you look at the Oxford Institution,
26:44are so close that these two meanings might have coexisted,
26:47another sense of dowry arrived,
26:49and that was the money or property which a wife brings to the husband upon marriage.
26:54That's the one we're familiar with today.
26:56And until the Married Women's Property Act in the late 19th century,
27:00a husband basically took ownership of the entirety of a woman's property
27:04when they got married, so everything came to the husband.
27:08Both traditions would seem deeply sexist, of course, today,
27:11but the origin of the word is completely neutral when it comes to dowry.
27:14They're the siblings of endow, which go back to the Latin dare,
27:18to give or to bestow.
27:20Very good.
27:22APPLAUSE
27:24Marvellous.
27:26Thank you, Susie.
27:2943-34.
27:31Diane in the lead, and it's Diane's letters game.
27:34Consonant, please, Rachel. Thank you, Diane.
27:36S And another.
27:39Q And another.
27:42S And another.
27:45T Vowel, please.
27:48A Another.
27:51E Another.
27:54O Another one.
27:57I And a constant, please.
28:01And lastly, Z.
28:04Stand by.
28:27MUSIC
28:38Diane. Five.
28:40A five and... Five.
28:43Diane. Zests.
28:45And... Seats.
28:48Yes. And in the corner?
28:51We can go a little better. We've got a couple of sixes.
28:54Siesta is one of them. Yes.
28:56And we have a size as well, which was the court
28:59that used to gather in each county of England
29:02and administer civil law, essentially.
29:05And criminal law, in fact, too.
29:07All right, thank you.
29:09So, 39-48.
29:12Diane still in the lead, and it's Darren's letters game.
29:15We'll start with a vowel, please, Rachel. Thank you, Darren.
29:18O And another, please.
29:20E And another.
29:23I And a consonant, please.
29:27N And another.
29:30S And another consonant.
29:33H And another consonant.
29:37N And a vowel.
29:41A And a final consonant, please.
29:45And a final R. Stand by.
29:48MUSIC
29:54MUSIC
30:19Darren. Seven.
30:21And Diane? Six.
30:23Your six is?
30:25Shamer. Darren.
30:26Seminar.
30:28And over in the corner, Susie and Nina.
30:31Well, we're working very well together
30:33because we've got harmonies for a nine. Yes, well done.
30:37And then swap the last two letters to get harmonies for another nine.
30:41Well done.
30:43APPLAUSE
30:45Superb.
30:47Oh, that's brilliant. Well done.
30:50Two points in it now, 48-46, and we go into the final numbers game.
30:55Diane?
30:56I'll have one large and the rest small, please, Rachel.
30:59Thank you, Diane. Your last chance to avoid a crucial conundrum.
31:02The final one of the day is seven, six, six, four, eight and 75.
31:11And this target, 483.
31:14483.
31:16MUSIC
31:21MUSIC
31:47Diane?
31:48483.
31:50And Darren?
31:51483.
31:53Now then, Diane.
31:5575 times six.
31:58450.
31:59Eight by four.
32:0132.
32:02And then seven minus six is one.
32:04Yep.
32:05Lovely, well done.
32:07And Darren?
32:08Exactly the same way.
32:12APPLAUSE
32:14Well done.
32:15Two good players.
32:17It's all down to the conundrum.
32:20Good luck to you both.
32:22Let's roll today's crucial countdown conundrum.
32:26MUSIC
32:46MUSIC
32:58Nerve-wracking. Nerve-wracking.
33:01But you're foxed here.
33:03But in the audience, will anybody have a shot at this one?
33:07No?
33:09No?
33:10Let's roll it and see.
33:12Here it comes.
33:14And a pretty emotional end, actually.
33:16Diane, Diane Cordery, you take it by two points.
33:19Well done.
33:21And well done to Darren Findlay over there.
33:23You had a great run, you had a great run.
33:25And it was a close-run thing, wasn't it?
33:27So, well done.
33:29Thank you very much.
33:30You take this goodie bag,
33:31you take your well-deserved teapot back to Frimley Green.
33:35Well done indeed.
33:36Thank you very much.
33:37I've had a blast.
33:38And Diane, well done, what a win.
33:40Two points, that was quite breathtaking.
33:42Well, listen, we're going to send you home for a little while
33:45because we're going into the finals,
33:47but we'll see you very soon again.
33:49OK, thank you.
33:50Brilliant.
33:51Thanks very much indeed for coming.
33:53All right.
33:54Oh, Nina, we can't see you tomorrow, sadly,
33:56but please come again very soon.
33:58It's been a great pleasure having you.
34:00Great stories and a good player too.
34:02Thank you so much for coming.
34:03I would love to.
34:04Thank you very much for having me.
34:06Lovely. All right.
34:07See you tomorrow.
34:08See you then.
34:09Rachel, what's happening tomorrow?
34:11Well, we've got a new borough in tomorrow.
34:13Indeed.
34:14And we've got our champions back.
34:15We've got the champs.
34:16So I get a rest.
34:17They get to do the numbers for a little while.
34:19Let's see.
34:20We'll see you tomorrow.
34:21See you then.
34:22Join us then.
34:23The beginning of the finals of Series 78.
34:26What could be better than that?
34:28Same time, same place.
34:29You'll be sure of it.
34:30A very good afternoon.
34:32Contact us by email at countdown at channel4.com,
34:36by Twitter at c4countdown,
34:38or write to us at countdownleads ls31js.
34:42You can also find our web page at channel4.com forward slash countdown.