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00:00This programme contains strong language and adult humour.
00:20APPLAUSE
00:31Hello, everybody. It's Thursday afternoon.
00:33Welcome to Countdown.
00:34The words, the letters, none of it means anything
00:37if it wasn't for you playing along at home.
00:39But good luck today, you're going to need it.
00:41What a week it has been.
00:42The best of the best in our champion of champions.
00:45Rachel, here we go again.
00:49And that's what I want to talk to you about.
00:51Be honest, is there a repetitive thing about Countdown
00:54that after all these years annoys you a bit?
00:57I mean, obviously, ignoring Susie.
01:00No, there's not. I love this show.
01:02I think if I didn't like repetitive jobs,
01:04I wouldn't be very good on here.
01:05And even the Countdown theme tune, I think, is great.
01:07We actually, before your time, before my time,
01:10someone interviewed for your job,
01:12but they requested that we change the Countdown theme tune.
01:15I won't name names, but obviously, he didn't get the job.
01:18Whoa. Sacrilege. Sacrilege!
01:20What a pointless suggestion that is.
01:22Oh, my goodness.
01:23You mention the theme tune,
01:24cos that is the most repetitive thing about Countdown.
01:27I was working it out.
01:28So in a week, if you include the opening titles,
01:31the closing titles and the 15 rounds,
01:34it's played an epic 85 times a week.
01:38Never going to change it.
01:39Do you know what?
01:40We didn't count the ins and outs of breaks.
01:42No, no, there's a little snippet, if that counts as well.
01:44Put them together, you've got at least another 30 seconds here.
01:46As if we didn't have enough.
01:47Well, listen, we're very happy to be hitting
01:49the repeat button in Dictionary Corner this week.
01:51Joining the national treasure that is Susie Dent
01:54is the Countdown superfan, the quiz show great,
01:57the world-famous author, the Fulham fanatic,
02:00that is Richard Osman.
02:01APPLAUSE
02:04Right, let's introduce our fourth round
02:07of our round of 16 of our champion of champions
02:10in two very different stories today.
02:13First, there's Stu Harkness,
02:14who lost his first game on Countdown.
02:17So explain how you can be here.
02:19Yeah, well, I lost my first game 15 years ago now
02:23to a, at the time, young lad from Bolton.
02:29Came back this time last year, Series 84,
02:31and I knocked in a 1-4-8 on my second debut.
02:36So, obviously, I needed a free ball for my 1-4-8.
02:41Well, I love it, cos James Halton's highest score, actually.
02:44James, your highest score is the Snooker maximum, isn't it?
02:46The traditional one, the 1-4-7.
02:48It is indeed, yeah, 1-4-7.
02:50My quarterfinal all the way back in Series 81 in 2019.
02:54So this is strange, because you've never lost,
02:58you've got the zero, but you've never sat on that chair either,
03:02because you didn't face a champion,
03:04it was after an OctoChamp.
03:06Yeah, so I, because I live close to Media City,
03:10I was sort of the standby, because...
03:13So I got a phone call telling me to grab some shirts and come in,
03:17because a guy had a chance of OctoChamping,
03:20and, which he did, he won eight games,
03:23and so then I was, like, the spare second player,
03:26new player for the next game, so I sat in the champions chair.
03:29And remarkably, get ready to gasp,
03:33you've never scored under 100.
03:35Not yet.
03:38I love that confidence. There's nerves.
03:40Sip of the water, not yet.
03:42Stu and James, good luck.
03:46Right, Mr Harkness, you're up first.
03:48Hi again, Rachel. Hi again, Stu.
03:50Good to see you. Can I start with a consonant, please?
03:53You can indeed start today with S.
03:56And another one, please.
03:58T.
04:00And a vowel. We're on for Stu. Yep.
04:02O. Good luck.
04:04A consonant.
04:06N.
04:07And a vowel.
04:09I.
04:10And another.
04:12E.
04:13And another vowel.
04:15I.
04:17And a consonant.
04:20R.
04:22And...
04:24Can I have a vowel to finish, please?
04:27A good start and a final.
04:29O.
04:30At home and in the studio, let's play Countdown.
05:00MUSIC STOPS
05:03Stu? Eight.
05:05James? Eight as well.
05:07What's the eight, Stu? Snootier.
05:09Snootier.
05:11Snootier as well.
05:13Right, there you go, over to Dictionary Corner.
05:15Very impressive. Well, listen, it's become familiar this week, hasn't it?
05:18We're sort of happily going, we've got a couple of sevens here
05:21and then we've got these amazing players who get eights.
05:24We've got sevens, Iron Eyes, Ioniser, Stonia.
05:27In the world of crime fiction, in most countries in the world,
05:30they call it noir, so a lot of the festivals and stuff,
05:33there's Iceland noir and stuff like that, Shetland noir,
05:35so I've gone for noir-iest, which I know is not a word I've found.
05:38Oh, I really like that.
05:40Not yet, Richard, we just need to keep using it.
05:42Yeah, I will do.
05:44OK, don't be snooty about it, it might make the dictionary eventually.
05:47Let's get more letters. James?
05:49Hello again, Rachel. Hi again, James.
05:51Could I start with a consonant, please?
05:53You could indeed. T.
05:55And another consonant, please.
05:57M.
05:59And another consonant, please.
06:01T.
06:03And another consonant, please.
06:05G.
06:07A vowel.
06:09E.
06:11And another vowel.
06:13A.
06:15And another vowel, please.
06:17U.
06:19Erm, a consonant, please.
06:22W.
06:24And finish with a final consonant, please.
06:30Finish with S.
06:3230 seconds.
06:54MUSIC PLAYS
07:03And that's it. James?
07:05Seven. And Stu?
07:07Seven. Very good. James?
07:09Mutages. Stu?
07:11Mutates. Susie, all good?
07:13Yes. Mutage in winemaking, so one for all oenophiles out there,
07:17is a process by which wine is either partially fermented
07:21through the addition of brandy or other fruit liqueurs.
07:24Anyway, mutages, absolutely fine, and mutates, likewise.
07:27What a start. Eights and sevens for Stu and James.
07:30Let's switch to numbers to see if we can separate them.
07:33And, Stu, you're picking the first six.
07:35Right, thanks, Colin.
07:37So, I'm a one large man, Rachel,
07:40and I'm going to stick to that, this one.
07:43Right. I'd like one large, please.
07:45I like the caveat for this one.
07:47Nice, gentle start, potentially.
07:49One large, five little.
07:51And these numbers are...
08:00And the target to reach, 713.
08:02Numbers up.
08:04MUSIC PLAYS
08:20MUSIC CONTINUES
08:33713, the target. Stu?
08:35713. James?
08:37713, but not written down.
08:39James, you have to go then. Off you go.
08:4175 plus 8 plus 6 is 89.
08:46Yep, 89.
08:48The second 8. 712 and add the 1.
08:50Perfect, 713.
08:52Last second reprieve.
08:54Stu, you got there early, but did you get there the same way?
08:56Spot on, yeah.
08:58Brilliant.
09:0125 all in today's fourth round of 16,
09:04champion of champions, and your first tea time teaser,
09:07coin side, coin side.
09:09Choose heads or tails, it's your call.
09:11Choose heads or tails, it's your call.
09:13MUSIC PLAYS
09:19APPLAUSE
09:29Welcome back. Choose heads or tails, it's your decision.
09:32Coin side becomes decision, and this is a coin toss today.
09:36It looked really close on paper with Stu and James.
09:39It's proven to be that way.
09:4125 points each, and James, you're picking the letters.
09:44Consonant, please, Rachel.
09:46Thank you, James.
09:47M.
09:49And another, please.
09:51H.
09:53And another.
09:55N.
09:57And another.
09:59T.
10:01Vowel, please.
10:03E.
10:05Vowel, please.
10:07O.
10:09Vowel.
10:11I.
10:13Vowel.
10:16Erm, and a final vowel, please.
10:21A final I.
10:23Thank you, Rachel.
10:25MUSIC PLAYS
10:45MUSIC STOPS
10:55James Houghton?
10:57Er, risk a seven.
10:59And Stu Harkness?
11:01Er, safe six.
11:03What's the safe six? Minutes.
11:05James, what are you risking?
11:07Malfe, M-O-U-T-H-I-E.
11:09It's actually in the dictionary.
11:11Er, originally Scottish, later also used in child speak.
11:15Mouthy, a person's mouth. Well done.
11:17And it absolutely mirrors what we did here,
11:19cos I had minutes and Susie pushed mouthy across,
11:21and I thought, Susie spelt mouthy wrong.
11:23This is embarrassing.
11:25You can't have out-mine, I assume.
11:27Out-mine. I put out in front of everything.
11:29No. No, there you go.
11:31Good to confirm it, cos people at home will be taking this in.
11:34Yeah. Really good to do.
11:36Right, OK, more letters now. Stu.
11:38Can I get a consonant, please, Rachel?
11:40Thank you, Stu. N.
11:42And a vowel. A.
11:44Consonant.
11:46R. Vowel.
11:48I.
11:50Consonant.
11:52S. And another one.
11:54R.
11:56And another one.
11:58M.
12:00And a vowel.
12:02E.
12:04And I'll finish with...
12:07..another consonant, please.
12:10Finish with T.
12:12Half a minute.
12:36WHISTLE BLOWS
12:43Speak to me, Stu.
12:45Eight. James?
12:47Eight. What have you got, Stu?
12:49Mariners. Mariners. And James?
12:51Minarets. Minarets.
12:53And mariners. Brilliant.
12:55Wonderful. Wonderful.
12:57Yeah, a couple more eights there, which are anagrams of each other.
13:00Restrain and retrains. Very good.
13:02Eight as well. Brilliant.
13:04That's the second numbers round of the day.
13:06But, James, your first time choosing.
13:08Well, I liked picking four large when I was here,
13:11so as this might be my last ever game on the show,
13:14let's start with four large, please.
13:16Start with four large, the opposite of Stu's tactics,
13:18but then again, sticking with what you like the best.
13:21So maybe it will work this time.
13:23The two little ones, one and four.
13:25And the big ones, 25, 50, 100, 75.
13:29And the target, 462.
13:32462.
13:34462, numbers up.
14:03Time's up. James?
14:06Yes, 462. Stu?
14:08462. I'm going to stop doing the numbers.
14:10I thought it was really difficult. I got it in 29 seconds.
14:13I looked over and them two were like this, like they were on holiday.
14:16I was thrilled with myself. Oh, OK.
14:18Never again. James, off you go.
14:2075 divided by 25 is 3. Yep.
14:23Add that on to the 100. 103.
14:25Multiply by 4 for 4, 112. 412.
14:28And then add the 50. Perfect. 462, well done.
14:31Same, same.
14:33Let's show it together.
14:35We're all good. Got it.
14:37Brilliant.
14:42That's what we were used to, Colin.
14:44Just to be part of it.
14:4650 plays, 43.
14:48If you're new to Countdown, what a time to tune in.
14:50But we don't call seven points a lead,
14:52because the last round is worth ten points,
14:54so that conundrum is still crucial.
14:56We talked the other day, Richard,
14:58about the fact that you would introduce yourself now as an author,
15:02despite such a storied career.
15:04Have you ever done one for the young kid?
15:07Have you ever done a J.R. Hartley and bought your own book?
15:10I have bought my own book.
15:12The very first book I bought, I did a book tour of various places.
15:16I love going to independent bookstores.
15:18And in Hayworth Heath where I grew up,
15:20I went to the bookshop where I used to buy books
15:22and I bought my first book there,
15:24which was a really lovely thing to do.
15:27Constantly, if ever I'm on holiday,
15:29people will stop me in shops, buy the book,
15:31and I sign it from there, which is quite good fun.
15:34That's a neat sales technique.
15:36But I thought I would recommend a book.
15:40I was trying to work out what would be...
15:42I want to think of a perfect book for Countdown viewers.
15:45There's lots of books I recommend.
15:47I love Patricia Highsmith's Ripley books, Tantum, Mr Ripley,
15:51although whenever I say that on stage,
15:53I always think I'm going to say Patricia Routledge.
15:55I always get a tiny bit nervous.
15:57A book I loved recently, The Sorrow and the Bliss by Meg Mason,
16:00a very, very funny book that came out last year, I loved as well.
16:03But it's a book I keep coming back to.
16:05It's really, really short.
16:07It's set just after the First World War.
16:09It's by a guy who wrote some very, very unusual things.
16:11There's a very, very beautiful thing about a guy who goes to...
16:15He essentially has to sort of fix a mural in a church
16:18in a Yorkshire village, and it sounds boring.
16:20It's one of the best books I've ever read.
16:22It's called A Month In The Country by JL Carr.
16:25I say, look, it's very, very short.
16:27I've never met anyone who didn't love it,
16:29and it's one of those books that everyone who reads it adores it.
16:32The way I look at going to a bookstore is very similar
16:35to the experience you have if you go to buy a piece of vinyl
16:38to buy a record.
16:40For me, it's the mood I'm in.
16:42Sometimes I want to buy something that's very new and up-to-date,
16:46and other times I just want to go into the soul section, you know?
16:50And I'll go and buy... I read a book recently called Town Called Alice.
16:53It goes way back. Beautiful book. Beautifully written.
16:57And the last book I read last week, 80 days around the world.
17:00I hadn't read it. James Verne.
17:02Some of the classics are classics for a reason.
17:04But you know what I mean. Sometimes you're reading,
17:06and you go, oh, my God, it's actually really amazing.
17:08And you think, that's why it's a classic. It's like Dickens.
17:11You just think, oh, that's why people still like Dickens,
17:13because he was an incredible writer.
17:15Well, Richard and Judy, if you're watching, eat your heart out.
17:17We've got a book club going now. Thank you, Rich.
17:20APPLAUSE
17:22OK, too close to call, so let's get another couple of rounds
17:25under our belt, and it looks like it's Stu picking.
17:29Can I have a consonant, please, Rachel?
17:31Thank you, Stu. P
17:33And a vowel.
17:35O
17:36And a consonant.
17:38L
17:39And a vowel.
17:41A
17:42Consonant.
17:43L
17:45And another consonant.
17:47R
17:48And a vowel.
17:50O
17:52And another vowel.
17:55E
17:57And a consonant, please, to finish.
18:00Lastly, G. Here we go.
18:18MUSIC PLAYS
18:32And that is time, Stu. How many?
18:34Seven. James?
18:36Eight, I hope. The seven?
18:38Pergola. James?
18:40Galloper.
18:42It's in the dictionary, James. Yep, well done.
18:44APPLAUSE
18:46Richard, anything to match it?
18:48No, we had galloper as well.
18:50Seven letters, allegro, if you want to go slightly slower.
18:53I was going to say, Richard got galloper within two seconds.
18:56Yes. I was very impressed.
18:58He's so happy she said that.
19:00I couldn't possibly.
19:02Right, James, you're in control of the letters.
19:05Consonant, please, Rachel.
19:07Thank you, James. D
19:09And another.
19:11S
19:12And another.
19:14T
19:16And another.
19:18F
19:20Vowel, please.
19:22E
19:24And another.
19:26O
19:28And another.
19:30U
19:32And another.
19:34A
19:36And finish with a final vowel, please.
19:40Finish with O.
20:12Talk to me, James. Seven.
20:14And Stu? Yeah, I'll stay with a seven.
20:16Right, what have we got, James? Outdoors.
20:18Yes, outdoors, and you can't outdo that,
20:20but what is yours? Seafood.
20:22Seafood. Very good.
20:24The most simple round we've had in today's show.
20:26It's rare in the Champion in Champions
20:28where we don't have something to check
20:30to make sure it's there. So anything else?
20:32I got doofus for six.
20:34LAUGHTER
20:36I've got another, I've got fade-outs.
20:38Which is such a brilliant guess, and I saw it on your pad.
20:41It's hyphenated.
20:43No, at the end of a song.
20:45We're going to put a fade-out on that.
20:47There are not many hyphens left in the dictionary.
20:49You managed to find one of them, so that doesn't count,
20:51which makes you, of course, the other word.
20:53Yeah.
20:55Let's get more numbers now, and we're back to Stu.
20:57So what's your tactics?
20:59Right, so...
21:01..last time I was on,
21:03I kept picking one large until you gave me a 75.
21:05And you've given me a 75 already.
21:07Right.
21:09So, shackles are off.
21:11No large ones, please.
21:13I thought you might say that. Six little.
21:15If James is going to go for four large,
21:17then you have to try something different.
21:19Let's see if this works for you, Stu.
21:21The numbers are...
21:23One, sorry.
21:25Four.
21:27Nine.
21:29I know, head and hands already.
21:31The target, 212.
21:33That's a bit better. 2-1-2, numbers up.
21:39MUSIC PLAYS
22:05The target, 2-1-2.
22:07Stu?
22:09I can do 210, not written down.
22:11James?
22:13213, not written down.
22:15That would take seven points. Go, James.
22:17Nine times eight is 72.
22:19Nine times eight, 72.
22:21Take away the one for 73.
22:2371, even.
22:2571!
22:27Sorry, I'm nervous. That's fine.
22:29Four minus one is three.
22:31And times them together for 213.
22:33213, one away.
22:35Is 2-1-2 possible?
22:37Do I look around the room? Am I going to have one to do?
22:39Yeah, I didn't get it. I was further away.
22:41All right, this is mine. I found a way.
22:43Eight times eight, 64.
22:45Nine plus one, plus one, 11.
22:49Take that off, 53.
22:51Chuck a four around.
22:53Yes.
22:55APPLAUSE
22:57The second tea time teaser is Fun Loops.
22:59Fun Loops.
23:01I really like this one.
23:03According to Mary, Alan can help.
23:05According to Mary, Alan can help.
23:15APPLAUSE
23:23Welcome back. Fun Loops becomes Spoonful
23:25because, according to Mary,
23:27that was Mary Poppins, the alum was sugar,
23:29and that's how you end up with a very clever clue.
23:31Taking his medicine so far
23:33is Stu Hartness on 50 points,
23:35but it's James who's in a good state of health on 72.
23:39And, in fact, James, it's your letters.
23:41Consonant, please, Rachel.
23:43Thank you, James. N.
23:45And another.
23:47D. And another.
23:49F.
23:51And another.
23:53P.
23:55Vowel, please.
23:57U. And another.
23:59And another.
24:01E. And another.
24:03I.
24:05Erm...
24:07Consonant, please.
24:09Q.
24:11And finish with a final consonant, please.
24:15Finish with a final S.
24:17OK, A's done.
24:29MUSIC PLAYS
24:49James? Seven.
24:51Stu? I think I've got a seven.
24:53James, what's yours?
24:55Infused. And Stu?
24:57I'm going to have a bash at fundies.
25:00Fundies. F-U-N-D-I-E-S.
25:04The mind boggles as to what fundies are.
25:07Fundies, nothing to do with underwear
25:09and everything to do with being a fundamentalist.
25:11Fundies sounded like it was going to be more fun
25:13than it turned out to be, didn't it?
25:15Yeah, Susie had fundies, if you know what I mean.
25:18I didn't want to know what they meant.
25:20Upside was the best I could do. Yeah, very nice.
25:22Yeah, good stuff. So, Stu, you're hanging in there.
25:24Well done. And because of the standard,
25:26it just needs, like, a magical nine
25:29to be plucked out of thin air, and it's game on again.
25:32So let's see if it happens in this round.
25:34Stu, you're picking the letters. Thank you.
25:36Consonant, please, Rachel. Thank you, Stu.
25:38C. And a vowel.
25:41E. And a consonant.
25:44L. Vowel.
25:46A. Consonant.
25:48S. Another consonant.
25:51V. And a vowel.
25:54O. And a consonant.
25:58S. And a vowel, please, to finish.
26:02Lastly, I.
26:04Kinder.
26:22MUSIC CONTINUES
26:36And that's time. Stu?
26:38I've got a nine. He has a nine. James?
26:41Just seven. James, what's a seven?
26:43Obby sacks. Has the unthinkable just happened? Stu?
26:47Vocalises. Vocalises.
26:49And shout from the rooftops.
26:55Richard Osman, we're going to be getting emails now to Channel 4
26:58saying, it must be a fix, the presenter just said it and it happened.
27:02Amazing as well, and Susie had written vocalises down,
27:05so there wasn't even any tension the second he said it.
27:08Well, listen, we've got to write the final chapter of this epic battle.
27:11James was 22 points ahead, Stu's just hit the maximum,
27:16and it's now back in the balance. Four rounds left.
27:19I have to say, equal love to both of you.
27:21Let's just see what happens. James, let's get some letters.
27:24Consonant, please. Thank you, James.
27:26W. And another.
27:29K. And another.
27:32C. And another.
27:35G. Vowel, please.
27:38A. And another.
27:41E. And another.
27:44A.
27:47And another.
27:49E.
27:52And a final vowel, please.
27:56I like your vowels. A final... Another A!
27:59Let's play Countdown.
28:14MUSIC PLAYS
28:31Can't wait to find out. James?
28:33Five. Stu?
28:35Five. Right, no risks.
28:38James? Awake.
28:40Yes, and Stu? I'm also quite awake.
28:43So, anything else? Cakage.
28:45Cakage. Fantastic.
28:47So, let's have a guess.
28:49I'm guessing how many candles on your birthday cake.
28:52It's your cake age. I'll go for that.
28:54I'm going for the cake version of Corkage.
28:57You have to pay Corkage when you take a bottle of wine into a restaurant.
29:00If you take a birthday cake, you might have to pay Cakage.
29:02Oh, wow. Yes, Rachel is correct.
29:04Yes!
29:09Right, four points still in it. What will this round bring?
29:12Let's find out. Stu, it's the last letters round and you're picking.
29:15Thank you. Can I have a consonant, please, Rachel?
29:18Thank you, Stu. T.
29:20And another one.
29:22X. And a third.
29:24T. And a fourth.
29:28L. And a vowel.
29:31E. And another vowel.
29:34A. And another vowel.
29:37E. And another vowel.
29:39And another vowel.
29:41I.
29:43And I'll finish with...
29:45another vowel, please.
29:47Finish with... A.
29:49Last letters.
30:09MUSIC PLAYS
30:21That is time up. Stu?
30:23Seven. James?
30:25Seven. Stu, what is it?
30:27Textile. Yes. And James?
30:29I'll try altate.
30:31L-A-L-T-A-I-T-E.
30:33Absolutely brilliant.
30:35And it means...
30:37..a rare mineral consisting of lead telluride.
30:41So, massive aggregates of yellow-tinted and tin-white crystals.
30:46That's sensational. Well done. Very good.
30:48Right, still just the four points in it.
30:50Two rounds left, a maximum of ten points per round.
30:53But are we going to have our first champion of champions?
30:56Crucial countdown conundrum.
30:58It will depend on these numbers. James Houghton is picking them.
31:01Four large, please.
31:03Important decision. Four large ones, two little ones.
31:06Your last chance to avoid a crucial conundrum.
31:08We're all hoping we get there.
31:10Right, final little two.
31:12Four and two. And then we know what's coming.
31:1575, 25, 50 and 100.
31:19And the target to reach...
31:21..190.
31:23Last numbers.
31:25MUSIC PLAYS
31:36MUSIC CONTINUES
31:55190 was the target. James?
31:57Yeah, 190. Stu?
31:59190. James, you go first, mate.
32:0175 plus 50.
32:04125.
32:06Divided by 25 is 5.
32:08Yep.
32:10Then 100 minus 5 is 95.
32:12And multiply by 2.
32:14Perfect, 190.
32:16Stu, we need to confirm that you have it.
32:18OK, so I have done 50 plus 25, 75.
32:2275. Divided by the other 75.
32:241.
32:26Take the 1 and the 4 away from 100.
32:28And we're back to the same, 95.
32:30And we're going to multiply by 2.
32:32Crucial Conundrum to everybody.
32:34APPLAUSE
32:36Two offroad champs sitting in 101 and 97.
32:41And they have provided such a wonderful atmosphere
32:44in this studio today.
32:46I have to say, one of my favourite shows ever.
32:48Fingers on the buzzers as we reveal today's champion of champions.
32:53Crucial Countdown Conundrum.
32:57MUSIC PLAYS
33:02James Houghton.
33:04Self-like.
33:06Self-like. Let's have a look.
33:08Yes!
33:10APPLAUSE
33:12James, the adrenaline going through your body there.
33:15Take a breath, because I can see it all, the mouse going.
33:18Just take a breath.
33:20I think Stu might have to play the next game.
33:22LAUGHTER
33:24Don't worry, we'll let you have a change of clothes.
33:26Really good, really good atmosphere as well, Stu.
33:28You've got to be hugely proud of that.
33:30My semi-final a couple of years ago,
33:32I perished on a Crucial Conundrum on 97 points as well.
33:35Oh, no!
33:37Back here again, you know.
33:39So it's exactly the same.
33:41But, yeah, what a conundrum.
33:43Best of luck.
33:45You live to fight another day.
33:47Although I think you might need to sleep
33:49between now and your quarter-final.
33:51Yeah, I think that's all I'll be doing.
33:53It's just like a hibernation until that quarter-final game.
33:57Susie, Richard, the best game of the week.
33:59And that's saying something.
34:01Best game of an amazing week, yeah, really.
34:03I mean, edge of the seat stuff, that was so tense.
34:05Sweaty palm time.
34:07Eh? Who's going to win it, eh?
34:09We say that after every show.
34:11I change my mind after every show as well.
34:13I know. We're in heaven right now.
34:15We'll do it all again tomorrow. Susie, Rachel and I will be here.
34:18You can count on us.
34:20You can contact the programme by email at countdown at channel4.com
34:24Or write to us at countdownleaguesls31js
34:28You can also find our webpage at channel4.com forward slash countdown
34:37Steph's back with a totally topical taste for the new year.
34:40A packed lunch full of news, food and interviews returns on Monday at 12.30 here on Channel 4.
34:46A place in the sun. Who's next?
34:54You