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00:00This programme contains strong language and adult humour.
00:05APPLAUSE
00:31Hello, everybody. Series 88 of Countdown enters its final week.
00:36Two quarterfinals, two semifinals and the big series final this Friday,
00:41our last show before Christmas, and it has happened.
00:46The studio has transformed.
00:48I've got a bone to pick with you, Rachel Riley.
00:50What is it? Did you do this?
00:52Look, I've got my own mini Christmas tree.
00:55No, you'd know mine because mine will be rainbow-coloured
00:58and much tackier than that.
01:00Well, look, it's great.
01:01And everything this week will be lovely and Christmassy,
01:04and there may be a little surprise I've had planned for you on Wednesday.
01:09Is it a lump of coal?
01:11No, it's not, just to prove I'm not a Scrooge.
01:13Anyway, let's skip over to Dictionary Corner.
01:15A very special week with a very special guest.
01:18Of course, our J of the D, Susie Dent, makes it Christmas every day for me.
01:22But we're giving it the big end.
01:24Back in Dictionary Corner,
01:26it is wonderful to have the star of stage and screen,
01:29Countdown veteran, panto legend on Christmas week,
01:32Christopher Biggins!
01:36Right, Christopher, well, I'm good crack this week,
01:38and you're going to be treated to special shows.
01:41There's never not an OctoChamp sitting in our chairs this week
01:44because we're on the quarterfinal three.
01:46Things just get a little bit closer because it's third seed against sixth.
01:50So let's welcome back our Ben Bazzar, our maths teacher.
01:54How are you, sir?
01:55Hello, Colin, I'm really good, thank you.
01:57Tell me about the teapot and the voyage the teapot has had.
02:01The teapot is sitting in my classroom,
02:05pride of place,
02:07and last term there was a lot of chat about Countdown
02:11and hopefully a lot of new Countdown fans in my school.
02:14Yes, I love it.
02:15Well, listen, you're up against our Caroline McManus.
02:18I've only got one question for you.
02:20How's your collie moshons?
02:22I've never eaten one, that's for sure.
02:24That sounds a little panto double entendre for you, Biggins.
02:28Yes, I love those, they're very good.
02:30Well, this is the language of Guernsey,
02:32which is where Caroline's from, and a proud...
02:35The language, I think, was called Guernese?
02:38Guernese, yes.
02:39Yes, OK, so give me another, I want to learn more.
02:41Well, collie moshon is a snail. Yes.
02:43Limache is a slug, so a snail without a shell.
02:47Shell.
02:48Why are the words you're teaching me, like snail, slug,
02:50what about hello?
02:51Like, why don't we start with that?
02:53It's bonjour.
02:54Bonjour.
02:55Bonjour.
02:56What's goodbye?
02:57A la pochon, a la pochon.
03:00OK, well, we're saying bonjour to you.
03:02A la pochon, we'll have to wait and see.
03:04That'll be you or Ben, the stakes are high.
03:06Good luck to both of you.
03:09Ben, I know it's difficult,
03:10but if you can see past the Christmas trees,
03:12can we get nine letters, please?
03:14Hello, Rachel. Hi, Ben.
03:16Let's start with a consonant.
03:18Start the third quarterfinal with M.
03:22And another one.
03:24D.
03:25And another one.
03:27R.
03:28And a vowel, please.
03:29E.
03:30And another one.
03:32I.
03:33And another vowel.
03:35O.
03:36And a consonant.
03:39L.
03:40And a consonant.
03:42G.
03:44And another consonant, please.
03:46And a final S.
03:48At home and in the studio, let's play Countdown.
04:14OK, straight in at the deep end.
04:16Ben, how many?
04:17Seven.
04:18And Caroline?
04:19Seven.
04:20Let's have the words.
04:21Soldier.
04:22Soldier.
04:23Glories.
04:24Glories.
04:25Very nice.
04:26And soldier.
04:27Two sevens to start us off, Christopher.
04:29We've got slightly better than that with mislodge.
04:32Mislodge, yes.
04:33To lodge in an inappropriate place,
04:35if you think of the Christmas story.
04:37Mislodged.
04:38It's a Christmassy one, too.
04:39It's a Christmas story.
04:40It's a Christmas story.
04:41Mislodged.
04:42It's a Christmassy one, too.
04:43Only a four.
04:44Gold.
04:45Gold for Christmas.
04:46Yeah.
04:47Very simple.
04:48Right, there you go.
04:49Seven points each.
04:50Off we go, Caroline.
04:51Letters.
04:52Good afternoon, Rachel.
04:53Good afternoon, Caroline.
04:54Can I start with a consonant, please?
04:55You can indeed.
04:56Start with F.
04:57And I'll have another one of those, please.
04:59R.
05:00And another, please.
05:02N.
05:03And another, please.
05:05V.
05:07And a vowel, please.
05:08I.
05:09And another vowel, please.
05:11A.
05:13And another vowel, please.
05:15E.
05:19Another vowel, please.
05:22U.
05:23And a consonant, please.
05:25Lastly, H.
05:27OK, 30 seconds.
05:39MUSIC PLAYS
05:59Caroline?
06:00Just a six.
06:01A six. And Ben?
06:02Just a six.
06:03Yeah, difficult letters, Caroline.
06:05Ravine.
06:06Ben?
06:07Unfair.
06:08Unfair.
06:09Ravine.
06:10Neck and neck.
06:11I didn't warn you.
06:12Christopher Biggins, anything better?
06:14This is something... No, not better,
06:16but something you don't want at Christmas is a hernia.
06:19I don't think you want one at Easter or Halloween either,
06:22to be fair, but, yeah, a hernia.
06:24Brilliant.
06:25Don't overextend yourself.
06:26Don't pull a muscle.
06:27Let's get on to the numbers.
06:29First time today, BB.
06:31Rachel, could we please have three large and three small?
06:34We're getting down to it now.
06:35Three large, three small.
06:37What do you think will be the difference today?
06:39Let's see.
06:40First numbers.
06:417, 6, 3, 50, 125.
06:46And the target to reach, 756.
06:49756, numbers up.
06:51MUSIC PLAYS
07:08MUSIC CONTINUES
07:21756, Ben.
07:23756.
07:25Yes, and Caroline?
07:26Yes, 756.
07:27Look at this.
07:28You're not getting much credit, though, cos for you two.
07:30Maths teacher, this is an insult. Off you go.
07:33I did it differently, perhaps, than is obvious,
07:36but I did 50 divided by 25.
07:39Ooh.
07:40Add the 6.
07:428.
07:43Add 100.
07:44108.
07:45And multiply that by 7.
07:47Yeah, 756, well done.
07:49And from our current maths teacher to our retired maths teacher,
07:52how did you do it?
07:53Well, I thought about doing it his way,
07:55but I actually did the 7 times 100 plus 50 and plus 6.
07:59Along with 99% of us, I would imagine.
08:01Well done.
08:02APPLAUSE
08:04First Key Time teaser of the week is Grand Deal.
08:08Grand Deal.
08:09Judy adorned the house with Christmas decorations.
08:12Judy adorned the house with Christmas decorations.
08:16MUSIC PLAYS
08:23APPLAUSE
08:31Welcome back.
08:32My kind of Christmas has truly arrived in the Countdown studio.
08:36Judy adorned the house with Christmas decorations.
08:39Garlanded. Garlanded, Judy. Garland.
08:42Christmas Day.
08:43Every year, Susie, Wizard of Oz.
08:45That's my tradition.
08:46Always got to be, hasn't it?
08:47Yes, love it.
08:48I feel great now.
08:4923 points each.
08:51Caroline.
08:52Can I start with a consonant, please?
08:54Thank you, Caroline.
08:56S.
08:57And another, please.
08:59M.
09:00And another.
09:01G.
09:03And another.
09:05D.
09:06And a vowel.
09:07A.
09:09And another.
09:10O.
09:12And another.
09:14I.
09:16Erm...
09:18A consonant, please.
09:20T.
09:22And a vowel, please.
09:23And lastly, E.
09:26Thanks, Rich.
09:31ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS
09:57Caroline.
09:58Just six.
09:59Ben.
10:00Eight.
10:01An eight.
10:02The six is?
10:03Dogmas.
10:04Dogmas.
10:05And let's have that eight.
10:06Gadishes.
10:07Gadishes, Susie?
10:08Yes, we haven't seen the gadishes in a while.
10:10Showy North American plants.
10:12Lilac.
10:13Very ostentatious.
10:14Quite Christmassy, actually.
10:16Beautiful.
10:17Now, is there anything better than an eight?
10:19Yes, there is, actually.
10:20So, Caroline had dogmas.
10:21You can actually have dogmatise,
10:23which is to present something as an incontrovertible truth.
10:27Nice.
10:28To dogmatise.
10:29APPLAUSE
10:31The incontrovertible truth is that Ben has got his nose in a front.
10:3531 plus 23, and it's your letters.
10:38Could I have a consonant, please, Rachel?
10:40Thank you, Ben.
10:41R.
10:42And another one.
10:44N.
10:45And another consonant.
10:47Z.
10:48And a vowel.
10:49A.
10:50And another vowel.
10:52E.
10:53And another vowel, please.
10:56O.
10:57And a consonant.
10:58T.
10:59And a consonant.
11:01P.
11:03And a consonant, please.
11:05And a final R.
11:07Half a minute.
11:28MUSIC PLAYS
11:39Ben?
11:40Seven.
11:41And Caroline?
11:42Seven.
11:43And a seven, too.
11:44What have you got, Ben?
11:45Operant.
11:46And Caroline?
11:47Pronate.
11:48And pronate.
11:49Yes.
11:50Pronate is to turn the soles of your feet slightly inwards.
11:54Your feet might be pronating and will need rectifying,
11:57if that's the case.
11:58And operant, a term from psychology,
12:00it's all about changing behaviour by concentrating on its consequences.
12:04Fantastic, as well, with the Z there, big and small.
12:07I'm assuming seven is heaven.
12:09Yeah, well, I got partner.
12:11Yeah, very good.
12:12Yes, which is a nice one, but we couldn't use a Z, sadly.
12:15Yeah. Nice and straightforward, though.
12:17Partner, there you go, seven points.
12:19As we get back to the numbers, second time today.
12:21Caroline, what way are you going to go?
12:23I'll start with one large, please.
12:25Big decision.
12:26Sometimes that might change as the game goes on.
12:30For now, one large, five little.
12:32Four, five, three, five, nine and 100.
12:39And the target, 474.
12:42474, numbers up.
12:54CLOCK TICKS
13:14474, Caroline.
13:16474.
13:17Yes, Ben.
13:18474.
13:19Numbers may not be a problem today.
13:21Off you go, Caroline.
13:22As long as I haven't made a mistake.
13:24Five times 100.
13:26Five times 100 will be 500, yep.
13:299 x 3 is 27.
13:31Yeah.
13:32Take that off.
13:35And four minus...
13:37Five minus four is one.
13:38And the second five gets you another one.
13:40Well done, 474.
13:41There you go. Ben.
13:42And I did it the same way.
13:45Excellent.
13:47APPLAUSE
13:4948 plays 40, really close contest.
13:52Hey, Crystal Biggins, do you know how many Panthers
13:55that you've been in or what the magic number is?
13:58I think it's about 48 years I've been doing it now.
14:02I had a few years out when I won the Jungle.
14:05I didn't do it that year, but I think it's about 48.
14:08But it's been a fascinating career
14:11because I very rarely do Cinderella
14:15and I can't play an ugly sister,
14:17and you'll understand this because I'm far too pretty,
14:20but I play Buttons, which I really adore,
14:23and I've done it, Buttons, many times,
14:25and also the leading ladies I've had.
14:27And the first story I'm going to tell you is about Irene Handel.
14:30Irene Handel was a real comedienne in lots and lots of films.
14:34She was a wonderful, wonderful actress, very funny indeed,
14:37and she was a very bright woman.
14:40She wrote a wonderful novel called The Sue.
14:42But anyway, I was doing Pantomime with her in Brighton
14:44and she had a little dog called Beulah, if I remember rightly,
14:47and I used to go in every night and see her in the dressing room
14:50and I would always manage to sit on the sofa
14:52where Beulah had just wee-weed.
14:54And so I kept looking, but I could never see where it was.
14:57But anyway, this one particular day,
14:59I'm on stage doing a monologue as Buttons to the audience
15:02and suddenly she comes on with the dog,
15:04which she shouldn't have come on.
15:06And I said, oh, hello, Fairy Godmother.
15:08She said, hello, Buttons. No, hello, Biggins, I think she said.
15:11Hello, Biggins, how are you? And I said, very well, Fairy Godmother.
15:13And if you had a nice day, yes, I've been to the lanes,
15:15I've been shopping, I've bought a few things.
15:17We generally chatted like this, the audience,
15:19and thought what was going on.
15:21At the end, she came over, she gave me Beulah the dog and left.
15:24So I'm on stage with a dog and I have to get out of it.
15:27It was really wonderful. I love those eccentric women.
15:30Sadly, no longer with us, but she was brilliant.
15:33Can't wait for more stories this week, Christopher, thank you.
15:36APPLAUSE
15:38OK, 48 plays 40.
15:41Back to business, Ben Bazard, it's your letters.
15:44A consonant to start with, please.
15:46Thank you, Ben. S.
15:48And another one.
15:50L.
15:52And another consonant. C.
15:54And a vowel.
15:56I.
15:58And another vowel. E.
16:00And another vowel, please. A.
16:02And a consonant.
16:04N.
16:06And a consonant. T.
16:09And a vowel, please.
16:11And a final U.
16:13Here we go.
16:38MUSIC PLAYS
16:47Ben. Eight.
16:49Caroline. No, seven.
16:51Just the seven. What's the seven?
16:53And tails. Ben.
16:55Lunatics.
16:57Yes, yes, yes.
16:59We're all lunatics. Can't believe you didn't get that, Christopher.
17:02Well, I got an issue with it because in the past,
17:05people say, what do you base your character on?
17:07I always say mothers, aunties, grandmothers and aunties.
17:11Yes, very nice.
17:13A nice seven there. Very nice, yeah.
17:15Clients, I mean, that's...
17:17Clients, another seven. Insulate will get you another eight.
17:20Insulate's there for eight. And lunatics. Lunatics.
17:23We like a lunatic.
17:25There you go, well spotted. Well spotted, Ben.
17:27Caroline, a little bit of catching up to do,
17:29but not a huge amount, so let's get your letters.
17:31I'll start with a consonant, please.
17:33Thank you, Caroline.
17:35And another, please.
17:39And another, please.
17:42And a vowel, please.
17:45And another, please.
17:47And a vowel... A consonant, please.
17:51And...
17:53Another vowel, please.
17:58Another vowel, please.
18:00Oh!
18:02And a consonant, please.
18:04Lastly, T.
18:06Start the clock.
18:30CLOCK TICKS
18:37Caroline?
18:39Thought I'd got a seven, but it's only six.
18:41Six. And Ben?
18:43Seven. And the seven, what's the six?
18:45Forest. Forest. And the seven?
18:48Forties. Forties.
18:50Yeah, absolutely fine. Good stuff.
18:52We woke up this morning and it was a bit frosty.
18:55Yeah. Except we're spelling it with an I at the end,
18:57which means an ice-cold can of beer.
18:59Oh, does it? That's not bad. That's quite Christmassy still.
19:01Yes. So the frosty that I was referring to is a Y on the end?
19:04Yes. Ah, that's interesting.
19:06Yes. I couldn't have had that.
19:08Mine's a beer. Yours is a beer.
19:10And to go with the beer, you might like a roasty.
19:12Oh! Oh, nice.
19:14We're having Christmas dinner here. Yes!
19:16All right, then. Ben, let's get our third numbers round.
19:19We'll go with three large again, please, Rachel.
19:22Another three large. Let's try and get a challenge for you two.
19:25You can do better than what we've had.
19:27Right, it's not in my hands.
19:29The numbers 559, 75, 125,
19:35and the target, 924.
19:38924, numbers up.
19:57DRAMATIC MUSIC
20:10Ben? Only 925.
20:12Caroline? Ditto.
20:14Oh, my gosh! What is going on?
20:16Is it obvious? Oh, it is!
20:18Oh, my goodness! It's ridiculously obvious.
20:21It's scary.
20:23If you're just tuning in to Countdown, let me reintroduce...
20:27..head of maths, Ben Bazard,
20:30and the retired maths teacher, Caroline McManus.
20:33Oh! Oh, goodness. I don't know.
20:35Rachel, can I just check? No, no, let's see the methods.
20:37I want to see the methods. Sorry, I've never had an
20:39Oh, my gosh! before, but this is important for you two.
20:42Ben? Merry Christmas to you both.
20:45I'm going to have to get a new job, aren't I?
20:47Hold on a second. Just give all of the children
20:50that Ben teaches time to hit the record button.
20:53I'm so sorry. OK, go. I'll try better next term.
20:55Right. OK, well, the way I got 925 was...
20:59..nine times 100, five times five,
21:03and added them together.
21:06And I did the same, because I've written the 25 underneath
21:09and I'd forgotten I'd got it.
21:11Believe it or not, you have to show it.
21:13Well done. When you go with one away, it's really good.
21:16We should be proud of ourselves.
21:18You know, Colin, I did find a way how to do this one.
21:21No! Oh, my goodness.
21:23Is it impossible?
21:25Well, you know, if you'd have just taken this 25,
21:29you could have done five divided by five for a one.
21:31Oh, my goodness. And, you know, now it's the obvious, isn't it?
21:34Wow.
21:36Well, listen, that's what you're paid for,
21:39to get the really difficult ones.
21:41Great work, Rachel.
21:46Well, a suitable tea time teaser, then.
21:48Paint memo, paint memo.
21:50The whole thing was farcical.
21:52Oh, yes, it was.
21:54Oh, no, it wasn't!
22:12Hello again. The tea time teaser clue.
22:14The whole thing was farcical.
22:16Oh, yes, it was. No biggins.
22:18Pantomime.
22:20Pantomime was the answer.
22:22We just had pantomime that last numbers round.
22:2470 plus 47.
22:26So let's get serious again.
22:28Our third quarterfinal in series 88.
22:30Just 23 points in it. And, Caroline, it's your letters.
22:32I'll start with the consonant, please.
22:34Thank you, Caroline.
22:36Shake it off. N.
22:38And another, please.
22:40S. And another, please.
22:42B. And another.
22:44G.
22:46And a vowel.
22:48E.
22:50And a vowel.
22:52A.
22:54And another vowel.
22:56E.
22:58Consonant, please.
23:00L.
23:02And a vowel.
23:04And a final I.
23:06Good luck.
23:14MUSIC PLAYS
23:38Time is up. Caroline?
23:40Seven. Ben?
23:42Do you have the words, Caroline?
23:44Bangles. What about yourself?
23:46And I got bangles as well.
23:48Two bangles, which works well cos it is a manic Monday today.
23:50Over to Dictionary Corner.
23:52Well, we...
23:54In pantomime now, every year we do signed performances.
23:56And signable is in there for an eight.
23:58Bit stuff.
24:00Right, more letters from you, Ben.
24:02Could I please start with a consonant?
24:04Thank you, Ben.
24:06R.
24:08And another one.
24:10P.
24:12And another one.
24:14H.
24:16And a vowel.
24:18U.
24:20And another vowel.
24:22A.
24:24And another vowel.
24:26E.
24:28And a consonant.
24:30Y.
24:32And a consonant.
24:34M.
24:36And a consonant, please.
24:38MUSIC CONTINUES
24:40MUSIC CONTINUES
25:06Time's up. Ben?
25:08Six. And Caroline?
25:10I'll risk a seven, then.
25:12I think you have to risk it at this stage, McManus, you have to.
25:14OK, Bazard?
25:16Camper. Talk to me, Caroline.
25:18Instead of being a chomper, can you be a chumper?
25:20Let's have a look.
25:22Not the one I thought you were going to go for, actually.
25:24Oh, you can't, can you? No. I'm afraid.
25:26OK, four more rounds to go,
25:28and that'll be after our Origins of Words.
25:30Are we just going full speed ahead this week with emails?
25:32Are we going Christmassy?
25:34The mind boggles.
25:36Emails, and some of them may be quite relevant,
25:39not so much to Christmas today,
25:41but more to do with the momentum of this event,
25:44because we're in a tightly contested heat.
25:48And John, who is curator of the World Carrot Museum,
25:52has emailed to ask for the origins of the words heat,
25:55as in a knockout stage of a race.
25:57Has it any connection, John asks, with heat as in temperature?
26:00And lap, as in the circuit of a race,
26:02does it have any connection with the human lap?
26:05So I went scouring to the Oxford English Dictionary, as is my wont,
26:09and the first mention of heat, in the sense that we're talking about,
26:13is from the 16th century, so 1594, the first record,
26:17and it was a single operation of heating,
26:20so as of iron in a furnace, essentially.
26:23So it was almost a quantity of metal that was heated at one operation.
26:27Then, very soon after,
26:29you begin to see it used as a run given to a racehorse
26:33by way of exercise in preparation for a race.
26:37So it is heating up the horse,
26:39it's getting its muscles relaxed, etc, and supple.
26:42And so it carried on in terms of horse racing
26:45with their heats and their courses.
26:47And in the 17th century, it's a single intense effort,
26:50and that single links us right back to that single heating in a furnace.
26:54So it's having a single go at something.
26:57And from there, by the end of the 17th century,
27:00you see a single course in a race or other contest,
27:03which is where we've ended up with today.
27:05So it is actually all about heating up, getting ourselves prepared.
27:08And what about lap?
27:10Well, originally, a lap was a fold or a flap of garment,
27:13so that's why we have a lapel on our suits.
27:16And by the Middle Ages, it was also the front part of a skirt,
27:19when you would hold it up to catch
27:21or to carry something such as a child, almost.
27:24And from there, the area between the knees and the waist,
27:28where a child can be nursed, really,
27:30or an object can be held in your lap.
27:33And the lap of a race comes from extending that same idea of a fold
27:37to that of a coil or something going round,
27:40because, obviously, the lap of a race is usually around a stadium.
27:43Yes, nice.
27:46Love that, Susie.
27:4783-54.
27:49Four rounds left, and, Caroline, you're picking these letters.
27:52Can I start with a consonant, please?
27:54Thank you, Caroline.
27:56And another, please.
27:58N.
27:59And another.
28:01Q.
28:02And another.
28:04T.
28:05Vowel, please.
28:07I.
28:08And another.
28:09O.
28:11And another.
28:13E.
28:16And another, please.
28:18U.
28:21And a consonant, please.
28:23Lastly, S.
28:25All right, let's play.
28:56Caroline?
28:58Lost it, just six.
28:59Ben?
29:00I've got a nine.
29:01Oh, my goodness me.
29:02This would be lights out, Caroline, the six.
29:05Nick Ward?
29:06Oh, quiets.
29:07Yeah, you're thinking, I'm not even going to bother telling you now.
29:10If he's got a nine, I protest even telling you.
29:12Bah humbug.
29:13The nine.
29:14I'm hoping questions is there.
29:16Oh, no!
29:17APPLAUSE
29:21Any other it's-nines?
29:23Well, I like to wear the odd sequin, so sequins.
29:26Yes.
29:27Not much you can do about that, Caroline.
29:29Just enjoy the last three rounds.
29:31Ben, off you go.
29:33Consonant, please.
29:34Thank you, Ben.
29:35R.
29:36And another consonant.
29:38L.
29:39And another one, please.
29:41W.
29:42And a vowel, please.
29:44I.
29:45And another vowel.
29:46O.
29:48And another one.
29:49I.
29:51And another consonant, please.
29:53N.
29:55And another consonant.
29:57T.
29:59And a vowel, please.
30:03Lastly, U.
30:05Last letters.
30:22MUSIC
30:35Ben Bazard?
30:36Six.
30:37And Caroline?
30:38Just a four.
30:39Would have loved if that had been a nine, though, after the six.
30:42Caroline, what's a four?
30:43Just loin.
30:44Loin.
30:45And Ben?
30:46Unitor.
30:48Unitor is there.
30:50It is essentially another word for a uniter.
30:53It goes back to the early 17th century.
30:55Well done.
30:56Anything else, Christopher?
30:57It's a difficult round, that one, but lutino.
30:59L-U-T-I-N-O?
31:01Yes, sounds musical, but actually it's a bird,
31:04especially one of the parrot family with a lot of yellow in its plumage.
31:07Oh, beautiful.
31:08I love yellow.
31:09Lutino.
31:10Yes.
31:11OK, last numbers round.
31:13So, Caroline, will you do the honours, please?
31:17We haven't played too large, have we, yet?
31:19So we'll try too large, please.
31:21Why not?
31:22Final time from you.
31:23Thank you, Caroline.
31:24Too large for little.
31:25And they are...
31:32And this target...
31:35Five to it.
31:36Redemption needed.
31:49BELL RINGS
32:08Time's up, pens down.
32:10Caroline?
32:11527, not written down.
32:14Ben! It's obviously easy, isn't it?
32:16Ben!
32:17Obviously, this is another easy one, but I can only get 529.
32:20Caroline, off you go.
32:22So I made the 5 by 7 minus 2...
32:24Yep.
32:25..times it by 100...
32:27500.
32:28..add the 25 and 6 minus 4.
32:32One below.
32:33Yes, and Ben?
32:35I got one above by just adding the 4 at the end.
32:38Yeah.
32:39Rachel rubbed that salt into the wounds.
32:41I mean, I think you've both seen it now, one way.
32:44529 plus 25 plus 7 and times 132 by 4.
32:51I love it.
32:55All right, you go.
32:56Third quarterfinal, season 88.
32:58Let's get a Countdown Conundrum.
33:05BELL RINGS
33:06Ben?
33:07Nutmegged.
33:08Let's have a look.
33:10Yes!
33:14Caroline, we will never say bonjour again.
33:16No, but we can say à la prochaine.
33:18Thank you, Caroline. Well done to you.
33:20Thank you. I've enjoyed it.
33:22And everybody gets this lovely piece of glassware.
33:25The trophy is what is the big one, though.
33:28And you are the top scorer.
33:30Well done to you.
33:31124.
33:32Our number one seed, 118.
33:34And Vera Selam, who you'll be playing on Thursday
33:37in the semifinal, 103.
33:40I feel like you've just taken on a real rocky role now.
33:43I feel like there'll be people rooting for you.
33:46Just no good at the numbers, unfortunately.
33:48Yeah, don't do that.
33:50Do not do that against Viraj.
33:52Right, Biggins, wonderful stuff.
33:54You bring such Christmas spirit. Thank you so much.
33:57Thank you. You too, Susie. See you tomorrow.
33:59Rich, what a show, and one more quarterfinal to go.
34:02And I want to say thank you to Caroline and her husband
34:04because she gave my little kiddies some lovely books he's written
34:07with little Guernsey pooks.
34:09Lovely little stories from the island, so thank you.
34:12Yeah, you brought such a flavour of that to the show, which is great.
34:15Lovely. Tomorrow, fourth seed against fifth.
34:18On paper, the closest quarterfinal of them all.
34:21We'll see you for that.
34:22Rachel, Susie and I will be waiting for you in Count On Us.
34:26You can contact the programme by email at countdown at channel4.com.
34:31You can also find our webpage at channel4.com forward slash countdown.
34:42APPLAUSE