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00:01This programme contains strong language and adult humour.
00:04APPLAUSE
00:31Hello, everybody. Tuesday the 19th of December.
00:34Christmas week is under way.
00:36I'm sure it's a bit hectic for a lot of people,
00:38so thank you very much for tuning in.
00:40It is the series 88 finals,
00:42our last quarterfinal today, semifinals,
00:45and final to come this week.
00:47And we don't even coordinate wardrobe,
00:49but me and Green, you and Red,
00:51we look very Christmassy today, Rachel.
00:53This is my Mrs Claus going out for dinner look.
00:56It really is a bit Mrs Claus, it's fantastic.
00:59Well, listen, Christmas themes this week,
01:01as promised, this day in 1843,
01:04A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens, was published.
01:08It was released only, you know, as I've just said, this day,
01:12but that first edition sold out by Christmas Eve,
01:15which I love, given the story and when it was set,
01:18that everyone would have been open.
01:20Imagine reading it in that year.
01:22Are you any Scrooge in you at all?
01:24I mean, never mind Dickens,
01:26I'm more about the Jolly Christmas Postman, Colin.
01:28Who's the Jolly Christmas Postman?
01:30Do you know the Jolly Christmas Postman?
01:32I like him, but I don't know who he is.
01:34One of the best Christmas books of all time.
01:36Right, what's he do?
01:37Well, it's just a postman that goes around delivering stuff.
01:39It's a kids' book, but it's got the envelope,
01:41so you get to open the envelope and you get to pull out
01:43the Christmas card or pull out the letter.
01:45It's just lovely.
01:46Well, thank you for dressing so Christmassy.
01:48You've made a great effort.
01:50Any time.
01:51I think I deserve a little bit of credit as well.
01:53Just wait till you see Susie Dent, that's all.
01:55She's pulled out all the stops.
01:57It's like having one of Santa's elves in the studio.
02:00There she is, Susie Dent, bringing the festive cheer.
02:03My Christmas waitress outfit.
02:05LAUGHTER
02:07Well covered, well covered.
02:09I'm going to buy that, that's great.
02:11You look fantastic as a Christmas waitress.
02:13Well, we've got all the Christmas we need,
02:15don't we, with the Countdown veteran,
02:17the great Christopher Biggins, the panto legend with us.
02:20Great to have you here, great to have you here.
02:22Today's quarterfinal is the fourth seed against the fifth seed.
02:25They're both Octo champs, there's not much between them at all,
02:28just a handful of points over their eight wins.
02:31So this is going to be fantastic.
02:34Please welcome back our secondary school teacher,
02:36who we last saw in September, Paul O'Brien is with us.
02:40How are you doing, sir? I'm very well, thank you.
02:42Good stuff, cricket season's out of the way,
02:44Countdown season's all that matters now, do you?
02:47Yeah, sadly the cricket is over for another few months.
02:50We'll get back there in March.
02:52Where do you keep your teapot?
02:54It's displayed with tremendous pride,
02:57very clearly, definitely not hidden away, honest.
03:02See, some people it's not about the medal, it's about the journey.
03:05Other people, like Ben Bazard, they have it in their classroom.
03:08George Baker is who you're up against today.
03:11We have to go all the way back to August.
03:13Good to see you, Mr Croydon.
03:15Lovely to be back, thanks for having me.
03:17Where's your teapot?
03:18Mine is on display, but the first thing I did with my teapot
03:21was took it to the pub and poured two pints, if anyone didn't know,
03:25and downed them both.
03:28Well, you had a viewing party at your local pub, didn't you?
03:31I did, yeah, so once the first five episodes went out,
03:34I had all my friends and family come to the pub,
03:3625, 30 of us watching Countdown,
03:38everyone hollering and cheering when I got big word.
03:41Very surreal night, very weird.
03:43That's amazing, that's amazing.
03:45Well, listen, we don't know,
03:46if you're watching this down in the pub, then he's about to win.
03:49If you're just watching it at home and he's not bragging,
03:52then he's probably lost.
03:53We'll find out what happens, but cheers to both of you.
03:56George and Paul, good luck.
03:57APPLAUSE
03:59Off you go, Paul.
04:01I'll go for a consonant, please.
04:03Thank you, Paul.
04:04Start the final quarterfinal with G.
04:06And again, please.
04:08R
04:10And a vowel.
04:12E
04:13Another vowel.
04:15U
04:16Consonant.
04:18T
04:19Consonant.
04:21H
04:22A consonant.
04:24M
04:26A vowel.
04:28O
04:30And a...
04:33..consonant, please.
04:34And a final T.
04:36At home and in the studio, let's play Countdown.
04:45MUSIC PLAYS
05:09Paul.
05:10Seven.
05:11George.
05:12Seven.
05:13Steady start, Paul.
05:14I'm going to try mouther.
05:16And mouser.
05:17And, George?
05:18Tougher.
05:19Tougher and mouser.
05:20Yeah, we have mouther as well. It's in the dictionary.
05:22Good stuff. A lot going on there. Anything better?
05:24Well, if you're a gourmet at Christmas, that could be good for you.
05:28Yes, nice. As good as it gets.
05:30That's as good as it gets.
05:32Nice. George, let's go again.
05:33Have a consonant, please, Rachel.
05:35Thank you, George.
05:36S
05:37And another one.
05:40N
05:41And another.
05:42R
05:43And a vowel, please.
05:45I
05:46And another.
05:48E
05:49And another.
05:51A
05:52And a consonant, please.
05:54P
05:55And another.
05:57D
05:58And a final vowel, please.
06:00Final.
06:01I
06:02And 30 seconds.
06:04MUSIC PLAYS
06:14MUSIC CONTINUES
06:34George Baker.
06:35Eight.
06:36An eight from you. Very good, Paul.
06:38Yeah, eight from me as well.
06:40Yes, what's the words?
06:41Inspired.
06:42Inspired time for me.
06:43There you go.
06:44You took the same inspiration.
06:46You're at 15 points each.
06:48It's what we expect from quarter-finalists on Countdown.
06:51Anything we can add?
06:52Well, I think something which you probably need
06:55after a good Christmas with a few drinks is an aspirin.
06:58Yes, absolutely.
07:00That will give you seven.
07:01And hopefully, if you have had a few drinks,
07:03you won't do this.
07:04Sprained is in there.
07:06Behave yourselves.
07:08Behave yourselves.
07:09Let's get the numbers.
07:10First game today, Paul.
07:12I am going to go for one large number, please.
07:15One large, five little, you big wuss.
07:18I mean, here we go.
07:19First numbers game today.
07:21Nine,
07:22four,
07:23eight,
07:24ten,
07:25seven,
07:26and the large one, 50.
07:28And the target, 805.
07:30805. Numbers up.
07:32MUSIC PLAYS
07:39MUSIC CONTINUES
08:02Well, not much activity past about ten seconds there.
08:05So, Paul?
08:06805.
08:07George?
08:08805.
08:09Off you go, Paul.
08:10Seven plus nine?
08:1116.
08:12Times 50?
08:13800.
08:14Eight divided by four?
08:16Is two.
08:17Ten divided by that, two is five.
08:19And that's it, 805, ten points.
08:21Well done.
08:22Well done.
08:23Yeah, same way.
08:24Nice.
08:27Let's get the first tea time teaser of today.
08:30It's pig trader.
08:32Pig trader.
08:33Alan's having this for dinner
08:35if he can get it out of the tree.
08:38Alan is having this for dinner if he can get it out of the tree.
08:58Welcome back.
08:59The tea time teaser, Alan's having this for dinner
09:02if he can get it out of the tree.
09:04This is the great Steve Coogan comic creation.
09:07Alan Partridge.
09:08Partridge.
09:09So, let's get back to the game.
09:11George, smell the cheese.
09:13Have a consonant, please, Rachel.
09:15Thank you, George.
09:17X.
09:18And another one, please.
09:20N.
09:21And another.
09:23T.
09:24And a vowel, please.
09:26O.
09:27And another.
09:28I.
09:29And another.
09:30U.
09:31And another.
09:33A.
09:34And a consonant, please.
09:36D.
09:38And a final vowel, please.
09:40And a final I.
09:42Thank you, Rich.
10:03MUSIC
10:13George?
10:14Eight.
10:15And Paul?
10:16Eight.
10:17Right, which you both saw very early
10:19and then just had an in-joke the whole way through it.
10:21George?
10:22Audition.
10:23Yes.
10:24APPLAUSE
10:29I think that would have confused people at home,
10:31like, after a few seconds.
10:32It's like when Rachel gets the hard numbers in one second.
10:34I get in a cold sweat.
10:36Audition is brilliant.
10:37Well done for eight, Christopher.
10:39What a standard.
10:40Yeah, well, I don't do this any more.
10:42I don't audition, but audition is there.
10:44In those old days of auditions, it was horrible.
10:47They're really awful things.
10:49I like that. Biggins doesn't audition.
10:51No, never.
10:52Not any more, darling.
10:53No, no, darling.
10:54LAUGHTER
10:55All done, Sue?
10:56All done. I think you knew, with the X,
10:58that was as good as it was going to be.
11:00Great game, great spirit.
11:0233 points each, and Paul, you're up.
11:05Start with a vowel, please.
11:07Thank you, Paul.
11:08E
11:09And again.
11:10O
11:11And a consonant.
11:13W
11:14A consonant.
11:16R
11:17Consonant.
11:18B
11:19Consonant.
11:21S
11:22A consonant.
11:25M
11:27A consonant.
11:29P
11:30And... It's got to be a vowel, hasn't it?
11:32It does have to be, by the rules.
11:34E
11:35And 30 seconds.
12:00MUSIC STOPS
12:07Paul.
12:08Eight.
12:09Yes, George.
12:10Eight as well.
12:11It could be a very same word. Paul.
12:13Empowers.
12:14Yes, and there it is.
12:16There it is.
12:17Fantastic.
12:18APPLAUSE
12:19Wonderful, wonderful.
12:20Two great boxers toe-to-toe here,
12:22matching each other punch for punch.
12:24What a delight.
12:2541 points each, and I'm guessing that is all she wrote.
12:28All done.
12:29Right.
12:30What a battle we have.
12:31We did tell you it would be close.
12:33Fourth seed against fifth seed, so let's go back to the numbers.
12:36And, George, you will choose your own fate.
12:39Stick with the usual six small, please.
12:41Six small, here we go.
12:43Come on.
12:44Sixes. You have to bring it.
12:45This is the quarterfinals.
12:47We're mean business.
12:48The six little ones.
12:49Four.
12:50Four.
12:51Five.
12:52Nine.
12:53Seven.
12:54And six.
12:55And the target.
12:57820.
12:58820.
12:59Numbers up.
13:28MUSIC STOPS
13:31George?
13:32Oh, no, I've done it wrong.
13:33Sorry.
13:34No, I've used five twice.
13:35Paul?
13:36I think I've got 814.
13:38814.
13:40Six away.
13:42Six times five.
13:44Six times five is 30.
13:46And then seven minus four is three.
13:50Yeah.
13:51Times those together.
13:5390.
13:54Times nine.
13:55810.
13:57I hope there's another four left over.
13:58There is another four.
13:59814.
14:00Six away.
14:01820, Rich?
14:03Um, yes, it was possible.
14:06If you say six times seven is 42.
14:10There it is.
14:1142 times four, 168.
14:14Take away the second four for 164 and times it by five,
14:19you should get 820.
14:21Yes!
14:22APPLAUSE
14:24820.
14:26Fantastic.
14:27Let's have a chat with Christopher Biggins.
14:29Not that we don't all the way through the show.
14:31Wonderful, wonderful spirit.
14:33So we're talking about pantomime, I suppose,
14:35because it's Christmas.
14:36Good to chat about it.
14:3748 years.
14:38I know, it's amazing.
14:39It is wonderful, though.
14:40Interestingly enough, we were talking...
14:42One of the words yesterday I had with Ben was camper.
14:45And pantomime is very camp.
14:47I mean, I also have done Brighton with Dora Bryan,
14:51who was a wonderful comedian.
14:54We did pantomime in Brighton and we did a number.
14:57I was playing the dame and she was playing the fairy or something.
15:01And we did a number from, uh...
15:05Gentlemen prefer blondes.
15:07And the number was called Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend.
15:11And I was the character of Jane Mansfield,
15:16Jane Russell, rather, and Dora Bryan was Marilyn Monroe.
15:19And we were both dressed exactly the same
15:22in red, sparkly, diamante dresses.
15:25And we looked fantastic, but it was camp.
15:27And, of course, they loved it.
15:29I think they loved the fact that being a man and a big man
15:32in a dress is very, very funny.
15:34And that's what I've always done.
15:36And every entrance changed my dress to another dress.
15:39And the audience loved it.
15:41That's what makes it so funny, I think.
15:43I'd want to play a female role if I was in Panto for a show.
15:46Would you? Oh, I'd love it, yes.
15:48You'd be a very good dame.
15:49I think we could have our own.
15:51I call it Countdown To Christmas.
15:53Well, Christopher, we can't just do it with the three of us,
15:56so if this comes off, are you in?
15:58I direct it. Yes, love it. Thank you.
16:00Action! Thank you.
16:06OK, Paul, you're up.
16:08I will have a consonant, please, Rachel.
16:10Thank you, Paul.
16:11L
16:12And again.
16:14D
16:15And again.
16:17T
16:18Another.
16:20R
16:21A vowel, please.
16:22A
16:23And a vowel.
16:25E
16:26And a vowel.
16:28O
16:30And a consonant.
16:32C
16:34And a...
16:36consonant, please.
16:38A final N.
16:39And here we go.
16:50MUSIC PLAYS
17:11Paul.
17:12I'm going to try an eight.
17:14And George.
17:15Just a six.
17:17Thank you for saying it more quickly, appreciate that.
17:19The six?
17:20Retold.
17:21What are you going to try?
17:22I'm going to try nectaral.
17:24Let's ask Susie.
17:25Nectaral.
17:27No, pectoral, obviously, there, but not nectaral, I'm afraid.
17:30I'm sorry, Paul.
17:32Anything else, Christopher?
17:33Yeah, well, all your vegetables need a colander this Christmas.
17:36Yes, very good, colander, well done.
17:38Fully Christmas-spirited, isn't he? He's brilliant.
17:41George, let's pick some more letters.
17:43Start with a consonant, please.
17:45Thank you, George.
17:46S
17:47And another.
17:48T
17:49And another.
17:51G
17:52And a vowel, please.
17:53U
17:54And another.
17:55E
17:56And another.
17:57A
17:58And a consonant, please.
18:00R
18:01Another consonant.
18:02P
18:03And a final vowel, please.
18:05And a final I.
18:07And start that clock.
18:09MUSIC PLAYS
18:18MUSIC CONTINUES
18:39George.
18:40Seven.
18:41Paul.
18:42Stick with seven.
18:43George.
18:44Pirates.
18:45Pirates.
18:46And Paul?
18:47Angustier.
18:48Susie and Christopher?
18:50Well, of course, this is the time of year of many, many parties.
18:54Yes.
18:55Yes, and I don't know if this is what Paul was possibly toying with,
18:58but a grapiest would be there for an eight, which means that wine.
19:01Yeah, we had a good chat about that earlier on in the season,
19:04so it's stuck in my head, popped up.
19:06I thought Biggin's the wine at Christmas, he wouldn't miss that one.
19:09But there you go.
19:10Here's a sobering thought, more numbers now, third time around.
19:13Paul?
19:14One large.
19:15OK, you're playing it cautiously.
19:17One large, no sudden moves.
19:19Five little, third time today.
19:21Your numbers are six, six, one, three, three, and 100.
19:28Hmm.
19:29The target, 324.
19:31324, numbers up.
19:45MUSIC PLAYS
20:03324, Paul?
20:04324.
20:05Yeah, George?
20:06324.
20:07Off you go, Paul.
20:08Six plus three.
20:09Six plus three is nine.
20:10Minus one.
20:11Eight.
20:12Up to 100.
20:13108.
20:14Times both three.
20:15Times the second three.
20:16And, George?
20:17Yeah, same way.
20:18Well done.
20:19APPLAUSE
20:21And we've got a kind of Christmassy tea time teaser here.
20:24I think Susie, The Great Escape, it's always on TV at Christmas.
20:27Oh, I love that film, yeah.
20:28Yeah, OK, we'll have that then.
20:30Dig tunnel, dig tunnel, but forget The Great Escape,
20:33this describes the greatest cake.
20:35Forget The Great Escape, this describes the greatest cake.
20:39MUSIC PLAYS
20:45APPLAUSE
20:54Hello again.
20:55Forget The Great Escape, this describes the greatest cake
20:58and what Christmas is all about for so many.
21:00Indulgent, indulgent.
21:02Well, we are having a feast of countdown here
21:05because Paul and George have been trading blows all the way.
21:08It's George, our fifth seed,
21:10with a one-point lead over Paul, our fourth seed.
21:14Six rounds left and you're picking these letters, George.
21:17Have a consonant, please, Rachel.
21:19Thank you, George.
21:20S.
21:21And another.
21:23D.
21:24And another.
21:26Y.
21:27And another.
21:29M.
21:30And a vowel, please.
21:32A.
21:33And another.
21:34U.
21:35And another.
21:37E.
21:38And a consonant, please.
21:40L.
21:41And a final consonant, please.
21:43A final C.
21:45Good luck.
22:11MUSIC PLAYS
22:17George.
22:18Try a seven.
22:19Going to try a seven, Paul.
22:21I'm going to try an eight.
22:23OK, so big.
22:24Both of you are not 100% confident.
22:26George.
22:27Closed.
22:28Closed.
22:29OK, it is Christmas, so I appreciate that.
22:31Paul.
22:32Amusedly.
22:34Amusedly.
22:35Susie Dent, the eyes of the nation fall on you.
22:38OK, no closed.
22:40Unfortunately, just there is a noun.
22:43I'm sorry about that.
22:44But amusedly, it is there in an entertained manner.
22:48Well done.
22:49APPLAUSE
22:51Christopher, great word to find.
22:53What else was there?
22:54Well, there's a drink there, muscadel.
22:56You've redeemed yourself.
22:58Very good.
22:59Muscadel.
23:00Yes.
23:01You missed Great Beasts, but you've managed to see muscadel.
23:04Thank you very much, both of you.
23:0671-64.
23:07Let's roll straight on, Paul, with this letters round.
23:10I'll start with a consonant, please.
23:12Thank you, Paul. D.
23:14And again.
23:15T.
23:16And a vowel.
23:18E.
23:19Consonant.
23:21N.
23:22Consonant.
23:23Shout-out to Susie.
23:24W.
23:25A vowel.
23:27O.
23:29Another vowel.
23:31A.
23:33A consonant.
23:35G.
23:37And, um...
23:39One more consonant, please.
23:41A final S.
23:43All right, count down.
24:05DRAMATIC MUSIC
24:16Paul.
24:17Only six.
24:18And George.
24:19Yeah, six as well.
24:20Paul.
24:21I'll go for wanted.
24:22Wanted. And George.
24:23I'll go for stoned.
24:24Over to Dexter and Corner.
24:26Well, when you do your Countdown pantomime,
24:28I want you to remember, and I'm directing you,
24:30I want you all to go downstage.
24:33Yes.
24:34Where you get all the laughs.
24:36Yes!
24:37Remember that.
24:38Wow!
24:39How could you not see that?
24:40APPLAUSE
24:42Seven points in it, and the stage belongs now to Susie Dent
24:45for Origins Of Words.
24:47Yeah, we're going to talk about Christmas food,
24:50perhaps a little bit of drink and the consequences.
24:54So, the first thing I love about this time of year is belly cheer.
25:00And belly cheer is an old word for the sort of food
25:02that just really pleases your belly.
25:04It may not be particularly healthy, the kind of thing,
25:07as I always say, that on Christmas Day,
25:09you might need your yule hole, which is the notch on your belt
25:12that you turn to after the Christmas.
25:14It's the furthest one on your belt that you have to use
25:16just at Christmas because you have eaten so much.
25:19But I mentioned the alcoholic element,
25:22and many people may possibly end up three sheets to the wind.
25:26So I thought I would just tell you a little bit about this one.
25:28It goes back to the early 19th century.
25:31It means extremely drunk indeed,
25:33but the sheets in the expression are not bedclothes,
25:36as you might expect, but they are...
25:39You'll find them on a ship.
25:40So they're not quite sails themselves,
25:42but they're ropes or chains that are attached
25:45to the lower corner of a ship's sails,
25:47and they're used to either extend them or to shorten them.
25:50And so if you were on a boat and the sheets,
25:54or these kind of hooks, if you like, these chains,
25:57were loose in the wind, the boat would just roll about uncontrollably,
26:01unpredictably, just as a drunkard might stagger home
26:05or up to bed at the end of Christmas Day.
26:08And, yeah, as we know, so many expressions born aboard ships.
26:12That's one of them.
26:13And how far does it go? Is there a six sheets to the wind?
26:16Asking for biggins.
26:17Asking for biggins? No, I think they stop at three, actually.
26:20OK, there you go. And then you're in trouble anyway.
26:22I've done six, though.
26:24Right, lovely. Thank you, Susie.
26:28Right, OK, who'll be popping the champagne at the end of this?
26:32Just seven points in at Crucial Christmas Countdown Conundrum Territory.
26:37We get to add an extra C. Four rounds to go.
26:41You're playing catch-up, George, and you're picking these letters.
26:44Have a consonant, please, Rachel. Thank you, George.
26:46R
26:47And another one.
26:48B
26:49And another.
26:50T
26:51And a vowel, please.
26:53I
26:54And another.
26:55U
26:56And another.
26:57E
26:58And a consonant, please.
27:00P
27:01And another consonant.
27:03N
27:05And a final consonant.
27:07Final K.
27:09Let's play.
27:26MUSIC PLAYS
27:41George Baker. Seven.
27:43Paul O'Brien.
27:44We'll have to risk a seven, then.
27:46George. Tribune.
27:48Tribune. And what have you got there, Paul?
27:50I've gone punkier.
27:52Yeah, I went punkier.
27:54You did as well. I had that written down.
27:56I'm lucky to say it's in the dictionary.
27:58Yes, rock and roll.
28:00APPLAUSE
28:03There you go, both sevens in.
28:04Krista, we're bringing Susie down.
28:06What about Turnpike?
28:07Ooh, like the Jersey Turnpike.
28:09Absolutely brilliant.
28:10Obviously, in the US, it's a toll motorway, isn't it?
28:13But it was also a road in Britain
28:15where a toll would be collected at a gate
28:17or a spiked barrier that was used to deter the enemy.
28:20Well done. If you got that at home,
28:22you managed to get the better of our fourth and fifth seed.
28:25Last letters round. Paul.
28:27I'll start with a consonant, please, Rachel.
28:29Thanks, Paul.
28:31L. And again.
28:33S. And again.
28:37M. And again.
28:39D.
28:41Vowel, please.
28:43O. Another vowel.
28:45I.
28:47Consonant.
28:49T. Consonant.
28:52R.
28:54And a final vowel.
28:56A final obligatory A.
28:58Last letters.
29:23Paul.
29:25Six.
29:27The pressure, George.
29:29Just five.
29:30What a moment. What a moment. The five.
29:32Sorry, Susie, moist.
29:34Not her favourite word.
29:36I'm forgiven.
29:37Can't believe you do that during Christmas week.
29:39Paul.
29:40Molars.
29:41Molars. Get your teeth into that.
29:43Yeah, very good.
29:45APPLAUSE
29:47You delivered at the right moment.
29:49You delivered at the right moment.
29:51So's you're right, George, for going for Susie's least favourite word.
29:54Anything else, Sir Christopher?
29:56Yes, I've got a seven, and you'll all need this
29:58in the Countdown pantomime.
30:00Stardom.
30:01Yes. Well, we've got stardust, don't you worry about that.
30:04You have.
30:06Just not here.
30:07Stardom. Stardom. Well spotted again.
30:09Biggins, these letters are falling very good for you today.
30:13Loads of words that suit you. What else?
30:15There was an eight there.
30:17Less starry, modalist.
30:19And a modalist is someone who subscribes to modalism,
30:22and that's the belief that people in the Trinity
30:25represent only three aspects of the divine revelation.
30:28There you go.
30:29Modalist would have got you an eight.
30:31So 90 plays 77.
30:33We've moved out of that crucial Countdown conundrum territory,
30:37but as we saw yesterday with the numbers,
30:39even the very best can panic when it comes to the crunch.
30:43So let's see what happens, George.
30:45Take nothing for granted, your numbers.
30:47The six small usual, please.
30:49Yeah, you need a tricky one here.
30:51First three quarterfinals, the top three seeds have gone through.
30:54Can you change it? Let's see.
30:56Final numbers, six, five, one, three, seven and two.
31:01Fairly small.
31:03And the target, small too, 138.
31:06138, last numbers.
31:16CLOCK TICKS
31:37Time's up, George. 138.
31:39And Paul. 138.
31:41George. Seven times three is 21.
31:44And then add two. 23.
31:46Times by six. Times by six, lovely.
31:49Very good. And Paul, does Celia win?
31:52I did a very similar way to George,
31:54but instead of adding two, I added five minus two minus one
31:58to the 21 to get the 23.
32:01Fair enough. Nice, well done.
32:06And with that, you bring up the 100.
32:08Paul O'Brien makes it through to our semifinals.
32:12Just as a treat for you, we've got the number one seed,
32:15Harry Savage, waiting for you.
32:20More on that in a second.
32:22But, hey, George, real favourite of mine this season,
32:25and you've got 87 as a losing score.
32:28It could be 97 as a losing score, which would be fitting.
32:31It's been such a good contest.
32:33So we can't make it crucial, but we can make it Christmassy.
32:36So let's get your fingers on the buzzers as we reveal today's
32:40Countdown Conundrum.
33:06BUZZER
33:07George? Guideline.
33:09Let's take a look. Yes!
33:15I'm pleased this punch for you, George.
33:17It really felt like it needed that type of 100.
33:20Flez 97. It was that good a contest today.
33:23You must be feeling great-ish about that.
33:25I've had a great time. I don't have to play Harry in the semifinals.
33:29Isn't it funny how you lost but you look more relieved?
33:33Yeah, well, no semifinal against Harry.
33:36That is the Christmas spirit right there.
33:39But, Paul, what a performance. It's always tricky as fourth seed.
33:42Feel a lot of pressure in there, so well done to you,
33:45and we will see you tomorrow.
33:47Thank you. I'm a bit annoyed with George.
33:50He won the rock-paper-scissors he was supposed to win.
33:54Really good. Lovely show, lovely atmosphere,
33:57and bringing that as being Christopher Bingham.
33:59So thank you so much, and thank you, Susie.
34:02OK, the top four seeds have all managed to get through,
34:05but the third seed, Ben Bazard, has the highest score.
34:08I maintain this is open. All four could win it, I think.
34:12Well, I think it's going to come down to the numbers.
34:14I say it every time, but I'm not sure how many one-largers
34:16are going to get you through against Harry.
34:18Yeah, you're absolutely right.
34:20We will see tomorrow our first semifinal here on Countdown.
34:23We're very, very excited.
34:25Can't wait to rejoin you again tomorrow.
34:27Rachel, Susie and I will be here. You can count on us.
34:31You can contact the programme by email at countdown at channel4.com.
34:36You can also find our web page at channel4.com forward slash countdown.