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00:00This programme contains strong language and adult humour.
00:05APPLAUSE
00:31Hello, everybody. It's Wednesday, December the 20th,
00:35and it's time for the first semi-final of Series 88 of Countdown.
00:39For one contestant, it will be the fairy tale continuing,
00:43for the other one, a grim end to their story.
00:46Rachel Riley, looking forward to this.
00:49Today is Go Caroling Day.
00:52I feel a bit sad about this.
00:54I've never, ever went Christmas caroling round the doors. Have you?
00:57No, I think we've both got the equivalent of, you know,
01:00a voice that should be kept at home, really, don't we?
01:03I've not heard yours, but I've heard you talk about it.
01:06Tell you who'll know all about caroling.
01:08I think Susie and Christopher might be more in the caroling mood.
01:11Yeah.
01:12Well, it's lovely caroling, isn't it?
01:14I mean, it's very Christmassy, and I think the nice thing about it
01:17is that you can actually go and sing outside somebody's house,
01:20and if they feel like it and you've been good enough,
01:23they'll ask you in for a mince pie and a sherry,
01:26and so there's a great feeling.
01:28But you have to be good. You can't sit there and scream like a cat.
01:31I get the feeling Biggins goes Christmas caroling in March to you.
01:35Yeah, absolutely. I'll go anywhere for a sherry.
01:38Well, listen, on the subject of caroling, just keep that in your mind.
01:42It might be a little surprise coming your way,
01:44but let's deal with what is the most important thing today,
01:47and that is our first semifinal.
01:49Our top four seeds made it through,
01:51but I think it was intriguing to look at how they managed to do it.
01:54David Savage, our number one seed,
01:56managed a maximum nine in the very first round of his quarterfinal
01:59and managed to keep his lead the whole way through. How are you, sir?
02:02I'm quite nervous, but very happy to be here.
02:04Yeah, it's going to be a close-run thing.
02:06You know, because you did all the cubing on air
02:09and you've got one of those faces you remember,
02:11are people coming up to you and going,
02:13-"You're the cube guy"? LAUGHTER
02:15I did actually have one person recognise me
02:18when my dad and I were on a walk in the New Forest,
02:21which came as quite a shock to me, to be honest,
02:23but no-one else so far. I love it.
02:25Funny you should mention your dad, who's here today,
02:27and Rachel, Susie, Christopher.
02:29Let's file this under, it's a small world.
02:32So, Paul O'Brien, you won through, our fourth seed,
02:35and I believe you went to the same school as Harry's dad.
02:39So I understand, yeah.
02:41Did you know each other?
02:43No, no, I think Mr Savage Senior may have a few years on me.
02:47Oh, wow, the insults are flying.
02:51You've got a letter, come on!
02:53It's not the Christmas spirit, mind games and everything.
02:56Well, listen, we only saw you yesterday,
02:58we only saw you Thursday of last week.
03:00It's great to have you here. Let battle commence.
03:02Good luck to Paul, good luck to Harry.
03:07Now, will he pull out a maximum in round one of his semi-final?
03:10You're picking the letters. Hi again.
03:12Hi again, Harry. Can I start with the consonant, please?
03:14Good luck, you two.
03:16The first one is H.
03:18And another one, please.
03:20R.
03:21Another consonant.
03:23T.
03:24Another consonant, please.
03:26D.
03:27And a vowel.
03:29O.
03:30Another vowel.
03:32U.
03:33Another vowel.
03:34E.
03:35Another vowel, please.
03:37A.
03:39And I'll go for a final vowel, please.
03:41And a final.
03:43O.
03:44At home and in the studio, let's play Kite Dine.
03:48MUSIC PLAYS
03:51MUSIC CONTINUES
04:16Harry.
04:17Seven. Paul.
04:19I'll try an eight.
04:21Going to try the eight. Harry.
04:23Out there.
04:24A big moment already.
04:25Out heard.
04:26Out heard.
04:28Many people would have sought and with trepidation would have written it down.
04:31Susie Dent.
04:32Out there is fine.
04:34You cannot out here somebody, unfortunately.
04:37I'm sorry, Paul.
04:38Anything else? Susie and Christopher.
04:40We've got an eight over here, authored,
04:42which I'm surprised you didn't get.
04:45Did you write it down?
04:46Yes. Yes, I did.
04:49Just checking you authored it.
04:51No, absolutely.
04:52Paul, your letters.
04:54I'll start with a vowel, please, Rachel.
04:56Thank you, Paul.
04:57I.
04:58And another.
05:01A.
05:02A consonant.
05:04C.
05:05Consonant.
05:07M.
05:08Consonant.
05:10G.
05:11Consonant.
05:12D.
05:13A consonant.
05:15R.
05:17A vowel.
05:20A.
05:22And a...
05:24..consonant, please.
05:26The final L.
05:2730 seconds.
05:46MUSIC
05:59How many, Paul?
06:00Eight.
06:01Harry?
06:02Just a seven.
06:03The seven is...
06:04Decimal.
06:05Paul, to pull into an early lead.
06:07Grimmest.
06:08He's going for it.
06:09It's very good indeed, yes. Well done.
06:11Very good.
06:12APPLAUSE
06:13Annie, say that.
06:14Well, yeah, there were a few eights there.
06:17Miracled, which is a little bit rare,
06:19it means the same as miraculous,
06:21but also a decigram, which is a unit of mass,
06:24equal to one tenth of a gram.
06:26Yeah, I like a miracled at Christmas.
06:28It is one point in it.
06:29Paul takes the lead.
06:30First numbers, Harry.
06:32Can I just have one large, please, Rachel?
06:34One from the top.
06:35Five little.
06:36We are getting one larges in the semifinals.
06:38OK.
06:39Let's see these tactics.
06:40See, they work.
06:42The numbers are ten, ten, nine, five, one,
06:45and a large one, 100.
06:47And the target to reach, 471.
06:50471, numbers up.
07:12MUSIC PLAYS
07:23Harry.
07:24Yeah, 471.
07:25Yes, Paul.
07:26470.
07:27He's missed it.
07:28Intake of breath, Harry.
07:31Five times 100.
07:32I just want to watch Paul's face.
07:34Five times 100, 500.
07:36And take away ten, ten and nine.
07:38And there's the face, there's another grimace.
07:41To be fair, we could give you eight points for grimaced again.
07:46It happens.
07:47It's happened, hasn't it?
07:48The best players, and we've had some crazy maths around so far.
07:51But Harry keeps his nerve and takes the lead
07:54as we get our first tea time teaser of our first semifinal.
07:57And it's close ears.
07:59Close ears.
08:00Now, that's definitely something that nobody should be doing
08:03at the end of today's show.
08:04Close ears.
08:05Your clue is, for Christmas dinner,
08:07Mary just had a little lamb.
08:09For Christmas dinner, Mary just had a little lamb.
08:28Welcome back for Christmas dinner.
08:30Mary just had a little lamb cos Mary had casserole.
08:33Casserole.
08:34Well, listen, Paul's been eating humble pie
08:36after that first numbers round,
08:38so let's get back to it.
08:39Let's get your letters.
08:40I'll start with a vowel, please, Rachel.
08:42Thank you, Paul.
08:43O
08:44And another.
08:45U
08:46And a consonant.
08:48F
08:49And again.
08:51S
08:52And again.
08:53T
08:54Again.
08:55N
08:57A vowel, please.
08:59I
09:01A consonant.
09:04S
09:06And a...
09:10..consonant, please.
09:11Lastly, T.
09:13Thanks, Rach.
09:36MUSIC CONTINUES
09:44Paul?
09:45Seven.
09:46And Harry?
09:47Yeah, seven.
09:48OK, what have you got, Paul?
09:49Outfits.
09:50Outfits.
09:51Outfits as well.
09:52Couple outfits.
09:53Thank you very much.
09:54Dictionary corner.
09:55And for all pantomimes, we all need an outfit.
09:57Yeah. Do you know what? Outfits.
09:59Everyone's got the same thing.
10:01Right, 24, 15, more letters.
10:03Harry?
10:04Could I start with a consonant, please?
10:06Thank you, Harry.
10:07J
10:08Another one, please.
10:09L
10:10And another.
10:12R
10:13And one more.
10:14N
10:15And a vowel, please.
10:17E
10:18Another vowel.
10:19A
10:20Another vowel.
10:22E
10:23Another vowel, please.
10:25O
10:27And a final consonant, please.
10:29Final, C.
10:30And half a minute.
10:31MUSIC CONTINUES
10:35THEY CONTINUE
11:01Harry Savage.
11:02Seven.
11:03Paul O'Brien.
11:04Yeah, seven.
11:05Well done, both of you. Harry?
11:06Cleaner.
11:07Cleaner and Paul.
11:08Same for me.
11:09The same word again.
11:10Give me a different word, Christopher.
11:12Carol.
11:13Nice.
11:14Christmas Carol.
11:15Christmas Carol.
11:16Keeping you with a theme.
11:17Exactly, we're talking about Go Caroling Day
11:19at the top of the show, you know?
11:21And, well, let's just see...
11:22And you singing in a minute would be lovely.
11:24Well, it won't be me singing, but let's just see how things pan out.
11:27Anything beyond seven?
11:28One more seven, if you'd like it.
11:30Corneal, relating to the cornea of your eye.
11:32Thank you very much.
11:33I see out of the cornea of my eye, it's 31-22.
11:37Way too close for comfort. Paul's numbers.
11:39OK, I need a fresh start.
11:41OK, all right.
11:43Six more, please, Rachel.
11:44Six more, and here we go, this is what we want.
11:46We want some proper problems for the semifinals.
11:49OK, your little numbers.
11:51Five, nine, four, eight, ten and nine.
11:57And the target, 156.
12:01156, numbers up.
12:32Times up, pens down, 156. Paul?
12:35158.
12:37Two away, Harry?
12:38Yes, but not written down.
12:40Go, off you go.
12:41So, eight plus nine?
12:42Eight plus nine, 17.
12:44Times by ten?
12:45170.
12:46And take away nine and five?
12:48And then the other nine and five is one way to get there.
12:50Yes.
12:51Well done.
12:52APPLAUSE
12:5441-22, as we break for biggins.
12:56That's what we should call it, break for biggins.
12:58Break for biggins.
12:59I don't have to think, I just...
13:01You're talking Christmassy every day, I love it. Off we go.
13:04Well, we talked earlier,
13:06I think we talked in between shows or something, about flying.
13:10I love flying in pantomimes,
13:12and it's because I'm big, it's very funny for an audience to see.
13:16And one year, I did an impression of Liza Minnelli in Cabaret,
13:20and they flew me so that I was just high enough
13:23for the boys to sort of hold me up as though they were...
13:26I was flying, not flying, but being held up by these boy dancers
13:29and passed along. It was hysterical.
13:31Many years later, oh, I'll just pick up this name,
13:34I met Liza Minnelli and became very good friends with her.
13:38And she was over in London,
13:39she was doing the most fantastic show at the Albert Hall,
13:43and she rang me one night and she said,
13:45look, I've got a friend coming tonight,
13:47will you come in and take her to the show?
13:50I said fine, so I went early, we were having a drink
13:52and having a fabulous time, and the door went knock, knock,
13:55and I went and opened the door and there was Princess Diana, my date.
13:58So I took her to the theatre.
14:00They dimmed the lights so that we could not be seen
14:03going to our seats on the front row.
14:05And as they were dimming, I said to her,
14:07I've just seen that wonderful picture of you on Britannia,
14:10the liner, and she was kneeling down with her arms open
14:14and her two boys running towards her.
14:16And I said, what a great picture that was.
14:18And she said, they're the most important things in my life.
14:21And that was something very special, I can tell you.
14:24That's a beautiful story.
14:26And you leant down to pick up Liza Minnelli
14:28and didn't pick up Princess Diana, that's too brilliant.
14:31Yeah, well, we were old friends.
14:33Oh, thanks for sharing that, that was lovely.
14:35Thank you, Christopher. Thank you.
14:39Beautiful, beautiful. More letters, please.
14:42Mr Harry Savage.
14:43Could I start with a consonant, please?
14:45You can indeed, thank you, Harry. S
14:47And another one, please.
14:49T
14:50And another.
14:51H
14:52And one more, please.
14:54S
14:55And a vowel.
14:57E
14:58Another vowel.
14:59I
15:00Another vowel.
15:02O
15:03Another vowel, please.
15:06A
15:07And I'll go for a final vowel, please.
15:10And a final E.
15:12Start the clock.
15:22MUSIC PLAYS
15:43Harry.
15:44Seven.
15:45Paul.
15:46I think I've got an eight.
15:47Harry, the seven.
15:48Saucity.
15:49Paul, the eight.
15:50I've used a T twice. Atheists.
15:52And I'm just going to... I'll just throw my pen up as well.
15:57Susie, you do have to check the seven, though.
15:59I do, yes.
16:00Saucity is a South African dish of cubes of curried or spiced meat
16:04that are grilled on a skewer.
16:05Anything else for me, Dictionary Corner?
16:07Yeah, it's easiest.
16:08Easiest. Gets you the same points, Christopher.
16:10Absolutely. It was easier.
16:12Very good indeed, very good indeed.
16:15Let's truck on, then, Paul.
16:16I'll start with a consonant, please, Rachel.
16:18Thank you, Paul.
16:19P.
16:20And a vowel.
16:22A.
16:23Another vowel.
16:24I.
16:25Consonant.
16:26R.
16:27A consonant.
16:30Z.
16:31A consonant.
16:33N.
16:34Consonant.
16:36F.
16:37Consonant.
16:40L.
16:41And a vowel.
16:43And a final E.
16:44Ah, let's go again.
16:46MUSIC PLAYS
16:49MUSIC CONTINUES
17:16Mr O'Brien.
17:17Seven.
17:18Mr Savage.
17:19Seven.
17:20There you go. What have we got, Paul?
17:21Praline.
17:22And Harry?
17:23Planar.
17:24There you go.
17:25Really happy faces as well.
17:26A stress-free round, Christopher?
17:28Oh, we're sort of the same way. Planar.
17:30Yeah.
17:31Nothing could be planar.
17:32Yeah. Nothing could be longer.
17:34Nothing could be longer for us. No, exactly those two.
17:36We'll leave it at that.
17:3855-29.
17:40Quite comfortable for Harry.
17:41Paul has the ammunition, though, to bring this back.
17:44Harry, you're picking these numbers.
17:45Could I have one large, please?
17:47We're just sitting pretty, hoping for an easy one.
17:50You want some points. Let's have a look.
17:52Five little ones.
17:54Six, three, nine, two, and one.
17:59And the large one, 25.
18:01And the target to reach, 896.
18:03896. Numbers up.
18:05MUSIC PLAYS
18:18MUSIC CONTINUES
18:36896. Harry?
18:38Yeah, 896. Paul?
18:40Surely, 896.
18:42Harry, off you go.
18:44I did nine times 25.
18:46Nine times 25.
18:48Two, two, five.
18:49Take away one.
18:50Two, two, four.
18:51Six minus two is four.
18:53And times two together.
18:54896.
18:55Nice. Well done. And Paul?
18:57OK, I did three plus one.
19:00Three plus one, four.
19:0225.
19:03100.
19:04Times nine.
19:05900.
19:06Six minus two.
19:07Is another four.
19:09Take it away. Well done.
19:11APPLAUSE
19:14Got to let you in on a little secret at home.
19:16The reason why I'm laughing so much is,
19:18there's been some easy number rounds,
19:20and Biggins is good at numbers, but when he gets them quickly,
19:23he then spends the rest of the time stirring at the contestant.
19:26Like, psychotically stirring at them.
19:28Like, come on, hurry up and get...
19:32Crazy.
19:33Love it. You're a riot to have around here.
19:3665 plays 39.
19:38Second tea time teaser is Pop Warden. Pop Warden.
19:41If you're getting a poppy at Christmas, leave it this way.
19:44If you're getting a poppy at Christmas, leave it this way.
19:55APPLAUSE
20:02Hello again.
20:03If you're getting a poppy at Christmas, leave it this way.
20:06Pop Warden becomes unwrapped.
20:08Speaking of presents, might be a little one.
20:10At the end of today's programme, I think I've dropped enough hints.
20:13Let's get back to the game.
20:14Our number one seemed fairly comfortable, but 26 points,
20:18that can evaporate so quickly when you're up against
20:21the majesty of another Octo Champion, Paul O'Brien.
20:24And it's your letters.
20:25I'll have a consonant, please, Rachel.
20:27Thank you, Paul. G.
20:29And a vowel.
20:31O.
20:32Consonant.
20:33M.
20:34Vowel.
20:36E.
20:37Consonant.
20:38B.
20:39Consonant.
20:41D.
20:42Consonant.
20:44L.
20:45A vowel.
20:48I.
20:49And a consonant, please.
20:52And lastly, R.
20:54Let's play.
21:09MUSIC PLAYS
21:27Time is up. Paul?
21:28Seven.
21:29Seven. Harry?
21:30Seven as well.
21:31Seven. Paul, what is the seven?
21:32Obliged.
21:33Obliged. And Harry?
21:34Godlier.
21:35And Godlier.
21:36Obliged and Godlier.
21:37Two sevens, no problems there.
21:39No, not at all.
21:40No, I've got a little six, a little badger.
21:42A little badger.
21:43It was a bodger, I'm sorry.
21:44It was a bodger?
21:46I think you might have a bodger, not a badger.
21:48Yeah, you're right.
21:49What's a bodger?
21:50Somebody who bodgers things or...
21:52Makes mistakes.
21:53Makes mistakes.
21:54Well, that's a perfect word when you say badger,
21:56when you've actually got a bodger.
21:58Harry, more letters, please.
21:59Can I start with a consonant, please?
22:01Thank you, Harry.
22:02S.
22:03And another consonant.
22:04T.
22:05And another one, please.
22:07V.
22:08And one more.
22:09R.
22:10A vowel.
22:11A.
22:12And another vowel.
22:13E.
22:14Another vowel.
22:16I.
22:17Another vowel, please.
22:19U.
22:21I'll go for one more vowel, please.
22:23And lastly, E.
22:25Oof.
22:26Can't dine.
22:35MUSIC PLAYS
22:57Harry?
22:58An eight.
22:59And Paul?
23:00A six.
23:01OK, the six.
23:02Swather.
23:03This is a big eight.
23:04Everate.
23:05Susie?
23:06Everate.
23:07OK, not particularly nice.
23:10It means to emasculate someone or to castrate them.
23:14But main thing is it's in the dictionary.
23:16Yeah, well done.
23:17A little painful.
23:18What have you got, Christopher?
23:19Well, that was very virtuous.
23:21Yes, we have virtues.
23:22Nice.
23:23Virtues will give you a seven.
23:24Virtues is there.
23:25Can you be raviest?
23:26You can't. I did check that one.
23:27I knew you'd check it.
23:28I knew you'd check it from your raving days.
23:30Exactly.
23:3280-46.
23:33Four rounds left, and Susie, rave on,
23:36because it's time for Origins of Words.
23:38Ah, well, I had a lovely email from Lainey,
23:41who is a singer-songwriter.
23:43And prides herself on using unusual words in her songs.
23:46So she says,
23:47thank you for reminding me of the brilliant word mirador,
23:50which I'm going to use in my next song.
23:52And she says,
23:53my latest single, Living With The Moon,
23:55features one of my favourite words, peccadilloes,
23:57and I wonder whether you could explain the origin of this for me.
24:01So just to remind you about a mirador,
24:03it's actually related to mirror and miracle.
24:07It means to look at in wonder or to look out upon.
24:11And a mirador is a sort of turret or a window
24:14which you can use as a lookout point
24:16and you can see an extensive view from a mirador.
24:20But on to peccadillo, that Lainey also mentions
24:23and would like to include in the next song.
24:25Well, if you go back a few centuries,
24:27a peccadillo was a substantial sin,
24:29but not as heinous as a cardinal sin.
24:32Called a cardinal sin
24:33because it goes back to the Latin cardo, meaning a hinge.
24:36So a cardinal sin was quite a hefty one,
24:39which really your salvation hinged.
24:42The religious cardinal also was so-called
24:45because a lot hinged upon his or her role.
24:48So something very important.
24:50But a peccadillo, as I say, not quite so bad.
24:53It was something that we could just about overlook.
24:56English speakers borrowed the Spanish peccadillo
24:59at the end of the 16th century.
25:01And this was really, as I say, to distinguish.
25:04The dillo bit is a diminutive.
25:06It's to distinguish a little forgivable sin
25:08such as eating the last caramel from your Christmas chocolate tin
25:11or cheating at Scrabble.
25:13Not sure that's a peccadillo, certainly not in your book.
25:16Distinguishing that from a sin of magnitude.
25:19And if you take them all the way back,
25:22it's from the Latin peccare, meaning to sin or go astray.
25:30OK, four rounds left of...
25:33Did you bring some friends with you today, just in the studio?
25:36Some strangers? Are they with you, Susie?
25:38No, not mine. I don't know. Maybe we'll see who they are a bit later.
25:41Four rounds left of today's first semifinal of Countdown.
25:44It's do or die time, Paul. Let's go.
25:46Let's go. Consonant, please, Rachel.
25:48Thank you, Paul. G.
25:50And again.
25:52S. And again.
25:54P. A vowel, please.
25:56A. A vowel.
25:58E. A consonant.
26:00T. A vowel.
26:04U. A consonant.
26:07L. And a vowel, please.
26:12And a final A. Let's play, everybody.
26:24CLOCK TICKS
26:45Paul? Seven.
26:47Harry? I'll stick with seven.
26:49Yeah, get an idea what it might be. Paul?
26:51Pulse eight.
26:53Harry? Plagues.
26:55Plagues?
26:57Yes, absolutely fine.
26:59I went spatula. It was almost spelled out.
27:01Yeah, it was right there.
27:03Goodness me, you always have to be clever, don't you?
27:06Anything beyond sevens?
27:08Yeah, there is an eight there.
27:10Not sure if Harry was toying with this one because of the plural,
27:13but plateaus is there.
27:15You can put the S on as well as the X. That will give you an eight.
27:18That's fantastic. Plateaus.
27:20APPLAUSE
27:22Well done, Harry. Savage, you're picking.
27:24Can I start with the consonant, please?
27:26Thank you, Harry. D.
27:28And another one, please.
27:30M. And another.
27:32R. And one more.
27:34N. And a vowel.
27:36I.
27:38Another vowel. O.
27:40Another vowel. E.
27:42One more vowel.
27:44I.
27:46And a final consonant, please.
27:48A final W.
27:50Thank you very much.
28:21Harry? Seven.
28:23And Paul? Seven.
28:25Seven for you.
28:27You'll be buying out here if Harry's seven's in the dictionary.
28:29Minored.
28:31Minored. And Paul?
28:33Windier. Windier, fine.
28:35Minored, OK with it? Minored's absolutely fine.
28:37In American university, you major in something and you minor in it,
28:40so there is a verb. Very good.
28:42Well, you've majored today because you're into the final.
28:45APPLAUSE
28:47Anything beyond the sevens?
28:49I just had windier because of Christmas pudding.
28:52I'll get a little windier this week. Exactly.
28:54I really do.
28:56Last numbers round, and Paul, here we go.
28:59OK, Rachel, you choose.
29:02Well, you know what, we've not had a four large
29:05for this whole final so far,
29:07so let's go for four from the top and two little ones
29:10and see if we can work our brains.
29:12Thank you, Paul. Final numbers are five and eight,
29:15and as we know, 75, 25,
29:18and 100.
29:20And the target to reach, 169.
29:23Ah! 169, last numbers.
29:49BELL RINGS
29:57That's time. 169, Paul.
30:00169.
30:02And Harry. Yep, 169 as well.
30:04Well, we don't care what you've got. Go ahead, Paul.
30:06OK. I think there's only one way.
30:08100 plus 75?
30:10100 plus 75, 175.
30:13Eight minus five is three.
30:15Eight minus five is three.
30:1750 divided by 25 is two.
30:19Yeah.
30:20Times them together.
30:22Is one way to get six.
30:24And take it away.
30:26APPLAUSE
30:29Very good. I really could not have had you not get those numbers.
30:32It would have ruined the day for me, I love that.
30:34And Harry, how did you do it? I did it differently, actually.
30:37OK. I 175. Yep.
30:39And then take away the eight. Take away the eight.
30:4150 over 25 is two, and add on.
30:43So you used five numbers.
30:46No extra points for using all the numbers.
30:48You've been here long enough to know that.
30:50Well, that was lovely. Well done to both of you.
30:52APPLAUSE
30:56OK, well, the win is in the bag, but the game is not over.
31:00And it's almost like a mini-competition,
31:02the Countdown Conundrum, between our Octo champs,
31:05which you both are really special indeed.
31:07Harry might be in the final,
31:09but he doesn't want to go into losing a Countdown Conundrum.
31:12It could shake his confidence.
31:14Harry, Paul, fingers on the buzzers
31:16as we reveal today's Countdown Conundrum.
31:28Come on, Paul. It's not.
31:30Millennium. Millennium, I'm not even going to check,
31:33I'm just going to start the clock again.
31:45CLOCK TICKS
31:56BELL
31:57Harry.
31:58Eliminal.
31:59It is not.
32:00Rachel got it very quickly.
32:02Well, I think Susie and I looked at each other
32:04cos Paul gave the game away. I think it was millennia.
32:06Millennia? Yeah.
32:08Yes.
32:09APPLAUSE
32:12And with you being a millennial as well, Harry,
32:15I'm really disappointed with that.
32:17Well, you're through to the final as number one seed.
32:19It's so easy to be blasé about it and say,
32:21well, we expected that.
32:23Harry's thesaurus, he's sensational,
32:25but no, it's really tight, the top eight.
32:28That's a great achievement. Well done, Susie.
32:30APPLAUSE
32:32And Paul O'Brien, the lovely Paul O'Brien,
32:34what can we tell you about him before we say goodbye?
32:36Well, first of all, he's business up top,
32:40because he wears the scruffiest shorts anyone's ever seen
32:43when he's on the programme.
32:45And secondly, today we've got some making up to do to the family,
32:50because for you to be here, you're missing your son's birthday.
32:53So give him a shout-out.
32:55Happy birthday, Sachin, and thanks, Harry,
32:57cos now I don't have to come back tomorrow.
32:59I can actually get home and celebrate with you.
33:01I love it.
33:02And just for the record, yes, Paul did name all his children
33:05after famous cricketers,
33:07but he is out, his inning is over.
33:10Harry will be back on Friday for the final,
33:13but who will he face?
33:15Ben Bazard or Veraz Selim?
33:17We will find out tomorrow.
33:19Cannot wait.
33:20Thank you so much, as always, Susie and Christopher.
33:22Thank you. Thank you.
33:24So excited about this, Rachel. I can see it in your face.
33:26I know you love Christmas, right?
33:28And I know you love Countdown Christmas,
33:30so I think it's just time to bring it.
33:32Let's step it up every year.
33:35I'll stop calling you Scrooge in that case.
33:37Oh, you will not be calling me Scrooge in two minutes from now.
33:40Please welcome Manchester inspirational voice
33:43Gemma, Wayne and Brenda,
33:45because on Go Caroling Day, for two minutes only,
33:48this afternoon they are our Countdown carol singers.
33:53Deck the halls with boughs of holly
33:57Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
34:01Tis the season to be jolly
34:04Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
34:07Don we now our gay apparel
34:11Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
34:14Trot the ancient yuletide carol
34:18Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
34:21See the blazing yule before us
34:25Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
34:28Strike the harp and join the chorus
34:32Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
34:35Follow me in merry measure
34:39Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
34:42While I tell of yuletide treasure
34:46Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
34:49Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
34:52Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la