Search found 2002 matches

by Graeme Cole
Thu Oct 27, 2022 12:24 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: 40th Anniversary Celebrations
Replies: 40
Views: 4107

Re: 40th Anniversary Celebrations

We should of had a tournament just like the 30BC that would of been good I think a 40BC would have too many re-returning, or even re-re-returning players. The 30BC was designed to crown the best player over 30 years, and was instead of a CoC which determines the best player over the last 3 or 4 yea...
by Graeme Cole
Sat Oct 08, 2022 2:35 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: Countdown in Edinburgh (CO:EDI) - Saturday 15th October 2022
Replies: 46
Views: 12182

Re: Countdown in Edinburgh (CO:EDI) - Saturday 15th October 2022

Gavin Chipper wrote: Sat Oct 08, 2022 2:20 pm He might just mean that the two people in the final play the same game as each other.
Joking aside, I did wonder if it was just an unusually-worded way of saying "the final between the top two will have the selections put on the big screen".
by Graeme Cole
Sat Oct 08, 2022 2:05 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: Countdown in Edinburgh (CO:EDI) - Saturday 15th October 2022
Replies: 46
Views: 12182

Re: Countdown in Edinburgh (CO:EDI) - Saturday 15th October 2022

Speaking of hybrids, I’m intending on making this event the first Lincoln/Bristol hybrid event, where we’ll have a Bristol-style final phase. Again, more on that next week.😎😎😎 Wait, what? By "Bristol-style final phase" you don't mean splitting the standings table up into divisions after a...
by Graeme Cole
Mon Sep 19, 2022 9:15 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Next Champion of Champions series
Replies: 197
Views: 27781

Re: Next Champion of Champions series

This is Countdown Team's fault for leaking it to the contestants, That was a silly thing to do. If they wanted it secret they should have kept it PROPERLY secret. Yes. I know it contains an Octochamp whose run has yet to air... but it will probably be published here early anyway. You can't put the ...
by Graeme Cole
Wed Sep 14, 2022 11:23 am
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Next Champion of Champions series
Replies: 197
Views: 27781

Re: Next Champion of Champions series

Both things are true. Two S86 players are involved Weird, Eddy and Tom! Why would they include these two before the series has been played out? Better to save them for the one after... Do you know it's those two? Tom who hasn't even been on yet... A tip for you all - always be on the lookout for As...
by Graeme Cole
Mon Sep 05, 2022 12:00 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: Your preferred format for CO-events
Replies: 74
Views: 31712

Re: Your preferred format for CO-events

It looks like Co:Bra 2022 will use the grouped QF SF Final format, similar to what Co:Man did this year. I'd like to reiterate a point I made earlier this year. Consensus among other players has only grown stronger then what it was when I posted this in February! Another drawback of some Bristol st...
by Graeme Cole
Sun Sep 04, 2022 10:24 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: New Atropine release - 1.2.0
Replies: 6
Views: 1428

Re: New Atropine release - 1.2.1

Atropine 1.2.1 is out now! There are a few improvements, but the main ones are: As of Atropine 1.2.1, you no longer need to add Prune players. Ever. Prune automatically appears on as many tables as necessary when you generate fixtures. Just enter your human players, stop caring about having a multi...
by Graeme Cole
Wed Aug 31, 2022 10:16 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

Fiona T wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 10:14 pm
L'oisleatch McGraw wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 9:32 pm Dear Graeme,

Just wondering
1. Do you edit the Countdown wiki using the pseudonym "Launchballer"?
2. If so, do you actively prefer for people not to know that that user is you?
3. If so... why?!

Thanks
I can answer that.

1. No, he doesn't.
Can confirm. Not me.
by Graeme Cole
Wed Aug 24, 2022 12:39 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: Strikes
Replies: 21
Views: 1122

Re: Strikes

The real question here is why are mortgage vendors allowed to deny you a mortgage for having been on strike? Is it just that the pay shown for that month would be lower, so you might not meet the lending criteria, or is it a strict "one strike = no mortgage for you" rule?
by Graeme Cole
Wed Aug 17, 2022 11:34 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Who are Countdown's unluckiest losers?
Replies: 27
Views: 9827

Re: Who are Countdown's unluckiest losers?

Just because two people were rejected and told to apply again after it had been ten years, doesn't mean it isn't discretionary. "Discretionary" doesn't mean "the rule is never enforced", it just means "occasionally it might be waived depending on circumstances". I usua...
by Graeme Cole
Tue Aug 16, 2022 10:55 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Who are Countdown's unluckiest losers?
Replies: 27
Views: 9827

Re: Who are Countdown's unluckiest losers?

:::WARNING::: There seems to have been a serious change of heart at Countdown Towers! :? As we know, there have been quite a number of repeat contestants, particularly over the last decade. The official line was that there had to be a 10 year gap, but unofficially ...if the gap was around 5, that'd...
by Graeme Cole
Tue Aug 16, 2022 6:42 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: New Atropine release - 1.2.0
Replies: 6
Views: 1428

Re: New Atropine release - 1.2.0

Not that I've ever run a tournament but well done on all this. I've also tweaked how it evaluates player groups so that two people who are on exactly the same standings position are less likely to stick to each other like glue to the detriment of surrounding players. So tables weren't just sorted b...
by Graeme Cole
Tue Aug 16, 2022 6:32 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: New Atropine release - 1.2.0
Replies: 6
Views: 1428

Re: New Atropine release - 1.2.0

Excellent news! Does this mean that all I need is for *one* more person to request the ability to run Bristol-style QF groupings via Atropine, for it to be added?! One more person for me to count it as popular demand, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will be added. To clarify, do you mean the t...
by Graeme Cole
Mon Aug 15, 2022 7:52 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: New Atropine release - 1.2.0
Replies: 6
Views: 1428

New Atropine release - 1.2.0

Atropine, the program many co-event organisers use to record scores and generate fixtures, had until very recently not had a new version since March 2020. For some reason it didn't get much use after then. Anyway, it's back with such renewed vigour that even the middle component of the version numbe...
by Graeme Cole
Fri Aug 05, 2022 6:11 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Stick to 8-letter teatime teasers
Replies: 10
Views: 1175

Re: Stick to 8-letter teatime teasers

I am at a loss as to how anyone can have a strong opinion on this.
by Graeme Cole
Sun Jul 24, 2022 9:45 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: Co:Brum 2022
Replies: 56
Views: 6625

Re: Co:Brum 2022

Hi Graeme, OK i get what your saying: 1) could obscure words be omitted from max count? 2) what about possibly using flat 1-0 scoring to count the points (but determine the winner using the normal system) Jack 1. Only if you also want to come up with a fair and easily checkable way to determine whe...
by Graeme Cole
Sun Jul 24, 2022 9:21 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: Scoresheet printing thing
Replies: 0
Views: 701

Scoresheet printing thing

Tried to build a better co-event scoresheet. Accidentally spent Sunday creating an entire scoresheet generation tool. This might be useful to co-event organisers. Here it is. https://greem.co.uk/scoresheets/ Enter your event name, choose a layout, and print the page. The scoresheets will be printed ...
by Graeme Cole
Sat Jul 23, 2022 7:00 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: Co:Brum 2022
Replies: 56
Views: 6625

Re: Co:Brum 2022

You could always use max percentage instead of raw points to decide the finalists. For example if the max was 150 and a player scored 90 the percentage would be 60. This would make it fair for everyone. On the surface this sounds like it might be a better system, but IMO it isn't, and it would be q...
by Graeme Cole
Sat Jul 23, 2022 6:43 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: Co:Brum 2022
Replies: 56
Views: 6625

Re: Co:Brum 2022

5. Webrack I don't know enough about this, and no-one has used it for running an event yet... but maybe in the future it will be the one to rule them all and in the darkness bind them? It certainly revolutionised Zoomdown. Maybe it can do the same for the in-person scene? No, WebRack won't get adop...
by Graeme Cole
Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:31 am
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: How do I know if my word is valid?
Replies: 57
Views: 59647

Re: How do I know if my word is valid?

How come ‘alateen’ and ‘marmite’ are allowed yet not ‘Vaseline’ Especially with alateen because all sources point towards the C being capitalised. Alateen is capitalised on Lexico so perhaps this is a dictionary error on Apterous? Marmite is allowed in the sense meaning a cooking pot . The yeast ex...
by Graeme Cole
Fri Jul 22, 2022 12:43 am
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: Co:Brum 2022
Replies: 56
Views: 6625

Re: Co:Brum 2022

L'oisleatch McGraw wrote: Fri Jul 22, 2022 12:03 am
JackHurst wrote: Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:24 pm What if they suspect that I have put in a back door to exploit on the day 😂
Rohypnol would probably assist you in that mission.
I know you have a weird sense of humour but this comment makes neither humour nor sense.
by Graeme Cole
Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:57 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: Co:Brighton - 16 July 2022
Replies: 48
Views: 11211

Re: Co:Brighton - 16 July 2022

Surely Jack is the 6/6 person? No, Jack won 5. He's only shown at the top of the standings because he won the final. I find that standard quite confusing. It's unclear what's being conveyed. I think the reason I made Atropine do this is so that when you copy-paste the standings table into the big s...
by Graeme Cole
Thu Jul 21, 2022 8:50 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: Co:Brum 2022
Replies: 56
Views: 6625

Re: Co:Brum 2022

Following some consulting with Cal, I can reveal that we'll be trialling something new in Brum... Many of us have become accustomed with Jack Hurst's superb Countdown app. In Brum, I'm going to trial using it to play the Co:Event games. It allows solutions, maxes, and valid words to be checked a lo...
by Graeme Cole
Wed Jul 20, 2022 10:52 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: Co:Brighton - 16 July 2022
Replies: 48
Views: 11211

Re: Co:Brighton - 16 July 2022

And no doubt even more so in a Bristol-esque setting. Which begs the question, is it possible for the 2nd placed player to be on 3/6 wins going into the grand final?! Yes. It's also possible for the first placed player to be on 3/6. Recall that on a 3-player table, if A beats B, B beats C and C bea...
by Graeme Cole
Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:45 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: Co:Brighton - 16 July 2022
Replies: 48
Views: 11211

Re: Co:Brighton - 16 July 2022

#1 seed has 6 wins #2 seed has 4 wins In any version of that scenario, is it mathematically possible for someone to finish on 4 wins and still be positioned 2nd before the grand final? Yes. One way to get there is for the standings table after round 2 to have one person on 4/4 wins and some arbitra...
by Graeme Cole
Wed Jul 20, 2022 12:21 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: Co:Brighton - 16 July 2022
Replies: 48
Views: 11211

Re: Co:Brighton - 16 July 2022

L'oisleatch McGraw wrote: Wed Jul 20, 2022 12:13 pm
Fiona T wrote: Sun Jul 17, 2022 9:40 am
P W Pts
1 Jack Hurst 6 5 373
2 Jonathan DeSouza 6 6 403
Surely Jack is the 6/6 person?
No, Jack won 5. He's only shown at the top of the standings because he won the final.
by Graeme Cole
Mon Jul 18, 2022 9:57 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
Replies: 252
Views: 49559

Re: Track and Field Athletics

There may be something important I've not considered, otherwise they'd have done this by now, but why not simply allow the athletes to anticipate the gun? Scrap the 0.1 second rule and also scrap the random delay before the bang. Just have an audible 3-2-1-bang countdown to start the race. Then ther...
by Graeme Cole
Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:21 am
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

Graeme, what is the average max length for letters rounds in the modern 15Rer? And is there much of a difference in the ave maxes between 3/4/5 vowel selections? The mean average max length for letters rounds is 7.46. This covers 20,890 rounds from the start of the modern 15-rounder to the end of s...
by Graeme Cole
Sat Jun 25, 2022 11:02 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

How often has 'just add them all together' been given as a valid solution to a numbers round? In a similar vein, how often has 'multiply them all together' been declared and good? The sum of all the numbers in the selection has exactly equalled the target on nine occasions. https://wiki.apterous.or...
by Graeme Cole
Sat Jun 25, 2022 12:49 am
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

Has BAMBOOZLE ever been a conundrum? Anyone watching Mcdonald & Dodds last night will understand the relevance of the question :) Yes, four times. https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_M49 https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_1426 https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_3490 https://wiki.apterous.org/Episod...
by Graeme Cole
Sat Jun 25, 2022 12:47 am
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

Based on the standard letter distributions mentioned earlier in this thread (you can just pick the most recent one, and ignore the effects of shuffling), what is the least likely 9-letter word that has been available in a selection at least once? What is the least likely 9 that has actually been sp...
by Graeme Cole
Sat Jun 25, 2022 12:28 am
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

What is the probability of getting a selection that contains all 4 of the 'bad' consonants? (J, X, Q, and Z) This depends on so many variables that I don't think there's a good answer. It depends how many consonants you pick in each round, and it even varies depending on which round you're in. Obvi...
by Graeme Cole
Sat Jun 25, 2022 12:24 am
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

http://www.c4countdown.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=199450#p199450 If we exclude guest runs of fewer than five episodes, there have been four guest runs which have seen no conundrums solved. They are: Rory McGrath's five episodes starting from https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_4819 Dave Spikey's five epis...
by Graeme Cole
Sat Jun 25, 2022 12:13 am
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

What is the ranking order of letters in terms of how many times they've been used in declarations? Here are all 26 letters ordered by the number of times they have appeared in any player's declaration (regardless of whether they scored or were valid), along with the number of times that letter has ...
by Graeme Cole
Sat Jun 25, 2022 12:01 am
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

L'oisleatch McGraw wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 8:15 pm
Johnny Canuck wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:09 pm How big is the biggest group of people such that everyone in it has played everyone else in an Apterous game at least once?
Might have missed it, but didn't notice an answer to this yet.
I imagine this would be a good jumping off point.
This would have to be an Ask Charlie, I'm afraid.
by Graeme Cole
Fri Jun 24, 2022 11:57 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

What is the highest numbers target that has ever been declared by a competitor (and/or scored points with it). I'm guessing there have been a few 1000's over time, but has there ever been anything declared in the 1001-1009 range? The highest numbers declaration was "a million and one" by ...
by Graeme Cole
Fri Jun 24, 2022 11:46 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

Martin Hurst wrote: Sat Dec 04, 2021 8:14 pm https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_7638

Has there ever been a game before on Countdown between two contestants with fewer characters in their name between them? (7 v 7 = 14)?
I can only find one equal, in episode 6839, and no beaters.
by Graeme Cole
Fri Jun 24, 2022 11:41 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

What's the highest number of rounds a player has stayed on 0 points for and still ended up winning? Four. Three games have been won by a player who was on 0 points after four rounds, and they were all 9-round games: Derek Roddis in episode 525 , Jane Atkins in episode 1441 , and John Holton in epis...
by Graeme Cole
Fri Jun 24, 2022 10:01 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

How many episodes have been won by the player who won fewer rounds? I imagine most cases involve the winner spotting a nine that their opponent missed but I know of one episode where this was not the case. https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_5555 Are there any others? The winner of the game won fewer...
by Graeme Cole
Fri Jun 24, 2022 9:43 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

Thanks for all your answers! Inspired by him being on a repeat of the celebrity chase right now - I've had Jon Culshaw as a DC guest for two separate 'runs' - my first 3 heats, and then my CoC QF. How many people have had some DC guest for more than one run? Has anyone had the same guest three sepa...
by Graeme Cole
Fri Jun 24, 2022 9:35 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

Thanks for all your answers! Inspired by him being on a repeat of the celebrity chase right now - I've had Jon Culshaw as a DC guest for two separate 'runs' - my first 3 heats, and then my CoC QF. How many people have had some DC guest for more than one run? 161 distinct players have had the same D...
by Graeme Cole
Fri Jun 24, 2022 8:31 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

In how many games have there been more vowels than consonants picked in total across all letters rounds? In the modern 15-rounder, this has only happened twice. https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_6442 (44 consonants, 46 vowels) https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_6882 (43 consonants, 47 vowels) For th...
by Graeme Cole
Fri Jun 24, 2022 8:12 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

On average, what letters max % do players achieve? 1) Across all players from the past 10 series? 2) In series Heats (lets say in the last 10 series)? 3) Non series finalists from the last 10 series? I'm assuming "max %" means the number of letters points scored by the player in a game di...
by Graeme Cole
Fri Jun 24, 2022 7:50 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 684120

Re: Ask Graeme?

I suppose the next question is - what's the closest it's been to 1 round earlier? E.g. in the modern 15-rounder, you'd need a 92-point lead (I think) to win it after round 9. What's the biggest lead anyone's had? The biggest lead anyone has had after 9 rounds of a modern 15-rounder is 86, which was...
by Graeme Cole
Sun Jun 19, 2022 10:06 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: Politics in General
Replies: 1604
Views: 1652899

Re: Politics in General

Do any other countries treat asylum seekers like that? Australia has processed illegal migrants trying to enter their country offshore since 2012. It has cross party support, and has been deemed a success. I didn't know about this before, but you're referring to this , I don't agree with that eithe...
by Graeme Cole
Sun Jun 19, 2022 9:40 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: Questions you've always wanted answered
Replies: 1615
Views: 631078

Re: Questions you've always wanted answered

Why do some ovens refuse to work until you've set the clock? To encourage you to set it. What if you have visitors over? What if they go into your kitchen and see the oven clock blinking midnight? They'll think you don't know how to set it. They'll think you're the kind of person who phones their n...
by Graeme Cole
Sun Jun 19, 2022 12:20 am
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: Politics in General
Replies: 1604
Views: 1652899

Re: Politics in General

Isn’t the argument here from the Rwanda nay-sayers is that we simply shouldn’t deport illegal immigrants, which is a different (and disagreeable) argument? No. If someone arrives in this country, legally or otherwise, and claims asylum, we should assess their claim and house them while this claim i...
by Graeme Cole
Fri Jun 17, 2022 9:44 pm
Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
Topic: Spoilers for Friday 17th June 2022 (Series 85 Grand Final)
Replies: 21
Views: 2262

Re: Spoilers for Friday 17th June 2022 (Series 85 Grand Final)

Congratulations Dan, and well played Matt. Great final. I now know what SPACETIME^ is a falseagram for.

Stat of the day: today's episode is 11 years to the day since Matt's first appearance.

R14: ((50-(9-6))*75-100)/25.
by Graeme Cole
Fri Jun 17, 2022 11:56 am
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: You've just been made producer of Countdown...
Replies: 88
Views: 28669

Re: You've just been made producer of Countdown...

Also, get rid of the requirement to be within 10. To me this is as arbitrary as requiring words to be at least 5 letters. If you're more than 10 away then it's likely your opponent has beaten you anyway, and if they haven't, it's likely you've got a numbers round where it's difficult or impossible ...
by Graeme Cole
Fri Jun 17, 2022 11:33 am
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: You've just been made producer of Countdown...
Replies: 88
Views: 28669

Re: You've just been made producer of Countdown...

Totally agree that requirement to be within 10 should be gone. The other point about this requirement is you can be 11 points up in the last numbers game and pick 6 small in the hope of an impossible-to-score selection and effectively win the game by default, and I think that’s wrong. Has anyone ev...
by Graeme Cole
Fri Jun 17, 2022 9:50 am
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: You've just been made producer of Countdown...
Replies: 88
Views: 28669

Re: You've just been made producer of Countdown...

I wouldn't make this change now. But if the show was starting up from scratch I would change the numbers scoring. 10pts - 1pt per 1 away from target Also if it's impossible to be within 10, you get 5 pts for being closer than your opponent anyway. What, so if 9 away is the max you get 1 point for i...
by Graeme Cole
Thu Jun 16, 2022 9:24 am
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: Politics in General
Replies: 1604
Views: 1652899

Re: Politics in General

Why do people need to claim asylum from France? It’s not exactly a non-safe country. Asylum seekers are not obliged to seek asylum in the first safe country they reach. (Source: https://www.unhcr.org/uk/uk-immigration-and-asylum-plans-some-questions-answered-by-unhcr.html ) Note particularly: "...
by Graeme Cole
Wed Jun 15, 2022 9:04 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: FOCAL Finals 2022 and Milton Keynes Open
Replies: 45
Views: 10495

Re: FOCAL Finals 2022 and Milton Keynes Open

As a suggestion you could do fixed players picking as P1 / P2 each game, and rotate those players to cover the top 8 as much as possible. This would mean 6 of the top 8 players get to play a game as player 1 once and as player 2 once. The other 2 players get to play 1 game as player 1/2. The player...
by Graeme Cole
Wed Jun 15, 2022 11:54 am
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: Politics in General
Replies: 1604
Views: 1652899

Re: Politics in General

The people smugglers have won then. When did "we don't want refugees who successfully claim asylum in the UK to be deported permanently to Rwanda" start to imply support for people smugglers? If it were about breaking the business model of the people smugglers, we could allow refugees to ...
by Graeme Cole
Wed May 04, 2022 10:24 am
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Anne Robinson to leave Countdown
Replies: 110
Views: 10960

Re: Anne Robinson to leave Countdown

Just announced: a certain Paul has been given the presenting job on a famous word-based game show!
by Graeme Cole
Wed May 04, 2022 10:19 am
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Anne Robinson to leave Countdown
Replies: 110
Views: 10960

Re: Anne Robinson to leave Countdown

It took me seconds to look up that Anne-Marie received a Masters degree from Oxford in Mathematics and Computer Science at the age of 20 , one of the youngest people ever to do that. This is a bit like saying Conor Travers can't play Countdown. It's more like saying, say, Salman Rushdie can't play ...
by Graeme Cole
Tue May 03, 2022 11:57 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Anne Robinson to leave Countdown
Replies: 110
Views: 10960

Re: Anne Robinson to leave Countdown

Ditch the host. Just Rachel and Susie. You could say the same for Pointless: ditch the co-host and just have Xander read the facts. But, I think ditching the host would make the programme feel lonelier and colder. Well, technically, to play the game of Countdown you only need three people in front ...
by Graeme Cole
Tue May 03, 2022 11:23 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Anne Robinson to leave Countdown
Replies: 110
Views: 10960

Re: Anne Robinson to leave Countdown

As for host, the Rachel hosting, Anne-Marie doing maths... is a horrendous idea, mostly because Anne-Marie can't do maths. You are joking, right? Or are you just shooting for unbelievable new heights in the art of being wrong? It took me seconds to look up that Anne-Marie received a Masters degree ...
by Graeme Cole
Fri Apr 22, 2022 12:17 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: David Barnard, 1991-2022
Replies: 85
Views: 12022

Re: Please say a prayer for David Barnard

Gavin Chipper wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 10:07 pm He had a scan today which showed nothing of consequence, and they are now talking about rehab. This is positive news.
Very encouraging. Hoping that David makes a full recovery soon.
by Graeme Cole
Wed Apr 20, 2022 3:54 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: The future of COLIN
Replies: 21
Views: 3267

Re: The future of COLIN

There's one potential saving that I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned yet. The Sunday Hangover event, while enjoyable, gets consistently lower numbers, and it seems like numbers are the issue. (Edit to add: it also has a lower entry fee yet imposes on Ben an organisational burden similar to the Satu...