Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

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Edward Byrne
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Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Edward Byrne »

I was watching this old episode of Countdown from 1988 and I noticed footage of the goody bag, which seemed to start this year as there is no mention of a goody bag in an episode I saw from 1987. see link here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOJQsGdzhX0&t=190s At 10:14 in this clip you can see the contents of the goody bag. What intrigues me is in the bottom middle of the screen beside the puzzle magazines which appears to be a VHS tape. It must be some media of a certain kind that I do not have. I have both publications which feature a history of countdown, Meade's Countdown Companion and Eadie and Wylie's Spreading The Word. As I am quite interested in the history of the show I am wondering what that mystery item is, especially if it is a VHS tape. I want to know what it is and then set about tracking down a copy.
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Martin Hurst »

Looks too skinny for a video - I would guess it is a computer game on something like a Spectrum or a Commodore 64, though an hour's trawl through google images hasn't come up with anything that matches :(
Edward Byrne
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Edward Byrne »

I cant see why it would be a video game. many contestants on countdown were elderly then and what use would they have for such an item.
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Martin Hurst »

Edward Byrne wrote:I cant see why it would be a video game. many contestants on countdown were elderly then and what use would they have for such an item.
Probably more use than two of the same board game that seem to be there ;-)
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JimBentley
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by JimBentley »

It's almost definitely some version of the computer game, which had appeared a couple of years previous. This is the inlay from the Spectrum version:

Image

Not identical, but it's possible that other versions (e.g. for the Commodore 64 or BBC Micro) or different re-releases had slightly different inlays.
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Gavin Chipper »

I think it's the Mega Drive version. It came as a double A-side with Streets of Rage.
Edward Byrne
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Edward Byrne »

do you happen to own a copy of that jim?
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JimBentley
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by JimBentley »

Edward Byrne wrote:do you happen to own a copy of that jim?
Heh, no. 99% of the games I had were - brace yourself - illegal copies. But I remember the reviews from the time and have played it since on emulators (it's not especially good and certainly not worth tracking down today, although it certainly has novelty value).
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Edward Byrne »

JimBentley wrote:
Edward Byrne wrote:do you happen to own a copy of that jim?
Heh, no. 99% of the games I had were - brace yourself - illegal copies. But I remember the reviews from the time and have played it since on emulators (it's not especially good and certainly not worth tracking down today, although it certainly has novelty value).
no? definitely not a chance of classic games from the show held in the games memory which players can play against which might have recaps from unrecapped episodes?
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JimBentley
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by JimBentley »

Edward Byrne wrote:
JimBentley wrote:
Edward Byrne wrote:do you happen to own a copy of that jim?
Heh, no. 99% of the games I had were - brace yourself - illegal copies. But I remember the reviews from the time and have played it since on emulators (it's not especially good and certainly not worth tracking down today, although it certainly has novelty value).
no? definitely not a chance of classic games from the show held in the games memory which players can play against which might have recaps from unrecapped episodes?
You're kidding, right?
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Ian Volante
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Ian Volante »

JimBentley wrote:
Edward Byrne wrote:
JimBentley wrote: Heh, no. 99% of the games I had were - brace yourself - illegal copies. But I remember the reviews from the time and have played it since on emulators (it's not especially good and certainly not worth tracking down today, although it certainly has novelty value).
no? definitely not a chance of classic games from the show held in the games memory which players can play against which might have recaps from unrecapped episodes?
You're kidding, right?
Kids nowadays. Back then, it was all they could do to make some of the text move around on screen. Damned impressive, I can tell you.
meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles
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Jason Larsen
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Jason Larsen »

Where is a copy of The Language Report anyway? I had one but it was stolen from me.

I asked Susie for a copy of it, but she hasn't responded to me yet.
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Matt Morrison
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Matt Morrison »

Who on earth stole it Jason?
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Jason Larsen
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Jason Larsen »

Matt Morrison wrote:Who on earth stole it Jason?
The last roommate I ever had did, Matt. He did that because i treated him poorly but honestly, he dserved it
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Ciaran McCarthy »

Isn't the computer game or video similar to interactive DVD game with Des Lynam??
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Countdown Team »

Edward Byrne wrote: Mon Jan 02, 2017 11:25 pm I was watching this old episode of Countdown from 1988 and I noticed footage of the goody bag, which seemed to start this year as there is no mention of a goody bag in an episode I saw from 1987. see link here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOJQsGdzhX0&t=190s At 10:14 in this clip you can see the contents of the goody bag. What intrigues me is in the bottom middle of the screen beside the puzzle magazines which appears to be a VHS tape. It must be some media of a certain kind that I do not have. I have both publications which feature a history of countdown, Meade's Countdown Companion and Eadie and Wylie's Spreading The Word. As I am quite interested in the history of the show I am wondering what that mystery item is, especially if it is a VHS tape. I want to know what it is and then set about tracking down a copy.


It's supposed to be the PS3 version of the game, but at the time of taping the goody-bag pack-shot, Sony still had the PS3 in its very early development stages, so they mocked up a box just for visual representation.
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by DJ Marky Mark »

Tracey got a small handheld Computer game when she got her goody bag in 2002 Tracey still has it today ands still works, she also got the Board Game we bring to Co-Events especailly Colin, She got the old mug which we still have too. Image
Long suffering Husband of Tracey Mills.
Gavin Chipper
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Gavin Chipper »

Countdown Team wrote: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:17 pm
Edward Byrne wrote: Mon Jan 02, 2017 11:25 pm I was watching this old episode of Countdown from 1988 and I noticed footage of the goody bag, which seemed to start this year as there is no mention of a goody bag in an episode I saw from 1987. see link here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOJQsGdzhX0&t=190s At 10:14 in this clip you can see the contents of the goody bag. What intrigues me is in the bottom middle of the screen beside the puzzle magazines which appears to be a VHS tape. It must be some media of a certain kind that I do not have. I have both publications which feature a history of countdown, Meade's Countdown Companion and Eadie and Wylie's Spreading The Word. As I am quite interested in the history of the show I am wondering what that mystery item is, especially if it is a VHS tape. I want to know what it is and then set about tracking down a copy.


It's supposed to be the PS3 version of the game, but at the time of taping the goody-bag pack-shot, Sony still had the PS3 in its very early development stages, so they mocked up a box just for visual representation.
Early development stages - about 20 years before its release.
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Jon Corby
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Jon Corby »

Gavin Chipper wrote: Mon Feb 13, 2017 3:41 pmEarly development stages - about 20 years before its release.
Image
Gavin Chipper
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Gavin Chipper »

Jon Corby wrote: Tue Feb 14, 2017 8:09 am
Gavin Chipper wrote: Mon Feb 13, 2017 3:41 pmEarly development stages - about 20 years before its release.
Image
Well I realised it was a joke, but since it had gone unacknowledged, I thought I'd say something, even if it was pretty inane.
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Zarte Siempre »

Gavin Chipper wrote: Tue Feb 14, 2017 10:38 pmWell I realised it was a joke, but since it had gone unacknowledged, I thought I'd say something, even if it was pretty inane.
In future, don't.
Possibly the first contestant to accelerate with a mic clipped...
Gavin Chipper
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by Gavin Chipper »

Zarte Siempre wrote: Wed Feb 15, 2017 11:00 am
Gavin Chipper wrote: Tue Feb 14, 2017 10:38 pmWell I realised it was a joke, but since it had gone unacknowledged, I thought I'd say something, even if it was pretty inane.
In future, don't.
Lesson learnt.
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Re: Countdown Goody Bags through the ages.

Post by JJ Smith »

Jon Corby wrote: Tue Feb 14, 2017 8:09 am
Gavin Chipper wrote: Mon Feb 13, 2017 3:41 pmEarly development stages - about 20 years before its release.
Image
A screenshot from an episode of the Simpsons, a scene in which Rainier Wolfcastle appends a punchline with "That's the joke", necessary, as it was unclear to the audience that the sentence was a joke because it was so incredibly unfunny.
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