c4countdown

Spoilers!!

This might be a bit vain but:

http://www.thepress.co.uk/news/4180619. ... Countdown/

So frustrating that no-one ever spells my name right. Grrrr.

I also recorded a piece of Radio York today and I'll put the link on here when it comes out.

Kirk Bevin broke the record for a contestant in the challenger’s chair

Erk. At least they tried though. Or is that actually true (counting finals and CoCs)?

Innis Carson wrote:

Kirk Bevin broke the record for a contestant in the challenger’s chair

Erk. At least they tried though. Or is that actually true (counting finals and CoCs)?

Yes, Kirk's the new record holder. Did you not see the huge discussion about whether or not we could call it Kirk's debut? (we can't)

Kirk Bevins wrote:So frustrating that no-one ever spells my name right. Grrrr.

For what it's worth, I've redressed the balance slightly by having never ever spelt it wrong

Have a lovely image after that article of children running up to you in the corridor, shouting "VIBRIO" at you and then running off.
Sure that's not how it happens but that's what the article made it sound like, and I kind of like the idea of kids abusing teachers in such an intellectual way.

Thought that was just applying to "challengers" as in people who are playing their first game in the preliminary stages of (any given) series. Is the chair nearer the host still called the "challenger's chair" in finals and CoCs? If not, I'm talking rubbish.

Innis Carson wrote:Thought that was just applying to "challengers" as in people who are playing their first game in the preliminary stages of (any given) series. Is the chair nearer the host still called the "challenger's chair" in finals and CoCs? If not, I'm talking rubbish.

The whole point is that the record (even though as far as I know it's unofficial and just talked about here) has been renamed from 'highest debut score' (i.e. Kirk wouldn't be valid as he'd been on before) to 'highest challenger score' (i.e. simply the person facing the current champion) solely so that Kirk's achievement as a challenger, but not as a debutant, can be recognised.

I've got no idea if there is an official name for either of the chairs in the finals and CoCs... interesting question though, though the answer will probably be an uninteresting 'left' and 'right' or something!

Innis Carson wrote:

Kirk Bevin broke the record for a contestant in the challenger’s chair

Erk. At least they tried though. Or is that actually true (counting finals and CoCs)?

No it's not. Julian Fell's 146 was achieved from the challenger's chair. Rather sadly I didn't need to look this up.

So at least one record won't be broken sometime soon.

Kirk Bevins wrote:So frustrating that no-one ever spells my name right. Grrrr.

Even Channel 4's own subtitler had you as "Bevans" today.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0 ... 6_03_2009/

Skip to 8mins 30 and I'm on for about 6.5 minutes. I'm Kirk Bevin. Sigh.

Kirk Bevins wrote:http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0 ... 6_03_2009/

Skip to 8mins 30 and I'm on for about 6.5 minutes. I'm Kirk Bevin. Sigh.

Good interview and I'm amazed you kept your cool - I would have corrected her about my name straight away. At the end, having been told earlier that you had three nine-letter words in one show, she says, "Two nine-letter words? That's a-MAZ-ing!" Silly cow.

Interesting listening Kirk. A shame that she clearly hadn't done any research and got your name wrong

One thing I've been wondering is whether all Kirk's students now call him 'Kirk' (rather than Mr Bevin(that was deliberate, n00b)) all the time. I'm pretty sure we'd've done that at my school.

Michael Wallace wrote:One thing I've been wondering is whether all Kirk's students now call him 'Kirk' (rather than Mr Bevin(that was deliberate, n00b)) all the time. I'm pretty sure we'd've done that at my school.

They're calling me the Kirkulator a lot but I'm trying to stop that as it's disrespectful. Most of them are quite good actually.

Kirk Bevins wrote:

Michael Wallace wrote:One thing I've been wondering is whether all Kirk's students now call him 'Kirk' (rather than Mr Bevin(that was deliberate, n00b)) all the time. I'm pretty sure we'd've done that at my school.

They're calling me the Kirkulator a lot but I'm trying to stop that as it's disrespectful. Most of them are quite good actually.

Becoming a teacher hasn't gone to your head then!

(I know lots of teachers see it as a sort of God position and can't ever be questioned, rather than someone who is there to educate but I'm sure your not really one of those.)

Kirk Bloggins.

Derek Hazell wrote:Kirk Bloggins.

FFS. BEVANS. There's a bloody nameplate that the cameras do a close-up on so you don't misspell it. It really shouldn't be that hard.

Kirk Bevins wrote:

Derek Hazell wrote:Kirk Bloggins.

FFS. BEVANS. There's a bloody nameplate that the cameras do a close-up on so you don't misspell it. It really shouldn't be that hard.

Maybe you should just give in and change your name.

Ha, I love this:

"15:50 WAPITI? What the shit is that? Geez."

And how does he know I'm a fucking machine? Has he spoken to my ex girlfriends?

Kirk Bevins wrote:And how does he know I'm a fucking machine? Has he spoken to my ex girlfriends?

He meant you're a vending machine. Packed full with bad shit, often out of order and no chance of change. Make another selection !

There's a piece by Susie Dent on the BBC's Magazine thing today (talking about the 'words of the decade').

Michael Wallace wrote:There's a piece by Susie Dent on the BBC's Magazine thing today (talking about the 'words of the decade').

LOL @ "globesity". Would make a great conundrum.

Michael Wallace wrote:There's a piece by Susie Dent on the BBC's Magazine thing today (talking about the 'words of the decade').

Here's the follow-up, with the 20 best words of the decade.

How many people had heard of truthiness

James Robinson wrote:

Michael Wallace wrote:There's a piece by Susie Dent on the BBC's Magazine thing today (talking about the 'words of the decade').

Here's the follow-up, with the 20 best words of the decade.

How many people had heard of truthiness

Your link does not work James.

Marc Meakin wrote:

James Robinson wrote:

Michael Wallace wrote:There's a piece by Susie Dent on the BBC's Magazine thing today (talking about the 'words of the decade').

Here's the follow-up, with the 20 best words of the decade.

How many people had heard of truthiness

Your link does not work James.

Thanks for that, Marc. It's fixed now.

James Robinson wrote:

Michael Wallace wrote:There's a piece by Susie Dent on the BBC's Magazine thing today (talking about the 'words of the decade').

Here's the follow-up, with the 20 best words of the decade.

How many people had heard of truthiness

Some peculiar choices in all the lists. Although what jumped out the most for me is the guy choosing the PS3 for his 'objects' list. If you're going to pick one of the next-gen consoles, surely the Wii is the only one that might merit a mention in defining a decade? All the PS3 has going for it is its blu-ray player, whereas the Wii has massively changed the gaming landscape.

James Robinson wrote:

Michael Wallace wrote:There's a piece by Susie Dent on the BBC's Magazine thing today (talking about the 'words of the decade').

Here's the follow-up, with the 20 best words of the decade.

How many people had heard of truthiness

The word 'truthiness' is much-used by Stephen Colbert. I've never heard or seen the word used by anyone else.

Michael Wallace wrote:All the PS3 has going for it is its blu-ray player

= Betamax mark II

Normally when the words Countdown and Daily Mail are put together, the result seems to be disastrous, but here's a weird technology story involving our show.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... igner.html

James Robinson wrote:Normally when the words Countdown and Daily Mail are put together, the result seems to be disastrous, but here's a weird technology story involving our show.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... igner.html

Pay attention, Yames.

It's seems our new champion has been talking to the Mirror in this article:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-storie ... -21910265/

Also, this interestingly odd story about Rachel & Celebrity Big Brother:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sh ... stars.html

James Robinson wrote:It's seems our new champion has been talking to the Mirror in this article:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-storie ... -21910265/

That's a wierdly small article, you'd think they would've got him to say more stuff than that.

Ben Hunter wrote:

James Robinson wrote:It's seems our new champion has been talking to the Mirror in this article:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-storie ... -21910265/

That's a wierdly small article, you'd think they would've got him to say more stuff than that.

It might have even been cut from this article from ClickLiverpool:

http://www.clickliverpool.com/news/nati ... ssion.html

I didn't talk to the Mirror, only the Liverpool Echo, and other papers seem to have picked up on it.

Darren Carter wrote:http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpoo ... -25426766/

Crumbs. Did an apostrophe blame Liverpool fans for Hillsborough or something?

Chris Davies wrote:I like the ECHO puzzle page so that could have played a part in my success on Countdown.

The Liverpool Echo is killing Countdown.

Ben Hunter wrote:

Chris Davies wrote:I like the ECHO puzzle page so that could have played a part in my success on Countdown.

The Liverpool Echo is killing Countdown.

Bordeaux 2.

What job do you want, just out of interest, Chris?

I see Countdown's very own Rachel Riley is single after splitting up with her partner of 4 years:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sh ... ailey.html

Thomas Wood wrote:I see Countdown's very own Rachel Riley is single after splitting up with her partner of 4 years:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sh ... ailey.html

"I'm single after four years and fancy Bill Bailey" - how the hell did they get that from the quotes?

An interesting quote there.

She said: "I still practise the games. I play it online all day. It just keeps you active. I go on with fake names so most of the people on there don't know it is me."

So who is she then? I can think of one obvious person

This is probably common knowledge in the clique isn't it?

MM.................I wonder

Ian Volante wrote: This is probably common knowledge in the clique isn't it?

Yep.

Charlie Reams wrote:

Ian Volante wrote: This is probably common knowledge in the clique isn't it?

Yep.

Nope.

I'm not in the clique but I knew. Double win.

Ben Wilson wrote:

Charlie Reams wrote:

Ian Volante wrote: This is probably common knowledge in the clique isn't it?

Yep.

Nope.

The clues are in the chatlogs baby.

Matt Morrison wrote:I'm not in the clique but I knew. Double win.

Those in the clique don't normally know it.

Personally I don't know who it is or how many, but I have my suspicions. But one of the people who I thought it might be died in 1832.

I had to read it twice before I realised what was odd about this article. It's positive.

Anyone fancy re-writing it, using exactly the same facts, but in the style of the Daily Mail?

(I have to admit I did raise an eyebrow when she said she "so busy". These one-day-a-week jobs really eat up your free time, don't they - as any pensioner will confirm.)

David Williams wrote:Anyone fancy re-writing it, using exactly the same facts, but in the style of the Daily Mail?

Don't need to, they've already done it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... years.html

At least that Liz Thomas didn't write this article.

...Rachel was preparing to take a job as an analyst when she saw the Countdown role advertised - and beat off 1,000 other applicants to replace numbers whiz Carol.

Jeez, that's a bit much. You'd think she'd just have to demonstrate her arithmetical skills and pass a screen test really.

The other day I got attacked by a gang of youths but I managed to knock one out. Bad time for a wank, in hindsight.

If anyone would like to sponsor Susie's double sculls challenge at Henley, the JustGiving page is http://www.justgiving.com/Henley-Womens-Regatta

Lucy Gowers wrote:If anyone would like to sponsor Susie's double sculls challenge at Henley, the JustGiving page is http://www.justgiving.com/Henley-Womens-Regatta

Hey, I'll be going through Henley on Sunday, I wonder if can time it right to see them go through?

Charlie Reams wrote:The other day I got attacked by a gang of youths but I managed to knock one out. Bad time for a wank, in hindsight.

Very nice article about rachel Riley on the back page of The Express today. Mentions being with her partner of five years..and the worst thing she had read about herself was that she used sun beds all day, because someone could see a UV light on. It was the light used for her pet lizard!

Ian Fitzpatrick wrote:

Lucy Gowers wrote:If anyone would like to sponsor Susie's double sculls challenge at Henley, the JustGiving page is http://www.justgiving.com/Henley-Womens-Regatta

Hey, I'll be going through Henley on Sunday, I wonder if can time it right to see them go through?

Here's how Susie got on.

http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/news.php?id=775561

James Robinson wrote:

Ian Fitzpatrick wrote:

Lucy Gowers wrote:If anyone would like to sponsor Susie's double sculls challenge at Henley, the JustGiving page is http://www.justgiving.com/Henley-Womens-Regatta

Hey, I'll be going through Henley on Sunday, I wonder if can time it right to see them go through?

Here's how Susie got on.

http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/news.php?id=775561

Thanks James, I didn't make it in time, I was held up at the lock and was half an hour late for the race, couldn't pick out Susie in the crowds either.

Not really a story, but there's a Countdown wordsearch in today's Sun magazine.

If you want to do it, (words are available in all directions, including back-to-front) here it is:

D L E W O V D J E V Y
I A N A G R A M O E T
C B M U O F F C L M N
T O U W M C A I S U A
I A S S L B R R T R T
O R I O U L E E L D S
N D C L E T E R L N E
A K A H T I N P S U T
R R C E M A T H S N N
Y A L T S E U G G O O
R T N A N O S N O C C

The words to find are:
ANAGRAM, BOARD, CLOCK, CONSONANT, CONTESTANT, CONUNDRUM, DICTIONARY, GUEST, LETTERS, MATHS, MUSIC, NUMBERS, RACHELRILEY, SPELL, VOCABULARY, VOWEL and WORD.

Also, if you put the remaining letters in order, it spells out the name of a mystery person associated with the show. Clue (4, 8)

Enjoy.

James Robinson wrote:Also, if you put the remaining letters in order, it spells out the name of a mystery person associated with the show. Clue (4, 8)

I like how they gave a clue in case you couldn't turn JEFFSTELLING into a Countdown name. (And yes, I did just check to make sure )