Countdown recap for Wednesday 8 September 2021.
Michaelangelo's David was unveiled on this day in 1504. Was it? Wow. That's completely interesting and not irrelevant at all.
C1: Champion Adele Hannigan (1 win, 90 points.) "Super scientist" from Glasgow. Cancer researcher. Also appears to be wearing a Samba-dancing outfit that Anton Du Beke would like. It's got comically puffy sleeves and everything.
C2: Challenger Gary Knightley. Househusband and budding stand-up comedian. Guess which one Anne asks about?
DC: Susie Dent and Tracy-Ann Oberman.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: L E W G D U E A T
R02: N S I R O S F A T
R03: 100, 25, 5, 9, 6, 10. Target: 347.
TTT: MULELION - "Nothing to do with dancing, but looks good on the floor."
R04: R D S I I A K L E
R05: M S E P I R U N A
R06: 50, 6, 1, 6, 5, 5. Target: 576.
R07: B R E M O A C D G
R08: T H R O E S D O W
R09: 75, 25, 10, 5, 6, 8. Target: 282.
TTT: IRONHEMP - "Does this plasticine character need some pain relief?"
R10: N T O R M U A N A
R11: T B R P E A I A O
R12: S N S O I E D C E
R13: T M T G A I E P S
R14: 2, 4, 6, 4, 1, 10. Target: 794.
R15: E I G H T H L A D (conundrum)
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Round 1: L E W G D U E A T
Adele: WEDGE (5)
Gary: DELUGE (6)
DC: LEGATE (6)
OT: AGLETED (7) LEAGUED (7) TEGULAE (7)
Score: 0–6 (max 7, jos 6)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)
No LEGATED^, surprisingly. Gary takes an early lead, making it rain on Adele. Already I've told more funny jokes in this recap than, spoiler alert, Gary does in the entire program.
Round 2: N S I R O S F A T
Adele: ROASTS (6)
Gary: FAINTS (6)
DC: ARSONIST (8) INSOFAR (7)
Score: 6–12 (max 15, jos 14)
Darren-o-meter: 1/2 (50%)
Sixes each so Adele gets off the mark, and Dictionary Corner on the darren. Anne is surprised INSOFAR is one word.
Round 3: 100, 25, 5, 9, 6, 10. Target: 347.
Adele: 346. (5 + 9) × 25 − (10 − 6) (7)
Gary: 346. (25 + 9) × 10 + 6 (7)
RR: 347. 25 × 10 + 100 − (9 − 6) (10)
Score: 13–19 (max 25, jos 24)
I thought this was fairly easy - shows what I know, eh?
Teatime teaser: MULELION -> LINOLEUM
Anne points out Gary hasn't told any jokes yet. In fairness, she looks fed up with everything and everyone.
Round 4: R D S I I A K L E
Adele: DISLIKE (7)
Gary: REDIALS (7)
DC: LAIRDIES (8)
OT: DISLIKER (8)
Score: 20–26 (max 33, jos 32)
Darren-o-meter: 1/3 (33%)
Susie lets Adele off the hook by failing to spot/point out DISLIKE+R = DISLIKER.
Round 5: M S E P I R U N A
Adele: UMPIRES (7)
Gary: UMPIRES (7)
DC: SUPERMAN (8)
OT: ANEURISM (8) PRISMANE (8) UNPRAISE (8)
Score: 27–33 (max 41, jos 40)
Darren-o-meter: 1/4 (25%)
SUPERMAN, not in the sense of the film... but basically is, judging by Susie's super-human definition. Both Adele and Gary are happy to UMPIRE each other.
Round 6: 50, 6, 1, 6, 5, 5. Target: 576.
Adele: 576. (50 − (5 ÷ 5 + 1)) × (6 + 6) (10)
Gary: 572.
Score: 37–33 (max 51, jos 50)
Adele with a great spot here, which makes it even odder she didn't see the previous numbers round.
Tracy-Ann plugs her West End version of The Windsors and talks about playing Camilla opposite Prince Charles as Harry Enfield. Sorry, Harry Enfield as Prince Charles. Easy mistake to make. She also talks about how unprofitable theatre is, before plugging Toast of London. She then talks about home schooling in lockdown with her teenage daughter: "she graduated in TikTok in the first week and it all went downhill from there."
Round 7: B R E M O A C D G
Adele: CODGER (6)
Gary: BROCADE (7)
DC: EMBARGO (7) COMRADE (7)
OT: BARCODE (7) BEARDOM (7) CAROMED (7) CORDAGE (7) MERCADO (7)
Score: 37–40 (max 58, jos 57)
Darren-o-meter: 1/5 (20%)
Adele misses many, many obvious sevens. Oops.
Round 8: T H R O E S D O W
Adele: ROOTED (6)
Gary: THROWS (6) - AR: "I could have done that!"
DC: ROOSTED (7) HOOTERS (7)
OT: WORDSHOT (8)
Score: 43–46 (max 66, jos 64)
Darren-o-meter: 2/6 (33%)
DOESTHROW^ not being valid, Gary comes up with one of the most obvious sixes of all time, but Adele will be kicking herself at, once again, failing to spot a slot-a-letter-in stem.
Round 9: 75, 25, 10, 5, 6, 8. Target: 282.
Adele: 283. (5 + 6) × 25 + 8 (7)
Gary: 280. (not written down)
RR: 282. (75 − 25 − (8 − 5)) × 6 (10)
Score: 50–46 (max 76, jos 74)
Once again, I thought this was fairly straightforward (47 x 6... no?) but both contestants make very heavy weather of it.
Teatime teaser: IRONHEMP -> MORPHINE
Gary doesn't want to tell a joke in case it'll sack Anne. That was meant to be a joke, apparently.
Round 10: N T O R M U A N A
Adele: AMOUNT (6)
Gary: OUTRAN (6)
DC: OUTMAN (6)
OT: MATRONA (7) MONTUNA (7) ROMAUNT (7)
Score: 56–52 (max 83, jos 80)
Darren-o-meter: 2/7 (29%)
Six was the best here if you don't count the three horrifically obscure sevens.
Round 11: T B R P E A I A O
Adele: BOATER (6)
Gary: -
DC: PROBATE (7) AIRBOAT (7)
OT: AEROBAT (7) PREBAIT (7)
Score: 62–52 (max 90, jos 87)
Darren-o-meter: 2/8 (25%)
Gary's used a phantom letter, so blanks and Adele pulls 10 ahead.
Susie gives us some explanation of the origins of various types of shoes, just to add to the Loose Women-esque atmosphere.
Round 12: S N S O I E D C E
Adele: COINED (6)
Gary: NIECES (6)
DC: SECONDES (8)
OT: DIOCESES (8) SENECIOS (8)
Score: 68–58 (max 98, jos 95)
Darren-o-meter: 2/9 (22%)
Six for both contestants again whilst Tracy-Ann puts an E into SECONDS and gets away with it.
Round 13: T M T G A I E P S
Adele: pasttime
Gary: PATTIES (7) (not written down)
DC: PASTIME (7) MAGPIES (7)
OT: GAMIEST (7) MATIEST (7) MATTIES (7) SIGMATE (7)
Score: 68–65 (max 105, jos 102)
Darren-o-meter: 2/10 (20%)
PASTIME only has one T, bringing the gap down to 3 points...
... and oddly, Gary chooses 6 small. Not confident on the conundrum?
Round 14: 2, 4, 6, 4, 1, 10. Target: 794.
Adele: -
Gary: 795. Mistake in working.
RR: 792. (7)
OT: 792. ((10 − 2) × 4 + 1) × 6 × 4 (7)
Score: 68–65 (max 112, jos 109)
Gary uses too many fours. 2 away is the best you can do. I wish Rachel would actually show us how to get 2 away.
It's a crucial!
Round 15: E I G H T H L A D
Adele buzzes on 8.25 seconds to say HEADLIGHT which is correct.
Final Score: 78–65 (max 122, jos 119)
Gary gets caught like a rabbit in Adele's HEADLIGHTs and Adele has scraped through for a second win. One more win tomorrow and she'll be with all-new presenters on Friday. Join us tomorrow to see if she can become one of the contestants who will take part in that hotly-anticipated edition.
Join us again for Countdown. Goodbye.
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84