So, let's have some fun.
Countdown recap for Thursday 12 January 2012.
C1: Champion Jack Worsley (4 wins, 421 points.) An Apteforumite from Blackpool, Lancashire. Enough said.
C2: Challenger Marcia Wells. From Blackfen, Kent. She works as a fishing tackle manufacturer, although she was previously a civil servant, a snooker hall manager, a CCTV operator and a lampshade maker.
DC: Susie Dent and Paul Zenon.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: M Y H S R E U I O
R02: P M D I E E T P T
R03: Z G L S I A E N A
R04: P E R C O B A N T
R05: 25, 100, 50, 75, 4, 8. Target: 140.
TTT: DADHIRES - "Dad hires some Bruce Willis movies. We're both staunch fans"
R06: R T N I O I E C T
R07: S S M V A E O L E
R08: G S L J O U A U C
R09: R S D X A O A U I
R10: 75, 100, 2, 9, 9, 4. Target: 912.
TTT: TURNGLUM - "You'll soon turn glum if you run out of these on your trip to Asia"
R11: B S R W O E O H I
R12: L A T O R K N E P
R13: D F N F I E O R L
R14: 50, 100, 6, 8, 4, 5. Target: 874.
R15: S N I D E D I G S (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Round 1: M Y H S R E U I O
C1: MOUSIER (7)
C2: MOUSIER (7)
DC: MUSHIER (7)
OT: HEROISM (7) HOSIERY (7) MOREISH (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)
A nice flat start to today's proceedings.
Round 2: P M D I E E T P T
C1: EMPTIED (7)
C2: PETTED (6)
DC: PIPETTE (7) PIPETTED (8)
Score: 14–7 (max 15)
A good darrenic 8 by DC, as Jack leads after he EMPTIED his brain's contents and found...........EMPTIED.
Round 3: Z G L S I A E N A
C1: SLEAZING (8)
C2: SEALING (7)
OT: NASALIZE (8)
Score: 22–7 (max 23)
He doesn't need to be SLEAZING, but Jack is EASING further away from Marcia now.
Round 4: P E R C O B A N T
C1: BARONET (7)
C2: PRANCE (6)
DC: BACONER (7)
OT: ENACTOR (7) OPERANT (7) PATONCE (7) PROBATE (7) PRONATE (7) PROTEAN (7)
Score: 29–7 (max 30)
And another 7 sees Jack further ennobled by Nick.
PATONCE means having the arms growing broader and floriated toward the end.
Round 5: 25, 100, 50, 75, 4, 8. Target: 140.
C1: 140. ((100 / 50) + 25 + 8) x 4 (10)
C2: 138.
Score: 39–7 (max 40)
Another 4 large, another 10 points for our mini maestro.
Paul involves Nick in his magic trick using a pen, a 10p, some matches and some MAGIC.
Teatime teaser: DADHIRES -> DIEHARDS
Round 6: R T N I O I E C T
C1: NITRITE (7)
C2: CONTRITE (8)
OT: CORNETTI (8)
Score: 39–15 (max 48)
Just like Barry yesterday, Marcia, out of nowhere, gets a Jack-beater and has got herself back in the game.
A CORNETTO (plural CORNETTI) is a wind instrument sounded by lip vibration against a cup mouthpiece.
Round 7: S S M V A E O L E
C1: MEASLES (7)
C2: MEASLES (7)
DC: SALVOES (7)
OT: MOVELESS (8)
Score: 46–22 (max 56)
A very unusual darren is missed, but at least it's much better than getting MEASLES.
Round 8: G S L J O U A U C
C1: GOALS (5)
C2: LAGS (4)
OT: GLAUCOUS (8)
Score: 51–22 (max 64)
Just loved Nick's reaction when Marcia said "Four", "Surely fours aren't allowed on here
" A fantastic mega-beater there too. 
GLAUCOUS is an adjective meaning light bluish-green or greenish-blue.
Round 9: R S D X A O A U I
C1: RADIUS (6)
C2: RADIUS (6)
DC: RADIOS (6)
OT: SUDARIA (7)
Score: 57–28 (max 71)
Another darren missed in the studio, although at least I've heard of this one!
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of the phrase, "Pardon my French".
Round 10: 75, 100, 2, 9, 9, 4. Target: 912.
C1: 912. ((100 - (9 - 2)) x 9) + 75 (10)
C2: 913.
Score: 67–28 (max 81)
An impressive solve by Jack there. Surely this game is all, but sealed now.
Teatime teaser: TURNGLUM -> NGULTRUM
I hope I'm not the only one who thought, "What the f**k when that answer came up."
Round 11: B S R W O E O H I
C1: wooshier
C2: SHOWIER (7)
DC: WOOSH (5) BOORISH (7)
Score: 67–35 (max 88)
A risky 8 gamble fails to pay off for Jack, but with his lead as it is at this stage, surely he's not going to collapse now.............
Round 12: L A T O R K N E P
C1: PRONATE (7)
C2: report
DC: OPERANT (7) PLONKER (7)
OT: PLANTER (7) POLENTA (7) PROLATE (7) PROTEAN (7) REPLANT (7)
Score: 74–35 (max 95)
And he wraps it up thanks to a word he could have had in an earlier round.
PROLATE is an adjective meaning elongated along the polar diameter, as a spheroid generated by the revolution of an ellipse about its longer axis (opposed to oblate).
Round 13: D F N F I E O R L
C1: FRIEND (6)
C2: DIFFER (6)
DC: FORFEND (7) FONDLER (7)
OT: OFFLINE (7) RIFFLED (7)
Score: 80–41 (max 102)
A few 7's there, but Jack still has an outside chance of getting his 5th ton on the trot.
Round 14: 50, 100, 6, 8, 4, 5. Target: 874.
C1: 874. ((5 + 4 - 6 + 100) x 8) + 50 (10)
C2: 874. (8 x 100) + 50 + (4 x 6) (10)
Score: 90–51 (max 112)
And now, it's all or nothing for 5 tons for Jack.
Round 15: S N I D E D I G S
C1 buzzes on 6.25 seconds to say GIDDINESS which is correct.
Final Score: 100–51 (max 122)
And he's got it too.
Jack has yet again shown signs of absolute brilliance and to have 5 centuries out of 5 is absolutely fantastic, so many congratulations to Jack. Hopefully by the time of my recaps next week, he'll become an octochamp with a score in the mid to high 800's, but we'll have to wait and see.
I'll see you next week, so till then, "Good afternoon".
Statistics Corner
Jack:
Total score - 100
Raw score - 107
Total % of max - 82
Raw % of max - 88
Total average score per round - 6.7
Raw average score per round - 7.1
Number of maxes - 8
Marcia:
Total score - 51
Raw score - 88
Total % of max - 42
Raw % of max - 72
Total average score per round - 3.4
Raw average score per round - 5.9
Number of maxes - 4
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=66