Apologies for the lateness, let's get on with the game.
Nick reveals what the disciplinary procedure was like during his school days and discusses with Rachel how it's changed since then.
C1: Champion Amy Gilbert (2 wins, 184 points.) A mathematics graduate from Mansfield, she likes to swim with dolphins in Mexico, her favourite place in the world. Yesterday she impressed many people by racking up 111 points, the highest of the series so far and one higher than I ever managed on the show! This was thanks to the niner DETAILING and an opponent who'd have been better off playing Touchdown on apterous with a Jo Brand dictionary.
C2: Challenger Lucy Grainge. A full-time carer for her mum from Darlington, County Durham. She supports her local football team and has seen Uri Geller bend cutlery. Her left elbow once made a cameo appearance on Songs of Praise.
DC: Susie Dent and Jo Brand.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: R P D E O A T B E
R02: N G R I A E N T U
R03: R T S A O L I Z U
R04: P H S O A E F R U
R05: 100, 2, 1, 7, 9, 5. Target: 529.
TTT: CROCKMOO - "Is this type of bird on the lookout for Roger?"
R06: L D C I E A R M I
R07: G S J E A U Y V E
R08: B N S D U E A N S
R09: N L S I E O K P I
R10: 25, 9, 10, 7, 10, 8. Target: 757.
TTT: ENTERRAT - "Forget rat, this sort of person prefers rabbit"
R11: S G E A T N O I P
R12: H D S A E O W M I
R13: T D E A F D E W X
R14: 25, 6, 1, 1, 7, 7. Target: 544.
R15: B A S H E S B I T (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: R P D E O A T B E
C1: PREDATE (7)
C2: BERATED (7)
DC: bearpod OPERATED (8)
OT: PROBATED (8)
Score: 7–7 (max 8)
A solid start for everyone although Susie goes one better with her eight and Jo comes up with bearpod to go with yesterday's bearshaft.
Round 2: N G R I A E N T U
C1: RENTING (7)
C2: TEARING (7)
DC: gintune GENTIAN (7) RETUNING (8)
OT: TENURING (8)
Score: 14–14 (max 16)
Another two eights here, I thought NATURING would have been one but sadly not. Again, Amy and Lucy settle for seven points apiece.
Round 3: R T S A O L I Z U
C1: ROAST (5)
C2: TRAILS (6)
DC: ratoil TAILORS (7) RITUALS (7)
OT: ORALIST (7) OUTSAIL (7) SAUTOIR (7)
Score: 14–20 (max 23)
Amy TRAILS for the first time in her Countdown career as Lucy finds that word to take the lead. There were a few sevens though and I'm sure plenty of people, myself included, were hoping for a final E for TRIAZOLES. Sadly it didn't happen. Jo's ratoil brings back memories of her offering raturine earlier in the series.
A SAUTOIR is a long gold necklace, typically with many jewels.
Round 4: P H S O A E F R U
C1: POSHER (6)
C2: POSHER (6)
DC: poshfear PROFUSE (7)
Score: 20–26 (max 30)
A difficult selection, with DC pulling the only seven out of the bag.
Round 5: 100, 2, 1, 7, 9, 5. Target: 529.
C1: 530.
C2: 529. (100 + 7) x 5 - (9 - 2 - 1) (10)
Score: 20–36 (max 40)
This numbers game is perhaps a little more difficult than it first looks. Lucy finds a way though while Amy is one away. The former takes her lead into double figures.
Jo talks about her disliking of the word "empowerment".
Teatime teaser: CROCKMOO -> MOORCOCK
Round 6: L D C I E A R M I
C1: MILDER (6)
C2: MEDICAL (7)
DC: dimrail MIRACLE (7) DECIMAL (7) RECLAIM (7)
OT: CAMELID (7) CLAIMED (7) CLAIMER (7) DECLAIM (7) DIMERIC (7) RADICLE (7)
Score: 20–43 (max 47)
Amy needs to step up her game if she wants to prolong her place in the champion's chair and missing all of the available sevens in this flat round is not a good sign. Lucy is well on top here, with her lead up to 23 already.
Round 7: G S J E A U Y V E
C1: SUAVE (5)
C2: VAGUE (5)
DC: jugsave
OT: VEEJAYS (7)
Score: 25–48 (max 54)
A rotten set of letters here and the studio unsurprisingly can't (legally) beat five. Shockingly, there is a seven available.
A VEEJAY is an informal term for someone who introduces and plays music videos on TV.
Round 8: B N S D U E A N S
C1: BANNED (6)
C2: ABUSED (6)
DC: deanbuns BADNESS (7) SUNBEDS (7)
OT: DUENNAS (7) SUNDAES (7) UNBENDS (7)
Score: 31–54 (max 61)
A few sevens missed by the contestants here as DC find two of them.
Round 9: N L S I E O K P I
C1: SPINE (5)
C2: PINKIES (7)
DC: OILSKIN (7) plonkies
OT: ELISION (7) EPSILON (7) ISOLINE (7) LIONISE (7) PINKOES (7) SPLENII (7)
Score: 31–61 (max 68)
With a fairly comfortable lead, Lucy could have been forgiven for playing it safe after Amy declared her five. Her gamble pays off though and takes her score to almost twice as high as Amy's. Surely it's hers to lose now. I personally think Jo's plonkies should be a word.
OoW: Susie explains the origin of the term "wimp".
Round 10: 25, 9, 10, 7, 10, 8. Target: 757.
C1: 758. (10 - 7) x 25 x 10 + 8 (7)
C2: 758. (10 - 7) x 25 x 10 + 8 (7)
RR: 758. (10 - 7) x 25 x 10 + 8 (7)
OT: 757. (10 x 7 + 9) x 10 - 25 - 8 (10)
Score: 38–68 (max 78)
CECIL (R.I.P) comes up with a very difficult target which even Rachel can't do. The contestants do well to get one away as Lucy maintains her 30 point lead.
Teatime teaser: ENTERRAT -> NATTERER
Round 11: S G E A T N O I P
C1: PASTING (7)
C2: PONGIEST (8)
DC: PANTIES (7) OPIATES (7) pigseat
OT: PINOTAGE (8)
Score: 38–76 (max 86)
Not quite a massacre for Amy, as Nick claimed earlier, but she's getting a bit of a PASTING now. This is the second time she's missed PONGIEST, while there is another eight hiding in there, which unfortunately you can't pluralise for a nine.
Round 12: H D S A E O W M I
C1: SHOWED (6)
C2: WASHED (6)
DC: edamshow MEADOWS (7)
OT: MIAOWED (7)
Score: 44–82 (max 93)
Lucy stands on the brink of victory now.
Round 13: T D E A F D E W X
C1: WAFTED (6)
C2: DEFEAT (6)
DC: fatweed
OT: DEWAXED (7)
Score: 50–88 (max 100)
Lucy mathematically confirms DEFEAT for Amy as everyone gets sixes here. Jo makes an effort (again) with the word I correctly predicted she would go for. Susie actually looked it up at the time but couldn't find it, much to the disappointment of everyone.
Round 14: 25, 6, 1, 1, 7, 7. Target: 544.
C1: 550. (7 + 7 + 6 + 1 + 1) x 25 (5)
C2: -
RR: 544. (7 x 6 + 1 + 25) x (7 + 1) (10)
Score: 55–88 (max 110)
Another stinker of a numbers game. Lucy blanks completely which ends her chances of a debut century as Amy wins her first round of the game. Even Rachel needs extra time to solve this one.
Round 15: B A S H E S B I T
C1 buzzes on 2.75 seconds to say SHABBIEST which is correct.
Final Score: 65–88 (max 120)
Not too shabby from Amy but her late surge is nowhere near enough to retain her crown. Her two wins won't be enough to make the series finals but it's fair to say she's done herself proud in her three games, particularly her 111 yesterday, which unfortunately she was unable to reproduce today. Take nothing away from Lucy though who played very well and was a worthy winner. She looks capable of going on for a few more shows but you never know who she's going to be up against. James will be recapping her second game tomorrow so join him to see if she can build on today's good performance. I'll be back next week for what could be Lucy's sixth game. Until then, cheerio.
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=67