Monday 26th August 2013 (Series 69, Prelim 34)

[Graeme Cole]

Countdown recap for Monday 26th August 2013.

C1: Champion Gemma Church (3 wins, 258 points) is a web designer and jewellery designer from Huntingdon. So far this series, the attention has focused on the established names like Glen, Zarte and Dylan, with Jen to follow at the end of this week, but with her three wins so far and her first max game on apterous last week, Gemma has shown us she could easily do well enough for a place in the finals.
C2: Challenger Jake Mason is a Geography graduate from the University of York. He's looking to go into something to do with renewable energy.
DC: Susie Dent and Nicki Chapman.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: V T S G R E I O A
R02: M N R H O E I B U
R03: 75, 3, 8, 2, 8, 4. Target 235.
TTT: IMANGLED: I mangled this person's character in a spiteful way.
R04: S G R N A E O M I
R05: P T E A H X I E F
R06: 50, 1, 4, 9, 2, 8. Target 328.
R07: N D T U O N Q E O
R08: K L C B O E A F O
R09: 50, 7, 5, 10, 2, 3. Target 711.
TTT: CRASSDID: Throws away all the old birthday greetings.
R10: T S P S A E O N D
R11: G R S J N I U E A
R12: M T L R O I A S A
R13: D T R P S O I A E
R14: 100, 50, 9, 10, 7, 2. Target 159.
R15: V E T T E L A I D (conundrum)

And now a briefer interlude before our main feature...

SPOI


Round 1: V T S G R E I O A

Gemma: GAITERS (7)
Jake: GRAVIES (7)
DC: VIRGATES (8)
OT: VOTARIES (8) VIRAGOES (8) RAVIGOTE (8)
Score: 7-7 (max 8)

A pair of unsure offerings from both players to start us off, GAITER is usually used in the plural, so nothing wrong with GAITERS, and GAITER is also in. And there are many different types of gravy. Susie and Nicki find VIRGATE, which is a historical measure of land equivalent to about 30 acres.


Round 2: M N R H O E I B U

Gemma: BONIER (6)
Jake: BROMINE (7)
OT: BOHRIUM (7) RHENIUM (7)
Score: 7-14 (max 15)

Three chemical elements form the maxes in this round: BROMINE, RHENIUM and BOHRIUM. Jake finds one of them and that puts him in front.


Round 3: 75, 3, 8, 2, 8, 4. Target 235.

Gemma: 235. 75*3+8+2 (10)
Jake: 235. 75*3+8+2 (10)
Score: 17-24 (max 25)

And an easy numbers game sees us into the teaser with Jake still seven ahead.


Teaser: IMANGLED -> MALIGNED


Round 4: S G R N A E O M I

Gemma: ORANGES (7)
Jake: ORANGES (7)
DC: SMEARING (8) ORGANISE (8) ORGANISM (8)
OT: MORAINES (8) MEGARONS (8) ROMAINES (8) ROMANISE (8)
Score: 24-31 (max 33)

Gemma sticks with a seven rather than going for something longer. Jake also sticks with a seven rather than going for something longer. We don't get to hear what those longer words were. Is it just me, or are contestants asked about unrisked words much less often than before?


Round 5: P T E A H X I E F

Gemma: TAXI (4)
Jake: FAITH (5)
DC: EXPIATE (7)
Score: 24-36 (max 40)

TAXI for Gemma, as Jake goes further in front. EXPIATE, to make amends for some guilt, is brought to our attention by the corner.


Round 6: 50, 1, 4, 9, 2, 8. Target 328.

Gemma: 328. (8-1)*50-9*2-4 (10)
Jake: 327. (0)
Score: 34-36 (max 50)

I thought this one was quite tricky, though there is a short but not completely obvious solution: (50 - 9) * 8.


Round 7: N D T U O N Q E O

Gemma: QUOTED (6)
Jake: QUOTED (6)
DC: OUTDONE (7) UNTONED (7)
OT: DUOTONE (7)
Score: 40-42 (max 57)

Susie and Nicki have OUTDONE the contestants by ignoring the Q.


Round 8: K L C B O E A F O

Gemma: CABLE (5)
Jake: BLOCK (5)
DC: FLOCK (5) cookable facebook
OT: BEFOOL (6)
Score: 45-47 (max 63)

I think I'd have risked COOKABLE^ here, but not FACEBOOK^. As it happens, neither are in. Some brand names pass in to the language and lose their capital in some cases (e.g. "hoover", or the verb to "google"), but Facebook isn't one of them. Yet.


Round 9: 50, 7, 5, 10, 2, 3. Target 711.

Gemma: 711. (50*2+3)*7-10 (10)
Jake: 711. Mistake in working. (0)
Score: 55-47 (max 73)

Jake ends up on 742, which allows Gemma to take the lead for the first time in the game.


Teaser: CRASSDID -> DISCARDS


Round 10: T S P S A E O N D

Gemma: SEASON (6)
Jake: PASTED (6)
DC: NOTEPADS (8) TONEPADS (8)
Score: 61-53 (max 81)

If you spotted DAPSONE, no, you can't put an S on it. A TONEPAD is a device for generating touch-tone noises as made by a telephone.


Round 11: G R S J N I U E A

Gemma: INJURES (7)
Jake: SEARING (7)
DC: GUINEAS (7) REUSING (7)
OT: ERASING (7) GAINERS (7) REGAINS (7) AIRGUNS (7)
Score: 68-60 (max 88)

Seventown. Still anybody's game.


Round 12: M T L R O I A S A

Gemma: MORALIST (8)
Jake: martials
DC: AMORALIST (18)
Score: 76-60 (max 106)

I wonder if Gemma was thinking of putting the A on the beginning of MORALIST? AMORALIST would be fine, but Gemma still increases her lead by 8 points, as there's no noun MARTIAL.


Round 13: D T R P S O I A E

Gemma: atropies
Jake: trapsed
DC: TRAIPSED (8) RIPOSTED (8) PAROTIDS (8)
OT: PARODIST (8) DIOPTASE (8) READOPTS (8) PAROTIDS (8) PASTORED (8) ASTEROID (8) PARODIES (8) PASTORIE (8) DIASPORE (8) SEPTORIA (8) ADOPTERS (8) DIOPTRES (8)
Score: 76-60 (max 114)

Both players get words disallowed because they needed another letter. In Jake's case it was a letter that was actually in the selection. Jake declared his word as a seven, and I'm not sure if he spelt it TRAPSED or misdeclared the length of TRAIPSED. I've decided to do the opposite of what the wiki says, just for the sake of arbitrary rebellion.


Round 14: 100, 50, 9, 10, 7, 2. Target 159.

Gemma: 159. 100+50+9 (10)
Jake: 159. 100+50+9 (10)
Score: 86-70 (max 124)

Jake needs to win this numbers round to have a chance of winning the game. CECIL puts on his mischief hat.


Round 15: V E T T E L A I D

Jake buzzes on 8 seconds to say ALLEVIATED which is incorrect.
Gemma does not buzz.
The answer was LEVITATED.
Final score: Gemma Church 86-70 Jake Mason (max 134)

The Church wins her fourth game and avoids a comment from Nick about getting a lower score than last time. This puts her half way towards becoming an octochamp. However, the running order means that she and Jen Steadman can't both win the full eight, as Jen plays on Friday in what would be Gemma's eighth game. That's not to say Jen's unbeatable, of course; Gemma has shown she's capable of maxing a game.

Incidentally, see how the hand on the Countdown clock doesn't rest on zero any more, but on about minus half a second? That's because it's old and wearing out, and wasn't designed to be transported around too much. This was fine when they were at Granada, which towards the end of its life had four studios but only made three regular programmes including Countdown. Now they have to share a studio in MediaCity with other programmes, they've had to move the clock around a lot, and that's caused problems like the hand not resting vertically, and on some occasions not starting properly at all. I've previously mentioned that they were going to replace it. My sauces (yep, both ketchup and brown) tell me that a brand new clock has been made and installed, and we should see the new one on our screens from about September-Octoberish. Apparently it's got LEDs instead of strip lights inside it, which will mean an end to a crew member occasionally having to hit the clock face to get all the lights to come on. And after 30 years it's finally acquired a reverse gear. I don't have any details on what it looks like from the outside, so we can only assume that it looks just like the old one, but see if you can spot it when it appears.

[Jack Worsley]

GAITER wouldn't be valid in the singular, but it's fine in the plural.

GAITER is fine in both the singular and plural. The dictionary has an entry for GAITER and states that it's usually GAITERS, which means both are acceptable. Did Susie make this comment?

[Graeme Cole]

GAITER wouldn't be valid in the singular, but it's fine in the plural.

GAITER is fine in both the singular and plural. The dictionary has an entry for GAITER and states that it's usually GAITERS, which means both are acceptable. Did Susie make this comment?

I thought she said that, but looking at it again she actually said "the question would be whether you could have GAITER in the singular, but the plural is absolutely fine". So she didn't actually say GAITER would be disallowed, just that it might be questionable. Thanks, I'll amend the recap.

[Ziggy Davidson]

Countdown recap for Monday 26th August 2013. He's looking to go into something to do with renewable energy.

Like a windmill ???

[Ciaran Thompson]

Incidentally, see how the hand on the Countdown clock doesn't rest on zero any more, but on about minus half a second? That's because it's old and wearing out, and wasn't designed to be transported around too much. This was fine when they were at Granada, which towards the end of its life had four studios but only made three regular programmes including Countdown. Now they have to share a studio in MediaCity with other programmes, they've had to move the clock around a lot, and that's caused problems like the hand not resting vertically, and on some occasions not starting properly at all. I've previously mentioned that they were going to replace it. My sauces (yep, both ketchup and brown) tell me that a brand new clock has been made and installed, and we should see the new one on our screens from about September-Octoberish. Apparently it's got LEDs instead of strip lights inside it, which will mean an end to a crew member occasionally having to hit the clock face to get all the lights to come on. And after 30 years it's finally acquired a reverse gear. I don't have any details on what it looks like from the outside, so we can only assume that it looks just like the old one, but see if you can spot it when it appears.

Yes I was in contact with one of the team and they said a new one has just been built due to the old one breaking down. I hope it looks similar to the old one but with a slightly different and newer look. I noticed that the hand was slightly out from early this year, but it's become more noticeable in the last few weeks. I wonder who will get to keep it, if anyone at all. It might just be dismantled. I remember the lights not coming on a few times in a 2006 episode when they had problems with it and they had to film it because they just couldn't fix it straight away. It looked odd without the lights coming on. Also, the hand apparently got stuck once pointing to the left and it took several engineers about an hour to fix it during a game back in the mid-90's.

So this year it's been bye to the old CECIL and now to the old clock. I joked with one of the women from the studio, asking if the slight leaning to left is representative of a political sway of the team. Big Ben (which of course houses another famous clock) is apparently leaning now to the left also. I wonder if that is also reflective of Parliament as a whole. Thankfully, Big Ben is not expected to topple over for several hundred years.

Maybe Graeme you could give us an estimation of the many thousands of times the clock has been started over the last 31 years.