Spoilers for Tuesday 9th November 2021 (Series 84, Prelim 96)

[Thomas Carey]

Countdown is a British game show involving word and number tasks. It is broadcast on Channel 4 and currently presented by Anne Robinson, assisted by Rachel Riley, with resident lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and 83 series have been broadcast since its debut on 2 November 1982. With over 7,000 episodes, Countdown is one of the longest-running game shows in the world, along with the original French version, Des chiffres et des lettres (Numbers & Letters), which has been running on French television continuously since 1965. Countdown was initially recorded at The Leeds Studios for 27 years, before moving to Manchester-based Granada Studios in 2009. Following the development of MediaCityUK, Countdown moved again in 2013 to the new purpose-built studios at Dock10, Greater Manchester.

The programme was presented by Richard Whiteley for almost 23 years, until his death in June 2005. It was then presented by Des Lynam until the end of 2006, Des O'Connor until the end of 2008, Jeff Stelling until the end of 2011 and Nick Hewer until mid 2021, with Colin Murray standing in for Hewer during part of the COVID-19 pandemic. The series has been presented by Anne Robinson, its first female presenter, since the beginning of series 84 in 2021.

In the early years, the show had multiple assistant presenters, including Carol Vorderman, who was hired for the first series to check calculations in the numbers round. Vorderman's role expanded to include placing the number and letter tiles and being a co-host of the show. She left in 2008, at the same time as O'Connor, and was replaced by Rachel Riley. Susie Dent has been the permanent lexicographer since 2004, and appears in "Dictionary Corner" alongside a guest.

The two contestants in each episode compete in three game types: ten letters rounds, in which the contestants attempt to make the longest word possible from nine randomly chosen letters; four numbers rounds, in which the contestants must use arithmetic to reach a random target number from six other numbers; and the conundrum, a buzzer round in which the contestants compete to solve a nine-letter anagram. During the series heats, the winning contestant returns the next day until they either lose or retire with eight wins as an undefeated "Octochamp". The best eight contestants are invited back for the series finals, which are decided in knockout format. Contestants of exceptional skill have received national media coverage and the programme, as a whole, is widely recognised and parodied within British culture.

[Gavin Chipper]

Never heard of it.

[Mark Kudlowski]

3rd (?) numbers alt, target 970

(75 x 10) + (25 x 9) - 5