Spoilers for Friday 4 November 2022 (Series 86, Heat 100)

[Gavin Chipper]

MUTENESS was in round 10 I think as a beater.

[Elliott Mellor]

MONOSES in r1
TOMELET in r2
MAJORAT in r4
TENESMUS in r10

[Jojo Apollo]

Well done to Floella Benjamin on hosting the show this week. Nice and calm.

Hopefully more TV legends will host for a week or so, no need for a permanent host as demonstrated on HIGNFY, it keeps it fresh.

[Philip A]

Well done to Floella Benjamin on hosting the show this week. Nice and calm.

Hopefully more TV legends will host for a week or so, no need for a permanent host as demonstrated on HIGNFY, it keeps it fresh.

Agreed.

[David Williams]

If you're going to have a different celebrity host every week, do you really need a celebrity guest as well? How many celebrities do you need to contribute virtually nothing to the actual game, which could be perfectly well run by Susie and Rachel on their own? It's just padding.

[Philip A]

If you're going to have a different celebrity host every week, do you really need a celebrity guest as well? How many celebrities do you need to contribute virtually nothing to the actual game, which could be perfectly well run by Susie and Rachel on their own? It's just padding.

I disagree. It would mean a lonely 1-person corner which I’m not keen on.

[Gavin Chipper]

If you're going to have a different celebrity host every week, do you really need a celebrity guest as well? How many celebrities do you need to contribute virtually nothing to the actual game, which could be perfectly well run by Susie and Rachel on their own? It's just padding.

If you wanted, you could merge Rachel and Susie into one role easily enough.

[David Williams]

If you're going to have a different celebrity host every week, do you really need a celebrity guest as well? How many celebrities do you need to contribute virtually nothing to the actual game, which could be perfectly well run by Susie and Rachel on their own? It's just padding.

I disagree. It would mean a lonely 1-person corner which I’m not keen on.

Maybe Rachel needs a buddy as well? And a co-host to sit with whoever is hosting this week? Is there any other show that has twice as many presenters as contestants?

[Gavin Chipper]

If you're going to have a different celebrity host every week, do you really need a celebrity guest as well? How many celebrities do you need to contribute virtually nothing to the actual game, which could be perfectly well run by Susie and Rachel on their own? It's just padding.

I disagree. It would mean a lonely 1-person corner which I’m not keen on.

Maybe Rachel needs a buddy as well? And a co-host to sit with whoever is hosting this week? Is there any other show that has twice as many presenters as contestants?

But is it this that makes it the cosy teatime show that people know and love?

[David Williams]

I wonder how they decide which one of the two celebrities turning up for a day's filming is going to do which job. You might have thought Dan Walker would be the host, marvelling at how clever Richard Coles is, rather than the other way round. Maybe next time they could swap? Chopping and changing every week to make it fresh is not the way to keep the cosiness.

You have to have been around for a long time to think of it as a teatime show.

[Marc Meakin]

Paratha not a word?

[Gavin Chipper]

Paratha not a word?

It is but I don't think it was available anywhere in this game.

[Marc Meakin]

Paratha not a word?

It is but I don't think it was available anywhere in this game.

It must have been Wednesday oops

[Philip A]

I wonder how they decide which one of the two celebrities turning up for a day's filming is going to do which job. You might have thought Dan Walker would be the host, marvelling at how clever Richard Coles is, rather than the other way round. Maybe next time they could swap? Chopping and changing every week to make it fresh is not the way to keep the cosiness.

You have to have been around for a long time to think of it as a teatime show.

I think they wanted veteran broadcasters with highly distinctive accolades – or national treasures if you like – in television as host for the specials, which I think bodes well with the 40th anniversary celebrations. Notice also the 4 guest hosts have titles: Baroness/Dame, Reverend, Sir and CBE. None of this means get rid of the guests. The 4-piece team makes Countdown identifiably different from any other quiz shows shown on any other channel, which is often one host these days. The show would feel lonelier if they reduce the number of team players IMHO. Each show has to be identifiable. Mind, the show started with a letters girl and a numbers girl + arithmetician + host + DC guest + lexicographer!