Des chiffres et des lettres axed after 52 years

[Philip A]

Des chiffres et des lettres has been axed, ending a 52-year run of over 12,000 episodes as one of the longest-running gameshows in the world.

Devised by Armand Jammot, the show is the inspiration for Countdown, which itself was created by Marcel Stellman and greenlit by Yorkshire Television for Channel 4.

The French parent began in 1972, superseding Jammot’s original creation, Le mot le plus long, which launched in 1965.

The programme was relegated from 5 shows a week to just 2, airing only on weekends, in 2022; the re-scheduling also saw a change of co-presenters. Reports suggest the show failed to find its audience since the changes were made.

No more episodes will be made after the remaining recordings are broadcast.

It comes 5 months after the BBC ceased production of Question of Sport after 53 years, which was entirely re-booted in 2021.

[Mark Ivey]

Just goes to prove that nothing lasts forever.

[David Williams]

I read that it was cancelled because viewing figures had fallen to 700,000. I do sometimes wonder how Countdown survives on rather less than that, and still manages to pay presumably hefty sums to four presenters.

[Gavin Chipper]

Advertising for stairlifts and eardrops is worth a lot of money.