Spoilers for Thursday, 3rd April

[Joseph Bolas]

Will Nigel win again today... I actually hope not.

EDIT: God damn it, the smug cunt gets to play again for another day.

[Michael Wallace]

This was introduced on Channel 4 by the voiceover person saying "next on 4, it's all friendly fire on countdown" (or something like that) - now I appreciate that the film on before was in black and white, and so presumably was about a war, but what does this mean? Can we expect some sort of firearm antics in today's show? Let's see...

[Joseph Bolas]

This was introduced on Channel 4 by the voiceover person saying "next on 4, it's all friendly fire on countdown" (or something like that) - now I appreciate that the film on before was in black and white, and so presumably was about a war, but what does this mean? Can we expect some sort of firearm antics in today's show? Let's see...

It could be the profession of the challenger, they might be a policeman or something like that.

EDIT: Maybe not .

[Michael Wallace]

I'm too tired to check my dictionary - can you have MATZOS..oh they just said it, never mind

[Joseph Bolas]

My picture was a little jumpy, but when Nigel finished writing down his solution to the first numbers, does he nod to someone in the audience?

EDIT: Did anyone get the clp of The Descent too at the beginning of the 2nd half?

[Michael Wallace]

I don't know what it was, but I'm guessing we experienced the same problem, yeah

[Mike Brailsford]

Aaah, they apologised for spoiling our enjoyment of the programme !

[Dinos Sfyris]

Did anyone get the clp of The Descent too at the beginning of the 2nd half?

For a minute I thought that Carol might be advertising spelunking or something, but then no one was saying okeydoke, and I realised what had happened.

[DaveC]

Hiyo,

ACOLYTES and LACTONES spotted in R7. Both LOCATES + ?

LOCATES + Y = ACOLYTES
LOCATES + N = LACTONES

.. while on the topic here's all the other LOCATES + ? seeing though LOCATES is such a popular word.

+B = OBSTACLE
+G = GELCOATS
+I = SOCIETAL
+L = COLLATES
+R = SECTORAL/CROTALES
+S= ALECOSTS
+U=OSCULATE

I'm not aware of any 9's you can get with another letter except pluralising OBSTACLE and OSCULATE, but I'll bet there's a nerd out there somewhere.

DC

[JimBentley]

Did somebody call for a nerd?

LOCATES (ALECOST, LACTOSE, LOCATES, TALCOSE)

+ A ALECOSTS
+ B OBSTACLE
+ G GELCOATS
+ I SOCIETAL
+ L COLLATES
+ N LACTONES
+ P POLECATS
+ R CROTALES
+ R SECTORAL
+ U OSCULATE
+ Y ACOLYTES
+ AG GALACTOSE
+ AL ALLOCATES
+ AR ESCALATOR
+ BN CONSTABLE
+ BO BOOTLACES
+ BS OBSTACLES
+ CR ACROLECTS
+ DI DISLOCATE
+ DU OSCULATED
+ ER RELOCATES
+ FN CONFLATES
+ FN FALCONETS
+ HM MOSCHATEL
+ HR CHELATORS
+ HR CHLORATES
+ II SOCIALITE
+ IL OSCILLATE
+ IL TEOCALLIS
+ IN COASTLINE
+ IN SECTIONAL
+ IR SCLEROTIA
+ IR SECTORIAL
+ IV LOCATIVES
+ LU LACTULOSE
+ MP ECTOPLASM
+ NU CONSULATE
+ OT COELOSTAT
+ PR PECTORALS
+ PU COPULATES
+ SU CASSOULET
+ SU OSCULATES
+ TY OCTASTYLE

[Joseph Bolas]

Did somebody call for a nerd?

LOCATES (ALECOST, LACTOSE, LOCATES, TALCOSE)

+ A ALECOSTS
+ B OBSTACLE
+ G GELCOATS
+ I SOCIETAL
+ L COLLATES
+ N LACTONES
+ P POLECATS
+ R CROTALES
+ R SECTORAL
+ U OSCULATE
+ Y ACOLYTES
+ AG GALACTOSE
+ AL ALLOCATES
+ AR ESCALATOR
+ BN CONSTABLE
+ BO BOOTLACES
+ BS OBSTACLES
+ CR ACROLECTS
+ DI DISLOCATE
+ DU OSCULATED
+ ER RELOCATES
+ FN CONFLATES
+ FN FALCONETS
+ HM MOSCHATEL
+ HR CHELATORS
+ HR CHLORATES
+ II SOCIALITE
+ IL OSCILLATE
+ IL TEOCALLIS
+ IN COASTLINE
+ IN SECTIONAL
+ IR SCLEROTIA
+ IR SECTORIAL
+ IV LOCATIVES
+ LU LACTULOSE
+ MP ECTOPLASM
+ NU CONSULATE
+ OT COELOSTAT
+ PR PECTORALS
+ PU COPULATES
+ SU CASSOULET
+ SU OSCULATES
+ TY OCTASTYLE

Now, this I like.

Did you use a computer program to find these words, or did you go through them one-by-one.

[JimBentley]

Bit of both, Joseph. I wrote a thing to extract the words ages ago, but I had to do a bit of extra pissing about in Excel to get the + letters (the extras on top of LOCATES, that is). It would be pretty easy to automate the whole thing, but I can't be arsed doing it tonight.

[Joseph Bolas]

Bit of both, Joseph. I wrote a thing to extract the words ages ago, but I had to do a bit of extra pissing about in Excel to get the + letters (the extras on top of LOCATES, that is). It would be pretty easy to automate the whole thing, but I can't be arsed doing it tonight.

I have a copy of your Countdown Lite program JiBe , so I going to study the Macros and see if I can work it out (I've never learn't macros before so it will be fun to learn ). What I could also do, is just download a scrabble program and create a custom dictionary using the words allowed in Countdown , but if I do the former, I get to learn something .

[Jennifer Turner]

Aaah, they apologised for spoiling our enjoyment of the programme !

I thought it was an improvement, actually. Best new innovation on the show in ages - more, please.

Can we expect some sort of firearm antics in today's show?

Now you're talking! Gunplay and random gory film clips, that's the sort of thing this show needs more of! Well, it's got to be better than golf jokes, hasn't it?