C1: Champion Gwen Robinson (1 win, 90 points.)
C2: Challenger Paul Stevenson.
DC: Susie Dent and Dr. Hilary Jones.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: D T R O I U B T I
R02: S N U D O G N E F
R03: M S Q I A E M P D
R04: F U R G A S N E U
R05: 75, 5, 5, 3, 2, 9. Target: 611.
TTT: ANUTTYIQ - "A large amount of surveyors perhaps"
R06: R S L O I E W R G
R07: S R D A E A S T L
R08: B E X T O N K I N
R09: T C Y O E I P C O
R10: 75, 6, 2, 2, 10, 9. Target: 944.
TTT: SOAPNOTE - "It's not an industrial town but there's space for five mills"
R11: R V N I E O M L S
R12: T P D E O T N E C
R13: T W S H A E O M R
R14: 75, 10, 5, 3, 3, 1. Target: 566.
R15: N A T T Y B A L L (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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So there I was preparing myself to recap Lee's 8th game with a chance to become that rare specimen of series 62 - an octochamp - but Gwen showed up.
Instead we have another new champion in the form of retired teacher Gwen Robinson. She loves travelling and her favourite place is Florence, Italy. She enjoys listening to Baroque music (jokingly misread by Jeff as "rock music")
Up against Gwen is physics lecturer and warden at the University of Surrey, Paul Stevenson. At the age of 12 Paul appeared on Timmy Mallet's 'Wacaday' playing the national anthem on a piggy bank with his nose. "Utterly brilliant!" Coming along with Paul today are his very own fanclub which gives us a rare view of the audience before a show! Looking like girl band The Saturdays - despite there being 6 - they are all dressed in bright, bold colours with Paul on their T-shirts! "Bleurgh"
Just time for Jeff to crack a joke, telling us that Dr. Hilary is a man that knows "his SARS from his elbow". A-lol!
Enjoy the show.
Round 1: D T R O I U B T I
C1: DOUBT (5)
C2: OUTBID (6)
DC: TURBOT (6) (Jeff)
OT: TURBID (6) TURBIT (6)
Score: 0–6 (max 6)
Paul kicks off strongly and is alert enough at this debut stage to pick out a common prefix.
Round 2: S N U D O G N E F
C1: DUNGEONS (8)
C2: SUNNED (6)
DC: FONDUES (7)
Score: 8–6 (max 14)
But Gwen storms back with the darren from the first 8 letters. GUENONS is an equally nice 7 but not worth 8 points!
Round 3: M S Q I A E M P D
C1: MAIMED (6)
C2: SPAMMED (7)
Score: 8–13 (max 21)
Paul wins this round with a word inspired by Monty Python. Excellent work.
Round 4: F U R G A S N E U
C1: FUNGUS (6)
C2: RANGES (6)
DC: GANEFS (6)
OT: ANGERS (6) RENGAS (6) SERANG (6) ARGUES (6) AUGERS (6) SAUGER (6) AUGURS (6) AUREUS (6) URAEUS (6) FUGUES (6) FURANS (6) UNGUES (6) UNSAFE (6) UNSURE (6)
Score: 14–19 (max 27)
Eventually both contestants match each other in a round, well, it was hard not to with all those available sixes!
Round 5: 75, 5, 5, 3, 2, 9. Target: 611.
C1: 611. (5+3)*75 + 9 + 2 (10)
C2: 611. (5+3)*75 + 9 + 2 (10)
Score: 24–29 (max 37)
A pretty simple numbers game (if you know your 75 times table) keeps the gap at slender 5 point lead to our challenger.
Dr. Hilary tells us that Edmund Hillary climed Everest 3 weeks before he was born and as such is why he became a Hilary (although spelt different from Edmund). He then says how curious it is that there are haemotologists with the surname Blood and orthopaedics surnamed Bone. Jeff chips in with a lovely scrap of trivia telling us of a Dr Gas who was the anaesthetist when his son Robbie was born.
Teatime teaser: ANUTTYIQ -> QUANTITY
Round 6: R S L O I E W R G
C1: GROWLERS (8)
C2: GROWLERS (8)
DC: WORRIES (7)
Score: 32–37 (max 45)
Brilliant spots of an 8 letter max increases the scores.
Round 7: S R D A E A S T L
C1: LASTED (6)
C2: tassled
DC: SALTERS (7)
OT: ASSARTED (8)
Score: 38–37 (max 53)
Gwen inches ahead by a point after Paul is unfortunately denied a relatively plausible seven. Everyone misses the darren ASSARTED and is it any wonder why? Apparently ASSART is to turn woodland and wasteland into cropland. Interesting stuff.
Round 8: B E X T O N K I N
C1: BONNET (6)
C2: TONNE (5)
DC: INTONE (6)
OT: KNITBONE (8)
Score: 44–37 (max 61)
Paul fails to score in successive rounds after being beaten by Gwen. A brilliant 8 was present in that selection but considering the likes of Bevins, Reams and Howe have missed it then I suppose we can't be too critical on DC or the contestants for that matter!
Round 9: T C Y O E I P C O
C1: POETIC (6)
C2: ECTOPIC (7)
Score: 44–44 (max 68)
The spot of the match for me. Paul finds the only 7 amongst a selection that seemed to be only shouting POETIC to me. Superb play from the challenger and it brings the scores to a tantalising 44-44 going into the numbers round. But first Susie cuts the tension with her tale about Humpty Dumpty.
Susie's Section:
Amazingly Humpty DUmpty was in fact a cannon used to kill Roundheads in the Siege of Colchester during the English Civil War. When this cannon that was positioned on a church tower fell it broke and thus "all the king's horses and all the kings men, couldnt put Humpty together again".
Round 10: 75, 6, 2, 2, 10, 9. Target: 944.
C1: 952.
C2: 944. ((9*2+75+2)*10) - 6 (10)
Score: 44–54 (max 78)
Paul is at it again. A very neat solution to a "separate the contestants" target. Great maths! His fan club can be heard "whooping" in the audience at this stage. They know the importance of this round.
Teatime teaser: SOAPNOTE -> TEASPOON
(A nice TTT clue given here by Damian playing on "five mills" and "5ml". Clever!
Round 11: R V N I E O M L S
C1: milners
C2: VERSION (7)
DC: VERISMO (7)
OT: LIMNERS (7) MERLINS (7) MERINOS (7) MERLONS (7) SILVERN (7)
Score: 44–61 (max 85)
With the two previous rounds going in Paul's favour, Gwen needed something here, but an invalid sees Gwen trail by more than 10 points for the first time in the game.
Round 12: T P D E O T N E C
C1: PENTODE (7)
C2: PENTODE (7)
DC: POTENCE (7)
Score: 51–68 (max 92)
Very good spots from the Countdowners does nothing for Gwen's hopes of another comeback. But this is Gwen who sprang one of the big shocks yesterday by coming from behind in the late stages of the match. Don't write her off yet!
Round 13: T W S H A E O M R
C1: THROWS (6)
C2: MOTHERS (7)
DC: SOMEWHAT (8)
Score: 51–75 (max 100)
OK, you can write her off now. Paul seals victory as Gwen can only offer a 6. DC superbly pull out SOMEWHAT from that selection.
Round 14: 75, 10, 5, 3, 3, 1. Target: 566.
C1: -
C2: 566. (5+3)*(75-3)-10 (10)
Score: 51–85 (max 110)
Paul is not only winning today but winning in style as he nails the 3rd numbers game showing his competence at the numbers game.
Round 15: N A T T Y B A L L
No one buzzes. The answer was (not blatantly) BLATANTLY.
Score: 51–85 (max 120)
A pretty tricky conundrum in my opinion largely due to the devilish scramble of having the T's and L's together.
In my view, Gwen looked a shade of her former self but I think that was in large due to Paul's solid debut performance. Unlucky Gwen but congratulations to the new champ. I'm sure James will be sad to see the back of another Robinson. Oh well.
Just before we leave there is enough time for Jeff to cause a "WTF" moment when he mentions a man in the audience being fingered.
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=62