c4countdown

Well, I happened to be in the studios for this week's recordings, and I still can't believe it was 3 months ago now

I was lucky to be invited by today's challenger and Apterite, Jason Turner, to be in the green room for this week's shows, and it was a great day in Salford (also boosted by the fact that my first Fifteen to One episode happened to be broadcast between the recordings of the last 2 shows. )

When I met up with the current champion, James Penny, in the green room, and he told me he won a show with a score of 113 without a 9, I was very impressed. So, a good game was in prospect between him and Jason, who I'd been giving last minute practice on the train, after I met up with him at Dewsbury.

I'll let you be the judge, but I think this week's shows are all decent, and it was certainly good to be in the studio again, after not being there since the Series 69 finals last November.

The delightfully debonair Anton du Beke is in DC this week, after a 5 year gap.

And with me being busy in Glasgow in midweek, Andy has graciously allowed me to switch recaps with him this week, so he'll be doing my Wednesday slot, while I'll be doing it today.

James Robinson wrote:And with me being busy in Glasgow in midweek, Andy has graciously allowed me to switch recaps with him this week, so he'll be doing my Wednesday slot, while I'll be doing it today.

If that's for Eggheads or something similar good luck!

PRAXIS one of 2 alts in R1

OSMUNDAS round 2

couple of 7s as beaters available in R5 OFFERS+PEO

James should have done 49x3 again or 150-3 etc - given Jason a good chance now.

Nice solve by Jason to show the Maths teacher how apterites do it.

R13, did player ask for a vowel and get a consonant?

An 8 available in the MOONRAT/OVERMAN round.

Jolly well done to Jason - DELERIUM all round.

I've noticed there seems to be a big drop in performance from a lot of players after 3 or 4 games,is it mental fatigue?, James, in today numbers for example, only getting 10 points from a very doable 40, wasn't great.

Zarte Siempre wrote:R13, did player ask for a vowel and get a consonant?

Yeah, I didn't recognise it at the time, but yeah, that happened. What also happened was that the original target for the 3rd numbers game was also 147, but they decided that it must've been a fault in the system, so it was scrapped.

Tony Atkins wrote:couple of 7s as beaters available in R5 OFFERS+PEO

SPOOFER was mine in that one.

Tony Atkins wrote:An 8 available in the MOONRAT/OVERMAN round.

Indeed, ANTEROOM, which was an interesting coincidence in the train on the way there. I was playing the Countdown app on my iPhone on the way to the studio with Jason, and in one round, I got MOONRATS, when ANTEROOMS was available

Tony Atkins wrote:

James Robinson wrote:And with me being busy in Glasgow in midweek, Andy has graciously allowed me to switch recaps with him this week, so he'll be doing my Wednesday slot, while I'll be doing it today.

If that's for Eggheads or something similar good luck!

You obviously aren't aware of a certain big sporting event starting on Wednesday in Glasgow, Tony

James Robinson wrote:

Zarte Siempre wrote:R13, did player ask for a vowel and get a consonant?

Yeah, I didn't recognise it at the time, but yeah, that happened. What also happened was that the original target for the 3rd numbers game was also 147, but they decided that it must've been a fault in the system, so it was scrapped.

Obviously a message from afar to say that John Parrott's next stint in DC is long overdue! Anton must be congratulated for making no effort at all to hide Susie's spoon-feeding of the DC guest!

Well done Jason ...fantastic debut ..some lovely spots..with the likes of delirium and the numbers rounds...to win by such a margin against James was also very impressive..hoping you do well over coming days

James Robinson wrote:

Zarte Siempre wrote:R13, did player ask for a vowel and get a consonant?

Yeah, I didn't recognise it at the time, but yeah, that happened. What also happened was that the original target for the 3rd numbers game was also 147, but they decided that it must've been a fault in the system, so it was scrapped.

That's interesting. I wonder what caused that?

There have been about 15,500 numbers rounds since the show began, and the probability of the same target coming out three times consecutively somewhere in that 15,500 is about 1 in 52. To determine whether this might have been coincidence, I shuffled a pack of cards and tried to guess the top one. I got it wrong. Therefore it wasn't a coincidence and they did the right thing by giving CECIL a kick up the backside.

I seem to remember they gave CECIL a kick up the backside once before as well.

Gavin Chipper wrote:I seem to remember they gave CECIL a kick up the backside once before as well.

A much more forceful one, in fact. During this episode, Richard Whiteley ordered a new target to be chosen simply because he thought the old one was "too easy."

Johnny Canuck wrote:

Gavin Chipper wrote:I seem to remember they gave CECIL a kick up the backside once before as well.

A much more forceful one, in fact. During this episode, Richard Whiteley ordered a new target to be chosen simply because he thought the old one was "too easy."

Yes, I think I remember that. Was there also another game where CECIL kept producing the same target so they did it again?

James Robinson wrote:

Zarte Siempre wrote:R13, did player ask for a vowel and get a consonant?

Yeah, I didn't recognise it at the time, but yeah, that happened. What also happened was that the original target for the 3rd numbers game was also 147, but they decided that it must've been a fault in the system, so it was scrapped.

In my prelim game against Michelle Nevitt the target for the second numbers round was originally the same as the first (860), but they decided this must have been an error and had it redone. Interesting that then they did it after just one repeated target, whereas in Jason’s game it took the same target appearing three times for it to be changed.

Super debut performance, Jason, DELIRIUM was excellent! Hope you can keep this up!

James Robinson wrote:The delightfully debonair Anton du Beke is in DC this week, after a 5 year gap.

That's a long time. Was he called Anton Du Beke back in those days, or was he still known as PJon Du Buncan?

Gavin Chipper wrote:

James Robinson wrote:The delightfully debonair Anton du Beke is in DC this week, after a 5 year gap.

That's a long time. Was he called Anton Du Beke back in those days, or was he still known as PJon Du Buncan?

Stares blankly. Has a think. Gets there in the end.

David Williams wrote:

Gavin Chipper wrote:

James Robinson wrote:The delightfully debonair Anton du Beke is in DC this week, after a 5 year gap.

That's a long time. Was he called Anton Du Beke back in those days, or was he still known as PJon Du Buncan?

Stares blankly. Has a think. Gets there in the end.

Ignores Gevin post first time round. Reads David's reply. Decides to think. Gets there. Wishes he hadn't.

What do you mean you ignored my post first time round? I think you should deactivate your account out of shame.

Also, I can't believe that anyone, upon first hearing of Anton Du Beke, didn't think that it sounded like he was some weird merger of Ant and Dec. So the rest should be easy.

Once you know his birth name, there is never any need for name-based Du Beke gags ever again. Look it up and enjoy.

Matt Morrison wrote:Once you know his birth name, there is never any need for name-based Du Beke gags ever again. Look it up and enjoy.

Anthony Paul Beke? Why are we supposed to enjoy that? But given that Anton Du Beke isn't his real name, it means that he actually did name himself after Ant and Dec. Weird man.

Anton Du Beke sounds classy, stylish, sophisticated, European. And he's actually Tony Fucking Beak.

Matt Morrison wrote:Anton Du Beke sounds classy, stylish, sophisticated, European. And he's actually Tony Fucking Beak.

I suppose so. A name so bad, it's better to be Ant and Dec.

Stop Gevin.

(That's a general recommendation to everyone.)