Monday 8th November 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 95)

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Rhys Benjamin
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Monday 8th November 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 95)

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Annedown XCIV and this one's got no subtitles on All4. Oh joy. I bet I get the full 2x4mins of ads too.

Countdown recap for Monday 8 November 2021.

On this day in 1847, Bram Stoker, creator of Dracula, was born. And he could do his own hair and make-up without any mirrors! (Oh god, we're back to Loose Women again.)

C1: Champion Roddie Bell (3 wins, 334 points.) Whooping great average of 111.33 which is Conor Travers level of octochampness.
C2: Challenger Zoe McEvoy. Schoolteacher from London, teaching at a primary school in Wimbledon. It's a private school, so she talks about the differences between public and private. More sports, music, and more experimentation with the curriculum. With Alastair Campbell in Dictionary Corner, I do hope the topic of New Labour's abysmal education record doesn't come up...
DC: Susie Dent and Alastair Campbell. Oh, I'm going to have fun with New Labour jokes in this one...
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: H T G O E I T S E
R02: P G T A O R U L E
R03: 75, 5, 3, 3, 6, 6. Target: 306.
TTT: NOCOUGHS - "I'll have a tea please, Bob."
R04: B S R E A O L D E
R05: N L S K O U R I O
R06: 50, 4, 8, 9, 1, 1. Target: 637.
R07: U I B P D M O A S
R08: T W I R O N E D A
R09: 25, 9, 2, 1, 4, 9. Target: 944.
TTT: RUNSTIME - "The train runs on time and gets here on schedule."
R10: T P I A S V A E G
R11: S R N I U E Y I P
R12: R M N R A E I A S
R13: L D S W E A E I E
R14: 100, 5, 3, 9, 7, 4. Target: 934.
R15: I C A T C H R A T (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: H T G O E I T S E

Roddie: HOTTIES (7)
Zoe: HOTTIES (7)
DC: GHETTOISE (18)
Score: 7–7 (max 18, jos 18)
Darren-o-meter: 1/1 (100%)

Alastair gets a nine on his first try! Not sure whether his or Susie's, but as the man who practically invented spin, we'll never know.

Round 2: P G T A O R U L E

Roddie: OUTRAGE (7)
Zoe: GROUPLET (8) (risky)
DC: OUTGLARE (8)
Score: 7–15 (max 26, jos 26)
Darren-o-meter: 1/2 (50%)

Zoe takes the lead, slightly to her (and everyone else's) surprise. Susie offers OUTGLARE, so maybe Alastair did get the nine in the last round...

Round 3: 75, 5, 3, 3, 6, 6. Target: 306.

Roddie: 306. (75 − (5 + 3) × 3) × 6 (10)
Zoe: 306. (5 − 3 ÷ 3) × 75 + 6 (10)
Score: 17–25 (max 36, jos 36)

Two very different methods, but 10 each.

Teatime teaser: NOCOUGHS -> SOUCHONG

Round 4: B S R E A O L D E

Roddie: RELOADS (7)
Zoe: RELOADS (7)
DC: EARLOBES (8)
OT: LEEBOARDS (18)
Score: 24–32 (max 54, jos 44)
Darren-o-meter: 2/3 (67%)

Susie declares eight, whilst Alastair nods along like the Churchill dog going over a speed bump. With potholes on it.

Round 5: N L S K O U R I O

Roddie: LOOKS (5)
Zoe: LINKS (5)
DC: RUINS (5) KROONS (6)
OT: UNLOOKS (7)
Score: 29–37 (max 61, jos 50)
Darren-o-meter: 3/4 (75%)

KROONS are the pre-Euro currency of Estonia. *must... contain... Euroscepticism... urge...*

Round 6: 50, 4, 8, 9, 1, 1. Target: 637.

Roddie: 637. (50 − 1) × (9 + 4) (10)
Zoe: 634.
Score: 39–37 (max 71, jos 60)

Roddie regains the lead by seeing the easier-than-it-looks numbers game.

Alastair Campbell tries to play down his role as Press Secretary (and later Director of Communications) in the Blair administration, saying he had no power (yeah right) and talks about the first time he was sat in a meeting with Nelson Mandela, which was a humbling experience for him. Anne then probes him with the George W Bush question and Alastair defends him, saying he was down-to-earth and knew who his troops were by name. No comment, but it's a proper Alastair Campbell thing to do, there, giving us something we can't easily deny despite how ridiculous it sounds...

Round 7: U I B P D M O A S

Roddie: PODIUMS (7)
Zoe: BUMPS (5)
DC: SODIUM (6) DUMBOS (6)
OT: ADIPOUS (7)
Score: 46–37 (max 78, jos 67)
Darren-o-meter: 3/5 (60%)

PODIUMS - Susie also says the plural can be PODIA, which I suppose is more accurate Latin-wise, but I've never heard of anyone saying that. Ever.

Round 8: T W I R O N E D A

Roddie: RATIONED (8)
Zoe: TAWNIER (7) (risky)
DC: ratedown DOWNRATE (8)
OT: DANEWORT (8) DERATION (8) NADORITE (8) ORDINATE (8) RODENTIA (8) TEARDOWN (8)
Score: 54–37 (max 86, jos 75)
Darren-o-meter: 3/6 (50%)

Loads of eights here so Zoe may well be kicking herself on this one.

Round 9: 25, 9, 2, 1, 4, 9. Target: 944.

Roddie: 943. (9 × 4 + 1) × 25 + 9 × 2​ (7)
Zoe: 956.
RR: 944. (9 × 25 + 9 + 2) × 4 (10)
Score: 61–37 (max 96, jos 85)

25 and a high target was always going to be difficult, and Roddie can only see one away. Zoe's challenge is falling apart, with only 12 points in the second half.

Teatime teaser: RUNSTIME -> TERMINUS

Round 10: T P I A S V A E G

Roddie: AVIATES (7)
Zoe: AVIATES (7)
DC: VISAGE (6) PASTIE (6) AGEIST (6)
OT: AGATISE (7) PAGATIS (7)
Score: 68–44 (max 103, jos 92)
Darren-o-meter: 3/7 (43%)

Seven for both contestants, and it's a darren in studio but is not a proper darren. I should think of a term for that. A "dan"?

Round 11: S R N I U E Y I P

Roddie: SNIPER (6)
Zoe: INSURE (6)
DC: INSPIRE (7) SPINIER (7)
OT: PIRNIES (7) PURINES (7) UPRISEN (7)
Score: 74–50 (max 110, jos 99)
Darren-o-meter: 3/8 (38%)

Sixes for both contestants are eclipsed by an Anne Robinson love-in with INSPIRE and SPINIER.

OOW Susie talks about some modern-day portmanteaus, such as iPod (modern!?), blog, and hangry. Then some not yet in the dictionary: snaccident (when you eat an entire packet of biscuits), textpectation (waiting for a text (bloody hell, Google Chrome's spellcheck likes that!)), anticipointment (when you get disappointed after hotly anticipating something)... so basically my life. Cheers Susie.

Round 12: R M N R A E I A S

Roddie: MARINERS (8)
Zoe: REMAINS (7)
DC: MARINES (7) AMNESIA (7)
OT: MARINERAS (18) MARRAINES (18)
Score: 82–50 (max 128, jos 107)
Darren-o-meter: 3/9 (33%)

If you put the A in MARINERS, I'll give you the money myself. Bank balance permitting.

Round 13: L D S W E A E I E

Roddie: weasled (US spelling of WEASELLED)
Zoe: SEAWEED (7)
OT: AEDILES (7)
Score: 82–57 (max 135, jos 114)
Darren-o-meter: 3/10 (30%)

It took me ages to work out what Roddie was trying to say there, spelling-wise. WEASELED? WEASLED? WASELED? Oh well, invalid anyway.

Round 14: 100, 5, 3, 9, 7, 4. Target: 934.

Roddie: 934. (100 + 4) × 9 − (7 − 5) (10)
Zoe: 934. 9 × 100 + 5 × 7 − (4​ − 3) (10)
Score: 92–67 (max 145, jos 124)

Zoe's approach is more "normal", Roddie's is more "Countdowny".

Round 15: I C A T C H R A T

Roddie buzzes on 1.75 seconds to say CATARACT which is incorrect.
Zoe does not buzz.
Alastair gives the answer, which was CATHARTIC.
Final Score: 92–67 (max 155, jos 134)

"There's nothing you can do to prevent the catharsis of spurious morality."

Roddie misses out on the century but makes it four wins from four. Which is a bit of a tautology now that I think about it, but it's 1:13am here (and if I get my way about abolishing clock-changing, it should be 2:13am). So I'm keeping the tautology in. Why not?

Anyway, Roddie will be back on Tuesday looking for his fifth win. Join us then for less Countdown. Until then, stay Countdown.


Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84
The forum's resident JAILBAKER, who has SPONDERED several times...
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