Spoilers for Friday 18th September 2009

[Jeffrey Burgin]

Cryptic question 1 relating to Jeffrey's performance? Cryptic question 2 relating to incident unlikely to be broadcast? Cryptic question 3 relating to identity of opponent?

Yes, it's Darren Carter on the show today.

[Darren Carter]

Who?

[Jon Corby]

Who?

I can't help but sing the Manic Street Preachers "Kevin Carter" in my head whenever I see your name, but replacing "Kevin" with "Darren" so that it becomes "Darren Carter". Do you see?

[James Robinson]

What a game this should be. Jeffrey and Darren's ratings were pretty much the same on Apterous, until Jeffrey rocketed up the standings recently, but this was done 13 weeks ago, so that's really irrelevant. This is probably going to be the tightest game of the week.

I wouldn't like to put money on it, even though I know the result. I could easily just con the bookies out of some money

EDIT: Having said that, I seriously doubt any bookies do or would even be allowed to allow people to bet on shows like this.

[Jon Corby]

EDIT: Having said that, I seriously doubt any bookies do or would even be allowed to allow people to bet on shows like this.

I'm sure they would, as you have amply demonstrated that people who already know the result wouldn't abuse this position.

[Derek Hazell]

Wot no bling?

Or do they make men take that off when they make women cover up their cleavage?

[Sue Sanders]

The Q and the U are coming out together alot lately ...can that have been 'helped' in some way??? I prefer it, I must say.

[Liam Tiernan]

PROFILER RD 2

[Derek Hazell]

The Q and the U are coming out together alot lately ...can that have been 'helped' in some way??? I prefer it, I must say.

Yes, Demi changed their magnetic polarity as one final act of defiance before she left.

[Phil Reynolds]

CURTAIN in round 4.

[Sue Sanders]

The Q and the U are coming out together alot lately ...can that have been 'helped' in some way??? I prefer it, I must say.

Yes, Demi changed their magnetic polarity as one final act of defiance before she left.

Quiet day at the library today, Dezzer??? (accepting that it is ALWAYS a quiet day in the library!)

[Charlie Reams]

The Q and the U are coming out together alot lately ...can that have been 'helped' in some way??? I prefer it, I must say.

Yes, a naked Q tends to be rather disappointing, especially because y'average contestant is unlikely to spot any of the tiny handful of Q-no-U words, although it occasionally adds to the cuteness as in round 8 here. Damian has said before that he had considered making QU a combined tile (as in Boggle) but that adds some odd complications with word lengths (i.e. you could get a 10). I guess it wouldn't be that hard to bias the C and V piles so that Q and U were at about the right depths to coincide, but I would guess it's probably a coincidence, because the pseudo-shuffling process is not that pseudo.

[Sue Sanders]

GRILLE for 6 - though don't have a dictionary to check.

[Ben Wilson]

Who else just yelled 'vowel' at the screen?

[Derek Hazell]

MIAOWED for 7, but only because it was more or less spelt out.

[Sue Sanders]

ADJOINT Yey - Sanders got a mathematics term!

[Sue Sanders]

OVERWHELM Bing!!

[Sue Sanders]

MIAOWED for 7, but only because it was more or less spelt out.

Are you actually watching???

Hmm, I think that reads better as actually watching ?

[Derek Hazell]

OVERWHELM Bing!!

Well done Sue!

Charlie must feel like Fagin when he sends two of his boys out to compete in the big bad show.

Nice to see a bit of horseplay between them at the end there too!

Are you actually watching???

Yep, got the afternoon off

[Sue Sanders]

Nice to see a bit of horseplay between them at the end there too!

Again, Derek, comments like that just don't help

Fuckity bollocks (re three steps forward, two steps back with my quoting there!)

[Phil Reynolds]

Nice to see a bit of horseplay between them at the end there too!

What, you mean when Jeff asked Jeffrey: "Did he make you sweat when he pressed?"
Oh god...

[Darren Carter]

Still can't get over the ASTEROIDS miss, and can't believe neither of us got that easy conundrum.

[Sue Sanders]

Nice to see a bit of horseplay between them at the end there too!

What, you mean when Jeff asked Jeffrey: "Did he make you sweat when he pressed?"
Oh god...

Phil, check out the player on DOND!!!!!!! Phwoar!!!!

[Sue Sanders]

OVERWHELM Bing!!

Well done Sue!

Charlie must feel like Fagin when he sends two of his boys out to compete in the big bad show.

Nice to see a bit of horseplay between them at the end there too!

Are you actually watching???

Yep, got the afternoon off

I'm watching in my friends' bedroom. They're away and I can't make their downstairs telly work. Gone are the days when you can expect to just turn a telly on and select a channel.

[Phil Reynolds]

Phil, check out the player on DOND!!!!!!! Phwoar!!!!

Call me Mr Picky but, as looks go, excess weight, bad teeth and cold sores aren't high on my list of must-haves.

I'm watching in my friends' bedroom.

Is this what it's come to Sue? Dogging?

[Sue Sanders]

Phil, check out the player on DOND!!!!!!! Phwoar!!!!

Call me Mr Picky but, as looks go, excess weight, bad teeth and cold sores aren't high on my list of must-haves.

I'm watching in my friends' bedroom.

Is this what it's come to Sue? Dogging?

'Mr Picky'

Fair enough. I see boyish good looks and thick head of hair. TV too grainy to show teeth coldsores. And not concentrating much what with the spit roasting and double penetration action here at Rock Mill.

[Jeffrey Burgin]

I really enjoyed today's game, me and Darren had played about a dozen games against each other on Apterous before our recording date and guessed that our match (assuming I got there) would invariably be a close one- although I don't think we would have guessed it would be as close as this.

Who else just yelled 'vowel' at the screen?

Which round was this?

Still can't get over the ASTEROIDS miss, and can't believe neither of us got that easy conundrum.

To be fair, the tension was so buttock-clenchingly tight that conundrum solving went out the window. I'd given up after about 10 seconds and was waiting for you to buzz, which of course you did, you bastard.

On a personal levels, disappointed to miss JOINT/ADJOIN/ADJOINT when at the start of the 30 seconds I said to myself, "Jointed? Oh wait, there's no E." GRILLE was another word my Dad beat me with, so perhaps he should audition. Apart from that, I was just pegged back by some good spots by Darren, MEADOWS especially IMO.

Also, if you watch me during the ASTEROIDS round, you'll see some laughably bad acting as I was looking for the E off the final letter and got the 9 in a second, which was the cue for 29 seconds of me pretending I hadn't got a 9. The CENTENARY round was also re-recorded as I originally got it as Jeff was asking me what I'd got ("Er....I think...I've got a 9, not written down?") and then as Jeff asked Darren he also got it after pens were downed.

[Ian Dent]

Today was a bit much for me.

My very favourite co-auditionee and my favourite Apterous opponent.


Too much.

[Darren Carter]

Also, if you watch me during the ASTEROIDS round, you'll see some laughably bad acting as I was looking for the E off the final letter and got the 9 in a second, which was the cue for 29 seconds of me pretending I hadn't got a 9. The CENTENARY round was also re-recorded as I originally got it as Jeff was asking me what I'd got ("Er....I think...I've got a 9, not written down?") and then as Jeff asked Darren he also got it after pens were downed.

It wouldn't have mattered anyway regarding your acting, as I knew there was a 9 there as I recognised the selection, and I knew you had it - made no difference!

ENTRANCE was in the CENTENARY round as well.....

[Jeffrey Burgin]

It wouldn't have mattered anyway regarding your acting, as I knew there was a 9 there as I recognised the selection, and I knew you had it - made no difference!

ENTRANCE was in the CENTENARY round as well.....

Bang goes my BAFTA then...

[Derek Hazell]

We are now at the stage where someone who "recognizes a selection" can lose their first game. Surely the only proof needed that things have entered a different league.

Bang goes my BAFTA then...

Yeah, but if you'd stayed on for the next show, beardy weirdy Noel Edmonds might have GOTCHA...

[Richard Priest]

Enjoyable game lads, well done.

PURITAN, round 4.

[Darren Carter]

BAHADURS in Round One.....

[Phil Reynolds]

here at Rock Mill

Will be passing the end of Rock Mill Lane on the way to Tesco in about 15 minutes, so look out for a red Peugeot 206CC and give me a wave.

[Ralph Gillions]

[quote="Jeffrey Burgin"]...the tension was so buttock-clenchingly tight...[quote]
Oh dear, you've set me off again.
I found it orgasmic today.

I enjoyed it Jeffrey and Darren. Well done on a good match

[Sue Sanders]

here at Rock Mill

Will be passing the end of Rock Mill Lane on the way to Tesco in about 15 minutes, so look out for a red Peugeot 206CC and give me a wave.

The top of Rock Mill lane is about a 7 min walk- so, I'll send a virtual wave....about.....now

[Jeffrey Burgin]

...the tension was so buttock-clenchingly tight...

Oh dear, you've set me off again.
I found it orgasmic today.

I enjoyed it Jeffrey and Darren. Well done on a good match

I had my money on Phil making that joke first actually.

[James Robinson]

'Genuine' stook out like a sore thumb and then there was only an 'l' and a 'y' left.

Still can't get over the ASTEROIDS miss, and can't believe neither of us got that easy conundrum.

It took me and the university lads next to me in the audience just a couple of seconds to get that conundrum. In a way, a sweet bit of revenge for saying that GENUINELY on my second show was easy.

But, having been there, it was an extraordinary match to watch, so maybe pressure got to you both in the end.

It was just amazing to see this brilliant match between Jeffrey & Darren. They both came up with brilliant words and both amazingly collapsed at just about the worst moments in the show.

That was definitely a classic Countdown game. Commiserations, Darren. Well done, Jeffrey.

Just 5 more for that octochampdom!

To finish: 2 stupidly easy alternatives for the 1st numbers:

6 x 50 = 300

9 + 8 + 7 - 3 = 21

300 + 21 = 321

7 x 50 = 350

9 x 3 = 27

8 - 6 = 2

350 - 27 - 2 = 321

[Ben Hunter]

In a way, a sweet bit of revenge for saying that GENUINELY on my second show was easy.

If you were in the navy, you'd be a petty officer.

[Jeffrey Burgin]

I wonder if today's conundrum was deliberately set up to sound like Hulme lover?

[Ian Dent]

Genuinely was easy.

[Phil Reynolds]

Will be passing the end of Rock Mill Lane on the way to Tesco in about 15 minutes, so look out for a red Peugeot 206CC and give me a wave.

The top of Rock Mill lane is about a 7 min walk- so, I'll send a virtual wave....about.....now

I actually drove up the lane as far as the new bridge, thinking you might have wandered outside to say hello. You let me down.

In 2004 we came within a gnat's tadger of buying one of the little terraced mews cottages on the right hand side directly adjacent to the mill.

[Sue Sanders]

Will be passing the end of Rock Mill Lane on the way to Tesco in about 15 minutes, so look out for a red Peugeot 206CC and give me a wave.

The top of Rock Mill lane is about a 7 min walk- so, I'll send a virtual wave....about.....now

I actually drove up the lane as far as the new bridge, thinking you might have wandered outside to say hello. You let me down.

We actually came within a gnat's tadger of buying one of the little terraced mews cottages on the right hand side directly adjacent to the mill.

I didn't see the message til 5.36 - when I responded but if I'd seen it in time, I could indeed have met you at the bridge! I'm up here regularly - either at Rock Mill (the town houses rather than the Mill house itself) or Grove Street so I'm sure we can meet up some time soon.

[Phil Reynolds]

I'm up here regularly - either at Rock Mill (the town houses rather than the Mill house itself) or Grove Street

Haha. Grove Street is worryingly close to where I live.

[Oliver Garner]

My very favourite co-auditionee

[Sue Sanders]

I'm up here regularly - either at Rock Mill (the town houses rather than the Mill house itself) or Grove Street

Haha. Grove Street is worryingly close to where I live.

Well, all the more likelihood that I'll come and 'worry' you sometime!!

[D Eadie]

The Q and the U are coming out together alot lately ...can that have been 'helped' in some way??? I prefer it, I must say.

Yes, a naked Q tends to be rather disappointing, especially because y'average contestant is unlikely to spot any of the tiny handful of Q-no-U words, although it occasionally adds to the cuteness as in round 8 here. Damian has said before that he had considered making QU a combined tile (as in Boggle) but that adds some odd complications with word lengths (i.e. you could get a 10). I guess it wouldn't be that hard to bias the C and V piles so that Q and U were at about the right depths to coincide, but I would guess it's probably a coincidence, because the pseudo-shuffling process is not that pseudo.

Definitely not helped by any means at our end. Prob just a lucky streak. Q without a U does come out soon, next week i think.

Personal dislike is any rounds with WUV in together. Not sure why but it justs a pet hate.

[Ian Dent]

My very favourite co-auditionee

You're second, daylight was third.

[Chris Davies]

BAHADURS in Round One.....

I got this

[Charlie Reams]

I predicted a cracker [1] and it certainly delivered, that's the most fingernails I've eaten during a conundrum since nibbling away during Bevins' semi. JB would've been desperately unlucky to lose with two nines, but both players were great to watch, so congrats and commis to each. Proof that you don't need to hit every max to create a classic game.

References
1. Private communication with Raccoon, 2009

[Darren Carter]

If another person says "I got TOOTH", I will scream......!

[Dinos Sfyris]

BAHADURS in Round One.....

I got this

So this was the 2nd Darren on the show Excellent game chaps. You both did yourselves proud. Good luck in the rest of your games JB. Think you have 2 and a half months to practice before the next one

[Darren Carter]

Think you have 2 and a half months to practice before the next one

It would have been pretty funny if he had grown a beard in the recording break, for it to magically appear on Monday's show.

[John Bosley]

The Q and the U are coming out together alot lately ...can that have been 'helped' in some way??? I prefer it, I must say.

Yes, a naked Q tends to be rather disappointing, especially because y'average contestant is unlikely to spot any of the tiny handful of Q-no-U words, although it occasionally adds to the cuteness as in round 8 here. Damian has said before that he had considered making QU a combined tile (as in Boggle) but that adds some odd complications with word lengths (i.e. you could get a 10). I guess it wouldn't be that hard to bias the C and V piles so that Q and U were at about the right depths to coincide, but I would guess it's probably a coincidence, because the pseudo-shuffling process is not that pseudo.

Here is a list for contestants to learn - I see some of the words use a 'u' anyway. BUQSHA, BUQSHAS, BURQA, BURQAS, FAQIR, FAQIRS, INQILAB, INQILABS, MBAQANGA, MBAQANGAS, NIQAB, NIQABS, QABALA, QABALAH, QABALAHS, QABALAS, QABALISM, QABALISMS, QABALIST, QABALISTIC, QABALISTS, QADI, QADIS, QAID, QAIDS, QAIMAQAM, QAIMAQAMS, QALAMDAN, QALAMDANS, QANAT, QANATS, QASIDA, QASIDAS, QAT, QATS, QAWWAL, QAWWALI, QAWWALIS, QAWWALS, QI, QIBLA, QIBLAS, QIGONG, QIGONGS, QINDAR, QINDARKA, QINDARS, QINTAR, QINTARS, QIS, QIVIUT, QIVIUTS, QOPH, QOPHS, QORMA, QORMAS, QWERTIES, QWERTY, QWERTYS, SHEQALIM, SHEQEL, SHEQELS, SUQ, SUQS, TALAQ, TALAQS, TRANQ, TRANQS, TSADDIQ, TSADDIQIM, TSADDIQS, TZADDIQ, TZADDIQIM, TZADDIQS, UMIAQ, UMIAQS, WAQF, WAQFS, YAQONA and YAQONAS.


I use some of these in Scrabble but then 'q' is worth 10 points of course.

[JimBentley]

Here is a list for contestants to learn - I see some of the words use a 'u' anyway. BUQSHA, BUQSHAS, BURQA, BURQAS, FAQIR, FAQIRS, INQILAB, INQILABS, MBAQANGA, MBAQANGAS, NIQAB, NIQABS, QABALA, QABALAH, QABALAHS, QABALAS, QABALISM, QABALISMS, QABALIST, QABALISTIC, QABALISTS, QADI, QADIS, QAID, QAIDS, QAIMAQAM, QAIMAQAMS, QALAMDAN, QALAMDANS, QANAT, QANATS, QASIDA, QASIDAS, QAT, QATS, QAWWAL, QAWWALI, QAWWALIS, QAWWALS, QI, QIBLA, QIBLAS, QIGONG, QIGONGS, QINDAR, QINDARKA, QINDARS, QINTAR, QINTARS, QIS, QIVIUT, QIVIUTS, QOPH, QOPHS, QORMA, QORMAS, QWERTIES, QWERTY, QWERTYS, SHEQALIM, SHEQEL, SHEQELS, SUQ, SUQS, TALAQ, TALAQS, TRANQ, TRANQS, TSADDIQ, TSADDIQIM, TSADDIQS, TZADDIQ, TZADDIQIM, TZADDIQS, UMIAQ, UMIAQS, WAQF, WAQFS, YAQONA and YAQONAS.

Nice list John, but future contestants take note - most of them wouldn't be valid on the show.

The list of valid 'Q no U' words is much shorter: CINQ, CINQS, FIQH, MBAQANGA, NIQAB, NIQABS, QANAT, QANATS, QAWWAL, QAWWALI, QAWWALS, QI, QIBLA, QIGONG, QINDARKA, QINTAR, QINTARS, QWERTY, TALAQ, TARIQA, TARIQAS, TARIQAT, TARIQATS and WAQF.

[Darren Carter]

I think there's also GIRLIE in the GRIP/GRIPE round.

[Kirk Bevins]

BAHADURS in Round One.....

Ahhh, I'd come on to post this as a beater and feel all smug and you've just ruined it you bastard. Anyway great tight game lads.

[Darren Carter]

BAHADURS in Round One.....

Ahhh, I'd come on to post this as a beater and feel all smug and you've just ruined it you bastard. Anyway great tight game lads.

What score did you get? Well into the 130's I'm guessing?

[Kirk Bevins]

What score did you get? Well into the 130's I'm guessing?

I got 136. 14 maxes - I missed GRILLE/GILLIE/GIRLIE/RELLIE, only having GRIPE.

[Kai Laddiman]

What score did you get? Well into the 130's I'm guessing?

I got 136. 14 maxes - I missed GRILLE/GILLIE/GIRLIE/RELLIE, only having GRIPE.

I got 134. 12 maxes - I missed BAHADURS (SUDARIA), PROFILER (didn't risk it) and MEADOWS/DISAVOW/MIAOWED (MOVIES).