Monday 11th January 2010 (Series 62, Prelim 1)

[Howard Somerset]

Today's recap may be delayed for a short while, as I've not been able to connect to the cdb recap writer during the first interval. I'll have it done as soon as possible.

[Charlie Reams]

Today's recap may be delayed for a short while, as I've not been able to connect to the cdb recap writer during the first interval. I'll have it done as soon as possible.

Fixed, cheers.

[Howard Somerset]

Thanks (in second interval).

[Howard Somerset]

Recap will follow shortly. Meanwhile, there's a preview on Wiki here.

[Howard Somerset]

Countdown recap for Monday 11 January 2010.

C1: Champion Jan Parker (4 wins, 345 points.)
C2: Challenger Robert Kennedy.
DC: Susie Dent and Brian Capron.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

For the opening game of Series 62, Jan returns to continue her run after a long rest, having won the final four heats of Series 61. Jan is a singer from Loughton in Essex, but normally likes to spend her winters on the Australian Gold Coast. This year, the attraction of Countdown has delayed her trip.
In the challenger's chair is former Coldstream Guardsman, Robert, a keen antique collector and frequenter of car-boot sales, and a fan of Leonard Cohen.
I wonder if either of these contestants is aware of what is in store for the winner tommorow.

It's Rachel's 24th birthday today, and Jeff tells us that in Series 61, Rachel achieved 94% of the numbers games which were possible. Must see how that statistic compares some other series.

Making this third visit to dictionary corner this week is Brian Capron, a TV actor famous as killer Richard Hillman in Coronation Street, but also as Mr Hopwood in Grange Hill.

R01: R L X A E I P L N
R02: F O Q V U E D R U
R03: L L N O A I O C P
R04: E M F A E S T N A
R05: 100, 9, 4, 3, 2, 2. Target: 331.
TTT: COSMOMEN - "The answer's clear. They're hot soups."
R06: S E I N R E M U T
R07: M S V O A E V S M
R08: B N A O H D I E T
R09: S D G I O A R G E
R10: 25, 5, 4, 6, 10, 1. Target: 862.
TTT: HOTSOUPS - "Buys more then everyone else, then gets rid of the train."
R11: J K C E A E T Z N
R12: E R N T O I P E R
R13: B S D A I E R T Y
R14: 50, 1, 4, 5, 6, 2, . Target: 866.
R15: S A I N T F A C T (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: R L X A E I P L N

C1: EXPLAIN (7)
C2: EXPLAIN (7)
DC: PRALINE (7)
OT: PALLIER (7) PLAINER (7) RELAXIN (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)

Relaxin is a hormone which causes the cervix to dilate during labour. How could I have gone through my life so far and not known that?

Round 2: F O Q V U E D R U

C1: DEVOUR (6)
C2: ROVED (5)
Score: 13–7 (max 13)

Early lead for Jan...

Round 3: L L N O A I O C P

C1: COLON (5)
C2: polonic
DC: COLONIAL (8)
Score: 18–7 (max 21)

... which she stretches as Robert goes for an imaginary word.

Round 4: E M F A E S T N A

C1: SEAMEN (6)
C2: MEANEST (7)
DC: MANATEES (8)
OT: EMANATES (8)
Score: 18–14 (max 29)

But Robert quick pulls back most of the deficit.
A manatee is an Atlantic sea cow.

Round 5: 100, 9, 4, 3, 2, 2. Target: 331.

C1: 331. (100 + 9 + 2) x 3 - 2 (10)
C2: 332.
Score: 28–14 (max 39)

A numbers miss by Robert puts Jan well in command at the end of part one.

But before the interval, Brian talks about a time when his car was broken into and his Coronation Street scripts were stolen.

Teatime teaser: COSMOMEN -> CONSOMME

Round 6: S E I N R E M U T

C1: MINUTES (7)
C2: MINSTER (7)
DC: MUTINEERS (18)
Score: 35–21 (max 57)

Nice niner missed by both contestants, so it's still 14 points between them.

Round 7: M S V O A E V S M

C1: MOVES (5)
C2: SEAMS (5)
OT: MASSE (5) MESAS (5) MEMOS (5) OASES (5) SAVES (5) VASES (5) SOMAS (5)
Score: 40–26 (max 62)

Numerous fives, but nothing more.
A masse is a billiard of snooker stroke.
A mesa is an isolated flat-topped hill.
And a soma is believed to be the drink of the gods.

Round 8: B N A O H D I E T

C1: DONATE (6)
C2: BEHIND (6)
DC: OBTAINED (8)
Score: 46–32 (max 70)

Round 9: S D G I O A R G E

C1: -
C2: DISGORGE (8)
DC: ORGIES (6)
Score: 46–40 (max 78)

Jan imagines a letter which isn't there, which lets Robert close the gap to only six.

Susie gives the meaning of those strange words which are inscribed on the rim of our pound coins, including the cottish and Welsh variants.

Round 10: 25, 5, 4, 6, 10, 1. Target: 862.

C1: 861. (5 x 6 + 4) x 25 + 10 + 1 (7)
C2: -
Score: 53–40 (max 85)

But another miss on the numbers puts Jan's lead back into double figures at the end of part two.

Teatime teaser: HOTSOUPS -> OUTSHOPS

For today's teasers, the scramble for teaser two was deliberately part of the clue of teaser one. Was this a one-off, or is this going to be a regular occurrance?
Outshops is nothing to do with shopping. To outshop is to send a railway vehicle out of the workshop after construction or repair.

Round 11: J K C E A E T Z N

C1: JACKET (6)
C2: JACKET (6)
DC: TENACE (6)
OT: JACKEEN (7)
Score: 59–46 (max 92)

A jackeen is a rather derogatory Irish term for a city dweller, in particular a Dubliner.

Round 12: E R N T O I P E R

C1: POINTER (7)
C2: PRINTER (7)
DC: PROTEIN (7) PIONEER (7)
OT: PORTIERE (8) REORIENT (8)
Score: 66–53 (max 100)

A portiere is a doorway curtain.

Round 13: B S D A I E R T Y

C1: TIRADES (7)
C2: BRAISED (7)
DC: SYBARITE (8) BESTIARY (8)
OT: TRIBADES (8)
Score: 73–60 (max 108)

A sybarite is a self-indulgent person.

Still only 13 points in it, so Robert's still in with a chance. He only needs both of the remaining rounds to win.

Round 14: 50, 1, 4, 5, 6, 2. Target: 866.

C1: 866. ((2 + 1) x 50 - 5) x 6 - 4 (10)
C2: -
Score: 83–60 (max 118)

However, a brilliant numbers game from Jan clinches the game.

Round 15: S A I N T F A C T

C2 buzzes on 6 seconds to say FANTASTIC which is correct, to which Jeff, for once, did not say FANTASTIC.
Score: 83–70 (max 128)

So, on the strength of her numbers superiority, Jan goes forward to tomorrow's game, having already achieved the number of wins Jackie did on her route to the finals in the last series. Will she get any more? Tune in tomorrow to read Ollie's review of his own performance in the challenger's chair.

Statistics Corner

Jan:
Total score - 83
Raw score - 89
Total % of max - 64.8
Raw % of max - 69.5
Total average score per round - 5.5
Raw average score per round - 5.9
Number of maxes - 6 (three numbers, three letters)

Robert:
Total score - 70
Raw score - 75
Total % of max - 54.7
Raw % of max - 58.6
Total average score per round - 4.7
Raw average score per round - 5.0
Number of maxes - 4 (three letters, conundrum)


Further summaries will appear at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=62

[D Eadie]

For today's teasers, the scramble for teaser two was deliberately part of the clue of teaser one. Was this a one-off, or is this going to be a regular occurrance?





No - just a one-off, its impossible to do this for every clue, there aren't enough hours in the day.

[David O'Donnell]

For today's teasers, the scramble for teaser two was deliberately part of the clue of teaser one. Was this a one-off, or is this going to be a regular occurrance?





No - just a one-off, its impossible to do this for every clue, there aren't enough hours in the day.

Lol, you lazy bastard. You could at least name check some of us media whores on this site - I am fairly sure a mention of Corby's name would cause him to jizz in his pants.

[D Eadie]

Lol, you lazy bastard.

Excellent.

[Clive Brooker]

It's Rachel's 24th birthday today, and Jeff tells us that in Series 61, Rachel achieved 94% of the numbers games which were possible. Must see how that statistic compares some other series.

I thought this seemed a bit high. I did some back-of-an-envelope calculations using Countdownwiki data and came up with this:

330 numbers rounds in the series, of which 9 were not solvable exactly.
207 solved by at least one contestant.
Of the remaining 114, 90 solved by Rachel.

So by assuming that any round solved by a contestant would have been solved by Rachel, her strike rate becomes 93% - that's close enough to 94% for me.

Just looking at rounds she was asked to try to solve (which is what I suspect most viewers thought Jeff was talking about) the average is 79%.

Given that on occasions the Wiki credits Rachel with a solution which was given out of time, and that she wouldn't have got all the 207 rounds solved by contestants, the 94% quoted by Jeff must be on the generous side.

I promise to get a life sometime. And happy birthday Rachel!

[Jon Corby]

I am fairly sure a mention of Corby's name would cause him to jizz in his pants.

Even that was enough!