c4countdown

Countdown recap for Friday 3 July 1998.

C1: Champion Robert Muir (3 wins, 162 points.)
C2: Challenger Clive Freedman. From Pinner, Middlesex. No relation to the winner of CoCII.
DC: Mark Nyman and Toyah Willcox.
CV: Carol Vorderman.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: T S P A O G S E P
R02: W F J O A I T R B
R03: R T C M E U R E V
R04: 100, 50, 10, 9, 1, 2. Target: 644.
R05: L K T L A O E N C
R06: B N Z U A I Q Y N
R07: G D F E A O S G M
R08: 50, 4, 2, 1, 2, 7. Target: 208.
R09: I T A R Y O U T H (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: T S P A O G S E P

C1: POSTAGES (8)
C2: PASTES (6)
DC: STOPPAGES (18)
Score: 8–0 (max 18)
A nine from DC to start off the game. (According to today’s mass noun rules, I reckon that neither postages or stoppages would be allowed. Edit: Just checked. Postages is invalid on Lexplorer, but STOPPAGES is OK.) Let’s hope it doesn’t prove crucial at the end.


Round 2: W F J O A I T R B

C1: BOAT (4)
C2: RATIO (5)
DC: ABORT (5) towbar
OT: BOART (5) ORBAT (5) TABOR (5) AFRIT (5) TRIFA (5) BARFI (5) BIOTA (5) FIBRO (5) JABOT (5) JOWAR (5) ORBIT (5) TOWAI (5)
Score: 8–5 (max 23)

A load of fives (though most are pretty obscure), but our champ can only find a four. Towbar is two words, by the way). I’m not looking up what they all mean.



Round 3: R T C M E U R E V

C1: REVERT (6)
C2: TRUCE (5)
OT: RECURVE (7)
Score: 14–5 (max 30)

Robert does well to find a six from a tricky-ish selection, but everyone in the studio misses the darren.

A RECURVE is one of the two main types of bow used in competitive archery.

Round 4: 100, 50, 10, 9, 1, 2. Target: 644.

C1: 641. ((10+2+1)*50)-9 (7)
C2: 640.
CV: 643. (7)
OT: 644. (100+1-9)*((50/10)+2) (10)
Score: 21–5 (max 40)

A tricky numbers to get spot on evades Carol, but it is possible.




Round 5: L K T L A O E N C

C1: TACKLE (6)
C2: LOCATE (6)
DC: COLLATE (7)
OT: LACTONE (7)
Score: 27–11 (max 47)

The two sevens evade the contestants, but DC find the easier of the two.


Round 6: B N Z U A I Q Y N

C1: BUNNY (5)
C2: BUNNY (5)
DC: BUNNY (5)
OT: BUNYA (5) UNBAN (5)
Score: 32–16 (max 52)

Three fives available, and everyone in the studio finds the most obvious.



Round 7: G D F E A O S G M

C1: smogged
C2: SAGGED (6)
DC: DEMAGOGS (8)
OT: DAGOES (6) DOSAGE (6) DOGMAS (6) FAGGED (6) FOAMED (6) FOGGED (6) OMEGAS (6) FADGES (6)
Score: 32–22 (max 60)

Robert’s risky seven is just that, which allows Clive to get right back into the competition. DC find the darren which of course would not be allowed now, due to the Series 48 rule change.

A demagog is a political agitator.



Round 8: 50, 4, 2, 1, 2, 7. Target: 208.

C1: 208. (50*4)+7+1 (10)
C2: 208. (50*4)+7+1 (10)
Score: 42–32 (max 70)

An easy numbers game means we could be heading for a tie-break conundrum! (RW did not ask the contestants for their solutions, so I presume that this how they did it.)



Round 9: I T A R Y O U T H

C2 buzzes on 14.25 seconds to say AUTHORITY which is correct. Score: 42-42 (max 80)
And we are, as Clive’s solve means that ten rounds are needed.


TB: L A S S I S D I M

C2 buzzes on 1.25 seconds to say DISMISSAL which is correct. Score: 42-52 (max 90)

And Clive stays on to tomorrow’s show after a nail-biting endgame. Incidentally, if you look at http://www.apterous.org/cdb/game.php?game=828, it suggests a link between people called Clive Freedman and winning games on tie-break conundrums. Unfortunately for Robert, 3 games is unlikely to get him into the finals.



Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=39

DC cock up as well, as they offer the American spelling. The English spelling is demagogues.

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure Countdown allowed American spellings until the early 2000s.

Jacob Sutton wrote:

DC cock up as well, as they offer the American spelling. The English spelling is demagogues.

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure Countdown allowed American spellings until the early 2000s.

It's true. Until Series 48, when they were outlawed from the game, US spellings were fine, if disliked by some people.

Edited accordingly, if a little cockily.

Joseph Krol wrote:TB: L A S S I S D I M

C2 buzzes on 1.25 seconds to say DISMISSAL which is correct. Score: 42-52 (max 90)

NOTE: The max doesn't go up by 10 for tie-breaks.