Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
- Matthew Green
- Devotee
- Posts: 716
- Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:28 pm
Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
I put that comma in so it would read like a jaunty rhyme.
Not really up to date on the 30th B'day Championship but from the recaps it looks like some amazing games happening.
One problem though- no Julian Fell. For me, he is still the grand daddy of Countdown and it's a damn shame he's not in this. Did he turn it down? Was he untraceable?
And on a similar note, where the hell is Dave Von Geyer?
Not really up to date on the 30th B'day Championship but from the recaps it looks like some amazing games happening.
One problem though- no Julian Fell. For me, he is still the grand daddy of Countdown and it's a damn shame he's not in this. Did he turn it down? Was he untraceable?
And on a similar note, where the hell is Dave Von Geyer?
If I suddenly have a squirming baby on my lap it probably means that I should start paying it some attention and stop wasting my time messing around on a Countdown forum
-
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 13324
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
He announced his retirement a few years ago while in the middle of an online tournament. Mid round if legend is to be believed. Mid declaration. Also I doubt he turned down an invitation. People had to actively apply.
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Think I've said on here before but I too was really disappointed not to see him in the draw as for a tournament of this nature, thought it would be fitting to have him in the tournament.
Just after I put my enquiry in to appear in the tournament, I was going through my old Hotmail account and stumbled across Julian's e-mail in the address section and subsequently sent him an e-mail as I was hoping he'd at least know about it and was intrigued to know what his thoughts would be but sadly the e-mail bounced back within 10 minutes
I have no idea of his whereabouts now. I don't think he's on Facebook and I've never found him on LinkedIn either.
Just after I put my enquiry in to appear in the tournament, I was going through my old Hotmail account and stumbled across Julian's e-mail in the address section and subsequently sent him an e-mail as I was hoping he'd at least know about it and was intrigued to know what his thoughts would be but sadly the e-mail bounced back within 10 minutes
I have no idea of his whereabouts now. I don't think he's on Facebook and I've never found him on LinkedIn either.
Probably the second tallest ever series finalist.
-
- Devotee
- Posts: 621
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2013 11:50 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Shame that, a real legend. How about we start up a Hall of Fame? Strictest criteria of entry, of course!
-
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 13324
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
You could have a "greats" thread where everyone just lists the Countdowners that they consider to have achieved "greatness". No ordering, and no particular size limit. Some might pick 2 and some 102.Dave Preece wrote:Shame that, a real legend. How about we start up a Hall of Fame? Strictest criteria of entry, of course!
-
- Devotee
- Posts: 621
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2013 11:50 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
I'm on it...
-
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 13324
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
By the way - where the He-Man, is Harvey Freeman?
- Jennifer Steadman
- Kiloposter
- Posts: 1245
- Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 10:34 pm
- Location: Kent
- Contact:
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
He-Man is over there. ---->
Can't help on Harvey Freeman's whereabouts though.
Can't help on Harvey Freeman's whereabouts though.
"There's leaders, and there's followers, but I'd rather be a dick than a swallower" - Aristotle
-
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 13324
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Where the Heavens, is Peter Evans?
Also, where is Mark Nyman by the way?
Also, where is Mark Nyman by the way?
- Johnny Canuck
- Kiloposter
- Posts: 1650
- Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2010 10:44 pm
- Location: Montréal 😃, Québec 😕, Canada 😃
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Where the hash is Graham Nash?
I'm not dead yet. In a rut right now because of stress from work. I'll be back later in S89. I also plan to bring back the Mastergram - if I can find a way to run a timer or clock through pure MediaWiki without having to upload to Vimeo every time.
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
He-man is doing his part in imitating Harvey's 'special' face, though...Jennifer Steadman wrote:He-Man is over there. ---->
Can't help on Harvey Freeman's whereabouts though.
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Conor wrote:He-man is doing his part in imitating Harvey's 'special' face, though...
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
I've actually managed to get hold of him the other day as I am trying to organise a reunion for later on this year for the people in my C of C and others around that time. He was basically miffed I managed to get hold of him and said that whilst he didn't have anything against me, he asked me not to contact him again and didn't want anything to do with Countdown again. Shame really but I respect his wishes.
Probably the second tallest ever series finalist.
- Ian Volante
- Postmaster General
- Posts: 3969
- Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:15 pm
- Location: Edinburgh
- Contact:
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Maybe my 'discovery' of him at my pub quiz a couple of weeks ago means that I won't see him again there either...Tom wrote:I've actually managed to get hold of him the other day as I am trying to organise a reunion for later on this year for the people in my C of C and others around that time. He was basically miffed I managed to get hold of him and said that whilst he didn't have anything against me, he asked me not to contact him again and didn't want anything to do with Countdown again. Shame really but I respect his wishes.
meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles
-
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 13324
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Has he joined a religious cult or something?Ian Volante wrote:Maybe my 'discovery' of him at my pub quiz a couple of weeks ago means that I won't see him again there either...Tom wrote:I've actually managed to get hold of him the other day as I am trying to organise a reunion for later on this year for the people in my C of C and others around that time. He was basically miffed I managed to get hold of him and said that whilst he didn't have anything against me, he asked me not to contact him again and didn't want anything to do with Countdown again. Shame really but I respect his wishes.
-
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 13324
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Where the Mansfield, is Joyce Cansfield?
-
- Enthusiast
- Posts: 424
- Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2013 2:45 pm
- Location: West Bridgford
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Is it bad I just searched the Parkrun website to see if Fell was registered?
SPOILER ALERT: He isn't
SPOILER ALERT: He isn't
Definitely not Jamie McNeill or Schrodinger's Cat....
-
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 13324
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
I've probably done the same in the past. I often look random people up.James Laverty wrote:Is it bad I just searched the Parkrun website to see if Fell was registered?
SPOILER ALERT: He isn't
- Johnny Canuck
- Kiloposter
- Posts: 1650
- Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2010 10:44 pm
- Location: Montréal 😃, Québec 😕, Canada 😃
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Ooh! I got a good one. Mandy Buck from Series 46 has never been seen at a CO-event since. So...
Where is Mandy Buck, anyway?
Where is Mandy Buck, anyway?
I'm not dead yet. In a rut right now because of stress from work. I'll be back later in S89. I also plan to bring back the Mastergram - if I can find a way to run a timer or clock through pure MediaWiki without having to upload to Vimeo every time.
-
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 13324
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
I don't think we've seen Christine Hunt since her defeat to Jack Worsley.
-
- Devotee
- Posts: 935
- Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2016 12:42 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Jamie Wing messaged me the other day to say that he actually happened upon Julian Fell in a restaurant in Oxford recently. Julian was (unsurprisingly) quite perturbed to have been recognised, saying that it was the first time in 15 years that it had happened to him. Didn't chat much as he quite clearly didn't want to, but for those interested he apparently looks "exactly the same, just with a few more wrinkles in his face".
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
I can imagine how annoyed he would have got at that.
I don’t know the full reasons he disappeared, but many said they found his parents pushy and the Countdown thing could have burnt him out.
I guess if there’s a special 40th anniversary thing this year, he won’t be appearing...
I don’t know the full reasons he disappeared, but many said they found his parents pushy and the Countdown thing could have burnt him out.
I guess if there’s a special 40th anniversary thing this year, he won’t be appearing...
Probably the second tallest ever series finalist.
- Andres Sanchez
- Enthusiast
- Posts: 269
- Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2022 12:32 am
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
I think that was just the main reason why he departed from the community, I read his experience some months ago on the old Countdown Page from Mike Brown and thankfully there were still some episodes of him on YouTube for me to check out. I think that he went pretty hard on this stuff, I'm reading back on this and there's one paragraph outlining what he did when he got his recording date.
I may be just spitballing here given this kinda stuff, but I think it's just been a big burnout. Honestly would've loved to see him come back at one point but I don't think he'll be coming back to the community any time soon.
Here's the rest of that article for anyone that wants to view it: http://www.thecountdownpage.com/exp-julian-fell-1.htmThere followed weeks of watching every edition of Countdown religiously (even watching five in one day on one occasion to try to simulate studio conditions), spending untold amounts on new shirts, organizing practice games with my long-suffering parents, putting the finishing touches to my lists of suffixes and prefixes and useful anagrams (e.g. MOANIEST = AMNIOTES, ROADIEST = ASTEROID), and so on. Always fiercely competitive, by now I was beating myself up mentally pretty much every time the contestants or Dictionary Corner found a longer word than I did, and generally getting rather worked up about the programme, to the extent that my mum threatened not to let me come home if I lost my game (because I would be so impossible to be with).
I may be just spitballing here given this kinda stuff, but I think it's just been a big burnout. Honestly would've loved to see him come back at one point but I don't think he'll be coming back to the community any time soon.
One of da 'Muricans
-
- Enthusiast
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Tue Dec 10, 2019 2:18 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Surely that level of dedication just takes all the fun out of it. You're on telly, prob better than most anyway, so just enjoy it. It ain't worth all that fretting
-
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 13324
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
That's half the people on Apterous!Paul Anderson wrote: ↑Mon May 02, 2022 4:36 pm Surely that level of dedication just takes all the fun out of it.
-
- Enthusiast
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Tue Dec 10, 2019 2:18 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Julian probably went at minimum close on Apterous hard I believe. Spotting such obscure words and knowing the meanings would take time. I also know that he had an old handheld Countdown game which you used to get in the goody bags in the early 00s and practised on that which I think too yielded obscure words.
He was competitive and I think his parents encouraged him. He was on here for a here while and from what I remember his departure was pretty sudden. I wouldn’t be surprised if his folks told him to call quits on Countdown immediately and thought it had its time and place.
Coming to the 30th, I don’t believe he was contacted but if C4 had contact details for him, I’d be surprised if they didn’t try contact him. Had he known about it, I can imagine it would have stressed him out and he would have probably declined anyway. But if he’d wanted to compete, he’d have felt obliged to try and emulate what he once did.
He was competitive and I think his parents encouraged him. He was on here for a here while and from what I remember his departure was pretty sudden. I wouldn’t be surprised if his folks told him to call quits on Countdown immediately and thought it had its time and place.
Coming to the 30th, I don’t believe he was contacted but if C4 had contact details for him, I’d be surprised if they didn’t try contact him. Had he known about it, I can imagine it would have stressed him out and he would have probably declined anyway. But if he’d wanted to compete, he’d have felt obliged to try and emulate what he once did.
Probably the second tallest ever series finalist.
-
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 13324
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
I don't think they contacted anybody individually. It just got mentioned here and in the Scrabble community I think and people were left to apply.Tom wrote: ↑Mon May 02, 2022 6:20 pm Coming to the 30th, I don’t believe he was contacted but if C4 had contact details for him, I’d be surprised if they didn’t try contact him. Had he known about it, I can imagine it would have stressed him out and he would have probably declined anyway. But if he’d wanted to compete, he’d have felt obliged to try and emulate what he once did.
-
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 13324
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
I'm surprised no-one did - Where the heck, is Julian Feck?
- Johnny Canuck
- Kiloposter
- Posts: 1650
- Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2010 10:44 pm
- Location: Montréal 😃, Québec 😕, Canada 😃
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
[Redacted - RIP Drawoh]
Last edited by Johnny Canuck on Tue Jan 24, 2023 3:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
I'm not dead yet. In a rut right now because of stress from work. I'll be back later in S89. I also plan to bring back the Mastergram - if I can find a way to run a timer or clock through pure MediaWiki without having to upload to Vimeo every time.
- Mark Deeks
- Fanatic
- Posts: 2446
- Joined: Tue Jul 12, 2011 3:15 am
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Howard died a couple of years ago.
Eoin Monaghan wrote:
He may not be liked on here, but you have to give some credit to Mark
- Johnny Canuck
- Kiloposter
- Posts: 1650
- Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2010 10:44 pm
- Location: Montréal 😃, Québec 😕, Canada 😃
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Oh no - must have missed the update, not another one of the good old boys
I'm not dead yet. In a rut right now because of stress from work. I'll be back later in S89. I also plan to bring back the Mastergram - if I can find a way to run a timer or clock through pure MediaWiki without having to upload to Vimeo every time.
- Rhys Benjamin
- Postmaster General
- Posts: 3107
- Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2010 4:28 pm
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Any reasons for a lack of Scott Mearns?
- Tracey Anne Mills
- Devotee
- Posts: 732
- Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:30 pm
- Location: The Series 72 Runner Up, The Crazy Cat Lady that lives with her two cats Freddie and Callie
Re: Where the hell, is Julian Fell?
Chris Wills told me a similar story that his parents were very pushyTom wrote: ↑Mon May 02, 2022 11:25 am I can imagine how annoyed he would have got at that.
I don’t know the full reasons he disappeared, but many said they found his parents pushy and the Countdown thing could have burnt him out.
I guess if there’s a special 40th anniversary thing this year, he won’t be appearing...
Tracey 'Old Enough To Be My Mum' Mills aka Crazy Cat Lady and Cat Lover