Episode Cats75

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8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Series 10, Episode 1 was a special episode broadcast on 13 January 2017, as part of 8 out of 10 Cats Mash-ups Series 10.

8 Out of 10 Cats regular Sean Lock was a contestant, along with Stephen Mangan who were against acting team captain Noel Fielding and Fay Ripley, while Jimmy Carr reprised his role as the host.

The match saw Sean Lock, with the assistance of Stephen Mangan and Mark Murray, the Countdown Champion of Series 70, winning by 45 – 22 in an 7-rounder.

Mark Murray was introduced as Sean's "nephew" by the name of "Donny" which the latter claimed he was "adopted" and played in Rounds 1, 2 and the Countdown Conundrum. He stayed out from the rest of the rounds as Jimmy and Noel accused him of cheating by assisting Sean Lock. His true identity was only revealed just before the Conundrum.

Rachel Riley was the arithmetician for this episode. The Dictionary Corner guest was the Brett Domino Trio, and the lexicographer was Susie Dent.

There were some interesting parts of the show, including an unfortunate and infamous incident in Round 5:

1) In Round 1, despite the pure coincidence that the nine letters arranged spelt out three different words, it was impossible to find a nine-letter word within the selection.

2) In Round 3, the Countdown clock music stopped halfway through after Jimmy put on a virtual reality headset but the clock needle still continued to function as per normal.

3) In Round 4, Noel Fielding tried to cheat by peaking over Stephen Mangan's working and assist Fay; although it was futile, Sean and Stephen were not aware of Noel's act. Also, after Rachel Riley initially could not get the solution, Sean tried to call Mark to assist her but as he was assumed to be sitting backstage, he did not show up.

4) In Round 5, Sean Lock, who was fuming after Jimmy made fun of his "nephew" and losing the bonus round, impatiently asked for a "Vowel, Consonant, Vowel, Consonant, Vowel, Vowel, Vowel, Consonant" in that sequence although he missed out one letter. Rachel followed his order but when she arranged it, the first four letters spelt out the rude word "ANUS" which left the whole audience roaring with laughter. The next three letters spelt out the word "AND" which caused a further blooper as well.

5) In the 30 seconds for Round 6, Jimmy was seen inflating balloons. Upon closer observation, these were the same balloons used as props for the 2016 End-Of-Year Special broadcast half a month earlier, indicating that this episode was filmed right before the preceding episode in sequence.

6) In the Countdown Conundrum, as Noel and Fay complained that it would be unfair that Mark was acting as an extra in Sean's team, they invited Rachel which Noel termed his "niece" to join in. However, they were no match for the Countdown champion who figured it out before everyone else.

There was a bonus round which involved acting out a scene from a movie in between the second teaser and Round 5; Sean's team re-enacted a scene from the James Bond film "Diamonds Are Forever" while Noel's team re-enacted a scene from "Twilight"; 22 points were awarded to Noel's team for displaying a better performance according to Jimmy's opinion.

NOTE: Had there not been the bonus round, Noel and Fay would have finished without any points which is a rare occurence on the show.

NOTE: In this version, both players' declarations were allowed, although points were only awarded for the best answer. Sean and Mark's answers are all assumed to be the same and placed under one section.

Rounds

Rnd	Selection	Stephen, Sean & Mark	Score	Noel & Fay	Others	Max.
1	ITBEAMPEN	BE MATINEE	7 – 0	BEATEN MEET/ITEM	AMBIENT, BETAINE*	7
2	75 50 8 6 5 3 → 534	539 534 [(75 - 5 + 3) x 8] - 50	17 – 0	— 531		17
TTT	NEONPISS	My grandma gets it once a week.			PENSIONS
Rnd	Selection	Sean Lock	Score	Noel Fielding	Others	Max.
3	OUOEZLIPR	PROLE	22 – 0	POOR	LOOPIER	24
Rnd	Selection	Stephen Mangan	Score	Fay Ripley	Others	Max.
4	50 100 9 1 9 3 → 727	—	22 – 0	724 ☓	RR: 727 = (9 - 1) x 50 + [(100 + 9) x 3]	34
TTT	ILOVESAC	And I'm not afraid to say it.			VOCALISE
Rnd	Selection	Stephen & Sean	Score	Noel & Fay	Others	Max.
5	ANUSANDSE	SAUNAS anuses ☓5	28 – 22	SANDS sudan ☓	SUNDAES, DUENNAS*	63
TTT	BUTTRISE	I'm incredibly moved.			TRIBUTES
6	IEOAXLGTR	gloatier ☓ GLOATER	35 – 22	GREAT lego ☓	LEGATOR	70
Rnd	Selection	Stephen, Sean & Mark	Score	Noel, Fay & Rachel	Others	Max.
7	DENTPOOPS	POSTPONED (5.50 seconds)	45  – 22			80