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9 round format

From Countdown
Revision as of 19:12, 3 May 2010 by JohnnyCanuck (talk | contribs) (host)

The 9-round format was used for the first forty-five series of Countdown. It comprised:-

  • 3 letters rounds
  • A numbers round
  • The half-time adverts break
  • 3 more letters rounds
  • A second numbers round
  • The conundrum

Fans of the show sometimes describe the format in compressed notation as LLLNLLLNC.

The programme ran to about 30 minutes, including adverts. Due to the small number of rounds, many more games went to crucial conundrums, and the general element of chance was much higher because a single mistake or disallowed word could easily lead to defeat.

During the "9 round era", as it is known, the grand final was decided by over 14 rounds. However from Series 46 onwards, the programme has used the 15-round format exclusively. The only exceptions were the three-day junior tournament in Series 47 and the similar ladies' tournament in Series 49.

The 9-round format is still much used in unofficial online games and at Countdown tournaments such as COLIN.

All 9-round episodes were presented by Richard Whiteley.