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| − | [[Image:Calendar_countdown.JPG|right|thumb]] | + | [[Image:Calendar_countdown.JPG|right|thumb|The ''Calendar Countdown'' set.]] |
| | '''''Calendar Countdown''''' was the first British adaptation of the ''[[Des chiffres et des lettres]]'' format, and the forerunner of ''[[Countdown]]'' itself. | | '''''Calendar Countdown''''' was the first British adaptation of the ''[[Des chiffres et des lettres]]'' format, and the forerunner of ''[[Countdown]]'' itself. |
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| − | The series was broadcast only in the Yorkshire TV region, on Monday evenings at 6:30pm (immediately following the region's news programme, ''Calendar'') for eight weeks, from 19 April to 7 June 1982. The host was [[Richard Whiteley]], the letters hostess was [[Cathy Hytner]], numbers hostess was former Miss YTV Robena Sharp, and the Vital Statistician was [[Denise McFarland-Cruickshanks]]. There was no lexicographer at this time; they were introduced when the programme went national, with [[Ted Moult]] being credited as a co-presenter. Richard Whiteley and Cathy Hytner (along with producer [[John Meade]] and most of the backstage staff) remained with the show when it was subsequently commissioned for [[Channel 4]] under the shortened title of ''Countdown''. | + | The series was broadcast only in the Yorkshire TV region, on Monday evenings at 6:30pm (immediately following the region's news programme, ''{{w|Calendar (British TV programme)|Calendar}}'') for eight weeks, from 19 April to 7 June 1982. The [[presenter|host]] was [[Richard Whiteley]], the letters hostess was [[Cathy Hytner]], the numbers hostess was former Miss YTV [[Robena Sharp]], and the vital statistician was [[Denise McFarland-Cruickshanks]]. There was no [[lexicographer]] at this time; they were introduced when the programme went national, with [[Ted Moult]] being credited as a co-presenter. Richard Whiteley and Cathy Hytner (along with producer [[John Meade]] and most of the backstage staff) remained with the show when it was subsequently commissioned for [[Channel 4]] under the shortened title of ''Countdown''. |
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| − | ==Main Series== | + | ==Series== |
| − | The first seven transmitted episodes, broadcast from 19 April to 7 June 1982, followed an eight-player knockout format similar to a modern ''Countdown'' series finals stage. The final was held in two games, all tapes of the second game are believed wiped. Contestants had no visible nameplates; therefore, some of their names may be spelt phonetically here.
| + | <center> |
| − | ===Progress===
| + | {|class="episode_table" |
| − | {{CoC8 progress | + | !Year |
| − | | 1 = [[Angela Booth]] | + | !Series |
| − | | 2 = [[Harry Venet]] | q1w = 2 | s1w = 2
| + | |- |
| − | | 3 = [[Bob Stone]]
| + | !rowspan=1|1981 |
| − | | 4 = [[Jackie Nathan]] |q2w = 4 | + | |[[Calendar Countdown Pilots|Pilots]] |
| − | | 5 = [[Pamela Clough]] |q3w = 5
| + | |- |
| − | | 6 = [[John Reed]] | + | !1982 |
| − | | 7 = [[Michael Firth]] | q4w = 7 | s2w = 7
| + | |[[Calendar Countdown Main Series|Main Series]] |
| − | | 8 = [[Irene Hill]]
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| − | }}
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| − | ===Episodes===
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| − | {{episode table}}
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| − | {{ep | CC1 | 19/04/1982 | QF | [[Angela Booth]] | 18 - 29 | [[Harry Venet]] | Ted Moult | none |57 }}
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| − | {{ep | CC2 | 26/04/1982 | QF | [[Bob Stone]] | 14 - 38 | [[Jackie Nathan]] | Ted Moult | none | 59 }}
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| − | {{ep | CC3 | 3/05/1982 | QF | [[Pamela Clough]] | 30 - 13 | [[John Reed]] | Ted Moult | none | 61 }}
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| − | {{ep | CC4 | 10/05/1982 | QF | [[Michael Firth]] | 24 - 18 | [[Irene Hill]] | Ted Moult | none | 51 }}
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| − | {{ep | CC5 | 17/05/1982 | SF | Michael Firth | 32 - 14 | Pamela Clough | Ted Moult | none | 60 }}
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| − | {{ep | CC6 | 24/05/1982 | SF | Jackie Nathan | 20 - 35 | Harry Venet | Ted Moult | none | 67 }}
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| − | {{ep | CC7 | 31/05/1982 | GF | Michael Firth | 24 - 28 | Harry Venet | Ted Moult | none | 64}}
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| − | {{ep | CC8 | 7/06/1982 | GF | Michael Firth | | Harry Venet | Ted Moult | none }}
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| − | {{episode table end}}
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| − | | |
| − | ==Pilot episode==
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| − | [[Image:Cathy Hytner CCpilot.JPG|thumb| Cathy Hytner, Letters Girl]]
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| − | [[Image:Robena Sharp CCpilot.JPG|thumb| Robena Sharp, Numbers Girl]]
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| − | [[Image:Angela Garbut CCpilot.JPG|thumb| Angela Garbut, Vital Statistician]]
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| − | | |
| − | In 1981, two pilot episodes was filmed, although never transmitted. They featured future [[Series 1]] contestants [[Joyce Cansfield]] and [[Christine Jones]], as well as a further two contestants, Alec Buchanan and Ian Penny.
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| − | | |
| − | There were several differences to both the eventual Calendar Countdown format and Countdown in and of itself. In a bizarre scoring system, only the person who chose the letters or numbers received any points, unless they were beaten by the other contestant. So for example in a round when both Cansfield and Buchanan had 5 letter words, only Buchanan scored the 5 points.
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| − | | |
| − | For the '''numbers game''', 5 points were awarded for exact solutions, 3 points for within 5, and 1 point for more than 5 away (unlike the later shows this included being more than 10 away as well). Numbers were laid face down and as now, there were four large numbers on the top row. Small numbers were in rows of 6, 7 and 8. Large numbers were placed on the right-hand side of the board, rather than the left as they are now. There was no [[CECIL]], but instead a separate one-armed bandit type "fruit machine" chose the 3-digit target.
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| − | | |
| − | There was also a very confusing system with different lengths for different rounds, with some being 30 seconds but others being 45. In the first pilot, Round 1 was a 45-second letters round, round 2 a 30-second letters round, round 3 a 45-second numbers round. Round 4 was a letters round against the clock, with contestants buzzing in when they thought they'd found the longest available word. Round 5 was another 45-second numbers round. In a forerunner to the Countdown [[Conundrum]], round 6 was an 8-letter pre-selected word round. Unlike the conundrum though, contestants were not allowed to buzz on this round and had to sit patiently until the entire 45 seconds was up, even if they had seen it right away. 12 points were awarded for the correct answer to this round. For the second pilot, round 2 was extended to 45 seconds, and rounds 4 and 6 were replaced with a 30-second letters round, abolishing the conundrum altogether.
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| − | | |
| − | As per several other game shows such as {{w|Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?}}, the game "straddled" over episodes and did not correspond to one episode's length. In the first pilot, a total of 8 rounds were played; in the second pilot, this figure was 9.
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| − | | |
| − | Other than Garbut responding to Whiteley's questions as to whether the target could have been bettered, none of the female hostesses spoke, with Whiteley also reading out all of the letter and number choices.
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| − | | |
| − | The same theme music and clock music were used, albeit with a few 80s space alien type sounds included, as well as the melody being an octave lower than what would soon become the actual theme for Countdown. There was no representative from the dictionary in the corner, with Moult taking on both the role of the lexicographer and the guest. The first pilot episode ended with a cliffhanger, as a contestant submitted her word and we left at the exact moment that Moult began to look to see if it was valid.
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| − | | |
| − | {|
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| − | | [[Image:Alec Buchanan CCpilot.JPG|thumb| Alec Buchanan, Contestant 1]]
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| − | | [[Image:Joyce Cansfield CCpilot.JPG|thumb| Joyce Cansfield, Contestant 2]]
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| − | | [[Image:Ian Penny CCpilot.JPG|thumb| Ian Penny, upcoming contestant]]
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| | |} | | |} |
| | + | </center> |
| | | | |
| − | ===Episodes===
| + | [[Category:Countdown]] |
| − | | |
| − | {{episode table}}
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| − | {{ep|CCP1|n/a|P|[[Joyce Cansfield]]|26 - 8|Alec Buchanan|[[Ted Moult]]|[[Christine Jones]]|40}}
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| − | {{ep|CCP1|n/a|P|Joyce Cansfield|5 - 6|Christine Jones|Ted Moult|Ian Penny|11}}
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| − | {{ep|CCP2|n/a|P|Joyce Cansfield|21 - 4|Christine Jones|Ted Moult|Ian Penny|31}}
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| − | {{ep|CCP2|n/a|P|Joyce Cansfield|3 - 6|Ian Penny|Ted Moult|Alec Buchanan|14}}
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| − | {{episode table end}}
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| − | | |
| − | [[Category:Series]] | |
