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Joyce Cansfield

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Joyce Cansfield

Joyce Cansfield, a housewife from Otley, was the first ever series champion of Countdown.

She made her debut on 11 November 1982, on the 7th episode of the series (and thus the show), beating John Simpson to become only the third-ever daily champion of the show as well as achieving 65 points, the second highest score of the series. Cansfield drew against Helen Grayson in the following show before losing to her the day after. However, at the time, seeds for the grand final (there were no quarters or semis) were determined by highest scores, and Cansfield thus made it to the grand final against Michael Wylie. Therein, she emerged the winner, 59 – 41, after solving a very apt crucial conundrum.

She later returned for Championship of Champions I, losing to Mark Nyman in the final. Cansfield also appeared on the special episode to celebrate Countdown's 500th show on 2 February 1987, and competed in the Countdown Masters in 1989.

In 1996 Cansfield returned for the Supreme Championship. She entered the event at the group semi-final level, having received a bye. Her first game was against Steve Balment, and although Balment solved the conundrum NAMIBIAPH Cansfield emerged the winner. She next played Jackie McLeod in a closer game, in which she looked in danger of a crucial conundrum but avoided it when McLeod missed a tricky 901 target. However, Cansfield succumbed to boy wonder Allan Saldanha in the series quarter-final when he achieved a perfect score.

Between 2002 and 2003, she filmed a 15-round game against Series 2 finalist Dixie Baird, but this is yet to be broadcast. In 2008, 26 years after she first appeared on the show, Cansfield returned again to the Countdown scene for the CoNot event, organized by a fellow series winner.

She first appeared on the Calendar Countdown pilot episode in 1981, but this was never broadcast.

Joyce Cansfield won the the UK National Scrabble Championship in 1980 and is the first of only two people (the other being Craig Beevers) to have been both UK Scrabble champion and Countdown series champion. She is also a long-standing setter of Times crossword puzzles.

Series winner
Series 1
Followed by
Ash Haji


Champion of Champions runner-up
Championship of Champions I
Followed by
Peter Evans

Episodes

# Date Type Contestant 1 Score Contestant 2 Presenters Guest Lex Max
7 11/11/1982 P John Simpson ? – 65 Joyce Cansfield Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Beverley Isherwood Cathy Hytner Ted Moult ??
8 15/11/1982 P Helen Grayson ? Joyce Cansfield Richard Whiteley Dr Linda Barrett Beverley Isherwood Cathy Hytner Kenneth Williams ??
9 16/11/1982 P Helen Grayson ? Joyce Cansfield Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Beverley Isherwood Cathy Hytner Kenneth Williams ??
27 16/12/1982 GF Joyce Cansfield 59 – 41 Michael Wylie Richard Whiteley Dr Linda Barrett, Carol Vorderman Beverley Isherwood Cathy Hytner Kenneth Williams ??
186 16/10/1984 CQF Joyce Cansfield 45 – 31 Christine Hunt Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Cathy Hytner Nigel Rees Yvonne Warburton 69
190 22/10/1984 CSF Joyce Cansfield 62 – 33 Russell Byers Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Cathy Hytner Nigel Rees Yvonne Warburton 63
191 23/10/1984 CGF Joyce Cansfield 34 – 65 Mark Nyman Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Cathy Hytner Ned Sherrin, Nigel Rees Yvonne Warburton 69
M27 2/10/89-6/10/89 Masters 1 Joyce Cansfield 102 – 58 Chris Beith Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman N/A Freda Thornton 136
1878 11/11/1996 dSF Stephen Balment 48 – 57 Joyce Cansfield Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Barry Cryer Susie Dent 71
1880 13/11/1996 dF Jackie McLeod 42 – 50 Joyce Cansfield Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Barry Cryer Susie Dent 70
1903 16/12/1996 SQF Joyce Cansfield 50 – 67 Allan Saldanha Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Nigel Rees Catherine Clarke 67
S(25) Unreleased S Joyce Cansfield 90 – 56 Dixie Baird Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Bernard Ingham Alison Heard 128


Championship of Champions Runners-Up

I : Joyce Cansfield | II : Peter Evans | III : David Trace | IV : Tony Vick | V : Gino Corr | VI : Chris Waddington | VII : Damian Eadie | VIII : Kenneth Michie | IX : Pete Cashmore | X : Kate Ogilvie | XI : Chris Wills | XII : Mark Tournoff | XIII : Charlie Reams | XIV : Dan McColm | XV : Bradley Horrocks | XVI : James Haughton