Liz Barber

Liz Barber was a contestant who made her debut in the first show of series 20. She won her first four games before losing to Andrea Parker 43-30, but these four wins were enough to earn her a spot in the final rounds as #7 seed. She beat Billy Ward and Fiona Willis on her way to a grand final showdown with #1 seed, octochamp Derek Coombs. With the score 67-66 in Liz's favour going into the crucial conundrum, it looked to have slipped away from her when Derek buzzed in on 18 seconds. However, his guess was incorrect, and when Liz's guess on 26 seconds also proved incorrect, the final score was confirmed at 67-66, and Liz became the twentieth champion of Countdown. Liz returned at the end of 1990 for Championship of Champions V, but was beaten by Tim Morrissey in the first round.

Liz returned in 1996 for the supreme championship, but was again defeated in the first round, this time by Richard Campbell. Liz's Countdown adventure was not over, however, as she returned one last time in 2003 for the Ladies' mini-series. She lost to Hilary Hopper in the first round, but it was a close-run thing, Hilary running out the 45-35 winner.

Preceded by Michael Wareham

Series winner Series 20

Followed by Barry Grossman