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Nita Marr

From Countdown
Revision as of 15:53, 12 May 2010 by 79.67.197.66 (talk)
Nita Marr
Nita in 2008

Nita Marr (born 28 December 1943, the same day as Richard Whiteley) was a contestant, and semi-finalist, of Series 13. She came from Longniddry, and after defeating Mike Whiteoak in her first heat game, she won a further six before losing her eighth to Mark Preston. Nonetheless, she returned for the final rounds as #1 seed, beating Cath Powell in the quarter-finals before losing to eventual champion Hilary Hopper in the semi-finals. Nita returned for Championship of Champions IV, causing a huge upset by beating Allan Saldanha in the quarter-final, but lost to eventual winner Nic Brown in the semi-final.In that game, Nita correctly guessed the conundrum (DECKCLOUD - CUCKOLDED) but was unsure whether it was a valid word so did not buzz. Had she buzzed she would have won the game.Nita's mother Ella Bernard appeared as a contestant in 1992. Nita herself returned again for the Supreme Championship in 1996, but lost in the first round to Irish whizz-kid Tim Morrissey on a crucial conundrum (BOOKSHELF). Her own record of her experience on the show can be read on The Countdown Page here.

Nita also participated in the first series of Countdown Masters, winning the first ever match against John Wallace 114 – 69, and lost in the second series of Countdown masters 99 – 81 to Jenny Haldane. Nita also recorded a special game in 2002 (broadcast in 2004), pitting her against The Countdown Page author Mike Brown, which she lost 113 – 70.

Nita is perhaps best known in the Countdown world as the founder and current chairman of the Edinburgh Countdown Club, which has been running for two decades. She also authored a chapter of Countdown:Spreading The Word, detailing her experiences both on the show and in the setting up of the club.

On 11th November 2009, members of the Edinburgh Countdown Club were pointed out in the audience by Jeff, and Nita was the uncredited one who solved the conundrum after it defeated both contestants.

Episodes

# Date Type Contestant 1 Score Contestant 2 Presenters Guest Lex Max
628 6/08/1987 P Mike Whiteoak 39 – 45 Nita Marr Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Cathy Hytner Diane Solomon Freda Thornton
629 7/08/1987 P Nita Marr 72 – 27 Letsy Constable Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Cathy Hytner Diane Solomon Freda Thornton
630 10/08/1987 P Nita Marr 48 – 26 Peter Holden Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Cathy Hytner Diane Solomon Freda Thornton
631 11/08/1987 P Nita Marr 64 – 30 Yvonne Thomson Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Cathy Hytner Diane Solomon Freda Thornton
632 12/08/1987 P Nita Marr 65 – 41 Suzanne Anderson Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Cathy Hytner Gyles Brandreth Freda Thornton
633 13/08/1987 P Nita Marr 52 – 49 Walker Roberts Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Cathy Hytner Gyles Brandreth Freda Thornton
634 14/08/1987 P Nita Marr 55 – 36 Ruth Tonothy Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Cathy Hytner Gyles Brandreth Freda Thornton
635 17/08/1987 P Nita Marr 34 – 52 Mark Preston Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Cathy Hytner Gyles Brandreth Freda Thornton
638 20/08/1987 QF Nita Marr 47 – 28 Cath Powell Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Cathy Hytner Derek Nimmo Catherine Clarke
642 26/08/1987 SF Nita Marr 34 – 54 Hilary Hopper Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Cathy Hytner Derek Nimmo Catherine Clarke
815 4/01/1989 CQF Allan Saldanha 45 – 53 Nita Marr Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Lucy Summers Tim Rice Catherine Clarke
818 9/01/1989 CSF Nita Marr 51 – 58 Nic Brown Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Lucy Summers Tim Rice Catherine Clarke
M1 3/4/89-7/4/89 Masters 1 Nita Marr 114 – 69 John Wallace Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman N/A Catherine Clarke
M68 16/7/90-20/7/90 Masters 2 Nita Marr 81 – 99 Jenny Haldane Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman N/A Simon Mason
1894 3/12/1996 gQF Tim Morrissey 60 – 51 Nita Marr Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Richard Digance David Swarbrick
S17 2/08/2004 S Mike Brown 113 – 70 Nita Marr Richard Whiteley Carol Vorderman Richard Stilgoe Susie Dent