Russell Byers

Russell Byers

Russell Byers was the runner-up of Series 2, a semi-finalist in Championship of Champions I and a participant in the Supreme Championship.

He was an audit clerk from Selby, North Yorkshire. He won four heat games in impressive fashion, beating Ash Haji in the first game. He lost his fifth game to Michael Firth, but had done more than enough to return for the finals. He beat David Myerscough, Gary Roussak and Norma Nicholson on his way to the final, a rematch of his earlier heat game against Ash Haji. However, the final, the first ever 14-round game, didn't go Byers's way as he lost by a solitary point.

Byers played in Championship of Champions I, beating Andrew Guy in the first round before losing to Joyce Cansfield in the semi-final. His sister, Esther, became a finalist in Series 3.

Byers would return to Countdown some 12 years later to play in the Supreme Championship, where his first opponent was the Xicount David Trace. Trace first spotted UPENDING and beat him on a numbers game. Byers's luck improved later on as he found a nine-letter word and quickly turned the conundrum HEATBURNS into SUNBATHER. It was too little too late as Trace still won, but Byers did score 63 points, the highest losing score of the championship.

Byers also finished ninth in the inaugural COLIN event in 2005, over 22 years after his association with Countdown began.

He is also a Scrabble player and won the UK National Championship in 1982 and 1989.

Preceded by Michael Wylie

Series runner-up Series 2

Followed by Mark Nyman

Episodes

#	Date	Type	Contestant 1	Score	Contestant 2	Presenters				Guest	Lex	Max
44	4/05/1983	P	Ash Haji	30 – 59	Russell Byers	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	Kenneth Williams		69
45	5/05/1983	P	Philip Goddard	40 – 44	Russell Byers	Richard Whiteley	Dr Linda Barrett	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	Kenneth Williams		70
46	6/05/1983	P	Margaret Reid	32 – 50	Russell Byers	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	Kenneth Williams		75
47	10/05/1983	P	Sue White	30 – 54	Russell Byers	Richard Whiteley	Dr Linda Barrett	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth		68
48	11/05/1983	P	Michael Firth	52 – 37	Russell Byers	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth		71
66	10/06/1983	QP	Russell Byers	54 – 39	David Myerscough	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth		67
74	24/06/1983	QF	Gary Roussak	39 – 47	Russell Byers	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth	Lesley Burnett	72
78	30/06/1983	SF	Russell Byers	67 – 43	Norma Nicholson	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman	Beverley Isherwood	Angela O'Dougherty	Kenneth Williams	Lesley Burnett	72
80	2/07/1983	GF	Ash Haji	71 – 70	Russell Byers	Richard Whiteley	Dr Linda Barrett, Carol Vorderman	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	Kenneth Williams, Gyles Brandreth	Lesley Burnett	114
187	17/10/1984	CQF	Andrew Guy	48 – 61	Russell Byers	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Ned Sherrin	Yvonne Warburton	75
190	22/10/1984	CSF	Joyce Cansfield	62 – 33	Russell Byers	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Nigel Rees	Yvonne Warburton	63
M61	28/05/1990-1/06/1990	M	Anthony Butcher	89 – 91	Russell Byers	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman					none	Della Thompson	???
1881	14/11/1996	eQF	David Trace	68 – 63	Russell Byers	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Barry Cryer	Susie Dent	82