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Alex Call
| Alex Call octochamp statistics | |
|---|---|
| Final position | Quarter-Finalist |
| Seeding | 5 |
| Points total | 755 |
| Conundrums solved | 1 |
Alex Call was an octochamp and quarter-finalist in Series 90. At the time of his appearances, he was a self-employed book distributor from Swindon. He has also been a contestant on Pointless, appearing on 7 September 2020 with his mother Elaine, who appeared earlier in the same series of Countdown.
He previously spent over fifteen years working for WHSmith, going on to become head of promotions and eventually head of book marketing. Following his departure to go on a year-long sabbatical, he went on to found and operate his own book distribution company, 'Bert's Books'. This was initially online only, but due to the success of the business, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic era, a physical shop opened in Swindon in 2022.
Heat Games
Alex made his debut on the 27th August where he dispatched 2-time winner Jill Taylor. He went on to record seven more victories, which included a high-score of 116 in his fifth game and also the only 9-letter-word spot of his heats in ENCOURAGE. He notably managed to avoid any crucial conundrums despite actually only solving the single one through all of his heats, and wrapped up after his eighth game with a final total of 755 to become the third octochamp of the series, with that game also marking the point where the major dictionary cull of July 2024 took effect on-screen. He thus qualified for the finals, ranked No. 5 seed.
Finals
Call returned for his Quarter-final against returnee David Roe; while Call actually drew first blood with BROMINE, it was Roe who ultimately powered past Call and marked the latter's first defeat on the show, although he did manage to spot the Darrenic QUILTERS to claw back some pride towards the end of the game. With his lowest score to date of 67 points, it meant Alex finished with 822 points from his nine appearances, and with his unbeaten record broken.
Episodes
| # | Date | Type | Contestant 1 | Score | Contestant 2 | Presenters | Guest | Lex | Max | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8347 | 27/08/2024 | P | Jill Taylor | 71 – 90 | Alex Call | Colin Murray | Rachel Riley | Kadeena Cox | Susie Dent | 121 | ||
| 8348 | 28/08/2024 | P | Alex Call | 103 – 42 | Lorraine Graham | Colin Murray | Rachel Riley | Kadeena Cox | Susie Dent | 135 | ||
| 8349 | 09/09/2024 | P | Alex Call | 77 – 75 | Margaret Long | Colin Murray | Rachel Riley | Jon Culshaw | Susie Dent | 133 | ||
| 8350 | 10/09/2024 | P | Alex Call | 104 – 85 | Chris Butterly | Colin Murray | Rachel Riley | Jon Culshaw | Susie Dent | 124 | ||
| 8351 | 11/09/2024 | P | Alex Call | 116 – 45 | Mark Summersmith | Colin Murray | Rachel Riley | Jon Culshaw | Susie Dent | 136 | ||
| 8352 | 12/09/2024 | P | Alex Call | 93 – 35 | Clare Harris | Colin Murray | Rachel Riley | Jon Culshaw | Susie Dent | 135 | ||
| 8353 | 13/09/2024 | P | Alex Call | 82 – 80 | Paul Devine | Colin Murray | Rachel Riley | Jon Culshaw | Susie Dent | 129 | ||
| 8354 | 16/09/2024 | P | Alex Call | 90 – 61 | Sean Lincoln | Colin Murray | Rachel Riley | Richard Osman | Susie Dent | 125 | ||
| 8420 | 17/12/2024 | QF | David Roe | 97 – 67 | Alex Call | Colin Murray | Rachel Riley | Christopher Biggins | Susie Dent | 135 | ||
