Countdown transmission times

Countdown is currently broadcast by Channel 4 from 14:10 to 15:00 British time on Mondays to Fridays most weeks throughout the year. In addition to the +1 channel, most programmes are repeated early mornings on Channel 4 at around 06:00, usually about 36 hours after their first transmission. In 2021, Channel 4 carrying the 2020 Summer Paralympics meant these repeats were delayed by three weeks – this was resolved 1.5 years later in end-2022 when episodes were aired on Saturday mornings for a few weeks.

Countdown programmes used to have additional repeat showings on More4 and 4seven, but these practices have now stopped. They were also given a showing on S4C a few days after the first Channel 4 transmission, but this ended with the completion of the digital switchover in Wales in March 2010 (at which point S4C ceased broadcast of Channel 4 programmes, since Channel 4 is now available throughout Wales).

Up until 2021, programmes could be watched using Channel 4's on-demand service at any time up to thirty days after the first transmission.

History

Start series	End series	Time (UK time)	Notes
Series 1		16:45	Only shown Mondays to Thursdays.
Series 2		17:30	Only shown Tuesdays to Fridays.
Series 3	Series 4	17:00	Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays only.
		16:45	Tuesdays only.
Championship of Champions I	Series 50	16:30 (30 minutes) 16:15 (45 minutes)	Grand finals between Series 11 and 17 were shown at 16:30. Up to and including Episode 3544.
Countdown Masters (series 1)		06:05	Episodes M1 to M23.
Countdown Masters (series 1)	Countdown Masters (series 2)	08:45	Episodes M24 to M54.
Countdown Masters (series 2)		06:54	Episodes M55 to M94. (Episodes M100, M101, M103, and M104 are unknown.)
Celebrity Countdown (series 1)		20:00
Series 50	Series 53	15:15
Series 54	Series 55	15:30	Up to and including Episode 4152.
Series 55		15:45	Episodes 4153 to 4177.
Series 55	Series 57	15:30	Up to and including Episode 4428.
Series 57		15:25	Episodes 4429 to 4438.
Series 57		15:30	Episodes 4439 to 4468.
Series 57	Series 63	15:25
Series 64	Series 67	15:10	Up to and including Episode 5586.
Series 67	Series 71	14:40	Up to and including Episode 5982.
Series 71	Series 72	15:10	Up to and including Episode 6076.
Series 72	Series 73	14:10	Up to and including Episode 6239.
Series 73	Series 75	15:10	Up to and including Episode 6446.
Series 75	present	14:10
Celebrity Countdown (series 2)		18:55 (More4)

Exceptions

Exceptions are sorted by series, then by date of the first episode in that particular timeslot in a series. Any future episodes in the same timeslot have been added into that bracket rather than given a separate row.

Date	During series	Time (UK time)	Notes
26 May 1983 27 May 1983 31 May 1983 1 June 1983 2 June 1983 3 June 1983	Series 2	17:00	Broadcast 30 minutes earlier due to extended news coverage for the 1983 United Kingdom general election.
2 July 1983		19:00	Saturday episode, shown to accommodate the longer runtime of a 14-round game.
20 September 1983 11 October 1983 13 October 1983	Series 3	17:30
12 October 1983		18:00
31 October 1983 2 November 1983 3 November 1983		16:45
1 November 1983		16:30
15 December 1983		16:45	Changed start time for 45-minute edition, as the grand final.
23 April 1984	Series 4	16:15	Rescheduled due to Easter week.
24 April 1984		17:00
25 April 1984		17:15
26 April 1984		16:45
28 June 1984			Changed start time for 45-minute edition, as the grand final.
25 October 1984 1 November 1984 15 November 1984	Series 5	16:25
17 January 1985 7 February 1985 14 February 1985 7 March 1985 8 March 1985	Series 6	16:25
21 Feburary 1985 14 March 1985		16:20
20 March 1985		18:00
23 November 1985	Series 7	16:35	Saturday episode (no episode on previous Monday).
20 December 1985		16:45	Changed start time for 45-minute edition, as the grand final.
27 January 1986	Series 8	18:00	Listed in TVTimes as 16:30 – delayed due to live House of Lords coverage.
11 April 1986	Series 9	16:25	Listed in TVTimes as 16:30.
5 May 1986 26 May 1986		17:00	Changed due to a bank holiday.
13 October 1986	Special episode	16:30	"Champion of Champion of Champions" special, extended to 45 minutes.
2 February 1987		16:30	500th episode, extended to 45 minutes.
3 June 1987	Series 12	16:35	Delayed due to Derby Day.
18 April 1989	Countdown Masters (series 1)	06:05 (leg 1) 08:19 (leg 2)	Leg 1 of Episode M3 scheduled for 17 April 1989 – reason unknown.
15 July 1989	Series 18	18:00	Moved from Friday to Saturday owing to the bicentenary of the French Revolution.
27 October 1989	Countdown Masters (series 1)	08:55	Listed in TVTimes as 08:45 – delayed by news of Nigel Lawson's resignation.
10 November 1989 13 November 1989		08:51	Listed in TVTimes as 08:45 – delayed by news of the Fall of the Berlin Wall.
26 December 1989			Boxing Day.
12 February 1990			Listed in TVTimes as 08:45 – delayed by news of Nelson Mandela's release.
25 December 1989		08:48	Listed in TVTimes as 08:45 – Christmas Day.
17 April 1990 18 April 1990 19 April 1990 20 April 1990 23 April 1990 24 April 1990 1 May 1990	Countdown Masters (series 2)	06:50
2 July 1990	Special episode	16:10	1000th episode, extended to 45 minutes.
25 December 1990	Countdown Masters (series 2)	09:19	Listed in TVTimes as 09:16 – Christmas Day.
26 December 1990		09:17	Listed in TVTimes as 09:16 – Boxing Day.
1 January 1991			New Year's Day.
8 January 1991	Championship of Champions V	16:30	Unlike 14-round broadcasts at the time, shown at the "normal" time of 16:30.
16 January 1998	Championship of Champions IX
24 December 1998	Series 39	17:30	Christmas Eve.
25 December 1998		16:50	Christmas Day.
25 December 1999	Series 41	16:55
23 June 2000	Series 42	16:10	Grand final, extended by five minutes.
5 July 2000	Series 43	16:45	Delayed due to cricket coverage.
25 December 2000			Christmas and New Year.
26 December 2000 29 December 2000	Series 44	16:15
28 December 2000		16:00
1 January 2001		16:25
24 December 2001	Series 46	17:45
25 December 2001		17:50
26 December 2001	Series 47	15:30
28 December 2001		16:45
31 December 2001		16:00
1 January 2002		15:45
6 May 2002		15:50	May Day bank holiday.
3 June 2002		16:08	Listed in TVTimes as 16:05, Daily Mail as 16:10 – bank holiday for Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II.
5 May 2003	Series 49	15:55	May Day bank holiday.
12 April 2004	Series 51	15:30	Easter Monday.
31 May 2004		15:10	Spring bank holiday.
30 June 2005	Series 53	15:00 15:45	Double-bill of the two semi-finals, as the previous two episodes had been delayed by a day due to the death of Richard Whiteley.
7 January 2006 8 April 2006	Series 54	16:20	A short-lived Saturday slot for the show – the episodes were erratically scheduled.
14 January 2006 28 January 2006 1 April 2006		16:10
21 January 2006 4 February 2006 4 March 2006 18 March 2006		16:00
11 February 2006		16:35
18 February 2006 25 February 2006 11 March 2006		16:15
25 March 2006		16:05
28 August 2006	Series 55	15:25	August bank holiday.
1 April 2016	Series 74	15:05	Moved due to Formula One coverage.
14 April 2017	Series 76	14:05
15 September 2017	Series 77	12:40
24 November 2018	Series 79	14:55
12 November 2019 19 November 2019	Celebrity Countdown (series 2)	21:00 (More4)	Original timeslot for Celebrity Countdown (series 2) – following disappointing ratings, the remaining four episodes were pulled and rescheduled.
24 February 2021 25 February 2021	Series 83	14:25 (More4)	Moved due to coverage of the 2021 Anthony de Mello Trophy.
24 August 2021	Series 84	15:15	Moved due to scheduled coverage of the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
26 August 2021		15:10
3 September 2021		14:40	Moved due to unscheduled coverage of the above Paralympics. EPGs were not updated.
27 October 2021		14:23	Delayed by technical failures. A good episode to bury, as it was critically affected by an administrative error. EPGs were not updated.
8 December 2021		06:10	Moved due to technical difficulties which prevented it from being broadcast on 3 December 2021.
9 September 2022	Series 86	14:15	Moved due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II the previous day which saw special programs broadcast to celebrate her life.
24 September 2022		14:35	Saturday episode – moved due to the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II which resulted in the episodes that week being aired a day behind schedule.
7 July 2023	Series 88	14:05	Moved due to Formula One coverage.

External Links

• Countdown transmission times on The Countdown Page