Episode 2096

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Episode 2096 was broadcast on 18 September 1997, and was the first quarter-final of Series 36.

Bhavin Manek played Roger Green, with Bhavin Manek winning 37 – 22. The Dictionary Corner guest was Richard Stilgoe, and the lexicographer was Hannah Robertson.

At the start of this episode, Richard Whiteley famously offered Green an apology for a comment he had made at the end of Episode 2071 when he lost in his third heat appearance, just over a month before the quarter-finals started. Whiteley had told Green that, although he was seeded at #5 at that stage, his record of two wins out of three would not be enough for him to return for the quarter-finals, as the standard of Countdown was by now far too high to allow for two-time winners to do so. However, not only did Green in fact eventually go on to qualify as the #8 seed for this series, the series #7 seed, Malcolm Fairy, also had a record of two wins from three games. Following on from this, no host of Countdown has ever since told a contestant that they would not qualify for the quarter-finals unless they had already failed to make the top 8 of the seedings for that series at the time of filming.

During the Dictionary Corner break, Richard Stilgoe also anagrammed Green's name to "Grrr! No! Eee!". This is in fact not a correct anagram of the name.

Rounds

Rnd	Selection	Bhavin Manek	Score	Roger Green	Others	Max.
1	WYAIGYEDH	WEIGH	5 – 0	wayed ☓	AWEIGH, HEYDAY*	6
2	MASNITAND	STAMINA	12 – 0	STAIN	MAIDANS*, MANTIDS*, SANDMAN	13
3	JESFIVCEG	FIVES	17 – 5	SIEVE	VEGIES	19
4	50 25 7 3 6 9 → 559	—	17 – 5	—	CV: 559 = (25 − 7 × 6 ÷ 3) × 50 + 9	29
5	VUPBAUDAW	BAP	17 – 9	DAUB	BAAP*, BAUD, BAWD, PAUA*, PUDU*, VADA*, WADA*	33
6	STEAQOMNL	LAMENTS	24 – 16	MANTELS	ETALONS*, LOMENTS*, MALTOSE*, MANTLES, MELTONS*, OMENTAL*, TELAMON*	40
7	TERKOTEDR	ROTTED	30 – 22	ROTTER	RETORTED	48
8	8 5 1 4 2 10 → 466	465 ((4 + 2) × 8 − 1) × 10 − 5	37 – 22	461	CV: 466 = ((8 + 1) × 5 + 2) × 10 − 4	58
9	TEAMPANEL		37 – 22	template ☓ (2 seconds)	NAMEPLATE	68