Episode Cats153

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Episode Cats153, billed as 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Series 25, Episode 1, was a special episode broadcast on 12 January 2024, as part of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Series 25. This episode was aired out of order as the set contained the truncated table set seen during the COVID-19 pandemic period; the credits also implied the episode was recorded in 2022.

The Team Captains were Lee Mack and Jon Richardson, their teammates were Munya Chawawa and Harriet Kemsley respectively, while Jimmy Carr reprised his role as the host.

The match saw Jon Richardson, with the assistance of Harriet Kemsley, winning by 43 – 35 in a 7-rounder and they won a Countdown rug (although there was no logo printed on it).

Rachel Riley was, as ever, the arithmetician. The Dictionary Corner guest was David O'Doherty, and the lexicographer was Susie Dent. Joe Wilkinson's voice was also heard during Round 6 as part of a pre-recorded message played by Jimmy on his voicemail.

Interesting and notable moments from the episode are listed below:

1) During the 30 seconds in Round 1, Jimmy pulled a lever that caused the studio to go to "Clay Mode". A short animation then played out in clay form, with Susie hitting Jimmy's head with the OED and twisting his hands during a fistfight. This also resulted in the letters being placed in a small rectangular box to the bottom-right of the screen to prevent the animation from being blocked out.

2) In Round 3, as Lee deliberately wanted the selection to fit his pre-determined arrangement, Rachel shuffled the letters around and threw out several vowels. Had this not happened, the proper selection would have been TIDATNRIU (It is worth noting the selection TIDATNRIO was worth 18 points as TRADITION could have been spelt out). Also, during the 30 seconds, Rachel and Jimmy played American football at the centre of the studio and it ended with two American football players along with Fabio, the show's permanent male model pouncing on top of Jimmy.

3) In Round 5, it was dubbed a Tension Round; the clock music was replaced with a techno version of it coupled with sirens, flames and a voice counting down from ten was heard as well. When the time was up, confetti shot out, notably scaring Munya and Lee as they had not played this round before. As points were doubled, the maximum was worth 14 points in this case.

4) In Round 6, as Munya deliberately wanted an O as the last letter, Rachel picked one for him in the pile of vowels, skipping some in between.

5) Before the Conundrum was revealed, Lee attempted to guess the answer COUNTDOWN. However, as he buzzed in just before the clock started, the clock was not stopped and his response was not counted.

NOTE 1: In this version, both players' declarations were allowed, although points were only awarded for the best answer.

NOTE 2: During the Introduction, Jon mentioned an octochamp who lost with 100 points in the week this episode was filmed. While there was no such instance in 2022, he could have very likely been referencing Episode 7675 in Series 85 where Adrian Fletcher won on a tiebreak, defeating David Wevill who had scored 101 points.

NOTE 3: In Round 4, Lee's team was incorrectly awarded points as Munya declared 877 but had a solution that got him 875 instead. Therefore, the final score should have been 28 – 43. In addition, the solution was given by Harriet, who in turn had obtained it from Jon via slipping a piece of paper to her.

Rounds

Rnd	Selection	Munya & Lee	Score	Jon & Harriet	Others	Max.
1	IATNEAPCK	PANIC PAINT	0 – 7	CAPTAIN picnak ☓	PINACATE*	8
2	100 50 3 9 7 1 → 823	823 ☓ 823 (7 + 1) × 100 + 50 − 9 × 3	10 – 7	— 828		18
TTT	STRIPLEE	Looks a bit scaly.			REPTILES
Rnd	Selection	Lee Mack	Score	Jon Richardson	Others	Max.
3	TITINADER	TAINTED	10 – 15	DAINTIER	ARTINITE*, NITRATED	26
Rnd	Selection	Munya Chawawa	Score	Harriet Kemsley	Others	Max.
4	75 25 100 50 5 5 → 877	877 ** 75 × (5 + 5) + 100 + 25	17 – 15	—	RR: 877 = (100 + 75) × 5 + 50 ÷ 25	36
TTT	TITCARDS	I can't stop looking at them.			DISTRACT
Rnd	Selection	Munya & Lee	Score	Jon & Harriet	Others	Max.
5	GDOPUROBE	PROBED pooer ☓	29 – 27	BOOGER BOOGER	GROUPED	50
TTT	FINALTUG	This isn't working.			FAULTING
6	AUZSTEBTO	BOAST BEAUTS	35 – 33	ASTUTE BEAUT	BATTUES	57
7	LETMEDUMP	pendulum ☓ (16.25 seconds)	35 – 43	PLUMMETED (27 seconds)		67