Martyn Simpson
Martyn Simpson was a contestant in Series 61 and 82. As of his second appearance, he was an Area Sales Manager in the Mobility Sector from Kingswinford in the West Midlands. He has also been an Apterite since 2009.
In his original debut on 12 November 2009, he lost by a score of 68 to Ryan Taylor's personal best of 123.
Eleven years and one day later, he made his second debut. After having two words disallowed, Simpson maxed all the numbers rounds and raced away to beat previous Series 1 contestant Andy Bruno and end his second run in his sixth game.
In his fifth game, he won with a score of 132 (the highest score on the show in more than ten months). This was followed by a second consecutive score above 125 in his sixth win that included three nine-letter words, equalling the record for the most nine-letter words in a new 15-round game.
In a reversal of fortune though, his run was terminated in his seventh game with courtesy of a crucial conundrum solve by Leo Smith.
Simpson did not make the finals of the longest ever series despite winning six games and totalling 794 points (an average of just over 113), meaning that he has the highest average score for a non-octochamp and non-finalist in Countdown history. He also has the highest aggregate points total for a non-finalist, despite the handicap of having played seven games instead of eight.
In 2021, Simpson won the Phil Collinge Memorial Tournament on Apterous.
Episodes
| # | Date | Type | Contestant 1 | Score | Contestant 2 | Presenters | Guest | Lex | Max | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4927 | 12/11/2009 | P | Ryan Taylor | 123 – 68 | Martyn Simpson | Jeff Stelling | Rachel Riley | Tim Vine | Susie Dent | 137 | ||
| 7388 | 13/11/2020 | P | Andy Bruno | 57 – 102 | Martyn Simpson | Nick Hewer | Rachel Riley | Rufus Hound | Susie Dent | 123 | ||
| 7389 | 16/11/2020 | P | Martyn Simpson | 106 – 42 | Jonathan Partlin | Nick Hewer | Rachel Riley | Rufus Hound | Susie Dent | 134 | ||
| 7390 | 17/11/2020 | P | Martyn Simpson | 110 – 69 | Kevin Hackett | Nick Hewer | Rachel Riley | Rufus Hound | Susie Dent | 134 | ||
| 7391 | 18/11/2020 | P | Martyn Simpson | 118 – 46 | Michael Grahamslaw | Nick Hewer | Rachel Riley | Tim Rice | Susie Dent | 146 | ||
| 7392 | 19/11/2020 | P | Martyn Simpson | 132 – 63 | Gaz Lang | Nick Hewer | Rachel Riley | Tim Rice | Susie Dent | 156 | ||
| 7393 | 20/11/2020 | P | Martyn Simpson | 131 – 60 | Craig Thomas | Nick Hewer | Rachel Riley | Tim Rice | Susie Dent | 152 | ||
| 7394 | 23/11/2020 | P | Martyn Simpson | 95 – 104 | Leo Smith | Nick Hewer | Rachel Riley | Tim Rice | Susie Dent | 138 | ||
