Countdown - Revision history

Mclarenguy22: /* Letters round */

2021-08-22T01:30:58Z

‎Letters round

Mclarenguy22: /* Letters round */

2021-08-21T21:19:14Z

‎Letters round

Mclarenguy22: /* Character */ Oxford English Dictionary is different to Oxford Dictionary of English; OED was the main prize, whereas ODE was used in Dictionary Corner before the laptop came in

2021-08-06T21:32:59Z

‎Character: Oxford English Dictionary is different to Oxford Dictionary of English; OED was the main prize, whereas ODE was used in Dictionary Corner before the laptop came in

TobyMcDonald at 15:21, 23 July 2021

2021-07-23T15:21:50Z

Show changes

TobyMcDonald at 17:27, 5 July 2021

2021-07-05T17:27:12Z

TobyMcDonald: Fixed links, removed links that don't work

2021-06-02T19:51:17Z

Fixed links, removed links that don't work

The Doctor: /* Presenters */ update Susie's episode total - "over a thousand appearances" indeed...

2021-03-26T18:21:54Z

‎Presenters: update Susie's episode total - "over a thousand appearances" indeed...

The Doctor: /* In popular culture */

2021-03-09T22:14:27Z

‎In popular culture

The Doctor: Dent is also credited these days

2021-02-26T15:31:45Z

Dent is also credited these days

The Doctor at 15:31, 26 February 2021

2021-02-26T15:31:23Z

@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 Contestants write down the words they have found during the round, in case they have the same one. After the thirty seconds is up, the players declare the length of their chosen word, with the player who selected the letters declaring first. If either player has not written their word down in time, he or she must declare this also. The words are then revealed. If either player has not written their word down, that word is revealed first - otherwise, the shorter word is shown first. Only the contestant with the longer word scores points; both score in the event of a tie. One point is scored per letter, except for nine-lettered words, which score eighteen points. If a contestant offers an invalid word then they score no points, if the second player reveals the same word as the first, this must be proved by showing the word to their opponent. Finally, Dictionary Corner reveals the best word they could find from the selection, aided by the production team.
-Any word which appears in [[Oxford Dictionaries Online]] is allowable, as well as some inflections. Standard inflections of nouns and verbs – for example, ''escapes'', ''escaped'' and ''escaping'' - are accepted though not explicitly stated in the dictionary. Comparative and superlative forms of monosyllabic adjectives - for example, ''greater'' and ''greatest'' - are valid although these too are not explicitly stated. For longer adjectives, the inflections must be stated explicitly. However, some words given in the dictionary are not permitted: proper nouns (''Kurdistan''), hyphenated words (''re-embark''), and words that occur only in combination - for example, ''folic'' is invalid as it is used only in ''folic acid''. Also, only British spelling is permitted - American spellings and inflections, such as ''flavor'' and ''signaled'', are invalid.
+Any word which appears in [[Oxford Dictionaries Online]] is allowable, as well as some inflections. Standard inflections of nouns and verbs – for example, ''escapes'', ''escaped'' and ''escaping'' – are accepted though not explicitly stated in the dictionary. Comparative and superlative forms of monosyllabic adjectives - for example, ''greater'' and ''greatest'' - are valid although these too are not explicitly stated. For longer adjectives, the inflections must be stated explicitly. However, some words given in the dictionary are not permitted: proper nouns (''Kurdistan''), hyphenated words (''re-embark''), and words that occur only in combination - for example, ''folic'' is invalid as it is used only in ''folic acid''. Also, only British spelling is permitted - American spellings and inflections, such as ''flavor'' and ''signaled'', are invalid.
 :'''''Example:'''''<br />

@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 Contestants write down the words they have found during the round, in case they have the same one. After the thirty seconds is up, the players declare the length of their chosen word, with the player who selected the letters declaring first. If either player has not written their word down in time, he or she must declare this also. The words are then revealed. If either player has not written their word down, that word is revealed first - otherwise, the shorter word is shown first. Only the contestant with the longer word scores points; both score in the event of a tie. One point is scored per letter, except for nine-lettered words, which score eighteen points. If a contestant offers an invalid word then they score no points, if the second player reveals the same word as the first, this must be proved by showing the word to their opponent. Finally, Dictionary Corner reveals the best word they could find from the selection, aided by the production team.
-Any word which appears in the Premium version of [[Oxford Dictionary of English|Oxford Dictionaries Online]] is allowable, as well as some inflections. Standard inflections of nouns and verbs – for example, ''escapes'', ''escaped'' and ''escaping'' - are accepted though not explicitly stated in the dictionary. Comparative and superlative forms of monosyllabic adjectives - for example, ''greater'' and ''greatest'' - are valid although these too are not explicitly stated. For longer adjectives, the inflections must be stated explicitly. However, some words given in the dictionary are not permitted: proper nouns (''Kurdistan''), hyphenated words (''re-embark''), and words that occur only in combination - for example, ''folic'' is invalid as it is used only in ''folic acid''. Also, only British spelling is permitted - American spellings and inflections, such as ''flavor'' and ''signaled'', are invalid.
+Any word which appears in [[Oxford Dictionaries Online]] is allowable, as well as some inflections. Standard inflections of nouns and verbs – for example, ''escapes'', ''escaped'' and ''escaping'' - are accepted though not explicitly stated in the dictionary. Comparative and superlative forms of monosyllabic adjectives - for example, ''greater'' and ''greatest'' - are valid although these too are not explicitly stated. For longer adjectives, the inflections must be stated explicitly. However, some words given in the dictionary are not permitted: proper nouns (''Kurdistan''), hyphenated words (''re-embark''), and words that occur only in combination - for example, ''folic'' is invalid as it is used only in ''folic acid''. Also, only British spelling is permitted - American spellings and inflections, such as ''flavor'' and ''signaled'', are invalid.
 :'''''Example:'''''<br />

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 [[Image:Teapot (levelled).jpg|thumb|right|A ''Countdown'' teapot, the prize for any contestant who wins a game.]]
-In keeping with the show's friendly nature, contestants compete for the ''Countdown'' winner's teapot, which is custom-made and can only be obtained by winning a game on the programme. The prize for the series winner was a leather-bound copy of the twenty-volume [[Oxford Dictionary of English]] up to and including [[Series 83]], worth £4,000. However, [[Series 31]] winner [[David Acton]] refused this prize on account of his strict veganism, instead opting for a CD-ROM version of the dictionaries and donating the monetary difference to charity.
+In keeping with the show's friendly nature, contestants compete for the ''Countdown'' winner's teapot, which is custom-made and can only be obtained by winning a game on the programme. The prize for the series winner was a leather-bound copy of the twenty-volume [[Oxford Dictionary of English|Oxford English Dictionary]] up to and including [[Series 83]], worth £4,000. However, [[Series 31]] winner [[David Acton]] refused this prize on account of his strict veganism, instead opting for a CD-ROM version of the dictionaries and donating the monetary difference to charity.
 [[Image:Blue set looking down.jpg|left|thumb|An overhead view of the former blue ''Countdown'' set.]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{featured article}}
-[[Image:Countdown 2012.png|thumb|400px|right|''Countdown'': A TV institution since 1982.]]'''''Countdown''''' is a British game show presented by [[Nick Hewer]], [[Rachel Riley]], and [[Susie Dent]], and the subject of this wiki. It was the first programme aired on [[Channel 4]], and over eighty series have been broadcast since its debut on 2 November 1982. With over 7,500 episodes, it is one of the longest-running game shows in the world.
+[[Image:Countdown 2012.png|thumb|400px|right|''Countdown'': A TV institution since 1982.]]'''''Countdown''''' is a British game show presented by [[Anne Robinson]], [[Rachel Riley]], and [[Susie Dent]], and the subject of this wiki. It was the first programme aired on [[Channel 4]], and over eighty series have been broadcast since its debut on 2 November 1982. With over 7,500 episodes, it is one of the longest-running game shows in the world.
-The programme was presented by [[Richard Whiteley]] for over twenty years, until his death in 2005. His position was taken over by [[Des Lynam]], who retired from the show on 22 December 2006 and was replaced by [[Des O'Connor]] on 2 January 2007. O'Connor and co-presenter [[Carol Vorderman]] left the show in December 2008 at the end of [[Series 59]]. Jeff Stelling and Rachel Riley made their debuts on 12 January 2009, the start of [[Championship of Champions XIII]]. Current host [[Nick Hewer]] took over from Stelling for the start of [[Series 66]] on 9 January 2012.
+The programme was presented by [[Richard Whiteley]] for over twenty years, until his death in 2005. His position was taken over by [[Des Lynam]] on 31 October 2005, and he retired from the show on 22 December 2006. Lynam was replaced by [[Des O'Connor]] on 2 January 2007. O'Connor and co-presenter [[Carol Vorderman]] left the show on 12 December 2008. [[Jeff Stelling]] and [[Rachel Riley]] made their debuts on 12 January 2009, the start of [[Championship of Champions XIII]]. Stelling left the show on 16 December 2011. [[Nick Hewer]] took over from Stelling on 9 January 2012, and retired from the show on 25 June 2021. Current host [[Anne Robinson]] replaced Hewer on 28 June 2021.
 The two [[contestant]]s in each episode compete in three disciplines: ten [[Letters game|letters rounds]], in which the contestants attempt to make the longest word from nine randomly chosen letters; four [[Numbers game|numbers rounds]], in which the contestants must use arithmetic to make a random target number from six other numbers; and the [[conundrum]], a buzzer round in which the contestants try to be first to solve a nine-letter anagram. During the series heats, the winning contestant returns the next day until he or she has accumulated eight wins. The best contestants are invited back for the series finals, which are decided in single-knockout format. Contestants of exceptional skill have received national media coverage, and the programme as a whole is widely recognised and parodied within British culture.
@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==History==
 ===Origins===
-''Countdown'' is based on the French game show ''[[Des chiffres et des lettres]]''<!--Only the first word is capitalised: see the article linked to--> (''Numbers and Letters''), created by [[Armand Jammot]]. The format was brought to Britain by [[Marcel Stellman]], a Belgian record executive, who had watched the French show and believed it could be popular overseas. [[YTV Studios|Yorkshire Television]] purchased the format and commissioned a series of eight shows under the title ''[[Calendar Countdown]]'', which were to be part of their regional news programme ''Calendar''. As the presenter of ''Calendar'', Richard Whiteley was the natural choice to present ''Calendar Countdown'' - his daily appearances on both shows earned him the nickname "Twice Nightly". These shows were only broadcast in the Yorkshire area.
+''Countdown'' is based on the French game show ''[[Des chiffres et des lettres]]''<!--Only the first word is capitalised: see the article linked to--> (''Numbers and Letters''), created by [[Armand Jammot]]. The format was brought to Britain by [[Marcel Stellman]], a Belgian record executive, who had watched the French show and believed it could be popular overseas. [[YTV Studios|Yorkshire Television]] purchased the format and commissioned a series of eight shows under the title ''[[Calendar Countdown]]'', which were to be part of their regional news programme ''Calendar''. As the presenter of ''Calendar'', [[Richard Whiteley]] was the natural choice to present ''Calendar Countdown'' - his daily appearances on both shows earned him the nickname "Twice Nightly". These shows were only broadcast in the Yorkshire area.
 [[Image:Richardwhiteley.jpg|thumb|left|Richard "Twice Nightly" Whiteley]]<!-- FAIR USE of Richardwhiteley.jpg: see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Richardwhiteley.jpg for rationale -->An additional pilot episode was made, with a refined format, although it was never broadcast. A new British television channel, Channel 4, was due to launch in November 1982, and bought the newly-renamed ''Countdown'' on the strength of this additional episode. ''Countdown'' was the first programme to be broadcast on the new channel.
 ::As the countdown to a brand new channel ends, a brand new ''Countdown'' begins.
-<div style="text-align:right">— Richard Whiteley introducing the first Channel 4 episode of ''Countdown''.</div>
+<div style="text-align:right">— [[Richard Whiteley]] introducing the first Channel 4 episode of ''Countdown''.</div>
 ===Presenters===
-''Calendar Countdown'' was presented by Richard Whiteley, with [[Cathy Hytner]] and [[Denise McFarland-Cruickshanks]] managing the numbers and letters rounds respectively. When ''Countdown'' was commissioned for Channel 4 the number of hostesses expanded further: Cathy Hytner and [[Beverley Isherwood]] selected the letters and numbers tiles respectively, and calculations in the numbers rounds were checked by [[Dr Linda Barrett]] or Carol Vorderman.  Vorderman, a Cambridge graduate and member of MENSA, was appointed as one of the numbers experts after responding to an advertisement in a national newspaper which asked for a young woman who would like to become a game show hostess; unlike almost any other game show hostess of the time, however, the advertisement also made it clear that the applicants' appearance would be less important than their being a talented mathematician.
+''Calendar Countdown'' was presented by Richard Whiteley, with [[Cathy Hytner]] and [[Denise McFarland-Cruickshanks]] managing the numbers and letters rounds respectively. When ''Countdown'' was commissioned for Channel 4 the number of hostesses expanded further: Cathy Hytner and [[Beverley Isherwood]] selected the letters and numbers tiles respectively, and calculations in the numbers rounds were checked by [[Dr Linda Barrett]] or [[Carol Vorderman]].  Vorderman, a Cambridge graduate and member of MENSA, was appointed as one of the numbers experts after responding to an advertisement in a national newspaper which asked for a young woman who would like to become a game show hostess; unlike almost any other game show hostess of the time, however, the advertisement also made it clear that the applicants' appearance would be less important than their being a talented mathematician.
 [[Image:CountdownDes.jpg|thumb|right|A promotional image of Whiteley's successor Des Lynam with co-host Carol Vorderman.]]
-Gradually the tasks performed by the extra presenters were taken over by Carol Vorderman, whose role within the show became essentially that of co-presenter. The show was briefly taken off air following Whiteley's death in June 2005, but reappeared in October 2005 with Des Lynam as presenter. On 30 September 2006, Lynam admitted that he had decided to leave the programme after Christmas 2006. Lynam's departure was due to travel requirements for the demanding filming schedule, with the show recorded in Leeds and Lynam living 250 miles away in Worthing, West Sussex. Channel 4 had tried an extra programme on Saturday in early 2006 which Lynam had agreed to, subject to part of the filming schedule being moved nearer to his home. However, viewers reacted angrily to the idea of the show leaving Leeds and, when Lynam found out that a move would cause considerable disruption for many of the programme's camera crew, he decided to leave. On 7 November 2006, it was announced that Des O'Connor would succeed Lynam as host. Lynam presented his final episode of ''Countdown'' on 22 December 2006. On 23 July 2008, O'Connor announced that he would be leaving the show at the end of the year, and two days later Vorderman also announced her departure. On 21 November, the new team were announced as [[Jeff Stelling]] and [[Rachel Riley]], with Susie Dent remaining as the show's lexicographer. The pair made their debut on 12 January 2009, with [[Nick Hewer]] taking over as host from 9 January 2012.
+Gradually the tasks performed by the extra presenters were taken over by Carol Vorderman, whose role within the show became essentially that of co-presenter. The show was briefly taken off air following Whiteley's death in June 2005, but reappeared in October 2005 with [[Des Lynam]] as presenter. On 30 September 2006, Lynam admitted that he had decided to leave the programme after Christmas 2006. Lynam's departure was due to travel requirements for the demanding filming schedule, with the show recorded in Leeds and Lynam living 250 miles away in Worthing, West Sussex. Channel 4 had tried an extra programme on Saturday in early 2006 which Lynam had agreed to, subject to part of the filming schedule being moved nearer to his home. However, viewers reacted angrily to the idea of the show leaving Leeds and, when Lynam found out that a move would cause considerable disruption for many of the programme's camera crew, he decided to leave. On 7 November 2006, it was announced that [[Des O'Connor]] would succeed Lynam as host. On 23 July 2008, O'Connor announced that he would be leaving the show at the end of the year, and two days later Vorderman also announced her departure. On 21 November 2008, the new team were announced as [[Jeff Stelling]] and [[Rachel Riley]], with [[Susie Dent]] remaining as the show's lexicographer. On 24 May 2011, Stelling announced he would be leaving the show at the end of the year, and [[Nick Hewer]] was announced as Stelling's replacement on 16 November 2011. Hewer announced his retirement from the show on 7 December 2020, and [[Anne Robinson]] was revealed as the new host on 15 February 2021.
 [[Image:Countdown studio.svg.png|thumb|left|Diagram of the ''Countdown'' studio between 2003 and 2008, illustrating the position of:<br />1 - Carol Vorderman;<br />2 - Susie Dent;<br />3 - the celebrity guest;<br />4 - the champion;<br />5 - the challenger;<br />6 - the host]]
-The other studio mainstay is [[Dictionary Corner]], which houses a lexicographer and that week's celebrity guest. The role of the lexicographer is to verify the words offered by the contestants (see ''[[Letters game|Letters round rules]]'') and relay any longer or otherwise interesting words available. The lexicographer is aided in finding these words by the show's producers, currently [[Damian Eadie]]. Many lexicographers have appeared over the years, but since her debut in 1992, [[Susie Dent]] has become synonymous with the role, and has now made over 4,500 appearances. The celebrity guest, sometimes known as the "[[Dictionary Dweller]]", also contributes words, and provides a short interlude at the end of the first section of the show. Dwellers have included [[Jo Brand]], [[Martin Jarvis]] and [[Geoffrey Durham]], contributing poems, anecdotes, puzzles and magic tricks. Current lexicographer [[Susie Dent]] presents a brief [[Origins of Words]] slot at the end of the second section of the show, explaining the etymology of words or phrases.
+The other studio mainstay is [[Dictionary Corner]], which houses a lexicographer and that week's celebrity guest. The role of the lexicographer is to verify the words offered by the contestants (see ''[[Letters game|Letters round rules]]'') and relay any longer or otherwise interesting words available. The lexicographer is aided in finding these words by the show's producers, currently [[Damian Eadie]]. Many lexicographers have appeared over the years, but since her debut in 1992, [[Susie Dent]] has become synonymous with the role, and has now made over 4,500 appearances. The celebrity guest, sometimes known as the "[[Dictionary Dweller]]", also contributes words, and provides a short interlude at the end of the first section of the show. Dwellers have included [[Jo Brand]], [[Martin Jarvis]] and [[Geoffrey Durham]], contributing poems, anecdotes, puzzles and magic tricks. Since [[Episode 4441|19 September 2007]], current lexicographer [[Susie Dent]] presents a brief [[Origins of Words]] slot in the middle of the third section of the show, explaining the etymology of words or phrases.
 ===Character===
-''Countdown'' quickly established cult status within British television &mdash; an image which it maintains today, despite numerous changes of rules and personnel. The programme's audience comprises mainly students, housewives and pensioners, due to the "teatime" broadcast slot and inclusive appeal of its format and presentation. ''Countdown'' has been one of Channel 4's most-watched programmes for over twenty years, but has never won a major television award. In its 3.30pm broadcast slot, the show drew about 1.7 million viewers every day &mdash; around half a million fewer than with Richard Whiteley presenting &mdash; and the Series 54 final, on 26 May 2006, attracted 2.5 million viewers. Up to 2 million viewers had watched the show daily in its previous 4.15pm slot. The drop in viewers following the scheduling change, coupled with the show's perceived educational benefits, even caused Labour MP Jonathan Shaw to table a motion in the UK Parliament, requesting that the show be returned to its later time. The current broadcast time slot is 2:10pm.
+''Countdown'' quickly established cult status within British television &mdash; an image which it maintains today, despite numerous changes of rules and personnel. The programme's audience comprises mainly students, housewives and pensioners, due to the "teatime" broadcast slot and inclusive appeal of its format and presentation. ''Countdown'' has been one of Channel 4's most-watched programmes for over twenty years, but has never won a major television award. In its 3.30pm broadcast slot, the show drew about 1.7 million viewers every day &mdash; around half a million fewer than with Richard Whiteley presenting &mdash; and the [[Episode 4112|Series 54 final]], on 26 May 2006, attracted 2.5 million viewers. Up to 2 million viewers had watched the show daily in its previous 4.15pm slot. The drop in viewers following the scheduling change, coupled with the show's perceived educational benefits, even caused Labour MP Jonathan Shaw to table a motion in the UK Parliament, requesting that the show be returned to its later time. The current broadcast time slot is 2:10pm.
 [[Image:Teapot (levelled).jpg|thumb|right|A ''Countdown'' teapot, the prize for any contestant who wins a game.]]
-In keeping with the show's friendly nature, contestants compete for the ''Countdown'' winner's teapot, which is custom-made and can only be obtained by winning a game on the programme. The prize for the series winner is a leather-bound copy of the twenty-volume Oxford English Dictionary, worth £4,000. However Series 31 winner David Acton refused this prize on account of his strict veganism, instead opting for a CD-ROM version of the dictionaries and donating the monetary difference to charity.
+In keeping with the show's friendly nature, contestants compete for the ''Countdown'' winner's teapot, which is custom-made and can only be obtained by winning a game on the programme. The prize for the series winner was a leather-bound copy of the twenty-volume [[Oxford English Dictionary]] up to and including [[Series 83]], worth £4,000. However, [[Series 31]] winner [[David Acton]] refused this prize on account of his strict veganism, instead opting for a CD-ROM version of the dictionaries and donating the monetary difference to charity.
 [[Image:Blue set looking down.jpg|left|thumb|An overhead view of the former blue Countdown set.]]
@@ Line 104: / Line 104: @@
 ==Notable contestants==
-Since ''Countdown''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s debut in 1982, there have been over 7,500 televised games and 82 complete series. There have also been fifteen ''Champion of Champions'' tournaments.
+Since ''Countdown''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s debut in 1982, there have been over 7,500 televised games and 83 complete series. There have also been 15 ''Champion of Champions'' tournaments.
 Several of ''Countdown''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s most successful contestants have received national media coverage. Teenager [[Julian Fell]] set a record score of 146 in December 2002. More recently, fourteen-year-old [[Conor Travers]] became the youngest series champion in the show's history, gaining wide newspaper interest. At eight years old, [[Tanmay Dixit]] was one of the youngest players ever to appear on the show when he achieved two wins in March 2005. He also received press attention for his offerings in the letters round, which included ''fannies'' and ''farted''. More recently, [[Kai Laddiman]] became the second youngest player ever to win all 8 games, at just 11 years old. Later that year, he reached the semi-finals of the series losing to #1 seed [[Charlie Reams]] in a close game, all before his 12th birthday.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{featured article}}
-[[Image:Countdown 2012.png|thumb|400px|right|''Countdown'': A TV institution since 1982.]]'''''Countdown''''' is a British game show presented by [[Nick Hewer]], [[Rachel Riley]], and [[Susie Dent]], and the subject of this wiki. It was the first programme aired on [[Channel 4]], and over eighty series have been broadcast since its debut on 2 November 1982. With over 7,300 episodes, it is one of the longest-running game shows in the world.
+[[Image:Countdown 2012.png|thumb|400px|right|''Countdown'': A TV institution since 1982.]]'''''Countdown''''' is a British game show presented by [[Nick Hewer]], [[Rachel Riley]], and [[Susie Dent]], and the subject of this wiki. It was the first programme aired on [[Channel 4]], and over eighty series have been broadcast since its debut on 2 November 1982. With over 7,500 episodes, it is one of the longest-running game shows in the world.
 The programme was presented by [[Richard Whiteley]] for over twenty years, until his death in 2005. His position was taken over by [[Des Lynam]], who retired from the show on 22 December 2006 and was replaced by [[Des O'Connor]] on 2 January 2007. O'Connor and co-presenter [[Carol Vorderman]] left the show in December 2008 at the end of [[Series 59]]. Jeff Stelling and Rachel Riley made their debuts on 12 January 2009, the start of [[Championship of Champions XIII]]. Current host [[Nick Hewer]] took over from Stelling for the start of [[Series 66]] on 9 January 2012.
@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 Countdown has occupied a tea-time broadcast slot since its inception. Currently an episode lasts around 45 minutes including advertising breaks. During the normal series, the winner of each game returns for the next day's show. If a player wins eight games, he is declared an "octochamp" and retires until the series finals. At the end of the series, the eight players with most wins (or the highest total score in the event of a tie) are invited back to compete in the series finals. They are seeded in a knockout tournament, with the first seed playing the eighth seed, the second playing the seventh, and so on. The winner of this knockout, which culminates in the Grand Final, becomes the series champion. Each series lasts around six months, comprising about 125 episodes.
-Approximately every four series, a [[Championship of Champions]] tournament takes place. For this, sixteen of the best players to have appeared since the previous Championship are invited back for another knockout tournament. The producer, former contestant [[Damian Eadie]], decides which players to include, but typically the tournament includes the series winners and other note-worthy contestants. [[Series 33]] was designated a "Supreme Championship", in which 56 of the best contestants from all the previous series returned for another knockout tournament. Series 10 champion [[Harvey Freeman]] was declared Supreme Champion after beating [[Allan Saldanha]] in the final. A [[30th Birthday Championship]] is set to be broadcast in early 2013, with 41 notable former contestants competing in a knockout tournament. There are also occasional special episodes, in which past contestants return for themed matches. For example, [[David Acton]] and [[Kenneth Michie]] returned for a rematch of their Series 31 final, while brothers and former contestants [[Sanjay Mazumder|Sanjay]] and [[Sandeep Mazumder]] played off against each other on [[Episode S21|20 December 2004]].
+Approximately every four series, a [[Championship of Champions]] tournament takes place. For this, sixteen of the best players to have appeared since the previous Championship are invited back for another knockout tournament. The producer, former contestant [[Damian Eadie]], decides which players to include, but typically the tournament includes the series winners and other note-worthy contestants. [[Series 33]] was designated a "Supreme Championship", in which 56 of the best contestants from all the previous series returned for another knockout tournament. Series 10 champion [[Harvey Freeman]] was declared Supreme Champion after beating [[Allan Saldanha]] in the final. A [[30th Birthday Championship]] was broadcast in early 2013, with 41 notable former contestants competing in a knockout tournament. There are also occasional special episodes, in which past contestants return for themed matches. For example, [[David Acton]] and [[Kenneth Michie]] returned for a rematch of their Series 31 final, while brothers and former contestants [[Sanjay Mazumder|Sanjay]] and [[Sandeep Mazumder]] played off against each other on [[Episode S21|20 December 2004]].
 The game is split into three sections, separated by advertising breaks. The first two sections each contain four letters rounds and a numbers round, while the last section has three letters rounds, a numbers round and a final "Conundrum". At the end of the first two sections, the host poses an anagram with a cryptic clue for the viewers at home, called the ''[[Teatime Teaser]]'' - the solution is revealed at the start of the next section. When the Teatime Teaser was first introduced, the anagrams were seven letters long, but have since been extended to eight.
@@ Line 70: / Line 70: @@
 :::<span style="font-family:monospace">812</span>.
 ::Contestant One declares 813, while Contestant Two declares 815.<br />
-::Contestant One is closer and so reveals: 75 + 50 - 8 = 117. 117 × 7 - (3 × 2) = 813, which scores seven points.<br />
+::Contestant One is closer and so reveals: (75 + 50 − 8) × 7 − 3 × 2 = 813, which scores seven points.<br />
-::[[Rachel Riley]] notes: 50 + 8 = 58. 7 × 2 × 58 = 812, which would have scored ten points.<br />
+::[[Rachel Riley]] notes: (50 + 8) × 7 × 2 = 812, which would have scored ten points.<br />
 For some games, there are many ways to reach the target exactly. However not all games are solvable, and for some selections it is impossible even to get within 10. There is a tactical element in selecting how many large numbers to include. One large and five small numbers is the most popular selection, despite two large numbers giving the best chance of the game being solvable exactly. Selections with zero or four large numbers are generally considered the hardest.
@@ Line 104: / Line 104: @@
 ==Notable contestants==
-Since ''Countdown''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s debut in 1982, there have been over 6,800 televised games and 78 complete series. There have also been fifteen ''Champion of Champions'' tournaments.
+Since ''Countdown''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s debut in 1982, there have been over 7,500 televised games and 82 complete series. There have also been fifteen ''Champion of Champions'' tournaments.
 Several of ''Countdown''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s most successful contestants have received national media coverage. Teenager [[Julian Fell]] set a record score of 146 in December 2002. More recently, fourteen-year-old [[Conor Travers]] became the youngest series champion in the show's history, gaining wide newspaper interest. At eight years old, [[Tanmay Dixit]] was one of the youngest players ever to appear on the show when he achieved two wins in March 2005. He also received press attention for his offerings in the letters round, which included ''fannies'' and ''farted''. More recently, [[Kai Laddiman]] became the second youngest player ever to win all 8 games, at just 11 years old. Later that year, he reached the semi-finals of the series losing to #1 seed [[Charlie Reams]] in a close game, all before his 12th birthday.
-In 1998, sixteen celebrities were invited to play ''Celebrity Countdown'', a series of eight games broadcast every Thursday evening over the course of eight weeks. The celebrities included Whiteley's successor Des Lynam, who defeated [[Sian Lloyd|Siân Lloyd]]. The highest and lowest scores were posted in the same game when [[Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall]] defeated [[Jilly Goolden]] 47-9.
+In 1998, sixteen celebrities were invited to play ''Celebrity Countdown'', a series of eight games broadcast every Thursday evening over the course of eight weeks. The celebrities included Whiteley's successor Des Lynam, who defeated [[Sian Lloyd|Siân Lloyd]]. The highest and lowest scores were posted in the same game when [[Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall]] defeated [[Jilly Goolden]] {{score|47|9}}.
 Richard Whiteley and Carol Vorderman competed in another special episode on Christmas Day 1997. For this game, the presenter's chair was taken by [[William G Stewart|William G. Stewart]], the host of fellow Channel 4 game show ''Fifteen To One''. Susie Dent took over Vorderman's duties, and [[Mark Nyman]] occupied Dictionary Corner. The game was close-fought, and decided only by the crucial Countdown conundrum {{word|MISTLETOE}} which Vorderman solved in two seconds.
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 ==International versions of ''Countdown''==
-*[[Series|List of Countdown champions]]
+*[[Series|List of Countdown champions]].
-*[[Des chiffres et des lettres]], the French version
+*[[Des chiffres et des lettres]], the French version.
-*[[Cifras y Letras]], the Spanish version
+*[[Cifras y Letras]], the Spanish version.
-*[[Cijfers en Letters]], the Dutch version
+*[[Cijfers en Letters]], the Dutch version.
-*[[Letters and Numbers]], the Australian version
+*[[Letters and Numbers]], the Australian version.
-*[[A Word or 2]], the South African version
+*[[A Word or 2]], the South African version.
-*[[Countdown (American game show)]], the proposed American version
+*[[Countdown (American game show)]], the proposed American version.
-==External links==
+==External Links==
 * [http://www.channel4.com/countdown ''Countdown''] at Channel4.com
 * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countdown_(game_show) ''Countdown''] on Wikipedia.
 * [http://www.thecountdownpage.com/ The Countdown Page], results from every game.
-* [http://www.apterous.org/cdb The Countdown Database], round-by-round details of over 800 games.
+* [http://cdb.apterous.org/ The Countdown Database], round-by-round details of over 800 games.
-* [http://www.ukgameshows.com/index.php/Countdown UK Gameshows page] for ''Countdown''
+* [http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Countdown UK Gameshows page] for ''Countdown''.
-* [http://www.c4countdown.co.uk/ C4countdown], a popular ''Countdown'' message board
+* [http://www.c4countdown.co.uk/ C4countdown], a popular ''Countdown'' message board.
-* [http://www.crosswordtools.com/numbers-game/ Crossword Tools.com], numbers game solver.
+* [https://greem.co.uk/quantumtombola/ Quantum Tombola], numbers game solver by [[Graeme Cole]].
-* [http://www.wedigtv.com/countdown/ Countdown Broadband], online reconstruction of the game on WeDigTV.
+* [http://www.beatcarol.co.uk/ Beat Carol], simulation of the numbers game, with numbers and results from real games.
 [[Category:Countdown|*]]

@@ Line 126: / Line 126: @@
 Richard Whiteley was the victim of a practical joke while presenting the show. The contestants and rounds had been planted as part of a "[[Gotcha]]!", a regular prank feature on light entertainment show ''Noel's House Party''. Whiteley did not uncover the joke until ''House Party'' presenter Noel Edmonds appeared on the set at the end of the programme.
 On 4 July 2010, ''The IT Crowd'' showed Moss on Countdown and the selection produced {{word|TNETENNBA}}, of which Moss got {{word|TNETENNBA}}.
-Often on BBC Radio 5 on a Friday evening, celebrities have to answer football questions against the Countdown [[clock music|clock]].
+{{Rounds-start|Maurice Moss|Jeremy}}
 ==International versions of ''Countdown''==