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− | [[Image: | + | {{featured article}} |
− | '''Harvey Freeman''' | + | {{octostats|'''Champion'''|1|523|'''8'''}} |
+ | [[Image:Harvey Freeman.jpg|right|thumb|Harvey Freeman]] | ||
+ | '''Harvey Freeman''' was an [[octochamp]] in and the [[series winners|champion]] of [[Series 10]], and the winner of [[Championship of Champions III]] and the [[Series 33|Supreme Championship]], earning him the reputation as one of the greatest Countdowners of all time. He is the only [[contestant]] ever to have won four titles – octochamp, series winner, [[Championship of Champions|champion of champions]] and all-time supreme champion. He has also been a top ''[[Scrabble]]'' player. | ||
− | + | ==Appearances on the programme== | |
+ | ===Heat games=== | ||
+ | As a 21-year-old Cambridge University undergraduate from Enfield, Middlesex, he made his debut on [[Episode 459|31 October 1986]] against [[David Whiting]], prevailing with his solution to the crucial [[conundrum]] {{word|YUNIGNITE}}. Freeman won that game and seven more to achieve [[octochamp]]dom with a then-record aggregate score of 523 points – a record that would stand for almost 14 years before it was beaten by [[David Williams (Series 43)|David Williams]] in [[Series 43]]. In [[Episode 460|his second game]], Freeman scored 82 points – not only the [[List of series high scores|highest score of the series]], but also then an all-time record. He is also the second octochamp, after [[Darryl Francis]], to solve all eight conundrums – he did this in a combined time of 26 seconds, a record which stood until 2015 when [[Tom Carey|Thomas Carey]] clocked 17.75 seconds. | ||
− | In 1996, | + | ===Series finals=== |
+ | Freeman returned for the finals as the clear number one seed, and dominated his opponents [[Elisabeth Jardine]] and [[Les Martin]] in the [[Episode 488|quarter-finals]] and [[Episode 492|semi-finals]] respectively, before going on to face [[Mike Percik]] in the [[Episode 494|grand final]]. Despite having {{word|outtake}} {{x}} disallowed in the second round, Freeman would enter a commanding performance here too, running out the {{score|96|52}} winner. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===Special episode=== | ||
+ | On [[Episode 495|2 February 1987]], Freeman appeared on the [[special episode]] to celebrate ''[[Countdown]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s 500th show. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===Championship of Champions III=== | ||
+ | Later the same year, he returned for [[Championship of Champions III]], and after beating [[Michael Stephenson (Series 10)|Michael Stephenson]] and [[John Clarke (Series 11)|John Clarke]] in the [[Episode 595|quarter-finals]] and [[Episode 599|semi-finals]] respectively, he found a tough opponent in the [[Episode 601|grand final]] in the shape of [[David Trace]]. Freeman lost out in the first [[conundrum]] to Trace, putting him ten points behind, but he scored in every other round, including the final, crucial conundrum, to win {{score|115|107}} (the highest ever score in a [[14 round format (old)|14-round]] game and the only time anyone ever scored over 110 under that format). Freeman became the first ever [[grand slam winner]] by claiming the titles of [[octochamp]], [[series winners|series winner]] and [[Championship of Champions|champion of champions]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===Supreme Championship=== | ||
+ | In 1996, Freeman returned to the [[Countdown studios|''Countdown'' studios]] one last time to participate in the [[Series 33|Supreme Championship]]. Given a bye in the first round, Freeman defeated [[Ian Bebbington]] in the [[Episode 1872|second round]] and [[Barry Grossman]] in a closely-fought [[Episode 1874|group final]] to put himself into the [[Episode 1902|series quarter-finals]]. There, he beat [[Andrew Perry]] before once again beating [[John Clarke (Series 11)|John Clarke]] in the [[Episode 1905|semi-finals]]. In the [[Episode 1907|grand final]], he faced [[Allan Saldanha]] in what promised to be a true battle of the greats. Critically, though, Freeman put the {{word|D}} on the end of Saldanha’s word {{word|CREOSOTE}} in the first round and was able to hold on to his lead to avoid a crucial [[conundrum]] and win {{score|82|79}}, winning the title of "all-time supreme champion" and maintaining his winning streak at a record 19 games (not counting his losses in the [[Episode 495|special episode]], or against [[:Category:Producers|producer]], [[Mark Nyman]], in [[Episode M45]]), until this record was beaten by [[Conor Travers]] in 2013. Notably, all but one of Freeman's Supreme Championship games were decided by crucial conundrums. | ||
==Notable achievements== | ==Notable achievements== | ||
− | + | *Third highest total wins on ''[[Countdown]]'' (19), plus one win as part of a "team" in a special. He was top of the pile for many years, until finally overtaken by [[Conor Travers]] in the [[Episode 5654|grand final]] of the [[30th Birthday Championship]]. | |
− | * | + | *Highest score for a [[14 round format (old)|14-round]] game (115). |
− | *Highest score for a 14-round game (115). | + | *Second highest score for a [[9 round format|9-round]] game (82). It was the highest score at the time he made it. It's also the highest score by a champion – neither the 83 by [[Allan Saldanha]] nor by [[Stephen Balment]] were made whilst they were the sitting champion. |
− | *Second highest score for a 9-round game (82). It was the highest score at the time he made it. It's also the highest score by a champion | + | *Second highest eight-game total (523). It was the highest score at the time he made it. |
− | *Second highest | ||
*Highest debut score of Series 10. | *Highest debut score of Series 10. | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | + | {{series winner|preceded_by=David Trace|series=10|followed_by=John Clarke (Series 11){{!}}John Clarke}} | |
− | + | {{Champion of Champions|preceded_by=Clive Freedman (Series 6){{!}}Clive Freedman|coc=III|followed_by=Nic Brown}} | |
+ | {{series winner|preceded_by=Alan Sinclair|series=33|followed_by=Huw Morgan}} | ||
==Episodes== | ==Episodes== | ||
{{episode table}} | {{episode table}} | ||
− | {{ep | 459 | 31/10/1986 | P | Harvey Freeman | 65 - 45 | [[David Whiting]] | [[Lee Peck]] | [[Freda Thornton]] }} | + | {{ep | 459 | 31/10/1986 | P |Harvey Freeman| 65 - 45 |[[David Whiting]]|[[Lee Peck]]|[[Freda Thornton]]|86}} |
− | {{ep | 460 | | + | {{ep | 460 | 03/11/1986 | P |Harvey Freeman| 82 - 30 |[[Rita Meston]]|Lee Peck|Freda Thornton|83}} |
− | {{ep | 461 | | + | {{ep | 461 | 04/11/1986 | P |Harvey Freeman| 60 - 29 |[[Anilkumar Shah]]|Lee Peck|Freda Thornton|72}} |
− | {{ep | 462 | | + | {{ep | 462 | 05/11/1986 | P |Harvey Freeman| 57 - 33 |[[Michael Sim]]|Lee Peck|Freda Thornton|70}} |
− | {{ep | 463 | | + | {{ep | 463 | 06/11/1986 | P |Harvey Freeman| 64 - 28 |[[John Wesley]]|Lee Peck|Freda Thornton|73}} |
− | {{ep | 464 | | + | {{ep | 464 | 07/11/1986 | P |Harvey Freeman| 49 - 21 |[[Frances Kicul]]|Lee Peck|Freda Thornton|73}} |
− | {{ep | 465 | 10/11/1986 | P | Harvey Freeman | 71 - 17 | [[Martin Reed]] | [[Bill Tidy]] | Freda Thornton }} | + | {{ep | 465 | 10/11/1986 | P |Harvey Freeman| 71 - 17 |[[Martin Reed]]|[[Bill Tidy]]|Freda Thornton|83}} |
− | {{ep | 466 | 11/11/1986 | P | Harvey Freeman | 75 - 10 | [[Roy James]] | Bill Tidy | Freda Thornton }} | + | {{ep | 466 | 11/11/1986 | P |Harvey Freeman| 75 - 10 |[[Roy James]]|Bill Tidy|Freda Thornton|76}} |
− | {{ep | 488 | 11/12/1986 | QF | Harvey Freeman | 65 - 29 | [[Elisabeth Jardine]] | Bill Tidy | [[Catherine Clarke]] }} | + | {{ep | 488 | 11/12/1986 | QF |Harvey Freeman| 65 - 29 |[[Elisabeth Jardine]]|Bill Tidy|[[Catherine Clarke]]|73}} |
− | {{ep | 492 | 17/12/1986 | SF | Harvey Freeman | 76 - 36 | [[Les Martin]] | Bill Tidy | Catherine Clarke }} | + | {{ep | 492 | 17/12/1986 | SF |Harvey Freeman| 76 - 36 |[[Les Martin]]|Bill Tidy|Catherine Clarke|??}} |
− | {{ep | 494 | 19/12/1986 | GF | Harvey Freeman | 96 - 52 | [[Mike Percik]] | [[Gyles Brandreth]], Bill Tidy | [[Della Thompson]] }} | + | {{ep | 494 | 19/12/1986 | GF |Harvey Freeman| 96 - 52 |[[Mike Percik]]|[[Gyles Brandreth]], Bill Tidy|[[Della Thompson]]|117}} |
− | {{ep | 595 | 22/06/1987 | CQF | Harvey Freeman | 44 - 36 | [[Michael Stephenson]] | [[Sally James]] | Della Thompson }} | + | {{ep | 495 | 02/02/1987 | X |[[Bill Tidy]] with<br />[[Mark Nyman]],<br />[[Brian Hudson]],<br />[[Peter Evans]], and<br /> [[Darryl Francis]]| 41 – 32 |[[Gyles Brandreth]] with<br />[[Clive Freedman (Series 6)|Clive Freedman]],<br />[[Michael Wylie]],<br />[[Joyce Cansfield]], and<br />Harvey Freeman|none|Della Thompson|68}} |
− | {{ep | 599 | 26/06/1987 | CSF | Harvey Freeman | 45 - 38 | [[John Clarke (Series 11)|John Clarke]] | Sally James | Della Thompson }} | + | {{ep | 595 | 22/06/1987 | CQF |Harvey Freeman| 44 - 36 |[[Michael Stephenson (Series 10)|Michael Stephenson]]|[[Sally James]]|Della Thompson|??}} |
− | {{ep | 601 | 30/06/1987 | CGF | Harvey Freeman | 115 - 107 | [[David Trace]] | Sally James | Della Thompson }} | + | {{ep | 599 | 26/06/1987 | CSF |Harvey Freeman| 45 - 38 |[[John Clarke (Series 11)|John Clarke]]|Sally James|Della Thompson|71}} |
− | {{ep |M45 | | + | {{ep | 601 | 30/06/1987 | CGF |Harvey Freeman| 115 - 107 |[[David Trace]]|Sally James|Della Thompson|127}} |
− | {{ep | 1872 | | + | {{ep | M45 | 05/02/1990–09/02/1990 | M |Mark Nyman| 76 – 68 |Harvey Freeman|none|Catherine Clarke|132}} |
− | {{ep | 1874 | | + | {{ep | 1872 | 01/11/1996 | cSF |[[Ian Bebbington]]| 54 - 72 |Harvey Freeman|[[Geoffrey Durham]]|[[Susie Dent]]|85}} |
− | {{ep | 1902 | 13/12/1996 | SQF | [[Andrew Perry]] | 44 - 54 | Harvey Freeman | [[Jenny Hanley]] | Susie Dent }} | + | {{ep | 1874 | 05/11/1996 | cF |[[Barry Grossman]]| 37 - 44 |Harvey Freeman|Geoffrey Durham|Susie Dent|73}} |
− | {{ep | 1905 | 18/12/1996 | SSF | John Clarke | 48 - 65 | Harvey Freeman | [[Nigel Rees]] | Catherine Clarke }} | + | {{ep | 1902 | 13/12/1996 | SQF |[[Andrew Perry]]| 44 - 54 |Harvey Freeman|[[Jenny Hanley]]|Susie Dent|72}} |
− | {{ep | 1907 | 20/12/1996 | SGF | [[Allan Saldanha]] | 79 - 82 | Harvey Freeman | Nigel Rees | Catherine Clarke }} | + | {{ep | 1905 | 18/12/1996 | SSF |John Clarke| 48 - 65 |Harvey Freeman|[[Nigel Rees]]|Catherine Clarke|72}} |
+ | {{ep | 1907 | 20/12/1996 | SGF |[[Allan Saldanha]]| 79 - 82 |Harvey Freeman|Nigel Rees|Catherine Clarke|127}} | ||
{{episode table end}} | {{episode table end}} | ||
{{CofC}} | {{CofC}} | ||
− | {{ | + | {{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Harvey}} |
− | + | [[Category:Finalists]] | |
− | + | [[Category:Octochamps of the 9 round era]] | |
− | + | [[Category:Contestants in Series 10]] | |
− | + | [[Category:Contestants in Series 33]] | |
− | + | [[Category:Contestants in Championship of Champions III]] | |
− | + | [[Category:Contestants in Countdown Masters Series 1]] | |
− | [[Category: | ||
− | [[Category:Octochamps of the 9 round era | ||
− | [[Category:Contestants in Series 10 | ||
− | [[Category:Contestants in Series 33 | ||
− | [[Category:Contestants in Championship of Champions III |
Latest revision as of 00:45, 14 January 2024
Harvey Freeman octochamp statistics | |
---|---|
Final position | Champion |
Seeding | 1 |
Points total | 523 |
Conundrums solved | 8 |
Harvey Freeman was an octochamp in and the champion of Series 10, and the winner of Championship of Champions III and the Supreme Championship, earning him the reputation as one of the greatest Countdowners of all time. He is the only contestant ever to have won four titles – octochamp, series winner, champion of champions and all-time supreme champion. He has also been a top Scrabble player.
Contents
Appearances on the programme
Heat games
As a 21-year-old Cambridge University undergraduate from Enfield, Middlesex, he made his debut on 31 October 1986 against David Whiting, prevailing with his solution to the crucial conundrum YUNIGNITE. Freeman won that game and seven more to achieve octochampdom with a then-record aggregate score of 523 points – a record that would stand for almost 14 years before it was beaten by David Williams in Series 43. In his second game, Freeman scored 82 points – not only the highest score of the series, but also then an all-time record. He is also the second octochamp, after Darryl Francis, to solve all eight conundrums – he did this in a combined time of 26 seconds, a record which stood until 2015 when Thomas Carey clocked 17.75 seconds.
Series finals
Freeman returned for the finals as the clear number one seed, and dominated his opponents Elisabeth Jardine and Les Martin in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, before going on to face Mike Percik in the grand final. Despite having outtake ☓ disallowed in the second round, Freeman would enter a commanding performance here too, running out the 96 – 52 winner.
Special episode
On 2 February 1987, Freeman appeared on the special episode to celebrate Countdown's 500th show.
Championship of Champions III
Later the same year, he returned for Championship of Champions III, and after beating Michael Stephenson and John Clarke in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, he found a tough opponent in the grand final in the shape of David Trace. Freeman lost out in the first conundrum to Trace, putting him ten points behind, but he scored in every other round, including the final, crucial conundrum, to win 115 – 107 (the highest ever score in a 14-round game and the only time anyone ever scored over 110 under that format). Freeman became the first ever grand slam winner by claiming the titles of octochamp, series winner and champion of champions.
Supreme Championship
In 1996, Freeman returned to the Countdown studios one last time to participate in the Supreme Championship. Given a bye in the first round, Freeman defeated Ian Bebbington in the second round and Barry Grossman in a closely-fought group final to put himself into the series quarter-finals. There, he beat Andrew Perry before once again beating John Clarke in the semi-finals. In the grand final, he faced Allan Saldanha in what promised to be a true battle of the greats. Critically, though, Freeman put the D on the end of Saldanha’s word CREOSOTE in the first round and was able to hold on to his lead to avoid a crucial conundrum and win 82 – 79, winning the title of "all-time supreme champion" and maintaining his winning streak at a record 19 games (not counting his losses in the special episode, or against producer, Mark Nyman, in Episode M45), until this record was beaten by Conor Travers in 2013. Notably, all but one of Freeman's Supreme Championship games were decided by crucial conundrums.
Notable achievements
- Third highest total wins on Countdown (19), plus one win as part of a "team" in a special. He was top of the pile for many years, until finally overtaken by Conor Travers in the grand final of the 30th Birthday Championship.
- Highest score for a 14-round game (115).
- Second highest score for a 9-round game (82). It was the highest score at the time he made it. It's also the highest score by a champion – neither the 83 by Allan Saldanha nor by Stephen Balment were made whilst they were the sitting champion.
- Second highest eight-game total (523). It was the highest score at the time he made it.
- Highest debut score of Series 10.
Preceded by David Trace |
Series winner Series 10 |
Followed by John Clarke |
Preceded by Clive Freedman |
Champion of Champions Championship of Champions III |
Followed by Nic Brown |
Preceded by Alan Sinclair |
Series winner Series 33 |
Followed by Huw Morgan |
Episodes
# | Date | Type | Contestant 1 | Score | Contestant 2 | Presenters | Guest | Lex | Max | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
459 | 31/10/1986 | P | Harvey Freeman | 65 – 45 | David Whiting | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Cathy Hytner | Lee Peck | Freda Thornton | 86 | |
460 | 03/11/1986 | P | Harvey Freeman | 82 – 30 | Rita Meston | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Cathy Hytner | Lee Peck | Freda Thornton | 83 | |
461 | 04/11/1986 | P | Harvey Freeman | 60 – 29 | Anilkumar Shah | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Cathy Hytner | Lee Peck | Freda Thornton | 72 | |
462 | 05/11/1986 | P | Harvey Freeman | 57 – 33 | Michael Sim | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Cathy Hytner | Lee Peck | Freda Thornton | 70 | |
463 | 06/11/1986 | P | Harvey Freeman | 64 – 28 | John Wesley | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Cathy Hytner | Lee Peck | Freda Thornton | 73 | |
464 | 07/11/1986 | P | Harvey Freeman | 49 – 21 | Frances Kicul | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Cathy Hytner | Lee Peck | Freda Thornton | 73 | |
465 | 10/11/1986 | P | Harvey Freeman | 71 – 17 | Martin Reed | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Cathy Hytner | Bill Tidy | Freda Thornton | 83 | |
466 | 11/11/1986 | P | Harvey Freeman | 75 – 10 | Roy James | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Cathy Hytner | Bill Tidy | Freda Thornton | 76 | |
488 | 11/12/1986 | QF | Harvey Freeman | 65 – 29 | Elisabeth Jardine | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Cathy Hytner | Bill Tidy | Catherine Clarke | 73 | |
492 | 17/12/1986 | SF | Harvey Freeman | 76 – 36 | Les Martin | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Cathy Hytner | Bill Tidy | Catherine Clarke | ?? | |
494 | 19/12/1986 | GF | Harvey Freeman | 96 – 52 | Mike Percik | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Cathy Hytner | Gyles Brandreth, Bill Tidy | Della Thompson | 117 | |
495 | 02/02/1987 | X | Bill Tidy with Mark Nyman, Brian Hudson, Peter Evans, and Darryl Francis |
41 – 32 | Gyles Brandreth with Clive Freedman, Michael Wylie, Joyce Cansfield, and Harvey Freeman |
Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Cathy Hytner | none | Della Thompson | 68 | |
595 | 22/06/1987 | CQF | Harvey Freeman | 44 – 36 | Michael Stephenson | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Cathy Hytner | Sally James | Della Thompson | ?? | |
599 | 26/06/1987 | CSF | Harvey Freeman | 45 – 38 | John Clarke | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Cathy Hytner | Sally James | Della Thompson | 71 | |
601 | 30/06/1987 | CGF | Harvey Freeman | 115 – 107 | David Trace | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Cathy Hytner | Sally James | Della Thompson | 127 | |
M45 | 05/02/1990–09/02/1990 | M | Mark Nyman | 76 – 68 | Harvey Freeman | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | none | Catherine Clarke | 132 | ||
1872 | 01/11/1996 | cSF | Ian Bebbington | 54 – 72 | Harvey Freeman | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Geoffrey Durham | Susie Dent | 85 | ||
1874 | 05/11/1996 | cF | Barry Grossman | 37 – 44 | Harvey Freeman | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Geoffrey Durham | Susie Dent | 73 | ||
1902 | 13/12/1996 | SQF | Andrew Perry | 44 – 54 | Harvey Freeman | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Jenny Hanley | Susie Dent | 72 | ||
1905 | 18/12/1996 | SSF | John Clarke | 48 – 65 | Harvey Freeman | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Nigel Rees | Catherine Clarke | 72 | ||
1907 | 20/12/1996 | SGF | Allan Saldanha | 79 – 82 | Harvey Freeman | Richard Whiteley | Carol Vorderman | Nigel Rees | Catherine Clarke | 127 |
Championship of Champions Winners | |
---|---|
I : Mark Nyman | II : Clive Freedman | III : Harvey Freeman | IV : Nic Brown | V : Tim Morrissey | VI : Wayne Summers | VII : Don Reid | VIII : Chris Rogers | IX : Natascha Kearsey | X : Scott Mearns | XI : Graham Nash | XII : Paul Gallen | XIII : Steve Briers | XIV : Dylan Taylor | XV : Zarte Siempre | XVI : Ahmed Mohamed |