Draw

A draw is a game where both players have the same score at the end of the show. In modern 15-round Countdown there is no such thing as a draw; instead, extra conundrums are used until one player wins the game. Only 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown has drawn games.

Originally, if two players drew they played each other again the next day. This caused numerous problems with the recording schedule, not just for the production team but for contestants who may have to return home and come back up to the studios for a later recording session. Additional conundrums were used to decide winners in the series finals and Championship of Champions events, but not the heats.

The rules changed from Series 22 onwards after Series 21 octochamp Lew Schwarz became the first player to draw 2 matches. In addition to his maximum 8 wins, he played 10 consecutive preliminary matches in total, more than any other contestant. After this, it was decided that all tied games must be decided by tie-break conundrums, until a player buzzes in with the correct answer to win the match.

Facts and figures

• The first draw ever was between Michael Goldman and Bill Benson in Series 1, Episode 3, during the first week of the show's history.
• The last draw in normal Countdown was between Lew Schwarz and Nuala Clenaghan. Schwarz went on to become an octochamp with two draws, which gave him a total of 547 points - which is technically the highest total score for an octochamp, although of course David Williams amassed 535 points in 8 games, not in 10. Schwarz is the only player to play in two drawn games.
• The lowest scoring draw in normal Countdown was 35-all, done three times - episodes 297, 311 and 1088.
• Jonathan Anstey and Sue Hall manufactured the highest scoring draw - 61 points in each in Episode 888, Series 18. 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Series 9, Episode 3 saw a 25-all draw.

List of draws

There were 31 draws in Countdown history. Below is a list of all of them in chronological order.

#	Date	Type	Contestant 1	Score	Contestant 2	Presenters				Guest	Lex	Max
3	4/11/1982	P	Bill Benson	?	Michael Goldman	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	Ted Moult	Mary	??
8	15/11/1982	P	Helen Grayson	?	Joyce Cansfield	Richard Whiteley	Dr Linda Barrett	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	Kenneth Williams	Mary	??
25	14/12/1982	P	Jane McLeman	41 – 41	Maurice Daniels	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	Kenneth Williams	Mary	70
64	8/06/1983	P	David Wright	40 – 40	Philip Nelkon	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	Kenneth Williams		68
91	5/10/1983	P	Allan Simmons	36 – 36	Alan Walker	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	William Rushton	Yvonne Warburton	70
146	24/04/1984	P	Sydney Price	36 – 36	Graham Paxton	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Nigel Rees	Julia Swannell	74
151	2/05/1984	P	Stuart Schofield	51 – 51	Robert Richland	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth	Julia Swannell	70
157	14/05/1984	P	Debbie Maguire	43 – 43	Mike Willis	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth	Julia Swannell	71
196	30/10/1984	P	Sarah Hadaway	55 – 55	Colin Pearce	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Nigel Rees	Yvonne Warburton	73
297	24/10/1985	P	Peter Collier	35 – 35	Dennis Allen	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	John Junkin		??
311	13/11/1985	P	Enid Fordham	35 – 35	Tim O'Kane	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	John Junkin		??
317	22/11/1985	P	Tim Davies	44 – 44	Arthur Boden	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth		??
351	22/01/1986	P	Dorothy Bailey	49 – 49	Paul Comaish	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth	Della Thompson	71
369	17/02/1986	P	Andy Keeble	53 – 53	Sandie Simonis	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth	Hilary McGlynn	83
413	21/04/1986	P	Peter Conroy	42 – 42	Mick Keeble	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Bill Tidy	Catherine Clarke	74
512	25/02/1987	P	Diana Beasley	51 – 51	Marianne Croll	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth	Julia Swannell	73
563	7/05/1987	P	Jon Marsh	49 – 49	Phyllis Stevens	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Patrick Mower	Freda Thornton	71
602	1/07/1987	P	Peter Medhurst	47 – 47	Cath Powell	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth	Catherine Clarke	74
607	8/07/1987	P	Hilary Hopper	44 – 44	Boz Osberg	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Russell Harty	Catherine Clarke	83
679	20/11/1987	P	Joel Salkin	52 – 52	Derek Rutter	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Karen Loughlin	Bill Tidy	Julia Swannell	72
832	27/01/1989	P	Tim Morrissey	51 – 51	Mary Hawes	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Lucy Summers	Sylvia Syms	Freda Thornton	71
846	16/02/1989	P	Anna Sims	48 – 48	Len Marshall	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Lucy Summers	Eve Pollard	Della Thompson	81
888	7/08/1989	P	Sue Hall	61 – 61	Jonathan Anstey	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Eve Pollard	Simon Mason	86
1049	4/09/1990	P	Fiona Willis	50 – 50	Ian McLoughlin	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Brian Johnston	Mark Nyman	73
1088	28/01/1991	P	Raine Hilson	35 – 35	John Arfon	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Bill Tidy	Freda Thornton	73
1108	25/02/1991	P	Gillian Tickle	49 – 49	Suzanne Kinnersley	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Richard Stilgoe	Alexandra Clayton	68
1117	8/03/1991	P	Julie Purdey	42 – 42	Lew Schwarz	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Nigel Rees	Judy Pearsall	74
1120	13/03/1991	P	Nuala Clenaghan	54 – 54	Lew Schwarz	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Nigel Rees	Judy Pearsall	73
Cats58	10/03/2016	S	Sara Pascoe & Johnny Vegas	25 – 25	Jon Richardson & Alex Brooker	Jimmy Carr	Claudia Winkleman					Tom Allen	Susie Dent	58
Cats122	23/01/2020	S	Richard Ayoade & Sean Lock	44 – 44	Jon Richardson & Katherine Ryan	Jimmy Carr	Rachel Riley					David O'Doherty	Susie Dent	87
Cats143	29/07/2022	S	Richard Ayoade & Joe Wilkinson	28 – 28	Jon Richardson & Lucy Beaumont	Jimmy Carr	Rachel Riley					Finlay Christie	Susie Dent	75