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's no such thing as a draw, instead extra conundrums are used until one player wins the game. Up until the end of Series 21 if two players drew they played each other again the next day, which causes numerous problems with the recording schedule, not just for the production team but for contestants who may have to go back home and come back up to the studios for another recording session. Additional conundrums were used to decide winners in the series finals and Championship of Champions events.

Facts and figures

• The first draw ever was between Michael Goldman and Bill Benson in Episode 3, during the first week of the show's history.
• The last draw was between Lew Schwarz and Nuala Clenaghan. Lew went on to become an Octochamp with two draws, which gave him a total of 547 points - which is theoretically the highest total score for an Octochamp, although of course David Williams got his 535 points in 8 games, not in 10. Lew is the only player to play in two drawn games.
• The lowest scoring draw 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.

List of draws

This is a list of all the draws in Countdown history, in chronological order.

#	Date	Type	Contestant 1	Score	Contestant 2	Presenters				Guest	Lex	Max
3	4/11/1982	P	Michael Goldman	?	Bill Benson	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	Ted Moult
8	15/11/1982	P	Joyce Cansfield	?	Helen Grayson	Richard Whiteley	Dr Linda Barrett	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	Kenneth Williams
25	14/12/1982	P	Maurice Daniels	?	Jane McLeman	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	Kenneth Williams
64	8/06/1983	P	Philip Nelkon	40 – 40	David Wright	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	Kenneth Williams
91	5/10/1983	P	Allan Simmons	36 – 36	Alan Walker	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman	Beverley Isherwood	Cathy Hytner	William Rushton
146	24/04/1984	P	Sydney Price	36 – 36	Graham Paxton	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Nigel Rees	Julia Swannell
151	2/05/1984	P	Stuart Schofield	51 – 51	Robert Richland	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth	Julia Swannell
157	14/05/1984	P	Debbie Maguire	43 – 43	Mike Willis	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth	Julia Swannell
196	30/10/1984	P	Colin Pearce	55 – 55	Sarah Hadaway	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Nigel Rees	Yvonne Warberton
297	24/10/1985	P	Peter Collier	35 – 35	Dennis Allen	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	John Junkin
311	13/11/1985	P	Tim O'Kane	35 – 35	Enid Fordham	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
369	17/02/1986	P	Andy Keeble	53 – 53	Sandie Simonis	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth
413	21/04/1986	P	Peter Conroy	42 – 42	Mick Keeble	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Bill Tidy	Catherine Clarke
512	25/02/1987	P	Marianne Croll	51 – 51	Diana Beasley	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth	Julia Swannell
563	7/05/1987	P	Jon Marsh	49 – 49	Phyllis Stevens	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Patrick Mower	Freda Thornton
602	1/07/1987	P	Peter Medhurst	47 – 47	Cath Powell	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth	Catherine Clarke
607	8/07/1987	P	Hilary Hopper	44 – 44	Boz Osberg	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Russell Harty	Catherine Clarke
679	20/11/1987	P	Joel Salkin	52 – 52	Derek Rutter	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Karen Loughlin	Bill Tidy	Julia Swannell
832	27/01/1989	P	Tim Morrissey	51 – 51	Mary Hawes	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Lucy Summers	Sylvia Syms	Freda Thornton
846	16/02/1989	P	Len Marshall	48 – 48	Anna Sims	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Lucy Summers	Eve Pollard	Della Thompson
888	7/08/1989	P	Jonathan Anstey	61 – 61	Sue Hall	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Eve Pollard	Simon Mason
1049	4/09/1990	P	Fiona Willis	50 – 50	Ian McLoughlin	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Brian Johnston	Mark Nyman
1088	28/01/1991	P	Raine Hilson	35 – 35	John Arfon	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Bill Tidy	Freda Thornton
1108	25/02/1991	P	Gillian Tickle	49 – 49	Suzanne Kinnersley	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Richard Stilgoe	Alexandra Clayton
1117	8/03/1991	P	Lew Schwarz	42 – 42	Julie Purdey	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Nigel Rees	Judy Pearsall
1120	13/03/1991	P	Lew Schwarz	54 – 54	Nuala Clenaghan	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Nigel Rees	Judy Pearsall