John Ashmore

John Ashmore first appeared on Countdown on 7 April 1998, beating Alan Atkins 50-40 in the 57th heat of series 38. he won 3 more games before losing at the hands of Peter Malone. However, his four wins were sufficient to see him return for the final rounds as #5 seed. In the quarter-finals, he beat Gerry Pearce after a sudden death conundrum, and beat #1 seed Chris Toyne the very next day in the semi-final. In the final against Steve Fisher, John led by 2 points going into the crucial conundrum. ENTRCHAMP appeared on the conundrum board, and within 4 seconds, John had buzzed, correctly answering PARCHMENT to win the game 91-79, and become the 38th champion of Countdown. John returned at the end of 1999 for Championship of Champions X, but was defeated in the first round by Terry Knowles. John returned to the Countdown studios a few years later to film a special game, a rematch of his final against Steve Fisher, but the game has not yet been broadcast.

Preceded by Ray McPhie

Series winner Series 38

Followed by Kate Ogilvie