Junaid Mubeen

{{octostats|'''Champion'''|3|790|7}}
[[Image:Junaid Mubeen.jpg|thumb|right|Junaid Mubeen in [[episode 4680|his 8th game]].]]
'''Junaid Mubeen''' was an [[octochamp]] in and the champion of [[Series 59]], as well as a [[contestant]] in [[Series 39]] and a quarter-finalist in [[Championship of Champions XIII]].

He first appeared in Series 39 at 14 years old, where he lost to [[Mike Jones]] on a crucial [[conundrum]]. He returned 10 years later after passing another audition, and reeled off 8 impressive wins, including [[century|100]] on his debut. After setting the highest score of the [[series]] (later surpassed by [[Charlie Reams]]) he scored under 100 in his final three games, but still became #1 seed with a points total of 790. This points total was also surpassed by Reams, who scored 820 and [[Martin Bishop]] who scored 809.

In the quarter-final, Mubeen gave one of the performances of the [[series]], scoring 124 out of a possible 127 including the [[letters game|nine letter word]] {{word|NOTARISED}}. Mubeen scored all maximums at the numbers and conundrum and dropped just three points on the letters. [[Charlie Reams]] beat [[Kai Laddiman]] in the first semi-final, leaving Mubeen to face Martin Bishop in the second one. Mubeen took the lead with {{word|SPATIAL}} and {{word|ROMAINE}} but Bishop got back into the game when Mubeen had {{word|PRECASTED}} disallowed (the past participle of {{word|PRECAST}} is {{word|PRECAST}}). However, when Bishop had {{word|SOMAINE}} disallowed in the final letters game, Mubeen was beyond reach and topped off a good performance by taking the points from the final [[numbers game|numbers]] and [[conundrum]].

In [[episode 4732|the final]] #1 seed faced #3 seed, and the game was very close, first of all Reams missed {{word|STEMMED}} in the first round, but Mubeen had {{word|SLOPERS x}} disallowed in the next round. The players scored in the next two rounds, before Mubeen decided to pick six small numbers. Reams declared nothing while Mubeen declared 929 but had miscounted and got no points. In the second "half", Junaid took the lead with {{word|ORGANDIE}} and extended it when Reams had {{word|ALIENER}} disallowed. Mubeen held onto this lead until the final numbers, where Reams made a tactical choice of 4 large, but it didn't work because both players got the target and put their pens down after 20 seconds. Mubeen had a 14 point lead going into the conundrum, but it was Reams that solved {{word|ERACLOSES}} ({{word|CASSEROLE}}) and lost the final by just 4 points, {{score|88|84}}. Mubeen returned for [[Championship of Champions XIII]], taking out [[Tony Warren]] before encountering [[Charlie Reams]] again in the quarter final. This time he was not so lucky and lost on a crucial conundrum, {{score|88|79|Episode 4742}}.

In 2010, he returned to the studio for a deciding match against [[Charlie Reams]]. After a brilliant start by Reams, Mubeen pulled into the game thanks to the altered large numbers games, meaning that as they went into the conundrum, Reams' lead was down to 10 points, but Reams took the glory after unravelling {{word|KILLABAAA}} in half a second.

In 2009, Mubeen also appeared at unofficial Countdown tournaments [[COLIN 2009]] and [[CoNot 2009]].

Outside of Countdown, he also appeared on the show ''Brainteaser'' (on the same episode as another Coundown player [[Joseph Bolas]]).

Mubeen is the first 15-round series champion to have previously appeared on the show before the series that he won (the next, [[Kirk Bevins]], would appear in [[Series 60|the following series]]), and the second in entire ''Countdown'' history after [[Darryl Francis]].

{{series winner|preceded_by=David O'Donnell (Series 58){{!!}}David O'Donnell|series=59|followed_by=Kirk Bevins}}

==Episodes==
{{episode table}}
{{ep | 2342 | 4/09/1998 | P |[[Mike Jones]]| 51 - 40 |Junaid Mubeen| [[Barry Cryer]]|[[Anna Eaton|Anna Hall]]|70}}
{{ep | 4673 | 22/09/2008 | P |[[Julie Rees]]| 42 - 100 |Junaid Mubeen|[[Andrew Sachs]]|[[Susie Dent]]|144}}
{{ep | 4674 | 23/09/2008 | P |Junaid Mubeen| 92 - 79 |[[Hazel Jones]]|Andrew Sachs|Susie Dent|129}}
{{ep | 4675 | 24/09/2008 | P |Junaid Mubeen| 121 - 67 |[[David Williams (Series 59)|David Williams]]|[[Keith Barron]]|Susie Dent|134}}
{{ep | 4676 | 25/09/2008 | P |Junaid Mubeen| 106 - 49 |[[Darren Stibbs]]|Keith Barron|Susie Dent|117}}
{{ep | 4677 | 26/09/2008 | P |Junaid Mubeen| 106 - 72 |[[Tony McCreadie]]|Keith Barron|Susie Dent|139}}
{{ep | 4678 | 29/09/2008 | P |Junaid Mubeen| 94 - 45 |[[Gerard Doyle]]|Keith Barron|Susie Dent|122}}
{{ep | 4679 | 30/09/2008 | P |Junaid Mubeen| 74 - 62 |[[Jonathan Gilligan]]|Barry Cryer|Susie Dent|117}}
{{ep | 4680 | 1/10/2008 | P |Junaid Mubeen| 97 - 27 |[[Margaret Batters]]|Barry Cryer|Susie Dent|122}}
{{ep | 4728 | 8/12/2008 | QF |[[Neil MacKenzie]]| 57 - 124 |Junaid Mubeen|[[Jo Brand]]|Susie Dent|127}}
{{ep | 4731 | 11/12/2008 | SF |Junaid Mubeen| 96 - 56 |[[Martin Bishop]]|Jo Brand|Susie Dent|115}}
{{ep | 4732 | 12/12/2008 | GF |Junaid Mubeen| 88 - 84 |[[Charlie Reams]]|[[Gyles Brandreth]]|Susie Dent|118}}
{{ep | 4734 | 13/01/2009 | CP |Junaid Mubeen| 80 - 55 |[[Tony Warren]]|Andrew Sachs|Susie Dent|116}}
{{ep | 4742 | 23/01/2009 | CQF |Junaid Mubeen| 79 - 88 |Charlie Reams|[[Alastair Stewart]]|Susie Dent|128}}
{{ep | S29 | 16/08/2010 | S |Charlie Reams| 87 - 67 |Junaid Mubeen|[[Gary Osborne]]|Susie Dent|117}}
{{episode table end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mubeen, Junaid}}
[[Category:Contestants in Series 39]]
[[Category:Contestants in Series 59]]
[[Category:Teapot owners]]
[[Category:Octochamps of the 15 round era]]
[[Category:Finalists]]
[[Category:Series winners]]
[[Category:Contestants in Championship of Champions XIII]]
[[Category:Contestants on other game shows]]