Template:FA February

Allan Saldanha during a later appearance on Countdown.

Allan Saldanha is one of, if not the, most famous Countdown contestants of all time. His début appearance was in the first heat of Series 15, when Saldanha was just nine years old. He quickly rattled off eight straight wins, becoming an octochamp with a total score of 490 points. Saldanha was #1 seed for the final rounds, and made short work of Paul Walker and Peter Pryer on his way to the final against Dick Green.

The final proved to be one of the most controversial games in Countdown history. In the penultimate letters game, trailing by three points, Saldanha risked the word YOLKED. This was incorrectly disallowed by lexicographer Catherine Clarke. Whilst Saldanha would still have lost the game had it been allowed, it was felt that the wrongful disallowing of YOLKED had had a psychological effect on the young man, and then-producer John Meade relented and bought another complete set of the OED for Saldanha.

Saldanha played in Championship of Champions IV, but was knocked out in the first round by Nita Marr. He returned twice in subsequent years for special shows celebrating Countdown's longevity, beating Tim Morrissey in the '1000th' show and Gareth Williams in the '1500th' show. In 1996, the now 18-year-old Saldanha made his final competitive appearance on Countdown, in the Supreme Championship. He was the only person to play six games in the Supreme Championship, losing in the final to Harvey Freeman. (more...)