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00:16Let's go!
00:31Good afternoon, good afternoon, and welcome to the Countdown Studio.
00:34Now, this evening, it all kicks off.
00:37It's the Christmas Festival at the Royal Albert Hall.
00:40And from now until Christmas, every day, all those wonderful carols will be sung,
00:46Christmas music will be performed.
00:48It's an absolute festival, festival of Christmas music.
00:53That's why it's called the Christmas Festival, possibly.
00:55And, of course, you can't really escape Christmas music at this time of year, Rachel,
00:59because in every shop you'll be getting Jingle Bells, Winter Wonderland, Frosty the Snowman,
01:04encouraging us to buy our Christmas presents.
01:07But carols, when I was a kid, there was a lovely carols.
01:11It's actually called Come All Ye Faithful, but for some reason or other,
01:14it was sung in Latin at Este Fidelis, which is a lovely carol.
01:17And in our little village, we have a very beautiful, small Norman church.
01:23And it's actually tiny, but the village gets there.
01:27It's only used once a year.
01:30On Christmas Eve for a carol service in the freezing cold.
01:34We've all got candles and mince pies, and we don't have a clergyman.
01:39But one of the villagers takes the carol service, and it's fabulous.
01:43What sort of songs and music do you like at Christmas time?
01:47Carols are OK, but I'm more into The Waitresses, or Bare Force One our producers introduced us to, some classics
01:54there.
01:55And all the cheesy ones, things that play in Home Alone, make you feel nostalgic.
02:00You love this Home Alone?
02:01I love Home. I've already watched it back in September.
02:03You'd better take the DVDs with you to Canada.
02:06I'm sure they'll be online.
02:07All right.
02:09I'm over there.
02:10Well done. Thank you, Rachel.
02:11And who's with us?
02:12Chris Weldon's back.
02:14Chris Weldon, retired civil servant.
02:15We all know this Chris Weldon, all right?
02:18Great Bircham in Norfolk is where he's currently living.
02:21A fourth good win now.
02:23But now you've got to clamber over Roger Springthorpe.
02:28Good luck when you look at him.
02:30And Roger was a retired LGV driver from Colville, who, he told me a few minutes ago, had the most
02:37extraordinary load.
02:38What was it?
02:39I had delivered a load of sand being flown out to Saudi Arabia.
02:45It transpired that one of the princes was buying his son a colour-coordinated palace for his 21st birthday, as
02:52you do.
02:53Yeah, of course do.
02:53And when they went to finish the palace, they found out the local sand around the swimming pool was too
02:58rough for the royal feet.
03:00So they had to come to England, buy a load of sand from Cheshire, and fly it out by private
03:05jets to Saudi Arabia to finish the palace.
03:08Brilliant. What a lovely story.
03:10I mean, the mind boggles, doesn't it?
03:12Just a little.
03:13Let's have a big round of applause for Roger and Chris.
03:19That's a lovely story, Roger. Lovely.
03:21Over in the corner, Susie, and of course, the wonderful Paul Zenon, magician and comedian.
03:29Thank you, Paul.
03:30Now, Chris, off we go.
03:32Good afternoon, Rachel.
03:33Good afternoon, Chris.
03:34I'm going to start with a consonant, please.
03:37Start today with H.
03:39And another one, please.
04:07And a final vowel, please.
04:09And a final E.
04:11And here's the Countdown Clock.
04:14Good morning, sir.
04:15Good morning, everybody.
04:18Good morning,幫助 we go in.
04:37Good morning, good morning.
04:39Good morning, yeah.رب
04:41theushing士 amuletoche. Well
04:41done. Well
04:43morning, hon.希望
04:43morning, João. And
04:45Yes, Chris.
04:46Seven.
04:47A seven, Roger.
04:48A seven or so.
04:50Chris.
04:51Diverse.
04:52Now, Roger.
04:53Revised.
04:54Very nice.
04:56Paul.
04:57Yeah, I think there are a couple of eights there as well.
04:59There's Overside.
05:01Yes.
05:02If that works.
05:03And Heroised, which is Heroised?
05:07Yes.
05:07Is that to make someone a...
05:09To Hero Worship, yes.
05:10It's pretty much the same.
05:11Both eights.
05:12No worries.
05:15So, seven apiece as we turn now to Roger.
05:18Yes, Roger.
05:19Hi, Rachel.
05:19Hi, Roger.
05:20Could we have them a consonant, please?
05:22Start with D.
05:23And the second one.
05:26B.
05:29A vowel, please.
05:31I.
05:32Another consonant.
05:34D.
05:36A vowel.
05:38E.
05:40A consonant.
05:42B.
05:43A consonant again, please.
05:46J.
05:48A vowel.
05:50U.
05:51And finish on a consonant.
05:53And finish with R.
05:56Stand by.
05:57And finish with R.
05:58And finish with R.
06:00And finish with R.
06:10And finish with R.
06:12And finish with R.
06:12And finish with R.
06:12And finish with R.
06:13And finish with R.
06:14And finish with R.
06:15And finish with R.
06:17And finish with R.
06:28Yes, Roger?
06:29Six.
06:30A six.
06:30And Chris?
06:31Seven.
06:32Roger?
06:33Bidder.
06:34And Chris?
06:35Sorry, I misdeclared.
06:37Bidder, but I called it a seven instead of a six.
06:39Oh.
06:41Bad luck.
06:42Bad luck.
06:42Plenty of time, though.
06:43Early days.
06:44Yes, Paul?
06:46Yeah, we've just got a couple more sixes there
06:48with ribbed and rubbed.
06:49Very good.
06:50Now, what else have we got?
06:51Are we done?
06:52Yes.
06:53Yeah.
06:53Very much so.
06:55Thirteen for Roger there and seven for Chris.
06:57Now then, Chris, numbers game.
06:59I'll stick with one large five small, please, Rachel.
07:02Thank you, Chris.
07:03One from the top five, little coming up.
07:04And the first numbers game of the day is three, eight,
07:09one, two, ten, and one hundred.
07:14And the target, 267.
07:17267.
07:18Do, do, do, do, do.
07:22Do, do, do, do, do.
07:46Do, do, do, do, do, do.
07:47One hundred.
07:48Chris?
07:502, 6, 7.
07:51And Roger?
07:522, 6, 7.
07:53Thank you, Chris.
07:5510 times 3 is 30.
07:58Yep.
07:59Plus 100.
08:01130.
08:03Multiply by 2.
08:05260.
08:06And then 8 minus 1 is 7.
08:09Lovely.
08:092, 6, 7.
08:12Roger?
08:12Slightly different read.
08:14100 minus 10.
08:1590.
08:17Er, times 3.
08:19Times 3, 270.
08:20Take away the 2 and take away the 1.
08:22That'll do.
08:22Well done.
08:24You're good.
08:27So, Roger, 23 to Chris's 17s.
08:31We turn to our first tea time teaser, which is stood a lot.
08:35And the clue, the gnome stood a lot when it could have been sitting on this.
08:40The gnome stood a lot when it could have been sitting on this.
08:59Welcome back.
09:00I left with the clue, the gnome stood a lot when it could have been sitting on this.
09:05What do gnomes sit on?
09:06They sit on toadstools.
09:08So, it's toadstool.
09:10Toadstool.
09:1123 plays 17.
09:13Roger in the lead.
09:14And it's Roger's letters game.
09:17Er, consonant, please.
09:19Thank you, Roger.
09:20F.
09:20Er, another one.
09:23M.
09:24A vowel, please.
09:26E.
09:28Er, another consonant.
09:31P.
09:31And another.
09:34L.
09:35Er, a vowel, please.
09:37O.
09:38And another vowel.
09:40A.
09:41And a consonant.
09:43D.
09:44And another vowel, please.
09:47And lastly, U.
09:50Don't buy it.
09:51Do withremos.
09:53Do with 우� Cooper.
10:11Do with us.
10:14Do with us.
10:14Do with us.
10:16Do with us.
10:21Roger. Six. Chris. Six. Now then, Roger. Palmed. And? Upload. And upload. Yeah. Two good players here. Now, Paul and
10:36Susie.
10:37Yeah, a few sevens there with a mopeful. Ampoule. We've got P-O-U-L-E in there. And the
10:47glorious mud flap. Very good. Ampoule. It's a small glass container used for containing liquids, so doctors will use an
10:55ampoule of adrenaline, for example, to give you an injection. Thank you. 29 plays 23. Roger on 29. Chris, let
11:03us go. Consonant, please, Rachel. Thank you, Chris. C.
11:07And another one. M. And a vowel. I. And a consonant. R. And a consonant. T. And a vowel. A.
11:24And a consonant. L. And a vowel. E. And a final vowel, please.
11:35And a vowel. And a vowel. I. Stand by.
11:40And a vowel.
12:02And a vowel.
12:03And a vowel.
12:03And a vowel.
12:03And a vowel.
12:04And a vowel.
12:04And a vowel.
12:06And a vowel.
12:08And a vowel.
12:09And a vowel.
12:10Well, Chris. Seven. Roger, just a five. Your five? Crime. Crime and? Recital. Nice. There we go. Paul and Susie.
12:23Yeah, there's another seven there with climate, but there is an eight as well there with metrical. Metrical.
12:30Very good. Well done, Paul. But also, I noticed that Chris has pulled ahead of Roger by a point, 29
12:39to Chris's 30. So, Roger, whose number it is now, we must have a care. Roger.
12:45Can I have two large and four small, please, Rachel? You can indeed. Thank you, Roger. Two from the top
12:50row.
12:50Now, these four little ones, which are nine, eight, two, and two. And the large one's one hundred and twenty
12:59-five. And this target, seven hundred and seventy-three.
13:03Seven, seven, three.
13:35Roger. Seven, seven, three. Chris? Seven, seven, three. So, Roger. Eight times a hundred. Eight hundred. Minus twenty-five.
13:46Seven, seven, five. Minus one of the two. Seven, seven, three. Lovely.
13:49Same, Chris. Exactly the same. Yep.
13:57So, they're clinging on here, 40 to 39. Can't put a bit of paper between them.
14:02As we turn to Paul Zanon now, what trick are you going to amaze us with today? Yesterday's was extraordinary.
14:10Yeah, I'm not sure I can live up to that one today, but we'll have a go.
14:13So, we've been talking about pantomimes this week, and one of the most popular pantomimes, of course, is Sleeping Beauty.
14:20And in that is featured, apart from the title roles, there's the evil queen.
14:25And she's got that famous line that everybody knows, which is, mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest
14:30on the wall?
14:31Which is actually a misquote from the Disney film, a 1930s film.
14:34It's actually magic mirror on the wall.
14:37And mirrors have always been associated with magic, hence the phrase, like, smoke and mirrors and things like that.
14:42And so, that's what we're going to show you, is something with a mirror.
14:45And you can see that's pretty solid there.
14:48Now, most powerful magic happens under the cover of darkness.
14:51So, what we've got here is the knitted bag of doom.
14:55And the mirror's going to go inside there.
14:58You see, a mirror is kind of a portal to another dimension, you know.
15:01It's like platform nine and three quarters at King's Cross Station, or the triggering of Article 50, you know.
15:08So, it leads to another world.
15:10So, there we have solid, that's a solid mirror, solid glass in the middle.
15:15And what we've got are the knitting needles of Nantucket.
15:19Now, you can hear it's still there, but watch this as we go, and the needle goes right through the
15:26middle of the glass.
15:28It goes through the other middle of the glass, through the end middle of the glass.
15:33In fact, we'll leave that one there, and try it the other way as well.
15:37And that goes right the way through, like that.
15:39Now, here's the weird thing, and it's me making the noises, by the way.
15:42That's just thrown in.
15:43Sometimes I think I spoil you.
15:45And this is the really weird bit.
15:48Solid, it appears, but watch, as we can actually bend the whole thing, so you've got your curved bit of
15:56glass.
15:56And the strange thing about this is that if we take that back out of the bag, it's as if
16:01nothing ever happened,
16:02because it is, in fact, that magic mirror that we're talking about.
16:06Bizarre.
16:07Well, well, well, well, well.
16:11If you watch it, it's done.
16:13If you watch it now, it's done.
16:15It's all done with mirrors.
16:17Very good.
16:18Excellent.
16:19That's extraordinary.
16:20Thank you, Paul.
16:22Forty plays 39.
16:23Roger on 39.
16:24And it's Chris's letters game.
16:26Yes, sir.
16:27A consonant, please, Rachel.
16:29Thank you, Chris.
16:30N.
16:31And another one.
16:33L.
16:34And a vowel.
16:36A.
16:37And a consonant.
16:38T.
16:40And another consonant.
16:43L.
16:44And a vowel, please.
16:46I.
16:48And a consonant.
16:50Q.
16:52And a vowel.
16:54E.
16:56And a final vowel, please.
16:59And a final A.
17:01Stand by.
17:03And a vowel.
17:20And a vowel.
17:21And a vowel.
17:21And a vowel.
17:21And a vowel.
17:21And a vowel.
17:21And a vowel.
17:33Well, Chris?
17:35Only a four, I'm afraid.
17:38Yeah, look tricky. Roger?
17:39A five.
17:41Very well. Chris?
17:43Tail.
17:44Now, Roger, alien.
17:47Alien?
17:48Yes?
17:49Can you beat five? Paul?
17:51I think so.
17:53Tania, which is T-A-E-N-I-A.
17:57Yes.
17:58It's a term from anatomy for a flat, ribbon-like structure in the body.
18:04I thought as much.
18:06OK, very good.
18:07But well done, Roger.
18:0944 now to Chris's 40, and it's Roger's letters game.
18:14Start with a consonant, please, Rachel.
18:16Thank you, Roger.
18:16D.
18:17And again, please.
18:20R.
18:21And a vowel.
18:23A.
18:24Consonant.
18:26T.
18:27And another.
18:29G.
18:30And a vowel, please.
18:32O.
18:34Consonant.
18:36R.
18:37Another consonant.
18:39X.
18:40And a final vowel, please.
18:42And a final I.
18:45Stand by.
18:47And a vowel, please.
18:50And a vowel, please.
18:50And a vowel, please.
19:00And a vowel, please.
19:01And a vowel, please.
19:01And a vowel, please.
19:01And a vowel, please.
19:02And a vowel, please.
19:02And a vowel, please.
19:03And a vowel, please.
19:04And a vowel, please.
19:06And a vowel, please.
19:16Roger a risky five and Chris six now Roger gator Chris torrid gator
19:28absolutely fine yes obviously yeah no problem with that Paul there is a seven
19:34there which in my books a little bit obscure which is if you're into a
19:39Mexican food at all is a gordita g-o-r-d-i-t-a which would be Susie it's a
19:46hollowed out flatbread or tortilla and filled with your choice of cheese or
19:50vegetables or meat whatever you fancy thank you gordita 46 to 44 Chris is back
19:57in the lead and it's Chris your numbers game one large five small please Rachel
20:03sticking with what you know no panicking yet thank you Chris see if this can put
20:08more light between you these numbers are two six three another two another six
20:15and fifty and this target three hundred and fifty six three five six
20:52well Chris too far away Roger three five six Roger two plus three plus two is seven
21:00two plus three three hundred and fifty plus a six yeah I think Chris might kick
21:06himself well done there well done Roger
21:12wow look at that how things change 54 now to Chris is 46 as we go into our second
21:18tea time teaser which is Alan drug and the clue Alan was given a drug to help with his
21:23fever Alan was given a drug to help with his fever
21:43welcome back welcome back I left you with a clue Alan was given a drug to help with his fever
21:48poor chap what fever was that why it was glandular fever
21:53glandular fever we're just glandular fever we're just glandular actually 54 to 46 Roger in the lead Roger
22:00letters came for you I'll start with the continent please Rachel thank you Roger and the second one please
22:11another consonant
22:15another consonant
22:17another consonant
22:18another consonant
22:19a vowel please
22:22E
22:23another consonant
22:25another consonant
22:27another consonant
22:28V
22:30and I think finish with a vowel
22:32and finish with O
22:34and then
22:35Bye
22:36I
22:37I
22:40I
22:45I
22:51I
22:53I
23:07Roger.
23:08Seven.
23:09A seven and?
23:10I'll try a seven as well.
23:12Roger.
23:13Environ.
23:14And Chris?
23:15Overpin.
23:17I was just looking up that very word.
23:19Overspin is there, but not overpin, I'm afraid.
23:22Sorry, Chris.
23:22Oh, bad luck.
23:24Paul?
23:25Yeah, nothing else there, really.
23:26Got environs for seven was about the best we could do.
23:28Yeah, that's a verb, to surround or enclose, as opposed to environs.
23:34Roundabouts.
23:35Yeah.
23:3561 to 46.
23:37Have a care, Chris, now.
23:3961 to 46.
23:41Chris?
23:42A consonant, please, Rachel.
23:44Thank you, Chris.
23:45D.
23:46And another one.
23:48T.
23:50And a vowel.
23:51E.
23:53And a consonant.
23:54M.
23:56And a consonant.
23:58N.
24:00And a vowel.
24:02A.
24:03And a consonant.
24:06S.
24:08And a vowel.
24:10A.
24:12And a final vowel, please.
24:14And a final I.
24:17Stand by.
24:18T.
24:20And a vowel.
24:21And a vowel.
24:48A vowel.
24:50Well, Chris?
24:53Eight.
24:54An eight. Roger?
24:55Just a six. That's six.
24:57Misted.
24:59Misted and? Animated.
25:02Very good.
25:07Susie, you look deep in thought there.
25:09Yes, because I think there's a nine there.
25:11I can't find it.
25:12But we have another eight, don't we?
25:15We did, with mandates.
25:16Mandates. Mandates. Well done.
25:19All right. 61 to 54. Roger still in the lead.
25:22Susie, what have you for us?
25:24Today I have a proverb for you.
25:27And proverbs are often some of the oldest things in the language.
25:31In Europe, many of them go back to the Bible,
25:34which not only coined quite a lot of them,
25:36but also popularised them as it was distributed around Europe.
25:40And the proverb itself comes from pro to put forth and verbum meaning the word.
25:45So you are literally spreading the word.
25:47And the word is usually a moral or a reflection of culture or experience of some kind.
25:52So they tell you an awful lot, a little snapshot, if you like, in a word or in a phrase.
25:56And the proverb I'm going to talk about today is when in Rome.
25:59It's usually shortened to when in Rome.
26:00Of course, it's when in Rome do as the Romans do.
26:02And this is one of the oldest.
26:04It was an admonition to travellers, really, to observe the local custom whenever you go there.
26:10And it's believed to have originated in a letter written by St. Ambrose.
26:14And he was a fourth century bishop of Milan.
26:17And translated from Latin, his advice reads,
26:20When you were at Rome, live in the Roman style.
26:23When you were elsewhere, live as they live elsewhere.
26:27These words were part of a letter written in Latin in about AD 387 to St. Augustine.
26:32And St. Augustine was in Rome and was really confused about the right day for fasting
26:37because he knew that the Roman church had decreed that Saturday was the day set aside for fasting.
26:43But in Milan, where he resided, there was no such requirement at all.
26:48So he didn't quite know which custom to follow.
26:50It obviously varied from city to city.
26:52So he consulted the wise at St. Ambrose, who replied with that advice,
26:57When in Rome do as the Romans do.
26:59And that's exactly what he did.
27:00But not only that, he gave us some words that became enshrined in our memory pretty much forever.
27:05Oh, wonderful.
27:06Very clever.
27:07When in Rome.
27:11Mmm.
27:12Very good.
27:1454 plays 61.
27:16Roger.
27:17Off we go again.
27:19Consonant, please, Rachel.
27:20Thank you, Roger.
27:21H.
27:22And again, please.
27:24T.
27:25A vowel.
27:26O.
27:28Um, consonant.
27:30N.
27:31Consonant.
27:33K.
27:34Another vowel, please.
27:35E.
27:37Um, a consonant.
27:39T.
27:40Um, a vowel.
27:43I.
27:44I think we'll finish with a consonant.
27:47And finish with S.
27:49Stand by.
27:51I think we'll finish with a consonant.
28:11I think we'll finish with a consonant.
28:11I think we'll finish with a consonant.
28:13I think we'll finish with a consonant.
28:15I think we'll finish with a consonant.
28:18I think we'll finish with a consonant.
28:20Well, Roger. An extremely risky eight. Chris? Safe seven. And this seven of yours? Kittens. Thank you very much. Now,
28:34Mr. Springthorpe, honkiest.
28:37I don't think it is going to be in. No, not there as an adjective, I'm afraid. Bad luck. Bad
28:47luck? Yeah. It's a big risk you took there, actually, at this point, in the proceedings.
28:51Yeah. And over in the corner, Paul? Yep, there is an eight there, actually, with tokenist.
29:01Thank you very much, Paul. So, 61 apiece. Right down to the wire here. Chris, final letters came for you.
29:08A consonant, please, Rachel. Thank you, Chris. W. And another one. L. And a vowel, please. E. And a consonant.
29:19G. And a consonant. M.
29:29A consonant. And a vowel. A. And a final vowel, please. And lastly, O. Stand by.
30:14Well, Chris? Just a five.
30:18Roger, six. No, Chris. Molar. And Roger, meagre. Yes. But what has Paul got to offer?
30:30Just a seven with eel worm. Is it a worm-like eel, or is it an eel-like worm?
30:37The latter, yeah. It's a nematode, especially a small soil nematode, that can become a serious pest, crops and plants
30:46in E.
30:46There we are. Thank you. So, 67, please. 61 into the final numbers game. Roger?
30:53Too large and four small, please, Rachel.
30:55Thank you, Roger. Too large. Four little coming up for you.
30:58And the final one of the day is 6, 3, another 6, 8, 50 and 75. And the final target,
31:09733.
31:10733.
31:11733.
31:12833.
31:13833.
31:14833.
31:28834.
31:29833.
31:29833.
31:31933.
31:361133.
31:42Well, Roger.
31:44Er, 733, I think.
31:47And Chris?
31:48731.
31:49731.
31:50Now, Roger?
31:52Er, 6 and 3 is 9.
31:546 and 3 is 9.
31:56575.
31:57Yep, 675.
31:5950.
31:59725.
32:02Is?
32:04725.
32:05725, and I've gone wrong.
32:07Somewhere, plus the 8.
32:09Plus the 8 is 733, and you've just about got away with that.
32:12I thought I'd be unrecognized.
32:16Anyway, there you are, look, 77 to 61 as we go into the final round.
32:22My word, what a result, what a game.
32:25Fingers on buzzers, chaps.
32:27Let's roll today's Countdown Conundrum.
32:39Yes, Chris?
32:40Bettering.
32:41Let's roll it and see whether you're right.
32:45Bettering.
32:46Well done.
32:53Wow, Chris.
32:54All good things come to mind.
32:55I tell you, you had a great run.
32:56Four wins.
32:57And we had, you know, felt that you were going to go a long way.
33:00And along comes Roger Springthorpe.
33:03And takes it all away.
33:04We doesn't.
33:05Because you get your goody bed, and you get our congratulations for running a good campaign.
33:09Four good wins.
33:10It's been a great few days.
33:11Thank you very much, everyone.
33:13Now, this Roger Springthorpe, that was superb.
33:17I'm a little shocked.
33:19Well, you've done very well.
33:20We're going to have to park you for a while now, because we're going into the sort of finals.
33:26And then we'll come back, and we'll take you out of the fridge shortly.
33:30It'll be my pleasure.
33:33Well, you played brilliantly.
33:35Thanks so much.
33:36All right.
33:36We'll catch up with you.
33:37We'll catch up with you.
33:38Now, tomorrow, Paul, we start the finals of Series 77.
33:42Indeed.
33:43And the best of the best compete for the champion of all champions.
33:48So, Susie and Paul, see you tomorrow.
33:50See you then.
33:50It'll be fun.
33:51That was fun.
33:52That was fun.
33:53I will say, maledicts to Chris.
33:55You did very well.
33:56It was nice practicing my Russian with him backstage.
33:57Spasibo, Balshoi.
33:59And from tomorrow, we've got eight Octo Champs in this set of finals.
34:03And tomorrow, same time, same place.
34:07And we begin the finals, and we've got eight Octo Champs to play against each other.
34:14Join us then.
34:15A very good afternoon.
34:17Contact us by email at countdown at channel4.com, by Twitter at C4Countdown, or write to us at
34:24countdown leads LS3 1JS.
34:27You can also find our web page at channel4.com forward slash countdown.
34:3315 to 1 is looking for contestants for a new series.
34:37If you've got what it takes to become a grand champion and win a massive £40,000 prize,
34:42then head to channel4.com slash take part to apply.
34:45Good luck.
34:46Up next, hopefully, we'll get to meet Bolt, the aptly named little dog who keeps running away,
34:51lost and found, after the break.
34:58Up next, hopefully, we'll get to meet you.