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00:22Good afternoon and welcome to the Countdown Studio.
00:25Now, you know, sometimes it can be very, very hard to do the right thing.
00:31But I read a charming story recently, Rachel, about a chap in Illinois in the States.
00:36He received an anonymous letter and with it was a check for $40 and an apology from some chap saying
00:45that he was really, really sorry that he had scratched the recipient's van.
00:51And that he'd be working very hard and he'd send more money when he had it.
00:55So what about your confessions? Are they many and varied?
00:59Not too many. I remember with my first boyfriend, we were at his aunt's house in Ireland.
01:04And for some reason he was telling some story, got really animated, threw his arms up in the air and
01:08knocked over this big plant pot.
01:10He only smashed it a little bit, but, you know, soil everywhere.
01:13So he kind of quickly tidied it up, put it back.
01:15And they came back in and he said, you know, really sorry, just done this.
01:17He said, how did it happen?
01:18And he told the story again, threw his arms up again and pushed it back onto the floor, smashed to
01:23pieces.
01:24And they saw it for real this time.
01:26They saw it, yeah, how did it happen?
01:27And they got the full action replay.
01:28Oh, brilliant.
01:29Yeah, couldn't really deny that anymore.
01:31Not really. There we are.
01:32Now, Rachel, who have you got?
01:34We've got the wonderful Philip Aston back with us, who scored so heavily on his debut yesterday.
01:40You're pleased with that outing?
01:42Yes, very.
01:43Ready to go again?
01:44Yeah.
01:45Well done. Well done, Philip.
01:46Now you're joined by Sylvia O'Brien, a retired bookkeeper from Newry in County Down.
01:52Welcome. Welcome to County Down.
01:54You recently, I think last summer, you celebrated your 50th wedding anniversary.
01:59I did.
02:00Wonderful. How did you celebrate it?
02:01We celebrated it by going to Lake Garda in Italy.
02:05Lovely.
02:05And we were in the northern end of the lake.
02:08Yeah.
02:08And we cycled right round the northern end for three whole days.
02:12Fantastic.
02:13Have a lovely day today, both of you.
02:15Let's have a big round of applause for Philip and Sylvia.
02:21And over in the corner, Susie, and of course, newsreader and journalist without parallel, Alistair Stewart.
02:29Welcome, Alistair.
02:30Welcome very much.
02:33Lovely stuff.
02:34Philip, take us away.
02:37Thank you, Nick.
02:37Hello, Rachel.
02:38Hi, Philip.
02:39Consonant, please.
02:40Start today with R.
02:43Another.
02:44S.
02:46And another.
02:48T.
02:49Vowel.
02:51A.
02:52Another.
02:53I.
02:54Another.
02:55O.
02:57Consonant.
02:58P.
02:59Another consonant.
03:01R.
03:02And a final vowel, please.
03:04And a final E.
03:06Stand by.
03:07On the meaning.
03:10We.
03:11To be.
03:23That's it.
03:30A.
03:31A.
03:36Every.
03:37Well, Philip.
03:39Nine.
03:41That's one way to start.
03:43And Sylvia?
03:44Seven for me.
03:45And a seven.
03:46Your seven.
03:47Roaster.
03:48Philip Aston, priorates.
03:52Yes.
03:54Very, very good.
03:56It's a noun relating to the prior, the man who's head of a house of certain religious orders.
04:02It's a noun, and I think it's a priorate.
04:05It's essentially the bailiwick of a prior.
04:08Very, very good.
04:09So done.
04:14That doesn't come around too often.
04:16No.
04:17Alistair.
04:18Really good.
04:19We were kind of feeling quite good about airports at eight, but we'd forgotten about Philip, which one should never
04:27do.
04:28Priorates.
04:28I knew prior.
04:29I went to a monastic school, but priorate I hadn't heard.
04:33But I'm afraid airports was as good as I could get.
04:35And you?
04:36Yeah, likewise.
04:37Excellent.
04:39Thanks, Alistair.
04:40Eighteen points.
04:41That's a way to kick off.
04:42Sylvia, your letters came.
04:44Hello, Rachel.
04:45Hi, Sylvia.
04:46Can I start with a continent, please?
04:47You can indeed, thank you.
04:48Start with P.
04:49And another.
04:51And another.
04:53The vowel.
04:54I.
04:56Another one.
04:58O.
05:00A consonant.
05:01C.
05:03Another consonant.
05:05S.
05:06S.
05:06A vowel.
05:08E.
05:10Consumant.
05:12T.
05:14And finish off with a vowel, please.
05:16And finish with I.
05:20Stand by.
05:49And finish with a vowel, please.
05:50I'll see you next time.
05:50I'll see you next time.
05:50I'll see you next time.
05:50I'll see you next time.
05:50I'll see you next time.
05:51I'll see you next time.
05:53Sylvia just a five a five and seven not written down so Sylvia mitt and low
06:01pierced yes you can be the most person around if you want to be absolutely fine
06:08yeah unhappy Alistair I spotted poetic which I felt quite good about and may I
06:16now introduce you to the genius sitting on my right yes genius no way you can
06:20stretch it to and I'm with poeticism oh the poetic quality the poeticism of
06:31well done Susie keeping Philip in line I see all right 25 points my word Philip
06:38off we go with a numbers game first one um capital T please Rachel thank you
06:44Philip capital T three from the top and three little ones and the first numbers
06:48game of the day is seven one two one hundred twenty-five and fifty and the
06:56target eight hundred and forty nine eight four nine
07:00and so
07:32Yes, Philip?
07:33849.
07:35Sylvia?
07:36850.
07:37850.
07:38Let's see how Philip gets on.
07:402 plus 7 is 9.
07:41It is.
07:42Times 100 is 900.
07:44900.
07:45Minus 50, minus 1.
07:46Well done.
07:47849.
07:48Thank you for that.
07:49Well done.
07:52So Philip built up a heavy score already, 35.
07:57As we turn to our first tea time teaser, which is Rue Demon.
08:01And the clue, you might Rue upsetting the demon, especially when you see this change.
08:05You might Rue upsetting the demon, especially when you see this change.
08:26Welcome back.
08:27Welcome back.
08:27I left you with the clue.
08:28You might Rue upsetting the demon, especially when you see this change.
08:31See what change?
08:32See the demon's demeanour change.
08:37Demeanour.
08:38So, Philip on 35.
08:40Sylvia, bags of time.
08:41Don't worry about a thing.
08:43It's your letters game.
08:45I'll start with a vowel, please.
08:47Thank you, Sylvia.
08:47A.
08:48Another one.
08:50I.
08:51Consonant.
08:53Q.
08:55Another.
08:58D.
08:59A vowel.
09:01E.
09:02A consonant.
09:05N.
09:07A consonant.
09:10F.
09:12A vowel.
09:13A vowel.
09:14A vowel.
09:16And finish off with a consonant, please.
09:18And finish with R.
09:20And the clock starts now.
09:21A vowel.
09:23A vowel.
09:36A vowel.
09:39A vowel.
09:39A vowel.
09:39A vowel.
09:49A vowel.
09:51well Sylvia six a six Philip seven and a seven Sylvia friend thank you and
10:01denarii yeah plule of denarius the ancient Roman silver coin very very good
10:07mm-hmm well done now in the corner can we can you help us out not really to be
10:14absolutely brutally honest here he has fared better than we have all right I
10:19we got fared for six do we do we do any better than that anywhere I know just
10:24denarii at the silver coin was originally worth ten asses in case you need to know
10:29asses yes to the elbow which is another quite thank you now Philip your letters
10:38game consonant please Rachel thank you Philip B another and another ah Val
10:49hey another e another Oh consonant H um a vowel e and a final consonant please and a
11:05final L stand by
11:11so
11:39MUSIC CONTINUES
11:42MUSIC CONTINUES
12:16MUSIC CONTINUES
12:19And now, Sylvia, it's your numbers game.
12:21Off we go.
12:23Two little and four large.
12:25Thank you, Sylvia.
12:26Four from the top throat and two little ones.
12:28And for this round, they are six and seven.
12:32And as we know, 75, 25, 50 and 100.
12:38And the target, 199.
12:40199.
13:13Now, Sylvia.
13:14199.
13:15Thank you, Philip.
13:16Yep, 199.
13:17Sylvia.
13:19100 plus 75 plus 25.
13:22200.
13:24Minus seven, take away six, and you've got one.
13:28Minus seven, take away six.
13:29Lovely.
13:30Yep, 199.
13:31Philip, same way?
13:32Yes.
13:33All right.
13:36Well done, Sylvia.
13:40Now, Alastair Stewart, what have you got for us today?
13:43Well, it's a very special day to me.
13:45It's a special day for everybody, I am sure.
13:47But today, the 22nd of February, is actually our daughter's birthday.
13:54Lovely.
13:54And I can tell you a little story that involves her, which is, I hope, rather sweet.
13:58So, first of all, if you're watching, happy birthday, Clem.
14:03What I do for a living means that occasionally, quite well-known people will phone up at home if they've
14:11got something they want to discuss or want to follow up on something that maybe we've been working upon.
14:18And on one particular occasion, my wife and I were both out of the house, and Clem was on her
14:23own in the house.
14:23And the phone rang, and she dutifully answered and said, hello.
14:28And a female voice said, are your mum and dad there?
14:34And Clem said, no, I'm afraid they're not.
14:36And this voice said, well, would you be happy to take a message for me?
14:42And Clem said, yes, of course, how can I help?
14:44Who is this?
14:45And the voice said, it's Mo.
14:47Mo who?
14:48And the voice said, Mo Molan.
14:51And Clem went, oh, right.
14:53And Mo duly said, as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, would love you to come over for the weekend
14:59and stay at the castle and maybe have some tea and play football or whatever you want to do.
15:04And mum and dad will stay over, all of you.
15:07Do you suppose that's something that your mum and dad might like to do?
15:10And Clem said, well, I'm sure they'd love to do it.
15:13I'll pass the message on.
15:14And paused and said, who is this really?
15:19And I was convinced for some time that Clem genuinely didn't believe it was Mo.
15:23But when I was given the great honour of having This Is Your Life done upon me, Mo was one
15:28of the people who said a few very, very nice words.
15:31And I will always remember at the end of it, Clem looked over and nudged me and said, so you
15:36did know her after all.
15:38Very good.
15:39Very lovely story.
15:41Very good.
15:43By all accounts, she was a terrific lady, Mo Molum.
15:47She was.
15:47And she was very, very brave at the end when she had terrible cancer and brain tumour.
15:55And we did a wonderful tribute event for her in the West End with all sorts of wonderful people from
16:02Northern Ireland, but from theatre land as well.
16:04And her husband was an artist.
16:06It was great.
16:07She is lucky enough to meet lots of folk, but she will always be in my memory as a very
16:12special and precious person.
16:13Yeah, much loved, much loved.
16:15Thank you, Alistair.
16:1659 plays, Sylvia's 10.
16:18And Philip, you're back.
16:20Let us go.
16:21Consonant, please, Rachel.
16:22Thank you, Philip.
16:33And a final consonant, please.
16:47And a final S.
16:49Stand by.
16:52We'll be right back to them and treasure.
17:21Yes, Philip?
17:23Eight, I hope.
17:24And Sylvia?
17:26Seven.
17:26You're seven?
17:28Middens.
17:29Yes.
17:29Now, Philip.
17:30Not sure if you commit a yes on Adam means.
17:33You can, yes.
17:34It's not listed as a mass noun.
17:35It's a mineral, another name for Adamite,
17:40which is a zinc mineral carrying as yellow, green or colourless crystals.
17:44Very good.
17:45Well done.
17:49My word.
17:50He plows on.
17:51Alistair, his word.
17:53Absolutely stunning.
17:55And we can't better it, but we can equal it.
17:59But again, for lovers of the game, it's a classic example.
18:02I spotted named, which is dead easy for five.
18:05But of course, there's M-I-S as well, which turns a five into an eight.
18:10Misnamed.
18:10And that's not hyphenated, is it?
18:12No.
18:12Well done, Alistair.
18:13Now, 67 plays Sylvia's tan.
18:16Sylvia, your letters again.
18:18I'll start with a vowel, please.
18:19Thank you, Sylvia.
18:20O.
18:21And another one.
18:23E.
18:25Consulant.
18:25L.
18:27And another.
18:29W.
18:30And another.
18:31N.
18:32Vowel.
18:34I.
18:36Consulant.
18:37S.
18:39And another consonant, please.
18:41G.
18:42O.
18:43And a vowel.
18:44And the last one.
18:45U.
18:47Countdown.
19:04And another consonant, please.
19:05And another consonant, please.
19:05And another consonant, please.
19:05And another consonant, please.
19:06And another consonant, please.
19:07And another consonant, please.
19:07And another consonant, please.
19:07And another consonant, please.
19:08And another consonant, please.
19:08And another consonant, please.
19:08And another consonant, please.
19:09And another consonant, please.
19:10And another consonant, please.
19:13And another consonant, please.
19:18Sylvia.
19:19Seven.
19:20A seven.
19:21Philip?
19:21Seven.
19:22Now, Sylvia.
19:23Slowing.
19:24And?
19:25Igneous.
19:27Igneous.
19:27Very good.
19:29Yep.
19:30And in the corner, Alistair and Susie?
19:32Love Igneous.
19:34Metamorphic.
19:34Or anyone who's done a bit of geology there, lovely.
19:36Igneous is fabulous.
19:38But again, it's one of those occasions where, much as I love wildlife, I didn't spot it, but you did.
19:44Wigeons are there.
19:45The Dabbling Ducks.
19:47Yeah.
19:47I'll give you another seven.
19:48Anything else, Susie?
19:49Well, you can put an L in front of Igneous and have Ligneous.
19:53Oh.
19:53Which actually means woody.
19:55Yes, it's the adjective relating to wood.
19:58So, 74, please.
20:0017.
20:00Philip, your numbers game.
20:02I'll have a capital T again, please, Rachel.
20:04Thank you, Philip.
20:05Capital T.
20:06Three from the top.
20:07Three little.
20:08And these three little ones are two, five, and six.
20:12And the three large ones, 25, 75, and 100.
20:17And the target, 274.
20:20Two, seven, four.
20:21We're going to do it on a farm called princess.
20:22Two, Seven, twenty, four.
20:28On a farm, due wing y'all.
20:28Two, seven, twenty, five.
20:46You have all three.
20:47Two, seven, twenty, seven, twenty, six, six, set.
20:52Philip 274 and Sylvia 275 let's start with Philip 100 times two is 200 yep plus 75
21:04six minus five is one take it away then it falls out well done 274
21:08well done
21:12well done Philip 84 points now as we turn to our second tea time teaser which is isn't beast and
21:19the clue Nora isn't a beast she's just known for her crazy behavior Nora isn't a beast she's just
21:26known for her crazy behavior
21:45welcome back I left with a clue Nora isn't a beast
21:49she's just known for her crazy behavior she's known in fact for her battiness Nora's battiness
21:58there we are 84 plays 17 and Sylvia let us go I'll start with consonant please thank you Sylvia zed
22:08and
22:08another G and another P vowel A and another E consonant F vowel U consonant P and another one and
22:32lastly R stand by
22:37so
22:40so
22:46so
22:49so
22:53so
22:53so
22:53so
22:53so
22:56so
22:56so
23:06so
23:08so
23:13so
23:15so
23:25so
23:30so
23:32so
23:32so
23:34so
23:35so
23:42so
23:44so
23:45so
23:46so
23:47so
23:47Um, someone who goes from the upper six and has a year off before going to university might be said
23:51to be a gapper.
23:54It's a hideous word, isn't it? It shouldn't be in there, but it is.
23:57He's a gapper.
23:57He's a gapper.
23:58She's a gapper, too.
24:00Susie, anything else?
24:01No, really, really slim pickings from that one.
24:04Thank you, but you got there.
24:0684 to 17, and now, Philip, your letters came.
24:10Consonant, please, Rachel.
24:11Thank you, Philip.
24:12T.
24:13Another.
24:15R.
24:16And a third.
24:18G.
24:19Vowel.
24:20I.
24:21Another vowel.
24:23E.
24:23Another.
24:25A.
24:26Consonant.
24:28T.
24:29A vowel.
24:32O.
24:33And a final consonant, please.
24:36And the last one, X.
24:38Stand by.
24:40And.
25:08I Kings, and I'm you.
25:08Can you watch?
25:08I am.
25:09Philip?
25:10Six.
25:12Sylvia?
25:12Five.
25:13And you're five.
25:14Great.
25:15Philip?
25:16Triage.
25:17Yeah.
25:19Triage indeed.
25:21Yep.
25:22Alice is looking thoughtful.
25:25I don't think we can do better than six.
25:28You can also have at six extort.
25:31Yep.
25:32And you can have target.
25:34But six triage is brilliant.
25:36Well done.
25:37Susie, anything else?
25:38No better than that.
25:39Now, Susie, your origins of words, what have you for us today?
25:45Well, I had a tweet from Janice Scott who asked why we started telling the time in terms of
25:53o'clock and when we started doing it.
25:56And it's a nice question.
25:57And the original form of the expression, you probably won't be surprised to know, was of
26:00the clock.
26:01And it goes back centuries to at least Chaucer's Day.
26:04So you'll find of the clock in the 14th century.
26:08Right up until Victorian times, you might still find a formal invitation being issued that
26:13would give a certain time to arrive of the clock.
26:17English speakers tried lots and lots of different forms over the years.
26:21So you might have heard two of clock, two a clock, three at clock, or simply three clock, which I
26:28quite like.
26:28But our standard form, o'clock, is first recorded in about the 18th century.
26:32And the use of o' to mean of was well known, particularly at that time and been around since the
26:38Middle Ages.
26:39So you'll find it in things like will-o'-the-wisp, jack-o'-lantern, that kind of thing.
26:43So it wasn't a great push to come up with two o'clock, for example.
26:48And like two o'clock, most of the forms have been used with whole numbers only.
26:52So you won't find 3.30 o'clock.
26:53We've never used that.
26:55But the indication of morning or afternoon was a little bit more complicated.
26:59So the expression was extended further.
27:01So it would be 6 o'clock at night, 9 o'clock in the morning.
27:05And we still use that sometimes.
27:07But of course, we have now graduated to a.m. and p.m.
27:10And a.m. is short for anti-meridian and p.m. is short for post-meridian, before and after noon.
27:17They were introduced to the second half of the 18th century.
27:19So again, they've been around for quite some time.
27:21They've made things a lot easier.
27:23But just while we're on time, it's worth just reminding that noon actually comes from the Latin, the Roman, nona
27:29ora, which meant the ninth hour, which seems a little bit confusing, really.
27:34But they started counting not from midnight, but from the hours of daylight.
27:40So nona ora was the ninth hour from daylight.
27:43So their noon was around 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
27:45And that nona, meaning ninth, has absolutely no relevance today.
27:49But it's just a bit of a relic from ancient times, from ancient Roman times, that we still refer to
27:54nine when we talk about noon.
27:56Thank you, Susan.
28:01Now, 90 plays 17, and it's Sylvia's letters game.
28:05Sylvia.
28:06I'll start with a vowel, please.
28:07Thank you, Sylvia.
28:08E.
28:09And another.
28:11U.
28:12And another.
28:14I.
28:14A consonant.
28:17H.
28:18And another.
28:20M.
28:21And another.
28:23T.
28:24Vowel.
28:26E.
28:27Consonant.
28:29N.
28:30And finish off with a consonant.
28:33And finish with J.
28:35Stand by.
28:36Türkiye.hurst,
28:48I.
28:51I.
28:52I.
28:53I.
28:56I.
29:04I.
29:07Sylvia.
29:08Six.
29:08Six.
29:09Philip?
29:09Six.
29:11No, Sylvia.
29:12Hitman.
29:14Hitman.
29:15Philip?
29:15Minute.
29:16Very good.
29:17Hitman.
29:19Alistair?
29:21Again, we can't better it, but we have inhum.
29:25Yes.
29:26Which means what?
29:27It means to bury, the opposite of exhum.
29:29Oh, exhum, of course.
29:30Inhum, exhum.
29:33Now, I don't think...
29:34Can you do better than six?
29:35No, can't.
29:35I'm going to prove on six.
29:36Six is the tops.
29:37So, Philip on 96, Sylvia 23.
29:41We turn to Philip for the final letters game.
29:43Philip?
29:44Consonant, please, Rachel.
29:45Thank you, Philip.
29:46L.
29:47Another.
29:49S.
29:50Another.
29:52M.
29:53Val.
29:55A.
29:56Another.
29:57I.
29:58Another.
29:59A.
30:00Consonant.
30:02T.
30:03Val.
30:05E.
30:07And a final consonant, please.
30:10And a final L.
30:11Stand by.
30:12Is.
30:22Yeah.
30:27Yeah.
30:30The.
30:30Maybe.
30:37I don't know.
30:39I don't know.
30:41Maybe.
30:41What's
30:41Do you
30:42Bye.
30:42Well, Philip? Seven. A seven. Sylvia? Seven. Thank you, Philip. Malaise. And? Mallets. Mallets, yeah. Both nice, yes.
30:55And in the corner, Susie and Alistair. Spotted mallets, but concede malaise. Beautiful word. Yeah. So my malaise is I
31:04did not see malaise.
31:06Yes. But do we have an eight? I don't think we do, do we? We don't have an eight, no.
31:09We have an alternative seven, malates, which are salts of malic acid, which you'll find in unripe apples.
31:15OK. But just another seven. Thank you, thank you, Alistair. 103. Wow. 103 to 30. And we go into the
31:24final numbers game. Sylvia?
31:26I'll finish off with an inverted T, please. You can indeed, thank you, Sylvia. One from the top this time.
31:31And five little ones. And the last one of the day is ten.
31:34Three. Three. Eight. Another three. Nine. And fifty. And the target? 353.
31:44Three. Five. Three.
32:17Sylvia?
32:19353.
32:20353 and...
32:22353.
32:23Sylvia?
32:24Ten minus three.
32:25Is seven.
32:26Seven times fifty.
32:28350.
32:29Plus the three.
32:31Marvellous. Well done. 353.
32:32Same method.
32:33There we go.
32:37Well done.
32:38So, Philip, up to an astonishing 113 as we go into the final round.
32:43So, Sylvia, Philip, fingers on butters.
32:46Let's roll today's countdown conundrum.
32:52Philip.
32:53Freakiest.
32:53Oh!
32:54How could you?
32:56Unbelievable.
32:57Let's see whether you're right.
32:59I have no doubt whatsoever.
33:01Here it is.
33:02Three for you.
33:05I hope everybody at home is looking at the clock.
33:09I think probably a second.
33:10It was fantastic.
33:11Thank you very much.
33:12Well done.
33:13Well done.
33:13Well done, Sylvia, too.
33:16Well, I tried.
33:17You tried very well.
33:18Listen, I don't think many people could have achieved a higher score than 40, but, you know.
33:23He's really super.
33:24Well, he's extraordinary.
33:26You are.
33:27Extraordinary.
33:27So, you take this goodie bag back to Newry with our very best wishes.
33:32And congratulations, too, because you did very well.
33:34Philip, my goodness me, we'll see you tomorrow.
33:36That's fantastic.
33:37123.
33:38All right.
33:39Alistair, what about this young chap here?
33:42Isn't he tremendous?
33:43Absolutely tremendous.
33:44Brilliant at the numbers.
33:46And I've been watching quite often rather like freakiest there.
33:49He'll get it within about three seconds.
33:51Wow.
33:52It's that brilliant capacity some folk have.
33:54You see numbers or letters and bang, you've got it straight away.
33:57And he's jotted it down and put his pen down.
33:59An extraordinary performance.
34:00See you tomorrow.
34:01And Lucy, too, of course.
34:03See you, too.
34:03Yes, see you, too.
34:05123.
34:06Well.
34:06I think if you were watching at home and you tried to pause your telly to cheat on the conundrum,
34:10you'd have done well if you'd have beaten Philip at that.
34:12Quite right.
34:13See you tomorrow.
34:14See you then.
34:15See you tomorrow.
34:15Philip, we'll be back.
34:16You join us then.
34:17Same time, same place.
34:18You'll be sure of it.
34:19A very good afternoon to you all.
34:22Contact us by email at countdown at channel4.com, by Twitter at C4Countdown, or write to us at
34:29Countdown Leeds LS3 1JS.
34:32You can also find our webpage at channel4.com forward slash countdown.
34:39Blind sausage testing in the job interview.
34:42The new series continues at 10 tonight.
34:45And next, as much sunshine as you want, but a small and sweet little holiday home for 38,000.
34:50Is that possible?
34:51Coming up.
34:52We'll be back.
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34:59We'll be back.