- 3 hours ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:30Hello, everybody.
00:32It is Thursday, the 5th of March.
00:34We are here.
00:35More importantly, you are here.
00:37And we're going to get on with Series 93 of Countdown,
00:39which is shaping up to be an absolute classic.
00:43And we're only into the third month of it.
00:46Marshaline et al.
00:46There's our guardian of the dictionary, Susie Dent.
00:49Member of the Countdown family,
00:50Neil Delamere is back this week.
00:52And, of course, our queen of numbers, Rachel Riley.
00:55I want to take you all back to 20 years ago.
00:57Today, we all sat in front of the telly
01:00because we love a bit of David Attenborough.
01:02And we thought, let's see, this planet Earth is like...
01:04Now, it's fair to say, I think, Rachel, it's not an overstatement,
01:08to say it revolutionised television,
01:10certainly the nature programme,
01:12and raised the bar as high as Kilimanjaro.
01:14Yeah, I mean, the quality, I mean, of the filming
01:17and the amount of time they put into it.
01:19And as that series developed,
01:20just seeing behind the curtain of actually the filmmakers
01:24when they sit there or they're underwater
01:26and they're just for hours on end
01:28to get this tiny little snippet.
01:30Patience.
01:31They had the money to have the patience.
01:34The bit where they...
01:35The last ten minutes, they'd say,
01:37right, you've just seen this amazing thing
01:39where an orca jumped out of the water
01:41and had a seal in one bite.
01:43We're now going to show you how it was filmed.
01:45We're going to do the same.
01:46We've just been inspired by that.
01:48In this episode of Countdown,
01:50we're just going to show you behind...
01:52Could you imagine how boring that would be?
01:55Tony Tiger peels an orange.
01:57Do you know what I mean?
01:59Vicky bakes another batch of sourdough bread.
02:02Let's just...
02:03Let's just move on.
02:06Ethan McNay is our champion from Achill Island in Ireland.
02:10His first win yesterday.
02:12What do you do on the island?
02:14I'm a primary school teacher.
02:16Oh, lovely.
02:16And, again, I don't want to revert the cliché here,
02:20but we're only a couple of thousand people on the island,
02:23so we're talking a few hundred families.
02:25So I'm guessing that you're teaching, you know,
02:28the kids of your mates at times.
02:30Yeah, yeah, and kids of, like, mates' parents
02:33and kids of my mates' maybe sisters and brothers.
02:37Like, you know, I'm only 24, so I'm a young teacher as well,
02:40so I'm teaching siblings of people I went to school with.
02:43That's brilliant, isn't it?
02:44That's absolutely brilliant.
02:45Well, it's going to be about letters and numbers today.
02:49My advice is don't challenge Richard Lawrence and Dan Armrestle
02:54at any stage.
02:56Lives down in Leighton-Bossard.
02:57How are you, sir?
02:58Very good, thank you.
02:59It's daunting enough for the people in the studio
03:01who have to be sitting near me with these guns,
03:05but with the two of us, it's going to be hard for them today.
03:09Now, you've actually taken part in strongman competitions.
03:12I have.
03:13I love that, right?
03:13Tell us about it.
03:14It's a lot of fun, so I got into it after Covid.
03:17Yes.
03:17I used to do CrossFit and fell out with that
03:19and worked out what is it I really love doing,
03:22and it's picking up heavy things and grunting
03:24and being very sort of animalistic about it.
03:27And it's sort of, you get to pick up cars and big boulders and...
03:31Listen, what we're going to do, if you win the first one,
03:33you get to lift Susie Dent above your head.
03:35OK, cool.
03:35Then Rachel Riley.
03:37Yeah.
03:38Then you can do Neil Delamere,
03:40and then I think I probably weigh the most,
03:41you can do me.
03:43At the end.
03:44Promises, promises.
03:46Well, forget CrossFit, stick to crosswords,
03:48because this is Countdown.
03:49Richard and Ethan, best of luck the most, yeah.
03:54Off you go, Ethan.
03:56Hi, Rachel.
03:56Hi, Ethan.
03:57Can I get a consonant, please?
03:58You can indeed.
03:59Start today with L.
04:01And another one.
04:03N.
04:04And another one.
04:10And a vowel, please.
04:15And another one.
04:17And another one.
04:19And another one.
04:23And a final consonant, please.
04:26Final T.
04:28At home.
04:29And in the studio, let's play Countdown.
05:02Okay, Ethan.
05:02Six.
05:04And for you, Richard.
05:05A six.
05:06Yes, Ethan.
05:07Elaine.
05:07Richard.
05:08Sleaze.
05:09Yeah, sleaze.
05:10Yes.
05:11Yep.
05:12Right, sixes.
05:13I think we have a seven there.
05:15Teasels.
05:16Yes, but with the Z in this case.
05:17Tall, prickly, Eurasian plants.
05:19Very spiky purple flower heads.
05:21There you go.
05:22Six points each for Ethan.
05:23And Richard.
05:24Another stands an I.
05:25Richard.
05:26G.
05:26Could I get a consonant, please, Rachel?
05:29Thank you, Richard.
05:31D.
05:32And another, please.
05:32M.
05:35And a third.
05:37R.
05:38A vowel, please.
05:40U.
05:41Another.
05:42E.
05:43And a third.
05:45O.
05:46A consonant, please.
05:48T.
05:50A consonant, please.
05:52L.
05:53And a final vowel, please.
05:58A final A.
06:00Let's do it.
06:32Richard.
06:33I will stick with a six.
06:35And for you, Ethan?
06:36A seven.
06:37What's the six, Richard?
06:38Remote.
06:39You hope the seven you didn't go for isn't the one Ethan's about to say.
06:43Leotard.
06:45Leotard.
06:45Yes, one of our favourite words.
06:47That's absolutely brilliant.
06:48Unfortunately, for remote, you need two E's.
06:50Sorry, Richard.
06:52Excellent stuff.
06:53What can we add there, Mr. Tellemere?
06:54A couple of eights there.
06:56Emulator.
06:57Yeah, every time I see you, I want to emulate everything that you do.
07:01Especially the physique.
07:02Yeah.
07:02And then I have to modulate my behaviour.
07:06Modulate for eight as well.
07:07Very good.
07:08Let's move on to those numbers, Ethan.
07:10Can I get two large and four small, please?
07:12You can indeed.
07:13Two large, four little.
07:15Coming up.
07:16First one of the day is four, seven, nine, five.
07:21And the large two, 50 and 100.
07:23And the target, 549.
07:26Five, four, nine.
07:27Numbers up.
07:59Five, four, nine. Ethan? Five, four, nine. And for you, Richard? Five, fifty. Five, fifty. Right, Ethan, off you go.
08:05A hundred plus nine. A hundred and nine. Times by five. Five, four, five. And then add the four. Perfect.
08:12Ten points. Well done. Lovely.
08:15The tea tank teacher is loyal, old. Loyal, old. My dog's loyal, but it's old and it's gone a bit
08:23bonkers. My dog's loyal, but it's old and it's gone a bit bonkers.
08:42Welcome back. Yes, in my head, doolally. It goes back to my neck of the woods, but I might be
08:49wrong.
08:49This is from India, actually. Amazing. And doolally tap. Often people say, where does the tap bit comes from?
08:55Well, doolally was the name of the sanatorium where there was also a transit camp in India where soldiers would
09:02await their journey home.
09:03And they had to wait for the right weather to cross. And often they would go stir-crazy and it
09:08was said they would have doolally tap.
09:10Tap being ordered for fever. So you would have sort of, you know, you would go stir-crazy or have
09:15that kind of fever.
09:16So doolally is a corruption of doolally. Right. So we spell fast. I was right. Richard, it's your letters.
09:23Could I get a consonant, please? Thank you, Richard. H. Another one, please. G. And another. S. And a fourth.
09:53Half a minute.
10:27Richard? Six. Six from you. And how did we get on, Ethan? A seven. And a seven. All right. What
10:32have you got, Richard?
10:33Fogeys. And Ethan? Housing. Housing. Housing. Yes. It's funny. When you say housing, I questioned it for a second. Housing.
10:43Yes.
10:45I thought we were going to dance in there until we said it slightly different. OK. Sevens?
10:50Yeah. Housing, shoeing, igneous. Igneous rock. As in metamorphic, igneous and sedimentary. Wasn't that what we learned?
10:57Nice. I had a very good primary school teacher. There you go. You would tell me about the CBD next.
11:02Let's just move on. Central business district. More letters, Ethan. Can I get a consonant, please?
11:08Thank you, Ethan. R. And another. D. And another. R. And another one. Y. And a vowel, please.
11:20A. And another. E. And another. O. And another. E. And a final consonant, please.
11:33A final T. Let's play.
12:05A final T. Let's play.
12:06Ethan? A six. Richard? A six. Yes. Let's get that score taken over again for you.
12:12Ethan, what's yours? O-rated. And for you, Rich? Dreary. Dreary. Nice. Dreary. Very good indeed.
12:19Right. Add to that for me, please. There's a seven there. We don't want to go over all steps,
12:24but we will retread if we need to. Very good indeed. Retread for seven. And that's as good
12:31as it gets. So let's do the numbers again. Ethan, our champion went for the two large. Will
12:36Richard take a gamble at this stage? Let's find out. Oh, let's try four large. Yes, let's.
12:41A bit of a gamble early on. I think that's good. Tactics, two little ones. And they are two
12:46and five. And then we know what's coming. One hundred, twenty-five, seventy-five and fifty,
12:52accompanied by five hundred and eighty-five. Five, eight, five. Numbers up.
12:57Five, eight, eight, five.
13:01.
13:28585 is the target of four large Rachel Laurenson 585 and for you Ethan no 587
13:34so what a time to go for four large mr. Laurenson I did 100 plus 2 102 times by
13:415 is 510 yep and then add the 75 good spot 585 10 points
13:49perfect time because somebody that's me corner our daily chat with mr. Neel
13:55Delamere what are we talking about today remember we were talking on Tuesday but
13:57what the poshest thing anybody's ever done yes I was trying to remember and I
14:01came up with one and then I've changed my mind and I want to get your opinion on
14:03it yeah I went to Venice last year very nice part of the world it was 40 degrees
14:07heat for this head in Venice we've seen that before do you remember Steve
14:12Staunton in the 1994 World Cup in Florida yes he was there one minute and there
14:16was a little kind of ginger puddle there the next with a freckle floating across
14:21similar situation for me so I was miserable and then the next day I went
14:25for the poshest meal I think I've ever had it was for our anniversary we went on
14:28to a terrace in Venice and the reason there was no pigeons or seagulls annoying
14:34anybody is because it was a man walking around in a tuxedo with a falcon on his
14:39arm and all the well-to-do people were going like you and me at the start
14:43going oh it's very posh oh it's so regal falcon is so regal but it's just pest
14:48control when you think about it like if you like if you checked into a hotel in
14:52Belfast and there's a guy in reception with a ferret in his pocket he's for the
14:56rats you know this is pest control you know the falcon didn't even have a hood he
15:01had like a full on top hat and a cane and he would point at the pigeon he
15:06selected well listen I'm gonna say rather than try and one-up it that might be the
15:11poshest thing ever when a hawk keeps birds away from your dinner plate in a
15:16restaurant might be the poshest thing ever that this could roll with maybe I've
15:19won every time you're here okay see if we can go back every time brilliant thank
15:22you mate all right let's get back to the game Ethan our champion was just
15:29strolling along easy then Richard has bitten back 36 22 it is now and champ you're
15:37picking these letters constant please Rachel thank you Ethan C and another S and
15:44and another T and a fourth K and a vowel please I and another A and another O and
16:00another one E and a final consonant please final N and here we go again
16:08you
16:19so
16:23so
16:25you
16:25you
16:25you
16:37you
16:39All right, time's up, Ethan.
16:42Risky seven.
16:43And for you, Richard?
16:44Seven.
16:45OK, Ethan, what are you risking?
16:47Coneist.
16:47And for you, Richard?
16:48Actions.
16:49Actions, we're not going to have a problem with, but coneist.
16:52Sadly, not in.
16:53Coneist would be the closest that we could get to that, sorry.
16:56How did we get on in dictionary corner there?
16:58Yeah, there's a couple of eights.
17:00Canoist is there.
17:01And aconites.
17:03And aconites.
17:03Aconites, plants in the buttercup family, poisonous.
17:06There you go, yes, indeed.
17:07At 36.29, more letters, please.
17:11Absolutely on the charges, Richard.
17:13Start with a consonant, please.
17:14Thank you, Richard.
17:15H.
17:16Another.
17:17B.
17:19Another.
17:21W.
17:23Another consonant.
17:25T.
17:26I'll go for a vowel, please.
17:29U.
17:30Another vowel.
17:32E.
17:34And a third.
17:38A consonant, please.
17:41R.
17:43And let's go for a final consonant, please.
17:47Final G.
17:49And start that clock.
17:50Chilt.
17:54All right.
18:16All right.
18:20Richard just a five and for you Ethan a chance here five as well that's okay though it steadies
18:26the ship Richard three and three Ethan greet greet for vise three for five have you got a six
18:34there is a six there weather weather yes well w-e-t-h-e-r what you've lost your mind
18:40there
18:41it's a farming term really for a castrated ram oh goodness me what a difference a letter makes
18:46there oh right it's five points apiece we're gonna go back to the numbers which has played a big part
18:53today hasn't it Ethan what you're gonna do let's get two large and four smalls please you can do two
18:58from the top four little tight one today and this time your little numbers are eight three seven five
19:05and the big two 25 and 100 and the target 162 162 numbers up
19:22so
19:53three times 25 75 plus the hundred 175 and then take away the five and the eight five and the
20:00eight
20:00that's it 162 goodness me
20:05unpredictable unpredictable today's show let's see what happens in the final part after this tea time
20:10teaser I love this one at duet cost duet cost handed out to Italy's best each year just one handed
20:18out
20:18to Italy's best each year just one
20:37hello again scudetto was the tea time teaser which we think a serie are winning the scudetto the title but
20:44I don't think that's the origin
20:45no you're right it is the award given to um at the winning team but it goes back to the
20:50Italian for a little
20:51badge um with reference to the emblem warning on the shirts of the winning team there you go okay
20:57forget all that forget little badges it's all about the teapot
21:01Richard G um a constant please Rachel thank you Richard n and a second please l third m and a
21:13fourth q
21:15lovely can I get a vowel please I um another you um a third e um a fourth please a
21:30and let's go for a consonant to finish and lastly t let's give me 30 seconds
21:40so
21:52so
21:52so
21:52so
21:52so
22:06OK, that is time. Richard.
22:09I'm going to stick with a six.
22:11And for you, Ethan? A six.
22:14Six as well. Off you go, Richard. Minute.
22:16And for you, Ethan? Amulet.
22:18Susie, all good with those? Very good. Excellent.
22:20Yeah, we've got a couple of sevens. Tequila and ailment are there for seven.
22:25You can rub tequila on your ailment if you want, but there is an eight.
22:29Yes, quantile. We can talk about quantiles and we're talking about frequency, distributions and sort of fractions of the population,
22:35for example.
22:36Right, more letters, please, from a champion, Ethan.
22:39Can I get a consonant, please? Thank you, Ethan.
22:41P. And another.
22:44R. And another.
22:47T. And another one.
22:49S.
22:50And a vowel, please.
22:52O.
22:52And another.
22:54I.
22:55And another.
22:56E.
22:58And another.
23:01E.
23:02And a final consonant, please.
23:04Lastly, P.
23:06Countdown.
23:07E.
23:08E.
23:08E.
23:09E.
23:11E.
23:16E.
23:21E.
23:22E.
23:23E.
23:23E.
23:23E.
23:38Ethan? Seven. And for you, Richard? Seven. And seven. Well done. Well done, Ethan.
23:43Toppers. And for you, Richard? Rope-iest. Rope-iest for sure, but is toppers ropey?
23:49Toppers aren't ropey. Gardeners might know this one. It's when you top weed, so when you cut the top off,
23:56the heads off weeds in your garden.
23:58Can we add to that? No. Riposte for seven, but we can't beat seven. Excellent.
24:03All right, Susie, let's stay with you for Origins of Words, please.
24:06Thanks to Joyce Brydon from Scotland, who has been in touch, wondering about terms defining relationship status, I suppose,
24:14in perhaps not in such modern terms, because Joyce is mentioning spinster, bachelor, widow and widower.
24:23Four distinct words with fascinating histories. And I mentioned spinster the other day in a question we had about Jane
24:30Austen
24:30and the use of the term to set your cap at something.
24:34So, it is exactly as you might expect, spinster. It was a woman who spins thread or yarn.
24:42It was an official title in, particularly in medieval England, when spinning was essential household labour,
24:50but also often the only way that an unmarried woman could earn a living without her husband's support.
24:56It carried absolutely no shame, no social judgment at all.
25:01It was only later that that crept in, in the 19th and 20th centuries,
25:04and it became associated with terms like old maid, etc.
25:08And so, gradually, thankfully, it moved away.
25:12Bachelors, on the other hand, you might think had the much happier time of it.
25:15This goes back to the medieval Latin baccalaureus,
25:18and that was a young knight who served under the banner of another.
25:22Now, the origins of that are slightly slippery, but we do know that Bacca, Laura were laurel berries.
25:28And very often, at university, if you get a baccalaureate,
25:31scholars were awarded laurel reeds as a sign, a token of their scholarship, if you like.
25:37So, there may be some association there.
25:40But whatever its origin, we do know that Bachelors specifically meant an unmarried man by the 1400s.
25:46And unlike spinster, it didn't carry those sort of moral associations.
25:50And that continued right up until the 20th century,
25:53where Bachelors were said to have a sort of high old time, if you like.
25:58Widow, again, that sort of carried official, specific legal status.
26:03So, a widow would often inherit property, but she was often expected to be a widow her whole life.
26:09Widower, one of the few words in English where the male counterpart actually gets the suffix,
26:16as opposed to the female.
26:17So, you have governor, governess, master, mistress.
26:20It's usually the woman that sort of has the sort of add-on, if you like.
26:23Men were expected to mourn briefly and then to move on.
26:27So, it didn't have that sort of whole, again, association.
26:30It's sort of all these words really encapsulate what people thought about particular roles in life
26:34and sort of, you know, how that was gendered.
26:38Thankfully, modern egalitarian usage is dropping all of these distinctions,
26:42but they still pack quite a story within them.
26:44So, why then, the black widow?
26:47Oh, lethal, because the spider eats the male.
26:50Yes, makes herself a widow.
26:52What about that sinister ending?
26:54Love it, thank you.
26:55OK.
27:00Ethan McNay is our champion.
27:02He's on 64 points.
27:04Richard Lawrenson and 47.
27:06We know in countdown terms, that's a round difference can bring us towards a crucial countdown conundrum.
27:12Four to go.
27:12Let's see what happens.
27:13Richard, your letters.
27:15A consonant, please, Rachel.
27:16Thank you, Richard.
27:17T.
27:18Another, please.
27:20D.
27:21And a third.
27:22S.
27:24A vowel, please.
27:26I.
27:27And another.
27:28A.
27:30Another, please.
27:31I.
27:33And a fourth, please.
27:37O.
27:38Let's go for a consonant.
27:41T.
27:43And a final consonant, please.
27:46And a final.
27:48M.
27:49And good luck.
28:21And that is time.
28:22Richard.
28:23Seven.
28:25Ethan.
28:25Just a five.
28:26The five is.
28:27Toads.
28:28And here's the seven that can change everything.
28:30Diatons.
28:31Is it?
28:31Yes.
28:32Very good in the dictionary.
28:34Yes.
28:34Planktonic algae.
28:36Well done.
28:37Well done.
28:39And that wins us to within that ten points.
28:42Neil Delamere.
28:43Yeah, we can't beat seven.
28:44Mastoid is there for seven.
28:46Yes.
28:46The mastoid process is the bone behind the ear to which the neck muscles are attached.
28:50OK, thank you.
28:51Ciamp, your letters.
28:53Can I get a consonant, please, Rachel?
28:55Thank you, Ethan.
28:56C.
28:57And another.
28:58R.
29:00And another.
29:01D.
29:02And another.
29:04N.
29:06And a vowel, please.
29:07E.
29:08And another.
29:09I.
29:10And another.
29:12A.
29:18And a final consonant, please.
29:20And a final W.
29:21Last letters.
29:22A.
29:23A.
29:24A.
29:24A.
29:54MUSIC CONTINUES
29:55And for you, Richard?
29:56I will stick with a six.
29:57Goodness me, here we go again.
29:58What's the six?
30:00Dancer.
30:00Ethan.
30:01Candier.
30:02Candier.
30:04It's not there, Ethan.
30:05It kind of falls between a few words, doesn't it?
30:09I can see why you could think that.
30:10It's not there.
30:12Can something be dancier, though?
30:13Did he miss a...
30:14No, you would ask me that one.
30:15Still not.
30:16Yeah, still got to keep trying until you sort this dictionary out.
30:20Beyond a six, then, please.
30:21Yeah, we've got a seven, downier.
30:23Yeah.
30:24It's like, Newry is downier than Lisburn.
30:26I think it might be quotes.
30:28Yeah.
30:29Yes, I've seen duck down, yeah.
30:31So, downier is there for seven, and crowned is there for seven as well.
30:35OK, well, listen, who...
30:36Well, you wouldn't wear a teapot in your head, but you know what I mean.
30:38Who's going to be crowned champion at the end of this episode?
30:41Well, you might do.
30:42But four points in it now.
30:43So, we were heading towards a crucial countdown conundrum.
30:47It's even closer now.
30:48Now, who's going to have the edge going into the last round?
30:51It depends on the final numbers, Richard.
30:53I was sick of my four large.
30:55Four large and two little, taking your life into your own hands.
30:58I love it.
30:59I approve.
31:00Final numbers, important ones.
31:02Seven, eight, 50, 100, 75 and 25.
31:07And the target, 978.
31:11Make one, 978.
31:13Last numbers.
31:14I'm just a surprised.
31:15We'll be back in there.
31:18Thanks, Richard.
31:18Have a great day.
31:19I'd like to have a nod.
31:20Bye.
31:21Have a great day.
31:21Bye.
31:21Bye.
31:21Bye.
31:21Bye.
31:23Bye.
31:27Bye.
31:37Bye.
31:449 7 8 Richard 9 8 1 9 8 1 3 away Ethan 9 7 5 9 7 5 3
31:52away goodness me Richard 100 plus 7 107 times
32:00by 8 is 856 yep and then I added the 50 and 75 for 9 8 1 50 and the
32:0875 9 8 1 yep and 3 the
32:11other way please Ethan 100 plus 25 125 times by 8 1000 and then 75 minus 50 is the other
32:2025 to take
32:21off and we're back where we started and what about 9 7 8 then rich yes it was there if
32:29you say 75 times
32:318 is 600 100 divided by 25 is 4 add that to the 50 for 54 and times it by
32:407 for 378 and add that back
32:44to the 600 for 978 as unpredictable an episode of countdown as I can remember Ethan's on 71
32:54Richard is on 67 both of them have done a lot of heavy lifting in this episode but who can
33:02carry
33:03the weight of this crucial countdown conundrum
33:16to keep the crown licorice is it
33:24wow Ethan I always say in a game like that a word on Richard here because
33:29very few people have the kahunas to come back in national TV like he managed to do
33:35yeah yeah you put up a great phone I have to say
33:37yeah that's good because you I talked to Bradley Walsh about this on when I was doing the Christmas
33:43chase he talks about the vacuum you get sucked into very quickly if you don't start well
33:48it's really really hard is there when you stumble you did so so well how you feeling about that
33:53yeah great really enjoyed it I've only been watching a year so I've got my 10 years I can come
33:59back yes
34:00in the meantime if you're ever short of someone of a similar physique to spot you at the gym just
34:05give us a call
34:30just 43 days hopefully we'll see you back tomorrow we'll be waiting for you you can count on us
34:36you can contact the program by email at countdown at channel 4.com
34:40you can also find our web page at channel 4.com forward slash countdown
34:45you can also find our web page at channel 4.com forward slash countdown
Comments