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00:00Thank you very much.
00:30Good afternoon and a very warm welcome from everybody here in the Countdown studio on today, Monday, the 20th of
00:38February.
00:39Now, I don't want to sort of rumble on and on about tractors.
00:43There is more in my life to tractors.
00:45But we've started a little sort of game of persuasion with Rachel.
00:51And I've got a couple of most interesting messages here.
00:55Wilf Naylor from Brigg writes in to say, at my granddaughter's wedding last May, her future husband, admittedly an agricultural
01:04engineer, came to the church on a tractor.
01:07Tractors in Brigg are quite a normal sight, but this was special.
01:12And we've got some pictures.
01:13The first one here we've got is of the groom John and Danny, his best man.
01:17There you are.
01:18You see?
01:19How does that look?
01:20And the next one is Nicola and John.
01:23That'll be Mr. and Mrs. Lee.
01:25Now, don't you think that's a sort of fetching photograph?
01:28They look lovely.
01:28I'm not going to knock them.
01:29Don't they?
01:30I think maybe tractors are possibly more suited to Lincolnshire than the streets of Southend, Nick.
01:34Essex, very agricultural county.
01:36Now, viewer Mike Woodbury, he's emailed in to say that Rachel would not be the first bride, or indeed the
01:44first Rachel, to be transported on a tractor.
01:47Our granddaughter Rachel, he writes, and her groom Kenny, another farmer, travelled from the church to the reception some 12
01:56miles away, following their marriage in Exford, Somerset.
01:59And Rachel climbed into the tractor, there she is, wearing unaided four-inch heels.
02:05And there they are, look, Rachel and Kenny.
02:09So, I think there's more coming, and by the time we get to August, you'll be in a terrible quiver,
02:15not knowing which way to turn.
02:18That's what I think.
02:21I'll be back to this question later on, but in the meantime, let's turn to our contestants.
02:27We've got Chris, Chris Butler, our returning champ, who's doing very well.
02:31Three strong wins, yet to crack the 100 mark.
02:35And for those who carelessly fail to watch on Friday, he's passionate about music and maths, and he hosts an
02:43open mic night at the Students' Union.
02:45Welcome back.
02:46Thank you, Nick.
02:47Welcome back.
02:47Good to be back.
02:48And our challenger today is Pader Lee from Dublin.
02:51How are you, Pader?
02:53I'm Tommy.
02:54Excellent.
02:55See, we know all sorts of strange things here in the Countdown Studio.
03:00And Pader, of course, is Gaelic for Peter.
03:02So, it's Peter Lee from Grangemore, Donomede, is that how you pronounce it?
03:05Yes, that's right, yeah.
03:06In Dublin, a senior meteorological officer.
03:08He saw Muhammad Ali fight in 71.
03:12Yes.
03:12And who is he fighting?
03:13I think it was a chap by the name Al Blue Lewis.
03:16Not one of the great fights.
03:17No, no, no.
03:18What a wonderful man.
03:19Don't we love him?
03:20Absolutely.
03:21Yeah, oh, yeah.
03:21It's fantastic.
03:22You're secretary of your local golf club, and your favourite TV show, apparently, is Father
03:26Ted, which I could never get to terms with, actually.
03:29Oh, it's everlasting.
03:30It's a fantastic programme.
03:32I think it's a particularly Irish thing, isn't it?
03:34That's something I think once you watch it, you'll watch and match it again.
03:38I'll get the box set.
03:39I'll try for a conversion.
03:42But at the moment, I'm a bit lukewarm about that.
03:45What I am not lukewarm about is welcoming Anne Widdicombe.
03:49You've been on this show many, many times.
03:51I'm a novice.
03:52I've been on more often than you.
03:54Oh, good.
03:56I'll catch up.
03:58I'll catch up, Anne.
04:00Anne, sort of, your biography, your CV, is so extraordinary that what I plan to do,
04:06Anne, is to sort of break huge chunks of it off each day and go into it with you.
04:13I know that you're an MP for Maidstone, I think, from 87 till 2010.
04:17Yes.
04:18You read Politics and Economics, I think, at Oxford.
04:20I did.
04:20And you're a novelist.
04:22Yes.
04:22And, of course, you're in everybody's heart, really, for your Strictly Come Dancing performance
04:28went on for weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks.
04:30Without any dancing.
04:31Hmm?
04:32Without any dancing.
04:33Without, well, you entered our hearts, Anne.
04:36You entered our hearts.
04:38Now, I'm going to leave it there because there's a great deal more to talk about in the coming
04:41days.
04:42And, Susie, welcome, as always.
04:45It's great to see you next time.
04:46Sitting next to the great Anne Widdicombe.
04:47And, indeed, Anne Widdicombe is sitting next to the great Susie Dent.
04:51So, time for a game.
04:52And I think, Chris, let's kick off with a letters game.
04:56Afternoon, Mitchell.
04:57Afternoon, Chris.
04:58Can I start with a consonant, please?
04:59You can, thank you.
05:00Start the week with B.
05:02And a vowel.
05:04E.
05:06And a consonant, please.
05:08R.
05:09And another.
05:12Z.
05:13And a vowel.
05:15A.
05:16A consonant.
05:18N.
05:20And another.
05:22F.
05:23And a vowel.
05:26O.
05:28And finish with a vowel, please.
05:31And finish with A.
05:33And here's the countdown clock.
05:35Talk.
06:03Oh, this one.
06:06so Chris it's got six a six and Peter seven seven so Chris what would your six
06:12be reason reason and patter these wars the EZ OARS right how do we feel about
06:21that over in the corner I never heard of it but Susie has Susie yes I'm very
06:26impressed it's a it's a great countdown word this one and the EZ OARS they are
06:31small stony concretions and you might find them in the stomachs of certain
06:34animals and they were once used as antidotes for various ailments
06:42and Anne can you take this further I regret that I can't know my score was six
06:47it was Susie who produced bazoas is that how you pronounce yes I looked at it
06:52and thought she was talking about beazoles good Chris watch him and Peter it's a
06:58letters game take it away hi Rachel can I have a constant please you can thank you
07:03start with V consonant Y consonant R vowel E vowel A vowel O consonant B consonant
07:33S and the vowel please and lastly E
07:39here we go
07:44so
08:14so
08:15two to six six six let's have it Braves Braves and Peter beavers beavers very
08:22nice you happy in the corner well we are we can't beat it but because I'm a
08:26politician you'd expect me to come up with verbose I think you're always very
08:33crisp actually and ah well crisp isn't enough letters that's true strong start
08:39there Peter Chris let us game off you go okay start with a consonant again please Rachel
08:45thank you Chris
08:46yes
08:46yes
08:47and a vowel I
08:50and another
08:51you
08:53and a consonant
08:56K
08:57and another
08:59see
09:00and another
09:01D
09:03a vowel please
09:05I
09:07And a consonant.
09:10S.
09:11And finish with a vowel.
09:14And finish with A.
09:17It's tick-tock.
09:48Chris?
09:49Seven.
09:50Seven, Peter?
09:52Seven.
09:53All right.
09:53Chris?
09:54Diaries.
09:55Diaries.
09:56And diarise.
09:57Diarise.
09:59Happy?
10:00We produced diarise.
10:02Ghastly.
10:02Horrible American word, but we produced it.
10:05But Susie's got a much better one, a rather endearing one.
10:08Go on.
10:08Yes, got a British one, this one.
10:10Cardies.
10:10Cardies.
10:12You should be wearing one of your Cardies.
10:14Exactly.
10:15All right.
10:16Peter, the challenger in the lead.
10:18And Peter, it's a letters game.
10:20Last one in the first section.
10:22Off you go.
10:23Hi, Rachel.
10:23Can I have a consonant, please?
10:25Thank you, Peter.
10:26D.
10:27A consonant.
10:30F.
10:31Consonant.
10:33H.
10:34Vowel.
10:37E.
10:38Vowel.
10:40I.
10:42Vowel.
10:43Vowel.
10:44O.
10:45Consonant.
10:47C.
10:49Consonant.
10:52D.
10:55And the consonant, please.
10:57And lastly, N.
10:59And they're off.
11:01And they're off.
11:01B.
11:02B.
11:02B.
11:03B.
11:03And a consonant, please.
11:04B.
11:04B.
11:04B.
11:04B.
11:05B.
11:06B.
11:06B.
11:33I'll try a seven.
11:34A seven, try a seven.
11:36And Chris?
11:36I've got an eight.
11:38Mm-hmm.
11:38Peter?
11:39Finched.
11:40Finched.
11:41Right.
11:41Chris?
11:42Confided.
11:44Confided.
11:45Snap.
11:46Confided.
11:47Excellent.
11:54Finched.
11:55Not there, I'm afraid.
11:56Finched is there as a noun, the bird, obviously, but not there as a verb.
11:59Chris is climbing back, clambering back.
12:01If you were to choose the numbers.
12:02I'll have six more, please, Rachel.
12:04Thank you, Chris.
12:05Six little ones wake us all up at the start of the week.
12:08Thank you very much.
12:09And for this first round, the numbers are six, seven, ten.
12:14Another seven, two, and four.
12:18And the target to reach, one hundred and sixty-three.
12:21One, six, three.
12:23One, six, three.
12:24One, six, five, six.
12:26Three, two, and three.
12:45You may need one of those olds flashing.
12:46Yeah, we may look like the old favourite thing either.
12:53All theайdanse doting up's Europe's.
12:54Chris?
12:55163.
12:56163. And Peter?
12:57163.
12:58Chris?
12:594 add 6, add 7.
13:0217.
13:03Times it by 10.
13:04117.
13:05And then take away the other 7.
13:06Well done. 163.
13:08And Peter?
13:08Exactly the same.
13:10Yep.
13:11You happy? Happy Chris?
13:12Yep. Well done.
13:17Right, so Chris, 25 to Peter, is 31.
13:20But now it is time to turn to the polymath, that is Anne Whittacombe.
13:25Miss Whittacombe.
13:27Well, every year, Nick, from 2004 until 2009,
13:32I was approached by a certain television programme called Strictly Come Dancing.
13:37And every year I said, no, no, absolutely not, definitely not.
13:43And then two things happened.
13:45The first was that I saw John Sargent doing it.
13:49And the second was that I retired.
13:52So quite suddenly, I no longer owed anybody a duty of time or dignity.
13:57So I said, right, I'll do it this year.
14:00Well, in the first two hours of the very first morning's training,
14:05Anton said to me,
14:07I think the less time you spend with your feet on the floor, the better.
14:16So he devised spinning, dragging, lifting, precious moment, even flying.
14:26And we came into week 10, and at that stage, we hadn't even been in the bottom two.
14:31And I said to him, Anton, whatever are we going to do if we get into the final?
14:39He said, don't worry, I've got it all worked out.
14:42I, that is he, will fly in from one end of the studio.
14:49You, that is I, will fly in from the other end.
14:54We will meet under the glitter ball, and we will dance in the air.
15:01LAUGHTER
15:01So think what the nation missed.
15:05LAUGHTER
15:06And wonderful, wonderful.
15:11But now it's time for a teatime teaser,
15:14and the teaser, Bring Thee, and the clue,
15:17Bring the sunshine to a seaside town, perhaps.
15:23APPLAUSE
15:35Welcome back, and the clue,
15:37Bring the sunshine to a seaside town, perhaps.
15:40And the answer, Brighton.
15:42Right.
15:43Peter, our challenger, it's a letters game.
15:45Hi, Rachel, can I have a consonant, please?
15:47Thank you, Peter.
15:49R.
15:50A consonant.
15:53P.
15:54Consonant.
15:56L.
15:58Consonant.
16:00S.
16:02Vowel.
16:04U.
16:06Vowel.
16:08O.
16:10Vowel.
16:12O.
16:14Consonant.
16:16L.
16:18And a final vowel, please.
16:20And a final E.
16:22Here we go.
16:25Here we go.
16:36Here we go.
16:39I'll see.
16:55I'll see.
16:56Good.
17:01I'll see you next time.
17:09So, lupa is a caterpillar of a geometric moth,
17:13and it moves forward by arching itself into lukes,
17:15and leprous also. Excellent. Very good.
17:18Peter's still in the lead, and Chris, it's a letters game.
17:22Off you go.
17:23Start with the vowel this time, please, Rachel.
17:24Thank you, Chris.
17:26I.
17:26And a consonant.
17:29T.
17:30And another.
17:32Q.
17:33And a vowel.
17:35E.
17:37And a consonant.
17:39H.
17:41And another.
17:43M.
17:45And a vowel.
17:47U.
17:49And a consonant.
17:52S.
17:53And finish with a vowel, please.
17:55And finish with O.
17:58Countdown clock.
18:01Or an consonant.
18:02And a consonant.
18:04I.
18:04I.
18:13I.
18:15I.
18:26I.
18:30Chris?
18:31Just a six that time.
18:33A six. And Peter?
18:34Eight.
18:35Eight. Chris?
18:37Quiets.
18:38Quiets.
18:39Miss Quote.
18:40Miss Quote.
18:42Absolutely fantastic. Well done.
18:44Well done.
18:49Anne, have you got anything else?
18:52Well, Susie, not me, because I wouldn't.
18:55Susie's come up with another American derivation.
18:58It's homeiest instead of homeliest.
19:01Homeiest?
19:02Homeiest.
19:03Yes, as in cosiest.
19:04Homey rather than homely.
19:06Yes.
19:06Right.
19:07But moving on swiftly, we missed Miss Quote, so that was brilliant, Peter.
19:11That was good.
19:11Yeah, it was.
19:12Well done, Peter. 46 to 32.
19:15It's another letters game, Peter.
19:17May Rachel a consonant, please.
19:19Thank you, Peter.
19:20N.
19:22And a consonant.
19:24W.
19:25Consonant.
19:28P.
19:30Vowel.
19:31E.
19:33Vowel.
19:34I.
19:36Consonant.
19:38T.
19:41Vowel.
19:43E.
19:44Consonant.
19:47C.
19:49And a final consonant, please.
19:51And a final T.
19:54It'll be a tick-tock clock.
20:26Peter?
20:28Seven.
20:29Seven.
20:30And Chris?
20:30Just a six.
20:32And?
20:33Entice.
20:34Entice.
20:34And Peter?
20:35Pectin.
20:36Pectin.
20:37Anna and I were just talking about pectin, which is that gelastinous substance used in jam making,
20:42but it is pectin and not pectin, I'm afraid.
20:45There's no E there, Peter.
20:47Fine for six, not for seven.
20:48OK.
20:49And Chris, letters game.
20:51Take it away.
20:52OK.
20:52Start with the consonant, please, Rachel.
20:54Thank you, Chris.
20:55S.
20:55S.
20:56And another.
20:58M.
20:59And a vowel.
21:01A.
21:02And a consonant.
21:05N.
21:07And a vowel.
21:09I.
21:10And another.
21:13A.
21:13A consonant.
21:17F.
21:19Another consonant.
21:21R.
21:22And finish with a vowel, please.
21:24And finish with O.
21:27Off we go.
21:28A consonant.
21:30A consonant.
21:56A Tel
21:59Chris
22:00Seven seven and Peter seven and Chris in farms
22:05forms and Peter
22:07Manoirs Susie, okay, I think we will find man well in the dictionary
22:12It's a nice large country has a manor house in France very nice good good. Well done, and
22:20All we got was in forms. I'm afraid actually we did get something else, but we did what you do
22:25Really out of time so I apologize for that
22:26There is a foramina there you see on the pen cam f-o-r-a-m-i-n-a
22:32It is the plural of foramen which in anatomy is an opening or passage especially in a bone
22:45We're very good and now it's time for our
22:48Masterclass origins of words Susie well, I thought I would this week look at stretching our vocabulary
22:55A little bit because the papers are
22:57Full very often of stories which say say that with alarm that our vocabularies are shrinking quite dramatically
23:03So I thought we'd maybe push the boundaries a little bit and here's a word for all pleasure seekers out
23:08there
23:08And that is cornucopia a word that probably a lot of people already have heard of it means horn of
23:14plenty
23:14And from the fifth century BC the horn in question was the goat's horn there was a Greek myth
23:20That when the god Zeus was young he played with a goat whose horn he broke off by accident and
23:27to make up for it
23:28He returned the horn to the goat. He endowed it with
23:31Magical powers granting anyone who possessed it with whatever wishes they made
23:36So the horn came to be depicted in art as bursting with fruit and flowers and other bounty so cornucopia
23:42today is an overflowing supply of something good
23:46Very good
23:51And children who get everything that they ask for are known as the cornucopia kids these days
23:57Peter it's a numbers game. Talk to Rachel
24:00One from the top Rachel
24:01And the rest of my river
24:02And five as well thank you Peter
24:04I'm sure this will be no trouble for you setting up your own maths questions
24:07We'll see what this one is so for this round the numbers are 5, 1, 10, 7 and 3 and
24:15the large one 100
24:17And the target 532
24:19532
24:52So Peter
24:53532
24:54And Chris
24:55532
24:56Peter talk to Rachel about it
24:58Yeah 7 minus 1 is 6
25:007 minus 1 is 6
25:01And the 100 minus 10 is 90
25:03Yep
25:046 times 90 is 540
25:06Yep
25:07And subtract the 5 and the 3
25:09And the 5 and the 3 for the 8 to take away and 532
25:12Well done
25:12Very good
25:14And Chris
25:15I might do it a different way
25:16I did 100 plus 7
25:17100 plus 7
25:18107
25:19Times it by 5
25:21Is 535
25:22And then take away 3
25:23And the same result again
25:25Well done
25:25Well done
25:29So
25:31Time for our second tea time teaser
25:33And the teaser is
25:34Kid rants
25:35And the clue
25:37The kid rants at me
25:38And calls me this unpleasant name
25:54Welcome back
25:55And the clue
25:55The kid rants at me
25:56And calls me this unpleasant name
25:58And the answer
26:00Stinkard
26:01Stinkard
26:02Susie
26:03Stinkard
26:04Yeah stinkard
26:05I think you would find stinkards on the streets of 18th century England
26:08In the olden days they were smelly or despicable people
26:11A stinkard
26:12A stinkard
26:13We are
26:1355 to 63
26:14Chris
26:15It's a letters game
26:16Okie doke
26:17Start with the consonant please Rachel
26:18Thank you Chris
26:19D
26:21And a vowel
26:22I
26:23And a consonant
26:25G
26:27And another
26:29S
26:30And a vowel
26:31O
26:33And a consonant
26:35D
26:37And another
26:38T
26:40And a vowel
26:43E
26:44And another vowel please
26:47And lastly
26:48Another E
26:49And here's the countdown clock
26:52Thank you
27:22So, Chris.
27:24Eight.
27:25Eight. And Peter?
27:26An eight. I haven't written it down, though.
27:29So we're going to hear from you first.
27:30Digested.
27:31Digested? Yes.
27:32All right. And Chris?
27:33Same word.
27:34All right.
27:37You haven't.
27:38Good.
27:39Anne?
27:40And, I'm afraid, same word.
27:42But Susie...
27:43That would have been three seconds.
27:44Susie got one that I should have got coming from Westminster.
27:48You got...
27:49Dodgiest.
27:52No, you're being unkind about your fellow parliamentarians.
27:55Dodgiest. Terrible.
27:57It's a letters game.
27:58Peter, off you go.
28:01Hi, Rachel. Can I have a consonant, please?
28:02Thank you, Peter.
28:04D.
28:05A consonant.
28:07N.
28:09Consonant.
28:11X.
28:12Consonant.
28:15R.
28:16Foul.
28:18O.
28:19Foul.
28:20I.
28:22Vowel.
28:25U.
28:28Consonant.
28:29M.
28:31And the vowel, please.
28:33And the last one.
28:34I.
28:36They're off.
28:37I.
28:38I.
28:53I.
29:06I.
29:07I.
29:08Peter. Five. Five. Chris? Just a five-two. Oh, this thing's going downhill. So, Peter.
29:17Mourn. Mourn. Chris? Mound. Mound. Susie? No, desperately looking for something that's
29:26not there. So fives. You've got a posh though. You've got a posh one. Oh, idiom. An idiom?
29:31A linguistic one. Good. All right. So mound and round and idiom and so forth, which sees
29:38Peter only what? Eight ahead. And Chris, time to catch up. It's a letters game. I'll start
29:44with a consonant, please, Rachel. Thank you, Chris. Start with R. And another. T. And
29:52a vowel. E. And a consonant. L. And a vowel. A. A consonant. R. And a vowel. I. Another
30:09vowel. U. And finish with a consonant, please. And finish with G. Tick tock.
30:18G. Tick tock.
30:20Etienne.
30:21G. Tick tock.
30:34G. Tick tock.
30:45G. Tick tock.
30:49Chris got a seven but not written down all right Peter I'll translate all right Chris regular
30:58regular ligature ligature mm-hmm excellent so it's the final that numbers game Peter
31:13one from the top Rachel rest from my rubber thank you Peter playing it safe hopefully
31:18to get yourself over the line could be a good decision thank you so for this last
31:22number skin the five small ones are eight four nine another four and seven and your
31:29large one again 100 and the target 330 330
32:03so Peter 331 331 and Chris 331 also all right Peter take it away
32:12100 plus 9 100 plus 909 and multiply by the tree where's your three three the seven
32:21seven minus the four seven minus four so three times hundred nine is 327 and then
32:26add the other four and add the other four for one away very good and Chris I did
32:32four times 100 four times 100 100 eight times nine eight nine seventy two add on
32:42four add four to the seven yet take and take away seven so add the four and take
32:49away seven sixty nine and then take the sixty nine from the four hundred yeah again
32:54one away three three one good that's a complicated old route anyway what would we
32:59expect from our training message if but Rachel could you take us to to perfection
33:053 30 no let's always get one away but I missed this one I'm sure it must be possible there
33:10so that
33:12leaves us at 91 for our challenger to 75 final round the conundrum round fingers on buzzers
33:19please reveal today's countdown conundrum good heavens who's that Peter yeah
33:30obtrusive good heavens so let's have a look
33:42very very strong finish there Peter you've cracked the ton 101 to Chris is 75 we have to say cheerio
33:50to
33:50you you've done really well you went down that the sort of fourth fence as it were
33:54it was no disgrace there it's been great to be on and you leave here not empty-handed you've got
33:59your goodie bag and back to oldham not to all them yet well done thank you you can hold your
34:06head
34:06up high in oldham to your students Peter well done we'll see you tomorrow thank you see you tomorrow
34:10we shall see you tomorrow and indeed when we shall have another closer look at your extraordinary life
34:16date you needn't look too closely I'm going to look everywhere five novels lord knows what else
34:22we've got to discuss and Susie we'll see you tomorrow and I can see Rachel over there with her
34:29her marker pen in hand what have you got for us Rachel I'm sure there must be an easier way
34:34but
34:34you could have said nine times seven is 63 add the hundred one six three eight over four is two
34:44times
34:44them together for 326 and add the other four well done she came through it is Monday you know but
35:00she got there as we expected her to as we knew she would yeah as quickly as a tractor would
35:06exactly
35:06and um we know you will tomorrow too same place same time be sure of it
35:23ever thought about wanting to make a bit of cash on the side make sure you're with four tonight for
35:27super scrimpers at eight
35:29you
35:30you