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00:31Good afternoon and welcome to the Countdown studio on the day that a major Damien Hirst exhibition opens at the
00:38Tate Modern in London.
00:40It features some key works by Hirst, now the greatest living British artist, according to some, including The Physical Impossibility
00:48of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, which is a rather lengthy title for a shark suspended in formaldehyde.
00:56What do you reckon to that, Rachel? Is that really art?
01:00I think I'm a bit traditionalist on this. I like a nice picture that would hang on your wall and
01:05you might like to look at it, rather than a dead shark in a tub.
01:08I don't know. We'll have a little chat with our guest.
01:11It's better than the bed. It's better than the filthy bed. That's all I can say about that.
01:14Oh, Tracey's bed.
01:15Yeah.
01:16Uh-huh. Anyway. We don't dwell on Tracey's bed, God bless her. Anyway, John, you're back.
01:22Hello.
01:23Welcome. For those who missed John's triumphant foray yesterday on the Countdown stage, he's a retired teacher from Wolverhampton, organises
01:31holiday play schemes for children, mad on cookery, and is in the amateur dramatic society with a local theatre company.
01:39Is that true?
01:39That's right.
01:40Lead roles, I trust, John?
01:42Um, in the past, one or two, yes.
01:45Yeah? Good. How many wins so far? Two?
01:48Uh, two, amazingly, yeah.
01:49Let's see how you go. Let's see how you go.
01:51And you're joined by Rob Galloway, a postman from Leeds, who sings in a rock band, the Yala Yalas. What's
01:57this Yala Yala?
01:58It's, um, well, we're a punk rock and roll group, but, um, Yala Yala itself is, uh, an Arabic term,
02:05meaning, come on, let's go, so.
02:07Okay.
02:08When you say it, it's a sense of urgency.
02:09Good. And you've released two albums, and you played at Glastonbury.
02:13That's right, yeah.
02:14No Shoes. What's all this? You're a Sandy Shaw follower.
02:17No, it's, I keep explaining it, like, no shoes, it's just to show, I don't know, probably to look a
02:25little bit more dangerous in these, uh, dirty little punk venues we like to, uh, travel around and play in.
02:32We may call on you for a course later on.
02:34Yeah, bring a mic and acoustic guitar, I'll do a little sing-song.
02:38Brilliant. Can't wait. And who's here? Susie, as always, welcome.
02:41Hi, Nick. Thank you.
02:42Welcome, and, of course, Annika. Annika.
02:45It's so fun, do you know, I ended up singing at the pop festival once. It was a disaster.
02:50Um, because I was in a choir, a cappella choir, it was lovely, I love being in a choir, I
02:54have to say.
02:54And for some reason, I'm sure it was a sort of big mix-up with the organisation and administration, we
02:59got booked to sing at the Big Chill.
03:01Have you ever played there?
03:02Yeah, Big Chill.
03:03It's such, it's a lovely, uh, venue.
03:05But, uh, there I was, you know, with my younger sons, who weren't sure how cool it was having a
03:12mother actually turning up in a choir and singing on stage there.
03:14But the buzz is so exciting, is it not?
03:17Yeah, it's brilliant. Playing live, it's just adrenaline and excitement.
03:21Yeah, that's brilliant. Well, I'll tell you what, what she doesn't know is that if you're singing today, so is
03:25she.
03:26We'll do it together.
03:27Yeah, why not?
03:27Female vocalist, how's that?
03:28Yeah, sounds good to me.
03:30And, John, you can conduct, all right?
03:32That's what you want to do, apparently. It's your dream. You can conduct those two.
03:36So, John, kick off. Come on, let's get this show on the road. Let us go in.
03:41A vowel, please, Rachel.
03:43Thank you, John. Start today with O.
03:46A consonant.
03:48M.
03:49Vowel.
03:51E.
03:53Consonant.
03:55N.
03:56Vowel.
03:58A.
03:59Consonant.
04:01T.
04:02Vowel.
04:04I.
04:06Consonant.
04:07P.
04:09And a vowel, please.
04:12And lastly, E.
04:14Countdown clock.
04:15E.
04:16E.
04:16E.
04:17E.
04:23E.
04:45John?
04:46Only five.
04:48Five. And Rob?
04:50Five.
04:51Mm-hmm.
04:52John?
04:54And Rob?
04:55Meant.
04:56Meant. And in the corner, are you happy with those?
05:00Yes.
05:00Letting those through?
05:01Absolutely.
05:02What else? Annika?
05:03We got pimento.
05:04Mm-hmm.
05:05And temane, spelt P-T at the beginning.
05:09Yeah, it's an old term from chemistry for any other group of amine compounds of unpleasant taste and odour.
05:16Right.
05:18Right.
05:22Right. Nothing to do with John Bird's cooking, then, down at the Rick Stein cookery class, no?
05:28All right. Five all. Rob, it's you to choose.
05:32Hi, Rachel. Could I have a consonant, please?
05:35Thank you, Rob. Start with S.
05:38And another.
05:40R.
05:41R. And another, please.
05:44C.
05:45And a vowel.
05:46A.
05:48And another vowel.
05:50E.
05:51And a consonant.
05:54G.
05:56And another.
05:59D.
06:00And a vowel.
06:03A.
06:04And I'll finish on a consonant, please.
06:08And finish with P.
06:10Stand by.
06:10Gye paink good.
06:15Gye paink good.
06:26T.
06:28And a vowel.
06:29And a vowel.
06:33Yea paink good.
06:39Nemoha.
06:40Tsz.
06:40D
06:40right Rob six six and John I'll risk a seven mm-hmm Rob graces graces John
06:51catches catches catches okay certainly catch will be there as a verb codger
06:58will be there but will catch you be there yes it's specified under to catch
07:04to ask for obtained something to which one is not strictly entitled nice one
07:09I was a kid at school there were cadgers that used to come round and you know
07:14first sort of box time make your apple exactly anything else there Annika oh
07:19yes what else we got arcades arcades and grass all right no a few sevens okay 12
07:27five John in a lead and you're off John letters game um vowel please thank you
07:33John you consonant ah vowel I consonant T vowel a consonant s vowel a consonant
07:57are and a consonant place and finally D where we go
08:07so
08:17MUSIC PLAYS
08:35John. Seven. And Rob.
08:39I'll try a seven. Mm-hm.
08:41John. Raiders. And Rob.
08:44Stared. Stared.
08:45OK, so you're spelling it with the I.
08:47Yeah. OK.
08:49She's not happy. She's going to check it out.
08:51Oh, no, I think it should be fine.
08:52Let me just check.
08:55Oh, you and I both wrong, I'm afraid.
08:59Well, not there. Stared, but not stared as an adjective.
09:01I'm surprised by that. Bad luck.
09:03Right. So, can you help us out?
09:06Dustier. Mm-hm.
09:08Yes. Starred is there.
09:10Tarried. Two sevens.
09:12All right. All right.
09:13So, John, that propels you to 19, to Rob's five.
09:17And, Rob, don't let him get out of sight.
09:19He's a hot number, this one.
09:20Off you go.
09:23Could I start with a consonant, please?
09:25Thank you, Rob.
09:26T.
09:27And another.
09:30W.
09:31And a vowel.
09:34I.
09:35And another.
09:58Tick-tock.
10:00Tick-tock.
10:01Tick-tock.
10:02Tick-tock.
10:07Tick-tock.
10:13Tick-tock.
10:30rob just a six a six and john i'll try an eight rob monies monies john womanize
10:43you can be you can womanize as well as be a womanizer yes very good very good very good
10:52and what else have we got alica well we've got womanize which which actually was almost laid
10:58out for us um amniotes yes amniotes um good countdown word this one they are animals whose embryo
11:05developed in an amnion and amnion is the um innermost membrane of a mammal bird or reptile
11:11amniotic fluid exactly oh yes i've heard that word i've heard that word 27 to 5 john leads
11:17john the first numbers game of the day talk to rachel over there um one large rachel please
11:23and five small thank you john one big one five little ones coming up and for the first time
11:29today the numbers are seven one six three and another six and a large one twenty five and
11:39the target seven hundred and ninety one seven nine one
11:42so
11:48so
12:13I'm 7-9-3.
12:157-9-3. And Rob?
12:187-9-3.
12:20Right. So, John, your first shout.
12:246 multiplied by 6 is 36.
12:26Yep.
12:27Minus 3 minus 1 is 32.
12:29Yep.
12:30Times 25 is 800.
12:32Minus 7.
12:34And that's 2 away, 7-9-3.
12:36All right. And Rob?
12:38Exactly the same way.
12:40All right. So, have a little look. Are you happy?
12:43Good. So, Rachel, can you take us to 7-9-1?
12:46Yep. A couple of ways to get this one. If you say 25 minus 3 is 22. Again, 6 times
12:536, 36. Multiply those two together and you get 792. And then you've got one to take away for 7
13:00-9-1.
13:00Perfect.
13:29Very good.
15:32It is a junior office worker who carries messages,
15:36and the word comes from the metal identity badge worn by messengers or orderlies, the Hindi word.
15:41Right. He's a gopher.
15:42A gopher, in other words. A runner.
15:44Brilliant. Brilliant.
15:46There we are, 34 to 12, John Leeds.
15:49It's a letters game for Rob.
15:52Could I start with a consonant, please?
15:54Thank you, Rob.
15:56D.
15:57And another.
16:00J.
16:01And another.
16:03R.
16:05And a vowel, please.
16:07O.
16:08And another.
16:10E.
16:12And another vowel.
16:15I.
16:17Could I have a consonant, please?
16:19B.
16:22And another.
16:24C.
16:26And another consonant, please.
16:30And lastly.
16:31L.
16:33Stand by.
16:34Stand by.
16:45Stand by.
17:04Rob.
17:06I need points, so I'm going to have to go for a risky six.
17:09A risky six.
17:10And John?
17:11Seven.
17:11All right.
17:13Let's hear about your risk, Rob.
17:15Docile.
17:16Docile.
17:17And John?
17:19Broiled.
17:21Broiled, absolutely fine.
17:22And so is docile, meaning quite tame.
17:24Yeah, very good.
17:26All right.
17:27And what else?
17:27Annika?
17:28Well, I was broiled.
17:29What were you?
17:30There is a seven there.
17:31A corbeil.
17:32C-O-R-B-E-I-L.
17:34Um, and it's an architectural term for a representation in sparsket of flowers.
17:39Oh.
17:40Well, I'm dashed.
17:41Utterly charming.
17:41A corbeil.
17:42Well, I'm dashed.
17:43It's good sitting next to Susie.
17:45Absolutely.
17:46That propels John to 41.
17:48Uh, Rob is standing at 12.
17:51John, it's a letters game.
17:53Um, consonant, please, Rachel.
17:55Thank you, John.
17:56R.
17:57Vowel.
17:59O.
18:00Consonant.
18:03R.
18:04Vowel.
18:05I.
18:06Consonant.
18:09F.
18:10Vowel.
18:11O.
18:13Vowel.
18:15E.
18:17Consonant.
18:19Z.
18:22Consonant, please.
18:23And the last one.
18:24F.
18:25Clock time.
18:26I.
18:41I.
18:42I.
18:50I.
18:51I.
18:51I.
18:55I.
18:56yes John six and Rob a seven mm-hmm John rosier rosier how about Rob roofers roofers roofers
19:10are there two hours if there are two awesome that's fantastic well done you good excellent
19:14all right and anything else I couldn't get anything I literally got a blank piece of
19:19paper for that very onion did you go well I had roofs which makes me very embarrassed
19:26because I didn't take it any further so Rob takes today and then he carries he carries a day well
19:31done so Rob off you go constant place thank you Rob and and another L and another n and a
19:47vowel please
19:48oh and another e and a consonant please s and another g and a vowel please a and a consonant
20:09please
20:10and the last one and here we go
20:14so
20:43yes Rob just a five mm-hmm
20:46mm-hmm and John m7 Rob Mason Mason John mangles mangles absolutely fine mangles and in the corner
20:57well we've got a fruit basket we have got an international fruit basket melons lemons what
21:02else do you have mangoes mangoes mangoes very good very good I love mangoes so do I 48 to 19
21:11and John
21:12let us game a vowel please Rachel thank you John you consonant please
21:18V whopping a Państwo fill a comigoISE
21:20V vowel
21:22I consonant
21:24R vowel
21:27E consonant
21:29O consonant
21:31E
21:32vowel
21:35E
21:36consonant
21:37G consonant please
21:42and finally N
21:44Clock Time
21:45Please
22:16Yes, John.
22:17Eight.
22:18Eight.
22:19And Rob?
22:20Six.
22:20And your six, Rob?
22:22Munger.
22:23Munger, right.
22:25And John?
22:27Removing.
22:28Removing.
22:29We happy over there?
22:30I am happy.
22:32Munger is in there, but there is a combining form with a hyphen in front of it, which sounds
22:37very mean, but it means that we can't have it in front.
22:39It does need to have something in front of it, like gossip munger or fish munger.
22:42You can't just be a munger.
22:43You can't just be a munger.
22:44No.
22:45Shame.
22:45Sorry.
22:46Shame.
22:46I'd like to be a munger.
22:48Right.
22:49John, 56.
22:50Rob, 19.
22:52And now we brace ourselves for Susie's origins of words.
22:57Well, I'm going to talk today about why we touch wood.
23:01And I've been covering lots of idioms recently, and we've been reading a wonderful book published
23:06or written by the Flavels, and it's just a dictionary of idioms, and it's very colourful.
23:10In Britain, we touch wood, obviously, in the hope of staving off bad luck.
23:15And Winston Churchill wryly said once that he rarely liked to be any considerable distance
23:20from a piece of wood.
23:21And growing up as he did in the later part of the 19th century, he probably would have played
23:25the game touch wood, in which players were only safe when they did just that.
23:30And you might probably find alternatives in the children's playgrounds everywhere today.
23:34But quite why wood is involved, we're not completely sure, but the best theory is that it refers
23:39to the time of the Druids, when belief held that very benevolent spirits lived in the trees.
23:44So perhaps the idea then came about of seeking help by wrapping on a tree to plea for the
23:49spirit's aid.
23:51Right.
23:51Very good.
23:56So, that's where the expression knock on wood came from, I suppose.
23:59So, 56 to 19, and Rob, it's your numbers game.
24:04Hi, Rachel, could I please have one large and five small, please?
24:09One large and five small, of course you can, Rob, thank you.
24:12And they are two, six, ten, another six, seven, and the large one, 100.
24:23And the target to reach, 855.
24:26855.
24:43¶¶
24:58How did you get on, Rob?
24:598, 5, 3.
25:008, 5, 3. John?
25:028, 5, 6.
25:04So, I'm going to let you go first, John.
25:09100 plus 7.
25:11100 plus 7, 100 and 7.
25:13Multiplied by 6 add 2.
25:146 add 2 is 8.
25:168, 5, 6.
25:178, 5, 6. Yeah, one away.
25:20Yeah, well done, well done.
25:21Rachel, take us all the way, please.
25:23We could have said 100 plus 7, 107 again.
25:28But instead of 6 plus 2, if you say 10 minus 2 is 8,
25:33times them together for 8, 5, 6.
25:35And then you have the 6 over the 6 left over for the 1 to take away.
25:398, 5, 5.
25:46And now it's time for a tea-time teaser, which is geek, dear, geek, dear.
25:50And the clue, fish and eggs with a bit of Annika thrown in.
25:54Fish and eggs with a bit of Annika thrown in.
26:07APPLAUSE
26:14Welcome back.
26:15And the clue, fish and eggs with a bit of Annika thrown in.
26:19And the answer is Kedgeri.
26:21Kedgeri.
26:21Well, now we know what it's made of.
26:22But where does Kedgeri come from, Susie?
26:25Well, we think of it as being quintessentially British, wouldn't we, or Scottish.
26:28But, in fact, it takes its name from a Hindi dish called Kitchri,
26:32which was rice and split pulses.
26:35Really?
26:35So we borrowed it from the Hindi.
26:37Good.
26:38Well, thank you very much, Hindi.
26:405th 63 to 19, John leads.
26:44John, it's a letters game.
26:45Off you go.
26:46Vowel, please, Rachel.
26:48Thank you, John.
26:49U.
26:50Consonant.
26:52P.
26:53Vowel.
26:55A.
26:56Consonant.
26:58R.
26:59Vowel.
27:01O.
27:02Consonant.
27:03S.
27:05Vowel.
27:07E.
27:10Consonant.
27:12L.
27:14And a vowel, please.
27:16And the last one.
27:17A.
27:19Go on, bye.
27:19harth.
27:20Vowel.
27:21Good.
27:41Bye.
27:42Bye.
27:43Bye.
27:44Bye.
27:45Bye.
27:46Bye.
27:49John I'm seven a seven and Rob I've got seven mm-hmm John paroles yes Rob I've got arousal
28:01arousal what better and in the corner we had we had a bit of arousal too didn't we
28:07but we also had perusal and parasol good yes a good old mix hmm yes I have parlous
28:14it was good Shakespearean term parlors dangerous yes good so what carries the
28:18arousal I think yeah why not this time of the afternoon 17 to John 26 to Rob and
28:26Rob it's your game off you go could have a consonant please thank you Rob why
28:31and another L and another W could have a vowel please e and another
28:43a and a consonant T and another H and a vowel I and another consonant please and the
29:01last one T stand by
29:07so
29:33Rob seven seven and John seven all right Rob
29:38wealthy wealthy John no same with both wealthy yeah really good and anything
29:44else in the corner well we had wealthy and we had whistle yes I think a whittle
29:50down to taper something down yeah a little pen knife yeah you can do it
29:55literally on a piece of wood excellent 77 to 33 John leads and John off you go
30:01again with the letters game vowel please Rachel thank you John E consonant D vowel U consonant S vowel A
30:17vowel E consonant S consonant F vowel please and the last one I
30:32pleaseẳng
30:34wh Bryan
30:34smith
30:36smith
30:38smith
30:39smith
30:40smith
30:40smith
30:42smith
31:04So, John.
31:06Seven.
31:06Seven. And Rob?
31:08Seven.
31:09Mm-hm. John?
31:11Seaside.
31:12Seaside. And Rob?
31:13Fussed.
31:14Right. Are you happy with that?
31:17Uh, fussed.
31:18Yeah.
31:19Yeah. Fussed will definitely find. I'm not sure about fussed.
31:23Not there, I'm afraid. Bad luck.
31:25Oh, Rob.
31:26And in the corner?
31:28In the corner we have diffusers and disease.
31:31And anything else?
31:32No, that's it.
31:34We like Seaside a lot, though.
31:36So, with the score standing, John at 84 and Rob at 33.
31:40Rob, it's a numbers game.
31:43Could I have two large, please?
31:45And four small.
31:46Oh, of course. Thank you, Rob.
31:47Two big ones and four little ones for the last one today.
31:50And this time, the small ones are six, three, nine and four.
31:56And the large two, 150.
32:00And the last target of the day, 210.
32:03210.
32:03Mm-hmm.
32:05Mm-hmm.
32:35MUSIC CONTINUES
32:36MUSIC CONTINUES
33:09MUSIC CONTINUES
33:11MUSIC CONTINUES
33:12MUSIC CONTINUES
33:12MUSIC CONTINUES
33:16MUSIC CONTINUES
33:21MUSIC CONTINUES
33:23MUSIC CONTINUES
33:23MUSIC CONTINUES
33:23MUSIC CONTINUES
33:25MUSIC CONTINUES
33:26MUSIC CONTINUES
33:26MUSIC CONTINUES
33:31MUSIC CONTINUES
33:33MUSIC CONTINUES
33:34MUSIC CONTINUES
33:44Yes, Rob?
33:45Is it flickered?
33:46Let's have a look.
33:49Nope.
33:50So, John, the rest of time is yours.
34:04Nope.
34:06Foxed at this end, but fortunately we have a great crowd in from Newcastle University,
34:10all of whom will know that have got it, so hands up.
34:13Yes, sir.
34:15Frolicked.
34:16Let's have a look.
34:19Yes, you're right.
34:25Well, Frolicked, you'd expect a little else from Newcastle.
34:28But anyway, John, we'll see you again tomorrow.
34:31Good win, 91 to 40.
34:32We must say cheerio to you, Rob.
34:34You take your goodie bag home, back to the yally-yallers.
34:39Sadly, we won't hear you sing with Annika, which is a blow, because I was rather counting on that.
34:45No, but in all honesty, my countdown's better than my singing.
34:49Oh, really?
34:50God, you must be terrible.
34:52Anyway, there you go.
34:54Great to see you again, Susie, as ever.
34:58And Annika, too.
34:59Lovely to be here.
35:00Bad luck, Rob.
35:01And we'll have a little croon later on.
35:04Yeah, why not?
35:05Yeah.
35:05Excellent idea.
35:06Excellent idea.
35:08Rachel, more wizardry as ever.
35:10You've never, ever, ever let us down.
35:12It's so brilliant.
35:13I'm used to not calling me a witch.
35:16Forbid.
35:17You know this lot from Newcastle have come to have a gawk, don't you?
35:24I'm really not used to this.
35:26With Jeff, all the boys used to come to see him, so this is quite new for me.
35:29You deserve it.
35:30Tune in tomorrow, same time, same place.
35:33Be sure of it.
35:458 o'clock tonight on 4.
35:46How much for a 1948 Olympic torch?
35:49Topical.
35:50The nail-biting four rooms.
35:51The doors are wide open.
35:531x4 we deal.
35:54Okay, Channel 4, Fortune, a cookie time.
35:56Here we go.
35:58Exciting.
36:00Don't pick.
36:01Nice.