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This episode's repeat was broadcast on Thursday 14th May 2020.
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00:31Good afternoon and welcome to the Countdown Studio.
00:34Now, I guess for many of my generation, having a bedtime story read to one as a child is an
00:41abiding memory.
00:43Nowadays, apparently, it's no longer commonplace.
00:47The little ones have a television stuffed in their room, switched on, lights off, and they go to sleep to
00:52the TV.
00:53And I think that's something of a tragedy because children and their parents bond.
00:57You know, they go to sleep listening to these dulcet tones of their mother reading some horror story.
01:02I don't know about you, Rachel. Were you read to as a child?
01:06Yeah, definitely. Loads of A.A. Milne.
01:09Yes.
01:09Those are the poems and Winnie the Pooh and various things.
01:12Absolutely. It's a wonderful thing.
01:14One is so receptive, of course, at that age for information coming in.
01:17Now then, who have we got with us today? We've got two characters that I've met, Rachel.
01:22In my time, we've had Ed McCulloch, a software tester from Belfast, join us.
01:28A series champion from 2011, returned last year for a special episode against the next series champion, Graham Cole.
01:37And what happened? He won.
01:38Which means, Ed, you've never lost a single game. Is that right?
01:43That's correct. Until today, unfortunately.
01:46No, no, no, you haven't lost a game, Ed.
01:47Are you feeling confident or are you being modest?
01:51I'm feeling really nervous and I'm not looking forward to it.
01:54Well, I'll tell you what. You are up against young Jonathan Rawlinson, who's now a maths student at Cambridge, family
02:01homers in Sheffield.
02:02A very talented young man was the runner-up in my very first series last year.
02:09How's Cambridge treating you?
02:11It's challenging, but I'm loving it, yeah.
02:14You're loving it?
02:14It's really fun, yeah.
02:15Brilliant stuff. Brilliant stuff.
02:17Let's have a big round of applause for Ed and Jonathan.
02:21Why not?
02:26Why not?
02:27Susie, good to see you.
02:28Good to see you.
02:29I'm so excited about this one.
02:30And, of course, Martin Lewis, who recently became a daddy.
02:34I did.
02:35Are you reading your little daughter, Sapphire Susan, putting her to sleep with a little story yet?
02:41She's too young for stories at the moment to understand.
02:44I do have made up quite a lot of tunes for her, which I will not give you the benefit
02:49of now, because trust me, you wouldn't enjoy it.
02:51Well then, Martin, and more from you later on.
02:53But now it's time to get affairs of state underway, and we call upon you, Ed.
02:58Ed from Belfast.
02:59Kick off with a letters game.
03:01Hi again, Rachel.
03:02Hi again, Ed.
03:02Could I start with a vowel, please?
03:04You can, thank you.
03:05Start with E.
03:07And another.
03:09I.
03:11And a third.
03:13A.
03:14A consonant, please.
03:16N.
03:17And another.
03:19L.
03:21And another.
03:22R.
03:23A vowel.
03:26A vowel.
03:27And a consonant, please.
03:30H.
03:31And a final consonant, please.
03:36And a final.
03:37S.
03:38And here's the countdown clock.
03:39E.
03:41The.
03:41M.
03:42The.
03:47The.
03:49The.
03:50It.
03:58The.
03:59The.
04:10Yes, Ed.
04:12Eight.
04:13Jonathan?
04:14Eight as well.
04:14All right.
04:15Ed?
04:16Hawleyers.
04:17Hawleyers and Jonathan.
04:19Exactly the same.
04:20Very good.
04:20Two Hawleyers here.
04:26Very good.
04:27Hawleyers are both up to eight points.
04:29Now, what have we got in the corner, Martin?
04:31We had the eight, but we're not touching it.
04:32What do you reckon, Susie?
04:33Are we going to get one or two or none, which they don't get this game?
04:37I'm not even sure we're going to get any.
04:39I'm gambling for one.
04:40So this is our benchmark for this is to get one where we beat the two of them.
04:46All right.
04:47That's the challenge.
04:48Anything better than that would be outrageously ridiculous.
04:50All right.
04:51So one.
04:51I shall monitor it.
04:52Well done.
04:53Now then, Jonathan, let us game.
04:55Hi, Rachel.
04:56Hi, again, Jonathan.
04:57Can I have a vowel, please?
04:58Start with E.
05:00And a consonant.
05:03V.
05:04Vowel.
05:06A.
05:07Consonant.
05:09R.
05:10A vowel.
05:11E.
05:13Consonant.
05:14M.
05:16Vowel.
05:18I.
05:19Another consonant.
05:22H.
05:23And a final consonant, please.
05:26And a final L.
05:27And it's clock time.
05:28I.
05:30Yeah.
05:44I.
05:57I.
05:58I'm.
05:59Jonathan just as seven ed seven all right, Jonathan media. Thank you and ed heavier
06:08well
06:10round
06:13All right, well done
06:1415 all now then ed off you go and could I start with a consonant, please richel. Thank you
06:21w and another
06:24and on a third ah
06:28of all please
06:30oh and another
06:34e and a third oh
06:39consonant V
06:43And another s and a final
06:51Consonant please and a final ah and stand by
07:00of the
07:02i
07:13I
07:14I
07:14I
07:15I
07:27I
07:28I
07:28Shriniot Jonathan as seven and your seven over so ed
07:35overworn
07:37Overworn you're pushing the luck you know funny because I immediately crossed out the over and I was looking for
07:41similar words myself
07:42I'm putting in a six at this point with rovers because I'm not sure you have come taking a gamble
07:47noted
07:48And you're thinking Jonathan over sowers and sowing of seeds. Yeah. Yeah, not there. I'm afraid and eduels was over
07:55Worn. Worn. Overworn
07:59That's not there either. Mm-hmm. Sorry to both. All right. That's a standstill. Yes, it is. No, then
08:05Which Martin you're very pleased has it's one
08:09With a sick thank you very much. Yeah, very good
08:12Do you want to put another stake in the ground?
08:19No, no, we've won that
08:21Don't don't throw bad money after I bet you will get another one you think so yeah now then all
08:28right
08:28Jonathan your your call for a letters game I
08:31Can I have a vowel please Rachel? Thank you Jonathan a and a consonant
08:36P
08:38I
08:41Consonants
08:43G
08:43Vowel
08:44E
08:46Consonant
08:48D
08:50Vowel
08:52U
08:53Consonant
08:55S
08:57And a final
08:59Consonant piece
09:00And a final piece
09:02And a final piece
09:02Tick tock
09:12Tick tock
09:16Vowel
09:18A
09:18D
09:18A
09:39Youference
09:40S것
09:43ed guppies guppies gaudy and a guppy yeah gaudies and i think should be fine guppies certainly fine
09:52they're the fish um that you will find in aquaria and um yeah celebratory dinners or entertainments
09:58held by colleges for old members those are gaudies very good so 22 all and now we come to our
10:04first
10:04numbers game ed could i have uh six more please you can thank you and you two always been very
10:09good at the numbers so it should be an interesting game so to start off the six small are three
10:15four
10:16two seven another seven and nine and the target seven hundred and ninety three seven nine three
10:58seven nine two seven nine two one away jonathan uh no i lost it all right ed okay uh seven
11:07plus seven
11:07seven plus seven fourteen minus three minus three eleven uh multiplied by nine multiplied by nine
11:15ninety nine times four times four is three hundred and ninety six times two and two times two yes
11:24seven hundred and ninety two very good well done ed now then rachel seven nine three a possibility um i
11:31did a slightly different method for seven nine two again but i'll have another look at seven all right
11:35well done thank you so 29 plays uh jonathan's 22 as we turn our attention to martin martin yes i
11:44was
11:44fascinated by that now rachel i need to disturb your calculations for more calculations don't do that
11:49this question oh you don't anger me i'm busy oh no one else can do this one we're going to
11:55have to do
11:55this one it's a very important question this and it may sound slightly arcane but what i would like
12:00to know is can you work out what your monthly repayments would be on a five thousand pound loan
12:07over five years at ten percent interest now while you're doing that i'll tell you why this is important
12:14because many people have heard about the ppi misselling scandal 13 billion pounds worth and people
12:19often say well how can someone not know they've got it and it worked like this you went in you
12:23said i want
12:24a five thousand pound loan at ten percent over five years whatever the rate was and they said
12:28certainly sir your fully protected loan will be 125 pounds a month those two little words fully
12:33protected meant they were adding payment protection insurance on top and therefore what people say to
12:39me is well surely people know what the loan cost is so i am using rachel here who is i
12:44presume
12:44struggling to work this out i don't even understand the question that's the problem that's the problem so
12:50the idea that people were somehow stupid for not realizing that it shouldn't be that amount let's
12:54do it together though very interesting now the first thing is ten percent on five thousand pounds
13:00five hundred times by five two thousand five hundred so two thousand five hundred would be the interest
13:07if you had a flat five thousand pound loan but of course you start with five thousand pounds you end
13:11up
13:11with nothing so let's take a rough example and say well the amount of your outstanding debtor over the
13:16five years is about half that so halve it half of what two thousand five hundred hundred and fifty
13:22twelve hundred and fifty you borrowed five thousand pounds add the two together so that's the original
13:27amount six six two fifty add a hundred quid on top for compound interest there's a rough estimate
13:32six three fifty over five years is sixty months so it's roughly um hundred and yeah 105 quid yeah and
13:41the actual amount is 106 quid so to estimate it in your head the real key is you halve the
13:46amount you're
13:46borrowing and work it out on that figure ten percent of that over five years that's the interest
13:51this is why millions of people have been missold payment protection insurance there were lots of
13:55different ways to miss sell one of them was adding the insurance in the quote with two little words
14:00fully protected that people nodded and thought that that's what they should repay because even
14:05rachel is struggling to work out actually how much you should pay when given a quote by a bank so
14:12those of you who were missold it you weren't stupid bravo well done well done great advice there from
14:20martin as always but now we must turn our attention to a tea time teaser which is emu's lips and
14:27the clue
14:27overwhelming urges to eat lentils and chickpeas perhaps overwhelming urges to eat lentils and chickpeas
14:43perhaps
14:51welcome back i left with the clue overwhelming urges to eat lentils and chickpeas perhaps and the answer is
14:59that's impulses impulses impulses now then 29 to 22 ed leads and we go into jonathan's letters game
15:09i can i first start with the vowel please rachel thank you jonathan a and a consonant s vowel
15:17o consonant g vowel a consonant n vowel i consonant r and a final vowel please and a final u
15:39and here's the big hand
15:41oh
15:54oh
15:55oh
16:12Jonathan eight eight and Ed also it by Jonathan arousing Ed yes the word equally aroused very
16:22good anybody else around my good Martin no no no no we weren't even aroused when I when I got
16:34it
16:34I was just rousing very good anything else they souring iguanas is a nice seven if you wanted one
16:43a nice little iguana 37 days 30 Ed letters could I start with a vowel please Richard thank you
16:50good oh and another e on a third I a consonant please M and another C and another T and
17:08another S
17:11a vowel please a and a final vowel please and a final a countdown
17:55Ed six not written down and Jonathan seven right head emotes emotes Jonathan Amosite Amosite I have
18:08no doubt that we're going to find it given it comes from you yes it's an iron-rich asbestos
18:13which is mined in South Africa very good well done Johnson takes you level takes you level with Ed
18:22well done and in the corner now Martin I was just working on that when I was it is atomized
18:27that
18:28atomizes yes very good somatic is there as well which means relating to the body as opposed to
18:35the mind but of course the two come together in psychosomatic yeah excellent stuff 37 all now then
18:40Jonathan let us game can I have a vowel please Rachel thank you Jonathan oh and a consonant n vowel
18:51e
18:53consonant t vowel o consonant e vowel e consonant n and a final consonant please and lastly y stand by
19:17all theац
19:18the
19:18the
19:19the
19:19the
19:19the
19:19the
19:19the
19:19the
19:20the
19:20the
19:28MUSIC PLAYS
19:47Now, then, Jonathan.
19:49I'll risk a seven.
19:51Very good.
19:52Ed?
19:52I'll also risk a seven.
19:55Jonathan, seven.
19:57Neoteny.
19:58Neoteny?
19:59Neoteny.
20:00Ed, what is your risk?
20:01Same word.
20:03Oh, really?
20:03Are they there?
20:05Yes.
20:05Neoteny is the retention of juvenile features in the adult animal.
20:10The common version of that, as I used to have one as a child,
20:14is an axolotl, which is probably also a word that comes up on here,
20:17which is a salamander that, in its adult state,
20:20is still effectively a giant tadpole,
20:22and that's a neotenic animal.
20:24Fantastic.
20:24Very good.
20:25Well done, Martin.
20:26Very good.
20:30But your contribution, Martin?
20:32That was my contribution, and I'm sticking with it.
20:35And a very worthy one, too.
20:36Well done.
20:3744 all.
20:38Now then, letters game and Ed.
20:41Can I start with a vowel, please, Rachel?
20:44Thank you, Ed.
20:45A.
20:46And a consonant.
20:48M.
20:49And another.
20:51D.
20:52A vowel, please.
20:54O.
20:56And another.
20:57E.
20:59A consonant, please.
21:01P.
21:01And another.
21:04D.
21:05And another.
21:08M.
21:09And a final consonant, please.
21:11And a final M.
21:13And they're off.
21:43We'll see you next time.
21:46Ed?
21:47Seven.
21:48And Jonathan?
21:49Seven as well.
21:50Ed, seven?
21:51Er, pomaded.
21:53Pomaded and Jonathan?
21:55Pomaded.
21:55Both of them.
21:57Lots of pomade there.
22:00Are we happy with that?
22:01Very happy.
22:02It always makes me think of Hercule Poirot applying that scent of ointment to his hair.
22:06Yeah, hairdressing, yeah.
22:06It's there as a verb.
22:07Very good.
22:08Well done, both of you.
22:0951 apiece, clinging to each other like drowning sailors,
22:13but now it's time for Susie's Origins of Words.
22:16Susie?
22:17Well, I've talked quite a lot about names that crop up in English
22:21and sometimes they're hidden behind everyday words.
22:24And some of them come from a very dark past.
22:27I thought I'd give you a few examples of those.
22:29Lynching, for example, comes from the name of a certain man called Charles Lynch
22:34and he was a plantation owner in Virginia
22:37and he was an American revolutionary.
22:39And he headed up a self-run court in Virginia
22:43to punish loyalist supporters of the British,
22:46who he deemed to be criminals.
22:48And Lynch's law, which was his law essentially,
22:54referred to the organised but completely unauthorised hanging of individuals
22:58that he didn't like.
22:59And that's where we get lynching, flogging, all sorts of horrible things today.
23:02And finally, sweet Fanny Adams is very, very sad.
23:06She was an eight-year-old girl who was abducted and killed in Alton in Hampshire back in 1867.
23:13All the evidence pointed to a solicitor's clerk.
23:16He even wrote a diary entry saying that he had killed her.
23:18But the Royal Navy, with rather black humour,
23:22decided to call their rather nasty rations Fanny Adams,
23:25as if it was obviously her remains.
23:28So that one's a very sad story,
23:29but there are lots of rather macabre and black histories
23:32to some of the words we use today.
23:34Very good.
23:35Very good indeed.
23:38Well done, Susie.
23:40Well done, Susie, indeed.
23:4251 all here.
23:43And Jonathan, it's your numbers game.
23:46I can have four large numbers, please.
23:47You can.
23:49Different tactical game playing this time.
23:51The four from the top and two little ones.
23:53And for this round, the two little ones are two and nine.
23:57And the four large, as we'd expect,
23:5925, 75, 50 and 100.
24:02And your target, 770.
24:06770.
24:39770, it's not written down there.
24:41All right.
24:42Ed?
24:43770 written down, but a bit of a mess.
24:46Don't worry about the mess.
24:47Let's talk to Jonathan first.
24:49Nine times 50.
24:50Nine times 50.
24:52$450.
24:53Take away 75.
24:55Take away 75.
24:56375.
24:57And then times by two.
24:59That's wrong, actually.
25:00Uh, that's 750.
25:02Ed, let's see your mess piece of paper now.
25:06Um, 100 divided by 25 is four.
25:10Uh, yeah, 100 over 25 is four.
25:13Uh, nine minus four is five.
25:15Nine minus four is five.
25:16Uh, 50 over five is ten.
25:18It is.
25:19And then multiply that by 75 plus two.
25:22Well done.
25:23770.
25:24Very good indeed.
25:25Well done, Ed.
25:29Very well done.
25:31Takes you ten ahead.
25:3261 plays 51 as we go into a tea time teaser,
25:35which is able soil.
25:36And the clue, the soil makes it possible for these plants to grow.
25:41The soil makes it possible for these plants to grow.
25:59Welcome back.
26:00I left you with the, uh, following clue.
26:02The soil makes it possible for these plants to grow.
26:05And the answer is lobelias.
26:09Susie, help me with lobelias.
26:10Yes, well, some grow on African mountains, I'm discovering.
26:13But they're chiefly tropical or subtropical of the bellflower family
26:17and widely grown nowadays as a bedding plant.
26:21Very good indeed.
26:22Now then, 61 plays 51.
26:25Ed, it's your letters game.
26:26Um, could I start with a consonant, please, Rachel?
26:29Thank you, Ed.
26:30R.
26:32And another.
26:33T.
26:35And another.
26:37L.
26:38Uh, vowel, please.
26:40U.
26:41And another.
26:43O.
26:45And another.
26:47E.
26:48Uh, consonant, please.
26:50W.
26:52And another.
26:54T.
26:55And a final vowel, please.
26:59And a final I.
27:02Stand by.
27:03T.
27:33Yes, Ed?
27:35Seven.
27:36Seven, Jonathan?
27:37Seven as well.
27:39OK, Ed, seven.
27:40Outlier.
27:41Outlier, Jonathan?
27:43Triolette.
27:44Triolette.
27:45Yeah, both absolutely brilliant.
27:47An outlier is, as you would expect, something that lies at a distance from something else.
27:53And a triolette is a poem of eight lines, typically of eight syllables each.
27:56And it's all to do with rhyming on the third line, hence the trio.
28:00Very good.
28:01Well done indeed, both of you.
28:0368 plays.
28:0458.
28:04Jonathan, time to catch up.
28:07Can I have a vowel, please?
28:08Thank you, Jonathan.
28:10A.
28:10Consonant.
28:12P.
28:13Vowel.
28:15I.
28:16Consonant.
28:18R.
28:19Vowel.
28:21E.
28:22Consonant.
28:23T.
28:25Vowel.
28:28O.
28:29O.
28:29Consonant.
28:31G.
28:32And a final consonant, please.
28:34And a final S.
28:37And it's clock time.
28:38T.
28:39T.
28:39T.
28:40T.
28:41T.
28:41T.
28:50MUSIC
29:08Jonathan.
29:09Just an eight.
29:10Ed.
29:11Also is.
29:13All right.
29:13Jonathan.
29:14Septoria.
29:15Septoria.
29:16Ed.
29:17Pastury.
29:18Pastury.
29:19Good words.
29:20Yes.
29:20Pastury is the residence of a...
29:24South African pastor.
29:25South African minister.
29:26Absolutely right.
29:27And septoria, Jonathan's word, is also fine.
29:31It's a fungus of a genus that includes many kinds that cause diseases in plants.
29:36Excellent stuff.
29:36APPLAUSE
29:41Martin, anything else in the corner?
29:43I am enjoying, Jonathan, the standard here, just an eight.
29:47Just an eight.
29:47Yes, I like that.
29:48And another just eight, I think, grapiest?
29:51Yes, the grapiest.
29:52The grapiest.
29:53Grapiest juice.
29:54All right.
29:54Now then, 76 to 66, ten ahead, says Ed's in the lead.
29:58And, Ed, it's your letters game.
30:00Could I start with Val, please, Rachel?
30:02Thank you, Ed.
30:03A.
30:28And a final vowel, please.
30:32And a final O.
30:35Clock time.
31:05I'll see you then.
31:08Ed?
31:09Eight.
31:11Jonathan?
31:12Eight.
31:12Okay, Ed?
31:14Isolated.
31:15Isolated.
31:16Jonathan?
31:17Diastole.
31:18Diastole.
31:19Yes, diastole.
31:20We all know about the diastolic rate and when we talk about blood pressure.
31:24It's a term from physiology, the phase of the heartbeats when the heart muscle relaxes,
31:28allowing the chambers to fill with blood.
31:30Very good.
31:30I know about that sort of thing.
31:32Hypertension.
31:32Anything else there, Susie?
31:35Martin.
31:35Martin had a cracker.
31:37One that I don't think anyone would ever call you, Nick, but can you be a sleazoid?
31:42You can.
31:43Well, not personally, but yes, you can.
31:45Really?
31:46Yes.
31:46I think sleazy is wonderfully onomatopoeic, isn't it?
31:49Yeah, it is.
31:49Sleaze.
31:49Yeah.
31:51Such a sleaze ball.
31:53So, Jonathan, still that persistent ten-point gap, 84 to 74, but it's your numbers game.
32:00You can still do it.
32:01It's a tough choice.
32:02I think I'll try four large again.
32:04Try four large.
32:05Yeah.
32:06Thank you, Jonathan.
32:07Four large and two small, and as Nick says, could go either way.
32:09For the last numbers game, the small two, five and six.
32:13And the four large again, 50, 75, 100 and 25.
32:18And the target, 588.
32:22588.
32:23And the four large again, 50 will be a number of Charlie.
32:24And the one to 100 and 25.
32:30And the five, seven, seven, nine, ten, ten, ten, ten, ten, ten, ten, ten, ten, ten, ten, ten, ten, ten,
32:44ten, ten, ten, ten, ten, ten, ten.
32:54Jonathan 588 588 Ed 588 all right Jonathan 50 divided by 25 50 over 25 is to take away from
33:04the hundred 100 minus 298 and times by six and that's why they date very good Ed yeah
33:11same way same way same way very good so still that 10-point lead 94 plays 84 as we reach
33:24the final
33:25stages of today's countdown competition it's conundrum time fingers on buzzers let's reveal
33:32today's countdown conundrum my words who's that me as Jonathan could you stonewash
33:40say again stonewash stonewash oh brilliant well that's absolutely brilliant you know what this
33:55means don't you yeah it's a draw isn't it and what does that mean Ed we've got to keep going
34:00yeah fingers on buzzers again let's reveal the next countdown conundrum
34:08Jonathan what's going on here craftsman craftsman let's see whether you're right
34:14you are oh my word
34:20very well done very good two absolutely uh incredible conundrum scores brilliant well done
34:29thank you Ed suddenly he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat yeah but he was he was he was
34:37good
34:37I couldn't even see the scrambles to be honest he was excellent listen we're sending you back to
34:41Belfast with your lovely trophy and our very best wishes and come and see us again soon yeah I will
34:46do
34:46thank you very good very good indeed well done now then Jonathan we'll see you in a few days time
34:50my word
34:51have an early night now then we'll see you tomorrow last day of the week tomorrow Martin more great
34:58advice tomorrow thank you so much for everything that you've given us this week more to come tomorrow
35:02brilliant worth noting these two as well as being brilliant the camaraderie which we have played this
35:07and shaking each other's hands and nodding and encouraging each other on is also quite a beautiful
35:11thing to watch it's been a privilege thank you chaps great charm great charm well done and you young
35:16lady last day of the week and then you can have a good old rest over the weekend get rid
35:20of that
35:21wretched old frog in your throat yeah needs to go yeah well done all right see you tomorrow same time
35:26same place we had some fun here today two conundrums hmm what can be better than that same time same
35:31place you'll be sure of it
35:32thank you so much
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