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This episode's repeat was broadcast on Thursday 21st May 2020.
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01:30It's quite rude, but there was a list of the best ones from 2012.
01:33Yes.
01:33And it's, you know, when you're using your phone and it's got the predictive tests and it comes up with
01:37stuff that you don't mean to type.
01:39Oh, right.
01:40There's some good stuff on there.
01:42Autocorrect.
01:42Autocorrect, yeah.
01:43Yeah.
01:43Google that.
01:44I mean, what creates a belly laugh?
01:46It's just humour, isn't it?
01:47Oh, cats and babies, they do funny stuff, don't they?
01:50Little Pip, actually, my nephew.
01:52He won in a couple of weeks.
01:54Yes.
01:54And he danced at the Countdown theme tune.
01:56Very good indeed.
01:57But who's with us here today?
01:59David Williams, a retired actuary from Formby in Merseyside and went all the way to the semis in 2000.
02:06Welcome back.
02:07You've grown up sons and you're a massive Liverpool fan supporter.
02:11And somebody suggests that you may well live near Brendan Rodgers.
02:15Is that true?
02:15It is indeed.
02:16Next door?
02:17He lives at the back of me.
02:19Really?
02:20And you're a good chap?
02:22Well, there's an eight foot high garden fence and he's got a long garden, so I need a step ladder
02:28and binoculars.
02:29Is that a protective sort of fence?
02:32We don't really want him coming into our garden all the time, do we?
02:36I'll be sure that somebody tells him all about that.
02:39And you're joined by Chris Davies, a student at John Moores University in Liverpool.
02:44So, is this a battle of the Scousers?
02:46Are you a Liverpool-born?
02:48I'm from the Whirl, but that's pretty close.
02:52I don't mind being associated with Liverpool.
02:53Are you allowed to be a Scouser?
02:54Yeah.
02:54OK, they'd be a bit precious about this.
02:56And you won the final of your series back in 2009.
03:00Yeah.
03:00So that's a big challenge you've got on here, David.
03:03You've got a winner.
03:04You play in a band at Weddings and Functions.
03:06What sort of instrument do you play?
03:08I play keyboard.
03:10Yeah?
03:10My friend plays guitar.
03:11And what's the band called?
03:12Called Chasing Amy.
03:14Chasing Amy.
03:15Yeah.
03:15Not caught her yet?
03:16Not yet, no.
03:17Working on it.
03:18Give it time.
03:19Great to see you both here, Chris and David.
03:21Big round of applause.
03:23David and Chris.
03:28Very good.
03:29And in Dictionary Corner, of course, we've got two of the most humorous women that I know.
03:33That's Susie Dent, of course, and the Joker herself.
03:40She's going to give me a stern talking to.
03:43It's Margaret Manfred.
03:45Thank you, Nick.
03:45Very good.
03:46Now, I'll move swiftly on, actually, because I didn't like the look on her face for that.
03:50So, David, would you be good enough to kick off proceedings?
03:54I have a consonant, please, Rachel.
03:56Thank you, David.
03:57Start today with F.
03:59And another.
04:00T.
04:02And another.
04:04L.
04:05And another.
04:08V.
04:09A vowel, please.
04:11A.
04:12Another.
04:14I.
04:15And another.
04:18E.
04:20Consonant, please.
04:22G.
04:24And another consonant.
04:27And the last one.
04:28F.
04:29And here's the countdown clock.
04:30V.
04:32I.
04:32V.
04:39I.
04:40I.
04:43I.
04:46I.
04:50I.
04:51I.
04:54I.
04:57I.
04:59I.
05:00I.
05:00now then David eight eight well done Chris eight as well very good David
05:06festival thank you two of them my word you happy with that very good very good
05:17but what else we got in the corner anything we have a literary seven yes
05:21glaives GLA IVS swords very good all right eight all well done and Chris off
05:30we go afternoon Rachel hi again Chris could I have a consonant please thank you
05:34start with L and another one T under vowel you another vowel a consonant Z another
05:52one V a vowel E a consonant S and a consonant please and lastly H clock time
06:16so
06:43yes Chris six a six and David six
06:46all right so Chris valets valets yep values values happy about that sixes what
06:57else have we got in the corner any improvements but it's not an
07:00improvement go on volts yep thank you and you can have I think anagram of valets is
07:07vessel relating to the Roman goddess Vesta very good 14 all and we now look to
07:13you David consonant please thank you David G and another J another X and
07:26another are a vowel please a another vowel you and the third e consonant please a
07:43W W and another consonant and lastly are done by
07:51all right
07:51I'm sorry I do not I'm going to go to the end of the hole so we just look at
08:20it for one
08:20all right
08:21me
08:21David
08:23Only five Chris
08:25So then David wager a wager Chris waiters on
08:31Two of them getting each other here and in the corner
08:36There is a six yes find
08:39Arguer an arguer. Yes he who argues yes
08:46Argumentative wouldn't you
08:48Nineteen all very good Chris. Let us go. I have a constant. Thank you Chris
08:54beef
08:55another one
08:58N
08:59There's another one
09:01P
09:07Vowel please, maybe it's the bank e
09:10another one
09:13a
09:14and the consonants
09:17T
09:19Vowel
09:19This could be an interesting message
09:22E
09:25Continent please
09:28S
09:30And one more please and the last one
09:33D
09:33Lock time
09:36I'm
09:36I'm
09:49I'm
09:53I'm
10:04I'm
10:04I'm
10:04I'm
10:04I'm
10:04I'm
10:04I'm
10:07I'm
10:08I'm
10:22I'm
10:23I'm
10:27I'm
10:30I'm
10:33I'm
10:34I'm
10:37I'm
10:38I'm
10:38I'm
10:48I'm
10:53I'm
11:01I'm
11:02I'm
11:04I'm
11:06I'm
11:08I'm
11:11I'm
11:12Six, eight, four.
11:44Now then, David, just six, eight, eight.
11:47Six, eight, eight, four away.
11:49Chris?
11:50We've got six, eight, four.
11:51Let's hear from you then, Chris.
11:53OK, 100 plus one.
11:55No, sorry, 10 plus one.
11:56Yeah, 10 plus one.
11:5711.
11:5811 times seven.
11:5977.
12:00Take a one off.
12:0176.
12:02One times nine.
12:03Perfect, six, eight, four.
12:04Yeah, bravo.
12:05Very good.
12:0937 to 19.
12:12So, you sprung into an early lead there.
12:14But now it's time to look to Margaret.
12:16Margaret, what have you got for us?
12:19Well, yesterday we talked about opera and things that went on on stage.
12:26And as you know, I'm very keen on opera.
12:28And I'm also very keen on animals, particularly little furry ones like pussycats.
12:33But I've seen some operas where the animals have actually been quite distracting.
12:38And they always say you shouldn't act with children and animals.
12:40Well, I don't think you should be in the audience while there are certainly animals on the stage.
12:45I'll express views about children.
12:47But if you've ever seen a performance of Carmen when the Toreador comes on and he's supposed to be singing
12:53on horseback.
12:54And you don't pay any attention to him at all.
12:56You're looking at the horse's head, the bloke who's hanging on to the horse's head tightly, thinking, is it going
13:01to bite him?
13:02Is it going to buck and knock the Toreador off?
13:04And you're completely distracted.
13:06You don't pay any attention to what's going on.
13:09And there was one which I found even more distracting recently at Covent Garden.
13:13It was a soprano sitting on a white, shiny leather sofa.
13:18Very elegant evening dress.
13:19And she had this beautiful black cat with a jeweled collar sitting next to her.
13:25And you see, is it alive?
13:27Is it a real cat?
13:28And it moved its head.
13:29It must be real.
13:30It couldn't be mechanical.
13:31It looked too lifelike.
13:33Well, how have they got her to sit there?
13:34I know cats like to spend most of their time sitting or lying.
13:37But it's not normally where you want them to sit or lie.
13:40And certainly not on a stage with a whole lot of things going on.
13:43This cat was just there.
13:44I was thinking, how have they kept it there?
13:46What's it going, you know, what's it doing?
13:48Not paying any attention to the singer at all.
13:51And when she'd finished the aria, she undid the collar.
13:54And the cat shot off into the wings.
13:57Presumably somebody was holding a fish up or something.
14:00Got it off the stage.
14:01So it was a live cat?
14:02It was a live cat.
14:03But it completely took my attention, my mind off whatever was going on.
14:10Well, yeah, but you're a big cat lover.
14:11You and Rachel.
14:13I thought you were going to say that somebody was wiggling its head and it was a dummy sort of
14:17thing.
14:18No, no.
14:18No, it was real.
14:19It was a beautiful, sleek animal.
14:21Excellent stuff.
14:21But now it's time for a Tea Time teaser, which is Link Pang and the clue.
14:27It's about lying down in the strangest of places.
14:30It's about lying down in the strangest of places.
14:48Welcome back.
14:49I left you with a clue.
14:50It's about lying down in the strangest of places.
14:53And the answer, according to my card, is planking.
14:57Planking.
14:57Now, if you'd like to become a Countdown contestant, you can email countdown at channel4.com to request an application
15:05form.
15:06Or write to us at contestants applications, Countdown Leeds LS 3 1 J S.
15:1437 to 19.
15:16She's Chris in the lead.
15:17And Chris, it's your letters game.
15:19Could I have a consonant, please?
15:21Thank you, Chris.
15:23N.
15:24And another one.
15:26F.
15:28And another one.
15:30H.
15:32A vowel.
15:34U.
15:35Another one.
15:36I.
15:38A consonant.
15:41N.
15:43A vowel.
15:46E.
15:48A consonant.
15:50P.
15:53And a consonant, please.
15:55And the last one.
15:57L.
15:58Plop time.
15:59A consonant.
16:00A consonant.
16:10A consonant.
16:14A consonant.
16:16A consonant.
16:16A consonant.
16:16A consonant.
16:17A consonant.
16:19A consonant.
16:22A consonant.
16:29chris seven a seven david six i'm afraid and your six lupine lupine yes indeed chris
16:38pineal pineal pineal susie yes it's a botanical term and it's a small um leaf or branch on the
16:46stem of a fern absolutely excellent well done very good very good lupine however we're aware of that
16:58yeah very good very good 44 to 19 well done chris and david it's your game consonant please
17:06rachel thank you david m and another s and another g and another s a vowel please o another vowel
17:25a and
17:28another vowel you uh have a fourth vowel please i
17:39and the consonant and lastly y and they're off
17:46so
17:59so
18:14david six six chris i think seven okay david imagos thank you and chris i saw gonna i saw this
18:25is
18:25another one of yours i'm not even sure if i'm pronouncing it right well let's have a look
18:30can we help chris on this one we can well i'm sorry for all these very complicated technical
18:34definitions this is a term from biology not but where botany isogamy is sexual reproduction
18:39by the fusion of similar gametes uh so all to do with cell reproduction that's very clever of you chris
18:47i lied i did know that you did well done well spotted very good now any improvements
18:54uh imagos are the um the sort of um first stage of uh a butterfly for example right anyway that's
19:02very good um no we had fives otherwise magus um and mossy very good so we failed but they were
19:10too rather curious i must say 51 to 19 chris off you go a consonant please thank you chris
19:17chris ah and another one c and a vowel o another one a consonant n another one d a vowel
19:43a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel
19:52a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel
19:56a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel
19:58a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel
19:58a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel
19:58a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel
19:59a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel
20:00a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel
20:00a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel
20:00a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel
20:03a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel a vowel
20:08a
20:25Yes, Chris?
20:27Seven.
20:27A seven.
20:28David?
20:28Seven.
20:29All right.
20:30Chris?
20:30Cardoon.
20:32Good word.
20:33Both of them?
20:34Very good.
20:36Now then, Margaret.
20:37Just to explain what a cardoon is, it's a tall, thistle-like plant, which is related
20:42to the globe artichoke.
20:45Anything else?
20:46You'd have lardoon instead, which is another spelling of the lardon, the small cube of
20:50bacon.
20:51Yeah.
20:52That's there for another seven.
20:53And we had one more, I think, Margaret, didn't we?
20:56We had carload.
20:58Yes.
20:58Carload.
20:59A carload of people.
21:00Yeah.
21:01Yeah.
21:02That seems very good.
21:03All right.
21:0358 to 26.
21:04And, David, it's your letters go.
21:08Consonant, please, Rachel.
21:10Thank you, David.
21:11M.
21:12And another.
21:14N.
21:15And another.
21:17R.
21:18And another.
21:20N.
21:22Vowel, please.
21:24O.
21:26Another vowel.
21:28E.
21:29And another vowel.
21:32U.
21:34A consonant.
21:36D.
21:39And another consonant, please.
21:41And the last one.
21:42P.
21:43Clock time.
21:44N.
21:45A consonant.
22:19Well, all right, David?
22:21Pounder.
22:22A pounder.
22:23Chris?
22:23Mourned.
22:24Mourned.
22:26Happy about that?
22:27Pounder?
22:28Yes.
22:28Yes, called a pounder, for example.
22:30Yeah, nine pounder.
22:31Very good.
22:32Anything else?
22:33We have unroped.
22:35To unrope is there as a verb, to detach oneself from a rope.
22:39That's a slightly ugly sentence as well.
22:42Ropes, of course, get knots in them.
22:44And the French for knot is N-O-E-U-D, which I cleverly spotted.
22:48Oh, very good.
22:49And it's also, of course, the speed, in French, of a boat travelling along.
22:54Okay.
22:55Very nice.
22:56For what it's worth.
22:5865 to 33.
23:00And now, I think, Susie, we turn to you.
23:04All our attention is now focused on what you've got to tell us.
23:07Origins of words.
23:09Well, I had a lovely letter from Richard and Elizabeth Posford, who live in Essex.
23:14And they asked me for the origin of a busman's holiday.
23:17Why do we talk about a busman's holiday?
23:19Which is one which is spent doing exactly the same thing that you would be doing at work.
23:23And the earliest record that we can find is from an edition of the English Illustrated magazine.
23:28And that was 1893.
23:30And at that time, buses were horse-drawn, which gives rise to the most popular suggestion for the origin of
23:37this phrase,
23:38which is that any bus driver who became really attached to his horses would spend his days riding on his
23:43own vehicle
23:44to make sure that the horses were looked after properly.
23:47But there is another suggestion, and I think it's a much more plausible one.
23:50And that goes back to the word busman.
23:52Not busman, but busman, which is B-U-Z-M-A-N.
23:55And that was a piece of 19th-century thieves' slang that meant a pickpocket.
24:00It probably comes from the sense of buzz, as in to talk rapidly.
24:04So one of these pickpockets would entertain or somehow get the victim in conversation,
24:12while the other one would pick his pocket.
24:15And since pickpockets never take a break, I think that's a much more likely origin for a busman's holiday.
24:19A busman. Well, I'm done.
24:20Yeah, a busman's holiday.
24:21Very good. Thank you, Gigi.
24:26Wonderful stuff, as ever.
24:28But now, 65 to 33, sees Chris in the lead.
24:31And, Chris, it's your numbers game.
24:33So, there's Rachel.
24:34OK, I'll have one large, please.
24:36Thank you, Chris.
24:37One from the top and five little ones coming up for you.
24:40And for this next round, the numbers are one, six, five, another six, ten,
24:48and the large one, 100.
24:50And your target, 381.
24:52Three, eight, one.
24:55One of those, those three, one.
25:21So, Pirate, okay.
25:24Yes, Chris.
25:25I've got 380, but I haven't managed to write it down.
25:27380. David?
25:28381.
25:29Well done. Let's hear from you, David.
25:3110 minus 6 is 4.
25:3310, sorry.
25:3510 minus 6 is 4.
25:37100 minus 5 is 95.
25:39100 minus 5, 95.
25:41Multiply is 380.
25:43Plus 1.
25:43Very well done. 381.
25:45Very crisp. Well done.
25:49Very good.
25:50We're catching up there.
25:5165 to 43.
25:52Time to go.
25:53But now it's time for a Tea Time teaser.
25:55And the teaser is Jan Booth.
25:57And the clue, Jan Booth sails around to get this.
26:00Jan Booth sails around to get this.
26:18Welcome back.
26:19I left you with the clue,
26:20Jan Booth sails around to get this.
26:22And the answer is a John Boat.
26:25What's a John Boat?
26:26Susie?
26:27Well, it's an American term for a small, flat-bottomed boat
26:30with square ends, which is used on inland waterways.
26:34Sounds like a punt.
26:36It's bigger than that, possibly.
26:38Do you think?
26:38Well, no, it's a small, flat-bottomed boat.
26:40Flat at both ends, yeah.
26:42It could well be.
26:44I have never seen one, and they're obviously only in America.
26:47OK.
26:47All right.
26:48I think that'll do us.
26:49Thank you very much indeed.
26:5165 to 43.
26:52As we turn to you, David, for a letters game.
26:56A consonant, please, Rachel.
26:57Thank you, David.
26:59C.
26:59And another.
27:02Q.
27:03A third.
27:06T.
27:07And fourth.
27:09S.
27:11Vowel, please.
27:13A.
27:14Another vowel.
27:16E.
27:17And another vowel.
27:20I.
27:22Consonant.
27:24C.
27:27And another consonant, please.
27:29And finally, T.
27:31And here's the canton clock.
27:33What?
27:33What?
28:02What?
28:04Yes, now then David eight not written down all right and Chris eight as well
28:11David ecstatic. Yeah, too exciting. You're both ecstatic. Everybody ecstatic. Do you get ecstatic over the corner?
28:20Well done
28:22Now you can't get much better than that I would have thought well done 73 to 51 now Chris
28:27Are you going to extend your lead with this letters game fair consonant, please? Thank you, Chris
28:32D
28:34And another one
28:36R
28:38And another one
28:40D
28:40and a vowel
28:43O
28:44another vowel
28:45E
28:47a countenance
28:51M
28:53a vowel
28:56A
28:58another vowel
29:01I
29:03And a consonant, please
29:04And the last one
29:06B
29:06Stand by
29:08I
29:09I
29:09I
29:23I
29:25I
29:26I
29:36I
29:40I
29:42I
29:43I
29:44I
29:52I
30:05I
30:07I
30:08I
30:18I
30:22I
30:23I
30:25I
30:34I
30:36I
30:36I
30:36I
30:38I
30:42I
30:44I
30:44I
30:47I
30:48I
30:50I
30:58I
30:59I
30:59I
31:15I
31:16I
31:18I
31:24I
31:25I
31:28I
31:29I
31:29I
31:40I
31:44I
31:46I
31:48I
31:48I
31:58I
31:59I
32:03I
32:04I
32:05I
32:05I
32:14I
32:16I
32:17I
32:19I
32:25I
32:28I
32:28I
32:28I
32:29I
32:29I
32:30I
32:31I
33:01Well, Chris?
33:03396.
33:04396.
33:05And David?
33:06No.
33:07Aye.
33:07You out of it?
33:08I've worked out the wrong figure on the ground.
33:09Oh, bad luck.
33:10All right.
33:10Come on, then, Chris.
33:11Let's hear from you.
33:1375, take the 9, and 66.
33:15Yeah, 66.
33:168 minus 2 is 6.
33:18It is.
33:18Multiply them.
33:19Yeah, that's it.
33:20396, well done.
33:21Oh, strong stuff.
33:22Well done, there.
33:22Well done.
33:2598, just a shade sort of 100 as we go into the final round.
33:29It's countdown conundrum time.
33:30So, fingers on buzzers, please.
33:33Let's reveal today's countdown conundrum.
33:38Pretty quick, Chris.
33:39Yes?
33:40So, Cisson.
33:41Let's see whether you're right.
33:44Very good.
33:45Bangers.
33:47So, Cisson.
33:48Very good.
33:48Well done.
33:49And so fast.
33:51I reckon you're under a second there.
33:53That's brilliant stuff.
33:54So, 108.
33:55That's very strong stuff, Chris.
33:57No wonder you came through and won your series in 2009.
34:01Brilliant stuff.
34:02David, not a bad score, but he's on fire, this young man.
34:06So, we say cheerio to you, David.
34:09Back to Formby with your teapot and a piece of priceless script tonight.
34:14Keep it safe.
34:15There aren't many of those knocking about.
34:18And travel with our best wishes.
34:20We shall see you, Chris, next month.
34:23Well done.
34:23Well done indeed.
34:25Brilliant stuff.
34:25See you tomorrow when Margaret will appear.
34:29That's a revelation of the last time of the current series.
34:32We shall see you tomorrow.
34:34And we shall see you tomorrow.
34:35Ademain.
34:36Ademain.
34:36Saucisson.
34:37Thank you very much.
34:38And we look forward to seeing you same time, same place tomorrow.
34:42You'll be sure of it.
34:44Good afternoon.
34:56Tonight, a celebration of a life lived to the full.
34:59Johnny Kennedy is the boy who skin fell off.
35:02Hear his incredible story in his own words at 10.
35:05Coming next, though, it's A Place in the Sun.
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