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00:21I'll see you next time.
00:31Welcome to the Countdown Studio. Welcome here to the Countdown Studio on semifinals day. Now, has it been hard times
00:38getting here? No. Do we have great expectations from our semifinalists? We most certainly do. What am I talking about?
00:45What the Dickens am I talking about?
00:46Well, because way back in 1843, Charles Dickens, his Christmas Carol was published for the very first time. And it
00:55wasn't so long ago that Selina Scott graced this studio with a first edition of that great, great book signed
01:03by Charles Dickens himself.
01:04And I began to think, which towns and cities do I think of at Christmastime or where would I like
01:11to be? And I drift to the west of England, really. I drift to Bath, to Cheltenham, to Sirencester, to
01:18Marlborough, still on the world, because I think at Christmastime, those are the most picturesque and beautiful towns and cities.
01:24Do you have a favourite, Rachel?
01:26I think Godalming in Surrey is lovely. There was a terrible Christmas film. Was it that Christmas? The Holiday. Have
01:32you seen that film? No. I hated that film, but that was set in Godalming, I think. And it's really
01:36pretty around there.
01:38Yeah. Very old school and lots of independent shops and cobbled streets and snow. Excellent stuff. Well, there we are.
01:45I'm off to sort of Northamptonshire for Christmas and a bit of snow, brisk walks. I'm looking forward to it.
01:52Looking forward to it, indeed. Now, who have we got with us? We've got Callum Todd, knocked out the record
01:57-breaking Jen Stedman to earn his place here today in the semi-final, 108 to 105.
02:03And you're up against the terrific Glenn Webb, Callum, qualified for today's semi-final after beating Jonathan New, 107 to
02:1245, financial advisor from Cradley Heath. Is that right?
02:17Cradley Heath.
02:18Cradley Heath. You corrected me the last time you were here. Cradley Heath, indeed. Brilliant stuff. So, he who wins
02:24gets to the final. So, you know, sharpen your pencils and a big round of applause for Callum and Glenn.
02:36And over the corner, of course, Susie and Richard Maidley. Welcome back, both of you. This is it, chaps. One
02:42of these will become a finalist. So, let's get down to business. Callum, take it away. Let us go.
02:48Could I have a consonant, please?
02:50Thank you, Callum. Start this semi-final with N.
02:54And another.
02:56And another.
02:57Another consonant.
02:59S.
03:00And another.
03:02F.
03:03A vowel, please.
03:05O.
03:06And another vowel.
03:08E.
03:09And another.
03:10A.
03:11A consonant.
03:13T.
03:14And a final vowel, please.
03:15And a final I.
03:18And here's the countdown clock.
03:45Yes, Callum.
03:46Eight.
03:47And Glenn.
03:48Eight as well.
03:49Eight.
03:50Two eights.
03:50Callum.
03:51Feasting.
03:52Feasting, yes.
03:53We're both feasting.
03:54That's sort of time of year, I guess.
03:56And in the corner.
03:58Richard, what have you got over there?
04:00Have you noticed how this week, more and more of the words have had a Christmas theme to them?
04:03Very strange, isn't it?
04:04If we get closer to the day.
04:05Well, we had feasting.
04:06We had a seven.
04:06We had tangos.
04:07Well done.
04:08Eight all.
04:08And Glenn.
04:09You're off.
04:10Letters game.
04:11Constantine, please.
04:12Rachel.
04:12Thank you, Glenn.
04:14D.
04:14And another.
04:17C.
04:18And another.
04:20T.
04:21And a fourth.
04:23K.
04:24And a vowel, please.
04:27O.
04:28And another.
04:30E.
04:31And another.
04:34I.
04:36Conson, please.
04:38N.
04:41And a vowel, please.
04:42And the last one.
04:44A.
04:45Countdown.
04:47Can B Que.
04:48Can B Que.
05:01No.
05:02I.
05:02Dec.
05:05Can B.
05:10Can B.
05:11It.
05:12Can B.
05:14It.
05:18yes yes eight eight eight two eights glenn action action yes calum i went for catenoid
05:26now how does that fit catenoid is a term from geometry um all about surface generated um by
05:33rotation basically around a horizontal axis very good very good well done and any other offering
05:40from over there those are two actions and catenoid all right good enough 16 points all and we go into
05:46our first numbers game calum six small please six small ones see if this can separate you two early
05:54on let's see if we can get a tricky one as well right these numbers are four ten two eight
06:02three
06:04and another two this could be tricky a target 763 763
06:17so
06:26so
06:40Well, Callum?
06:43766, not written down.
06:45Three away. What about Glenn?
06:48No, 770.
06:49So, Callum, off you go.
06:53Four times two is eight.
06:56Four times two is eight.
06:59Then ten plus two.
07:01Ten plus the other two is twelve.
07:04Times the two together.
07:05For ninety-six.
07:06Times by eight.
07:08Times by eight is 768.
07:12Ah, I have 765, actually. Sorry, I've missed a pledge.
07:16Oh.
07:17All right. So, shall we turn to Glenn?
07:20Four multiplied by two is eight.
07:22Four by two is eight.
07:24Plus two is ten.
07:26Plus the other two, ten.
07:27Multiplied by eight.
07:29Ah, yeah, multiplied by the actual eighty.
07:33Minus the three.
07:34Minus the three, 77.
07:36Multiplied by the ten.
07:37Multiplied by ten, 770.
07:40Yeah.
07:41All right.
07:43But, quite a long way off.
07:45What does 763 look like to you, Rachel?
07:48Well, I can get you to 762 if you'd like to see that one.
07:52We trust you.
07:53I think 762 is the best one.
07:55So, if you'd have said ten plus two is 12.
08:00Times by four is 48.
08:03Times by eight is 384.
08:10And then you have a three, two...
08:14What did you do with the three?
08:15Sorry.
08:15Take away.
08:17381 and times it by two.
08:18And you get to one away.
08:20One away.
08:20All right.
08:21Very good.
08:25So, Glenn has sprung into a lead, early lead, 21 points to Callum 16,
08:29as we go into a tea-time teaser, which is a lad-girl.
08:33And the clue, a lad and a girl may well perform this together.
08:38A lad and a girl may well perform this together.
08:57Welcome back.
08:57I left with the clue, a lad and a girl may well perform this together.
09:02They may well perform a galliard.
09:05A galliard, Susie?
09:07A galliard is a lively dance in triple time for two people.
09:10It sounds very complicated.
09:12Is it very old?
09:14It says it is from Middle English.
09:17So, yeah, we're talking about 600 years old, something like that.
09:19All right.
09:21A galliard.
09:23Good word.
09:2416 points to Glenn's 21.
09:27Glenn, you're off again on a letters game.
09:30Consonant, please, Rachel.
09:31Thank you, Glenn.
09:33S.
09:33And another.
09:35T.
09:36And another.
09:38L.
09:39And a fourth.
09:41F.
09:42And a vowel, please.
09:44E.
09:45And again.
09:46U.
09:48And another.
09:49O.
09:51A consonant, please.
09:53S.
09:55And a consonant, please.
09:56And lastly, M.
09:58And here's the clock.
10:31Yes, Len. Only a six there. Only a six. How about Callum? Seven. Right. Glenn? Flouts. Flouts and Callum? Solutes.
10:41Mm-hmm. Yes. Absolutely. Well, very, very good. It's a chemical term. Solute. All to do with solvents and things
10:48dissolved in water. That's absolutely fine.
10:51Very good. And in the corner, Richard? Got a couple of sevens. Foulest and fulsome. Foulest and fulsome. Opposites, really.
10:58And what have we got here? Callum, two-point lead now. 23 to Cairns. 21, my word. Callum, and you're
11:04off again. Letters game.
11:06Consonant, please. Thank you, Callum. R. And another. S. Another. T. And another. N. Vowel, please. A. Another vowel. I.
11:24And another.
11:25E. Another vowel. O. And a consonant, please. And the last one. L. Countdown.
12:05Yes, Callum? 9. And 9, Glenn? Yes, 9.
12:082, 9. 2, 9. 2, 9. Callum? Relations. Relations. Glenn? Orientals.
12:15We always play together. We have oriental relations.
12:19Well done. Well done, chaps, and well done, Richard. Now then, numbers game.
12:29Score's standing at 41 to Glenn's 39. Glenn, it's your numbers game.
12:35Try four large, please, Rachel. Try four from the top to try and get the lead. Thank you, Glenn.
12:39Four large, two little ones. Let's see if we can get something interesting.
12:43Right. The two little ones are 10 and 2. And the four large, as we know, 75, 25, 50 and
12:50100.
12:50And the target, 779.
12:547, 7, 9.
13:04We'll see you again.
13:05We'll see you again soon.
13:05Bye-bye.
13:05Bye-bye.
13:08Bye-bye.
13:11Bye-bye.
13:16Bye-bye.
13:21Bye-bye.
13:26so good no seven seven six seven seven six how about jack callum seven seven nine so let's hear
13:34from you 75 times 10 yep 75 times 10 750 add 25 775 100 over 50 is the two add
13:43the other two well
13:44um it's four i'll add that one you've broken away well done good man callum well done 51 to 39
13:55now
13:56maybe it is a breakaway but now we turn to uh to richard richard you're a pretty urbane character
14:03man about town you eating out a lot or you prefer to to stay at home i like eating out
14:09i was just
14:10thinking you've got sons haven't you yeah one one one son uh i survive and then two stepsons and we
14:15all know as fathers as we get older that the day will come when we are overtaken by our son
14:19in some
14:20field or other they will outstrip us they will reach past us and that moment will always be
14:24burned on our memory normally it happens when the boys and his teens or maybe 20s possibly even 30s
14:28with my son jack it was when he was four um we'd gone out to a restaurant um in the
14:34trough of boland
14:35in uh in uh lancashire beautiful little place for sunday lunch and when he was four my son was very
14:39very misbehaved i don't know why he was a little terror and he was behaving very badly this
14:43particular day in this crowded restaurant he was drumming his feet under the table and throwing
14:47bread rolls at his sister and screaming and just being a menace and everybody sitting around was
14:51getting increasingly irritated you could tell you know and we couldn't get him under control
14:55and the ultimate sanction with jack when he was little was to say if you don't behave yourself jack
14:59i'm taking you to the car which meant taking him to the car putting him in his car seat strapping
15:03him in and just leaving him i mean you'd stay inside but you'd leave him alone for five or ten
15:06minutes to calm down and it worked but it was he hated it and it was the ultimate sanction so
15:10i
15:10warned him three times and finally said right that's it we're going to the car and i took him
15:14out of his seat and i put him over my shoulder and i started to excuse me excuse me go
15:16through the
15:17tables and you can see the relief on everybody's faces thank god he's taking a little so-and-so out
15:21and as i was just getting to the restaurant door that led out into the car park jack had his
15:25brain
15:25wave this was the moment he overtook me he out-tacted me completely he suddenly spread his hands out
15:31behind me i couldn't see him looked at the diners who were looking at him and said not the car
15:36help help please not the car and they're all thinking he's going to tie him to the wheel
15:43and so i was anyway i went out and there was a ripple of anxiety behind me i said you
15:47little
15:47and he grinned at me
15:51so i had to take him back in and that was the day that my son outsmarted me and god
15:55bless him i've never
15:55forgotten brilliant appealing to the restaurant yeah a little rotter as though you're a torturer of
16:04some terrible exactly that's not my car hell no no anything but the car 51 to 39 calms are in
16:11the
16:11lead now and calm you're back on with a letters game can i have a consonant please thank you calum
16:17and another t and another r and another s a vowel please e and another vowel i another vowel e
16:36and another
16:39a vowel o and a final consonant please and a final v countdown
17:17yes calum another nine another nine and glenn yeah nine as well two nines come on callum over
17:24tires over tires same two over tires anybody else over time brilliant anything else
17:38well done chaps well done indeed 69 to 57 now then we're with you glenn let us go constant please
17:45rachel thank you glenn h and another g and another n and a fourth t a vowel please a and
17:59another i and another
18:04a consonant o a consonant please r and a vowel please and the last one e but here's the clock
18:15uh
18:28Let's go.
18:28Let's go.
18:29Let's go.
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23:11All right.
23:49Let's go.
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