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00:31Good afternoon and welcome to the Countdown studio.
00:34I guess that modern life leads just to simply hectic schedules.
00:38It may be a combination of work, social things, family things.
00:41So it's great, Rachel, I'm sure you'll agree with me, to relax now and again and listen to music.
00:46Lovely.
00:47But some research has been taken place by cardiologists at Oxford University,
00:52and they tell us that listening to classical works, particularly by Verdi, Beethoven and Puccini,
00:57have helped to reduce blood pressure and heart rate.
01:01And this apparently is because all three work to a ten-second rhythm that works positively with both body and
01:09mind.
01:10Whereas, Rachel, whereas, beware, listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers actually increases the heart rate.
01:19Well, it depends what track.
01:21I know some kind of soothing chili songs.
01:23But I don't know anything about the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
01:26You can tell me a little bit about it, perhaps.
01:28I like a bit of the chilies.
01:29Yeah, they have got some soothing songs.
01:31There's a song called Tear or Tear.
01:33Yes.
01:34Tear.
01:35Yeah, that's a good one.
01:35That's my favourite chili song.
01:37And they have a bit of classical music every now and again as well.
01:40Yes.
01:40There's Aquarium.
01:41That's quite relaxing.
01:42And Claire de Lune.
01:43I think that's probably my favourite.
01:45All right.
01:45But it's all the recognisable ones that you've heard over the years.
01:48You don't know what they are.
01:49They pop up in films and adverts.
01:52But they are, yeah.
01:53It's soothing not to have some lyrics every now and again, isn't it?
01:55Absolutely.
01:56Absolutely.
01:57All right.
01:58Now, who have we got?
01:58We've got Kevin Breeze, Rachel, who quietly has been winning time and time again.
02:05And he's now got four wins under his belt.
02:06The last win, score slipped a little bit down to 74 yesterday, Kevin, but still four wins.
02:14You're halfway there to an Octo Championship.
02:16And you're joined today by Chris Roy, an international teacher from Blairgowrie in Scotland, a fiction writer.
02:23Now, what are you writing at the moment?
02:25Yeah, just as a bit of a hobby just now, writing a collection of short stories about sort of mythical
02:32creatures,
02:32but the stories are more concentrated on these people who are obsessed about finding the mythical creatures
02:37rather than them actually existing in the stories themselves.
02:40And are these for your own amusement?
02:42Are you hoping to publish them?
02:43I'd love to be published one day, so that would be a dream.
02:47But, yeah, just now it's a bit of a hobby until I get a bit better, maybe.
02:50So let's have a big round of applause then for Kevin Breeze and Chris Roy.
02:56APPLAUSE
03:01And over in the corner, Susie, of course, and once again the wonderful Giles Brandreth,
03:05an absolute stalwart of Countdown over the years.
03:07Welcome back, welcome back, Giles.
03:09It's good to be back.
03:10Now then, Kevin, shall we have a letters game?
03:13Yep, OK. Hi, Rachel.
03:15Hi, Kevin.
03:15Can I have a consonant, please?
03:16You can indeed, thank you.
03:17Start today with S.
03:19And another.
03:22F.
03:23And the third.
03:25D.
03:27And another.
03:29R.
03:31A vowel, please.
03:32A.
03:33And another.
03:35E.
03:36And the third.
03:38O.
03:40A consonant, please.
03:43M.
03:44And a final vowel.
03:45And a final A.
03:48Stand by.
03:49OK.
04:19And Kevin?
04:21A six.
04:22A six, Chris?
04:23Seven.
04:24So, Kevin?
04:26A sword.
04:28Chris?
04:29Fedoras.
04:30Fedoras.
04:32Good old fedoras.
04:33Oh, good.
04:33We take our hat off to you.
04:36I know radoms is a word, but I don't know what it means.
04:40Is it a Mexican dish?
04:41I'll have a bowl of radomath.
04:44No.
04:45It's slightly more boring than that, but very important.
04:47They're domes or other structures protecting radar equipment.
04:51Radoms.
04:52Very good.
04:52All right.
04:53So, Chris off to an early lead there.
04:55Seven points.
04:56And it's your letters game now, Chris.
04:59Hi, Rachel.
04:59Hi, Chris.
05:00Can I start with a consonant, please?
05:01You can, thank you.
05:02Start with T.
05:03And another.
05:05P.
05:07And another.
05:09S.
05:09And a vowel.
05:12E.
05:13And a consonant.
05:15L.
05:15And a vowel.
05:18I.
05:19And another vowel.
05:22O.
05:23And a consonant.
05:25G.
05:27And another vowel, please.
05:29And lastly, U.
05:32Stand by.
05:33Name.
05:36Say.
05:51Which I can.
06:01In a vowel.
06:01I.
06:02And another vowel.
06:02Bye.
06:02Bye.
06:02See.
06:03Bye.
06:04Yes, Chris. Seven. A seven. And a six. And a six from Kevin. So. Polite. Thank you. And Chris? Ugliest.
06:19Polite and ugliest. Seven, yes. Ugliest is certainly there. I will go for Tupelos.
06:25Tupelos, very good. North American or Asian trees of damp and swampy habitats.
06:30Mm-hmm. And there's also Pistole, P-I-S-T-O-L-E, gold coin used in Europe or Scotland
06:37in the 17th and 18th centuries.
06:40Very good. Fourteen points to Chris. Now then, Kevin, it's your numbers game.
06:44Can I have two from the top, please? You can indeed. Two from the top and four little ones. Thank
06:48you, Kevin.
06:49And for the first time today, the little numbers are three, six, eight and two.
06:55And the big ones, 75 and 25. And the target, 871.
07:01Eight, seven, one.
07:02So.
07:04Okay.
07:17So.
07:33Yes, Kevin?
07:348, 7, 2.
07:358, 7, 2, one away.
07:37Chris?
07:388, 7, 2.
07:39All right.
07:40Kevin?
07:4275 plus 25.
07:4475 plus 25 is 100.
07:46Plus 6 plus 3.
07:47Plus 6 plus 3 is 109.
07:49Times 8.
07:50Times 8, 8, 7, 2, one away.
07:53Chris?
07:53The same way.
07:57Now then, Rachel, tell us how it's done.
08:01Leave it with me.
08:02May I do that?
08:03All right.
08:04So 21 to Kevin, 7, as we turn to a tea time teaser,
08:08which is Cat's Coat and the clue,
08:10it was depressed, but not for very long at all.
08:14It was depressed, but not for very long at all.
08:33It was depressed, but not for very long at all.
08:34Welcome back.
08:35I left you with a clue.
08:36It was depressed, but not for very long at all.
08:39And the answer is staccato.
08:43Staccato.
08:44Now, Miss Riley, Rachel, 8, 7, 1.
08:48Yep.
08:48For those interested, it's the product of two primes.
08:50If you say 2 times 6 is 12.
08:5325 minus 12 is 13.
08:56And then 75 minus 8 is 67.
08:59And times the two together.
09:01Fantastic.
09:02Well done.
09:06Thank you, Rachel.
09:08So 21 to Chris, Kevin on 7.
09:10And now it's Chris's letters game.
09:13Can I have a consonant, please?
09:14Thank you, Chris.
09:15N.
09:17And another.
09:18T.
09:20And a third.
09:22H.
09:23And another.
09:25B.
09:27And a vowel.
09:28E.
09:29Another vowel, please.
09:32I.
09:33And a consonant.
09:35R.
09:36And a vowel.
09:38U.
09:40And another vowel, please.
09:43And the last one.
09:44A.
09:45Countdown.
09:46To.
09:47Over.
10:01To.
10:10To.
10:10To.
10:17Yes, Chris?
10:19Seven.
10:20Seven.
10:22Kevin?
10:22Six.
10:23And your six?
10:24Breath.
10:25Breath and?
10:26Haunter.
10:28A haunter?
10:29You can be a haunter, or you can be visited by a haunter.
10:32Yep.
10:33Well, well, well.
10:33Very good.
10:34Giles?
10:35But there is an old countdown favourite in the Tribune of the People that's there, isn't
10:40there?
10:40Yep, Tribune is there.
10:41And another countdown favourite, or countdown regular, is Urinate.
10:45Ah, you're taking the mickey.
10:48Thank you, Giles.
10:5028 to Kevin, seven.
10:52My word, Kevin.
10:53Now, what's going on here?
10:54Letters.
10:55A consonant, please.
10:56Thank you, Kevin.
10:57C.
10:58And another.
11:00T.
11:01And a third.
11:03D.
11:04A vowel, please.
11:06I.
11:07And another.
11:09O.
11:09And another.
11:11E.
11:13A consonant.
11:16N.
11:18A vowel.
11:20U.
11:22And the final vowel, please.
11:24And the last one.
11:25E.
11:26Stand by.
11:28tighter, O.
11:28oe,
11:31E.
11:31E.
11:31E.
11:34E.
11:35E.
11:35E.
11:37E.
11:38E.
11:38E.
11:39E.
11:39E.
11:40E. ?
11:54MUSIC PLAYS
11:58Kevin.
12:00A seven.
12:00A seven.
12:01Chris.
12:02Also seven.
12:03Yes, Kevin.
12:05Enticed.
12:06And Chris.
12:07Counted.
12:09Counted.
12:10Yes.
12:11Are we happy enough?
12:11Now then, Giles.
12:12I was quite excited because for a moment I thought I had a nine-letter word.
12:16I looked at the letters and I thought, yes, education.
12:19Oh.
12:19And there isn't the A.
12:20And then I wondered, eduction.
12:23We know there's deduction.
12:25Yeah.
12:25Is there eduction to remove, as it were, from what one knows?
12:28Yeah, it's to bring out or develop or to infer something.
12:32So you can bring out or reduce somebody's potential, and that is eduction.
12:38Very good.
12:39Well done.
12:42Well done, Giles.
12:43Now, 35 plays 14, and it's numbers time for you, Chris.
12:47Can I have one large and five small, please, Richard?
12:49You can indeed.
12:49Thank you, Chris.
12:50One from the top and five little ones.
12:52And this time around, the little numbers are 10, 7, 9, 8, and another 9.
12:58And the big one, 50.
13:00And the target, 432.
13:03432.
13:04music.
13:35Yes, Chris?
13:364, 3, 2.
13:37And Kevin?
13:384, 3, 2.
13:394, 3, 2.
13:40Chris?
13:41Yeah, so I did 9 over 9 is 1.
13:449 over 9, 1.
13:4510 minus 7 is 3.
13:47Yep.
13:483 plus 1 is 4.
13:50Yep.
13:51Add the 4 to the 50.
13:524 to the 50 for 54.
13:54And times that by 8.
13:5554 times 8, 4, 3, 2.
13:58Lovely.
14:00There we go.
14:02Happy?
14:03Yep.
14:03All right, well done.
14:09Well done.
14:09So 45 to Kevin's 24.
14:11Bit of ground to make up there.
14:13Kevin, as we turn to Giles.
14:16And Giles, yesterday we spoke of the Edinburgh Festival.
14:19You've been there many, many times.
14:20I've been there a number of times.
14:21This, I must say, is the one I'm enjoying the most.
14:24I'm doing a show called Word Power.
14:26Get it, use it, conquer the world.
14:29And I've done a book to go with it called Word Play.
14:32And curiously, the book evokes the early days of Countdown.
14:36Yes, thank you for having a copy.
14:38The first copy, I think, you've got there.
14:40Especially for you.
14:41And doing the show is reminding me of the early days of Countdown.
14:44Because 33 years ago, when Countdown began, the programme was made up in Yorkshire, in Leeds.
14:52And the studio was next door to the studio where they made what was then called Emmerdale Farm.
14:58And now it's all about sort of human relationships, Emmerdale.
15:01But then it was all about farming relationships.
15:03And the make-up room, you'd not only be with the people playing the farmers in Emmerdale Farm, but sometimes
15:08the animals would wander in.
15:10And you'd be there having your make-up, and there would be the goat and the pig all being got
15:15ready for the studio sequences.
15:17It's very different now at Countdown.
15:19But at the Edinburgh Fringe, I'm on at four in the afternoon.
15:23There are shows before me, there are shows after me every day.
15:25All sorts, including an animal act.
15:28So there are people who actually are there.
15:29I'm sharing a dressing room with two chihuahuas and a perroquete.
15:33Also, more charmingly, I'm sharing my dressing room with some girl pipers, who are delightful and keep their corner of
15:41the room very, very clean.
15:42But whenever I am in Edinburgh, I am reminded of the definition of a gentleman.
15:48Do you know the definition of a gentleman, Nick?
15:50I'm not sure.
15:51A gentleman is somebody who knows how to play the bagpipes, but doesn't.
15:57Clever.
16:01Very good.
16:02Quite enough of that.
16:03Now, Chris on 45, Kevin on 24.
16:06Kevin, let us go.
16:08Can I have a consonant, please?
16:10Thank you, Kevin.
16:11S.
16:12And another.
16:14M.
16:15And a third.
16:17G.
16:18And another.
16:21R.
16:22A vowel.
16:24O.
16:25And another.
16:27A.
16:28And another.
16:30E.
16:32A consonant.
16:34P.
16:36And a final consonant, please.
16:39And a final.
16:40Q.
16:41And here's the countdown clock.
16:42Dream of하고.
16:43Ding of a vowel.
17:00Which is next, too.
17:01And together.
17:01Do you know,
17:02To政m play.
17:05It's a wrap.
17:06Summer.
17:09So back to the world.
17:10You're on your book.
17:11It's a wrap.
17:11A network.
17:11The new one is.
17:13Kevin a six a six Chris six Kevin grapes grapes and groupers and gropers he could be a great put
17:24in the dictionary but there's only one are unfortunately would be fine for six now then
17:31Giles well the only six-letter word I could see was orgasm orgasm good good Susie I think I need
17:43a gasper
17:48all right now then what should we do 45 place 30 Chris that is time can I have a continent
17:57please
17:57thank you Chris s and a vowel O and another vowel I consonant R consonant M a vowel E consonant
18:16R
18:17R consonant X and a vowel and the last one I stand by
18:31so
18:58Chris six
19:02yes Kevin just a five and your five Myers and Chris mixers thank you nothing to argue about no
19:12nothing really to argue about I got another different six-letter word which is rosier
19:17that's nice which is nice and there's this word isomer what does that mean yes it is termed from
19:23chemistry or physics in physics it's each of two or more atomic nuclei so it's all about having the
19:29same atomic number same mass number but different energy states well done all right so 51 plays
19:35Kevin's 30 and we turn to Kevin now for numbers game Kevin can I go for four from the top
19:41please
19:41you can indeed gambling time thank you Kevin four large ones and two little ones and for this round
19:47the little ones are six and three and the big ones as we know 75 50 125 and your target
19:56128
19:57one to eight
19:59one to eight
20:00one to eight
20:31one to eight now let's get this over with quickly 100 plus three plus 25 sorry gamble didn't pay off
20:41and Chris exactly the same way there we go I don't think there's any need for that
20:46so 61 plays 40 as we go to a tea time teaser which is ideal pet and the clue
20:52it's case of air today gone tomorrow it's a case of hair today gone tomorrow
21:13welcome back I left you with a clue it's a case of hair today gone tomorrow and the answer is
21:21epilated epilated 61 to Kevin's 40
21:26hmm
21:27and we're coming in the final final straight here Chris let us go start with the consonant please Rachel thank
21:35you Chris L
21:36and another
21:38P
21:40and a third
21:42H
21:42and a vowel
21:44A
21:46and another vowel
21:48E
21:48A consonant
21:51D
21:51a vowel
21:54D
21:55a vowel
21:55a consonant
21:58T
21:59and a final vowel please
22:01and a final vowel please
22:04Standby
22:04Standby
22:06.
22:06H
22:06a
22:43Halted.
22:44Halted?
22:45Platted.
22:46And platted.
22:47Yep.
22:48Excellent.
22:50Now then, in the corner, Giles.
22:52I'm going to offer pit head, if it's not two words.
22:54No, that's good.
22:55When you come up from the mine, you're at the pit head.
22:57You are.
22:57That's one word.
22:58Total mine shock.
22:58Indeed, if you can find a mine these days, yeah.
23:0161 plays Kevin's 47, and where shall we go?
23:04Kevin, letters game.
23:05A consonant, please.
23:07Thank you, Kevin.
23:08C.
23:09And another.
23:11R.
23:13And a third.
23:14N.
23:16A vowel.
23:17O.
23:18And another.
23:20A.
23:21And another.
23:23U.
23:25A consonant.
23:27F.
23:28A consonant.
23:31S.
23:32And a final vowel, please.
23:33And a final A.
23:36Countdown.
23:37A consonant.
23:38A consonant.
23:52A consonant.
23:54A consonant.
23:54A consonant.
23:54A consonant.
23:55A consonant.
23:55A consonant.
24:08Kevin?
24:09A six.
24:10A six. Chris?
24:11Six.
24:12So, Kevin?
24:14Acorns.
24:14Acorns and...?
24:15Same word.
24:17Both acorns.
24:20What else have we got over in the corner?
24:22Just sixes, actually, Nick.
24:24It's quite a tricky one.
24:25And francs are there as in the old French currency.
24:28Yes.
24:28That's about it.
24:29All right.
24:30Well done.
24:31So, 67 plays 53.
24:33And Susie, we're back with you, concentrating on you.
24:36As ever, looking forward to your origins of words.
24:40Well, you will remember, Nick, one of my favourite word stories
24:43is the fact that the word muscle comes from the Romans word
24:47for a little mouse, musculus,
24:49because they thought, when looking at their athletes,
24:53that the muscles up here look like little mice running up and down.
24:59So, muscle actually goes back to little mouse.
25:02We always think that was slightly strange.
25:03But the Romans made another strange association,
25:05for me even more bizarre,
25:06between a part of a body and an animal.
25:09And that's the word lizard,
25:11because the Latin word lacertus meant the muscular upper part of an arm.
25:17And apparently, when the reptile that we today call a lizard
25:20was first discovered, and a new name for it was needed,
25:23they thought that the size of the lizard
25:25was about the size of the arm,
25:28either from here to here or here to here.
25:30It seems a very, very strange association.
25:31But that's, lacertus is behind our modern word, lizard.
25:36And then when early Spanish explorers discovered an enormous reptile,
25:41a new, even more enormous reptile,
25:42they were struck by the similarity between this new discovery
25:46and the lizards in their homeland.
25:48And consequently, they called it el legato, the lizard.
25:53Again, from the Latin lacertus.
25:55And the English naval commander, Sir John Hawkins,
25:57who led expeditions to the Spanish-American coast,
26:00this is about the second half of the 16th century,
26:02he used alligatos in his description of his voyages.
26:07And Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet will give you a sense
26:09of how the word was evolving and coming into English.
26:13He wrote,
26:14And in his needy shop a tortoise hung and an alligator stuffed.
26:18By the 18th century, that word, of course, had become alligator.
26:22But who would have guessed that the fearsome creature that is an alligator
26:25has real linguistic links with the upper arm?
26:29Very clever.
26:30Wow.
26:31That's very good.
26:3467 plays.
26:36Kevin's 53.
26:38Chris is back.
26:39Letters game.
26:41Continent, please, Rachel.
26:42Thank you, Chris.
26:43W.
26:44And another one.
26:46G.
26:47And a third.
26:49T.
26:51A vowel.
26:53E.
26:55Consonant.
26:57D.
26:58A vowel.
26:59O.
27:02Another vowel.
27:04I.
27:05Consonant.
27:08N.
27:09And a final vowel, please.
27:11And a final E.
27:14Stand by.
27:16And a final vowel.
27:17And a vanilla vowel.
27:45And aiano声.
27:47Yes, Chris seven a seven Kevin seven Chris in doubt and Kevin weeding weeding
27:57Weeding very good is endowed. Yeah, sorry. Oh bad luck Chris. Yeah, you need to do
28:04Unfortunately, indeed things are closing up now 67 to 60, but in the corner Giles
28:10Wigeon is one of our old favorites on countdown is it a kind of bird like a pigeon, but it's
28:15called a wigeon
28:16It's a dabbling duck. It's a dabbling duck. We offer a wigeon very good
28:2067 to 60 so Kevin you clawed back some of that
28:24Deficit and it's your letters game now find the one of today
28:29Consonant please thank you Kevin V and another
28:34T and the third
28:36Why and another?
28:41Yes, a vowel please oh and another
28:47e and another a
28:53Consonant
28:54J and a final consonant, please and a final P
29:00Countdown
29:31Kevin five a five to Chris's
29:36Yeah, five five five Kevin
29:39Stove stove and boots
29:42votes
29:44Giles and Susie well, you know the reason that the English language is the richest language in the world is
29:51that it's a mongrel tongue
29:52We've taken words from all sorts of other languages and accumulated them
29:57You know the French only have a vocabulary of a hundred thousand words because they're so exclusive
30:02Whereas we welcome words and my mother who was born in India part of India. That's now in fact Pakistan
30:07It was India in her day. She came up with all sorts of words like the word teapoy
30:12And that is an Indian word isn't it? It is I can't remember what a teapoy is but if you
30:16have them in the plural I imagine teapoy
30:17You can they're people of some sort aren't they?
30:20No, they're tables. Oh right through three legs and they use for holding tea caddies
30:24Oh, so they were teapoys you put your table
30:26You put your tea caddy on your teapoy. Yeah, in fact your tea has some points when it's on the
30:30teapoy
30:30Yeah, P-O-Y-S, but yes
30:32There we are. Good. Anything else Susie?
30:35No, we were discussing that one actually. Yeah, a teapoy for seven
30:39Excellent a teapoy
30:4272 to 65 and Chris
30:46numbers and one large and five small please reach out. Thank you Chris one large five small and your last
30:51chance to kill the game of before a crucial conundrum
30:53This last numbers game is six another six eight one
30:59three and the big one 50 and
31:02the target
31:04725
31:36Well, Chris
31:37Uh seven one eight seven one eight
31:42Kevin
31:43Uh seven two three
31:45Seven two three
31:47Right
31:49Let's go
31:51Uh eight plus six is fourteen eight plus six fourteen
31:55Eight plus six fourteen
31:55Fifty plus one
31:57Fifty plus one fifty one
31:59Times them together
32:00For seven hundred and fourteen
32:01Plus the six and the three
32:03And then the six and the three four seven two three two away
32:07Well done
32:09Levels you up with Chris seventy two apiece, but let's go back to Rachel Rachel seven two five
32:14Can you do it bit of a tricky one leave it with me now do that all right because we've
32:19got a scrap on our hands here
32:20As we go into the conundrum it's a crucial conundrum seventy two points apiece fingers on buzzers, please
32:26Kevin and Chris let's reveal today's crucial countdown conundrum
32:40Chris underpaid underpaid let's see whether you're right underpaid
32:49Well done well done well done Kevin bad luck you had a good run there didn't you
32:58Yeah, it's very good and along comes Chris Roy and toppled you off that perch but never mind you did
33:03really well
33:04And you've got a goodie bag and uh and a teapot to take back to Norwich with our very best
33:09wishes great player
33:10Well done. Thank you. Well done
33:12Now then Chris you knocked off somebody who had already got four wins under their belt
33:16So what we want you to do because we're going racing now until uh next we meet next Monday have
33:22a quiet time
33:23We'll see you then okay. Well done. Well done indeed
33:27So we've got a new champ
33:30We'll see you both on Monday. Well done. Well done. Now Rachel seven to five
33:35Yes, it was hidden in there if you say fifty plus six is
33:39Fifty-six and then eight plus the other six minus one is thirteen times them together for
33:45Seven hundred and twenty eight and take away the three for seven to five
33:48Oh well done well done
33:56Well done Rachel well done
33:59See you on Monday see you then see you on Monday join us on Monday same time same place you
34:05be sure of it good afternoon
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34:14write to us at countdown leads
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34:22And countdown will be back Monday at ten past two and that's because for the rest of the week
34:28We've got live racing coverage from the yorkshire ybor festival starting every afternoon from 1 35
34:33Next this afternoon more from our quizzing vault of telly programming for you 15 to 1 with sandy toksvig at
34:40the helm