- 19 minutes ago
This episode was kindly donated by SuperLegendary.
This episode's repeat was broadcast on Thursday 9th July 2020.
This episode's repeat was broadcast on Thursday 9th July 2020.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:17Thank you very much.
00:31Good afternoon and welcome to the Countdown Studio. The competition is really heating up here as we start the quarterfinals
00:38of the Champion of Champions contest.
00:41There will be a lot of contests tonight down in the O2 Arena as well. Why? Because the NBA Global
00:50Games come to town.
00:51Now, Rachel, in an attempt to increase popularity of American basketball on this side of the Atlantic, the Orlando Magic
00:58will take on the Toronto Raptors in a regular season game to be packed, packed.
01:05The O2 will be packed. But actually, something strange about American sports, something strange about the Americans where sports concern,
01:12those team games.
01:14Have you noticed how much they absolutely delight in the statistics of absolutely everything, particularly in football, how many yards
01:21have been run, how many, you know, running this and running that and who's blocked who?
01:26Only cricket, I think, over here has got this fascination with statistics. Do you like American sports particularly?
01:33Well, I've seen two basketball games live in the States and they were good. Well, the first one was really
01:37good.
01:38It was the Oklahoma Thunder against New Jersey Nets.
01:41And Oklahoma Thunder were amazing. They've got a player called Kevin Durant, who's just absolutely incredible.
01:47You get it, do you?
01:48Well, it's a good answer to be there.
01:50Yeah?
01:51But there's a lot of pausing. There's a lot more pausing in the American game.
01:54Even the TV commercials can cause breaks.
01:56That's why they're doing it.
01:58Yeah.
01:58Absolutely.
01:59So it's very different to the sport you get over here.
02:01I want to talk to our guest, John Inverdale, about this because he knows everything about sport.
02:06And I wonder whether he'll agree with me.
02:07But anyway, before that, let's see who we've got. We've got Tom Kappelman is back in this quarterfinal.
02:13Well done.
02:14Software engineer from Enfield.
02:16Last week, you sailed through to our quarterfinals here today, beating Glenn Webb.
02:22And here to see if you can hold on to your champion title that you won way back in June
02:28of 2015.
02:29But first of all, you've got to get past Giles Hutchings, one of our younger contestants back in 2013,
02:37who was also a champion.
02:39Welcome back.
02:40And last week, you beat Heather Styles.
02:42How are you feeling about going up against Tom today?
02:45He's a competitor and a half.
02:46Yeah, pretty nervous and excited, I think, in equal measure.
02:48Well, I think you're both champions, therefore you're even Stephen at the moment.
02:53Good luck to you both.
02:54Big round of applause then for Tom and Giles Hutchings.
03:01And over in the corner, of course, Susie and the wonderful John Inverdale, TV and radio sports presenter.
03:08I was sort of rambling on about the sort of the stats that the Americans go in for.
03:13What about the Americans and their love of statistics?
03:16Because it's creeping into your great sport, rugby.
03:18When I was a kid, game line and all of these things, and they're trying to complicate it,
03:24to make it more sort of interesting or what?
03:28Skillful.
03:29No, I think they're trying to make it have extra elements to it to engage people.
03:34Because, you know, it's like 24-hour news when, actually, there's not enough news to fill 24 hours,
03:38but you have to fill it anyway.
03:39There's not enough news, there's not enough sports news to fill 24 hours.
03:43So how are we going to fill it?
03:44We're going to fill it with more and more extraneous guff, and that's kind of what we do.
03:48Is that what we call padding?
03:49It's what we call padding.
03:50It's what this is.
03:51Well done.
03:54Thank you, John.
03:56Well done.
03:57All right.
03:57Now then, Tom Kappelman, let's have a letters game.
04:01Hi, Rachel.
04:02Hi again, Tom.
04:03Can I have a consonant, please?
04:04Start today with B.
04:07And a second.
04:08D.
04:09And another.
04:11G.
04:12And another.
04:14J.
04:15And a vowel.
04:17I.
04:18And another.
04:19U.
04:20And another.
04:22E.
04:23And a consonant.
04:26F.
04:27And a final consonant, please.
04:29And a final T.
04:31And here's the countdown clock.
04:32The end.
04:34And a tros
05:0216, as it has already been made up.
05:02Yes, Tom?
05:04A six.
05:04A six.
05:05And Giles?
05:06Six as well.
05:07Mm-hmm.
05:07Tom?
05:08Budget.
05:09And Giles?
05:10Gifted.
05:11And gifted?
05:13Yes.
05:14Yeah, six as all we've got.
05:15We've got a budget fidget.
05:18Yep.
05:18But not much more than that.
05:20All right.
05:21Six apiece.
05:22And Giles, your letters game.
05:25Hi, Rachel.
05:25Hi, Giles.
05:26Constance, please.
05:27Thank you, Giles.
05:28R.
05:29And another?
05:30D.
05:31And a third?
05:32N.
05:34And a vowel?
05:35O.
05:36And another vowel?
05:37E.
05:38And a consonant?
05:40H.
05:41And a vowel?
05:43I.
05:44And another vowel?
05:46A.
05:47And a final consonant, please.
05:49And a final N.
05:51Stand by.
05:51And a vowel?
05:56And a vowel?
06:10And a vowel?
06:12I.
06:13And a vowel?
06:22Well, Giles?
06:23Just seven.
06:24Seven, Tom?
06:25I've got to try Nate.
06:27Very well, Giles.
06:28Handier.
06:29And Tom?
06:31Roradine.
06:31I think he's got various spellings.
06:33R-H-O-E-A-D-I-N.
06:39Yes, it is there as a variant spelling,
06:42because normally it would have the E at the end.
06:44It is a mildly toxic alkaloid present in the seed capsules of the corn poppy.
06:50Very obscure and very brilliant.
06:57My word, Tom.
06:59Now, what of the corner?
07:01John?
07:01Yeah, we had that.
07:04We had things like drone for five,
07:07handier, aneroid for seven.
07:10So we had sevens, but that was too good.
07:12Oh, thank you very much, and thank you, Tom, for that one.
07:15Fourteen plays, Giles is six, and it's Tom's numbers game.
07:19Now, Tom?
07:19Can I go six more, please?
07:21You can indeed.
07:22Thank you, Tom.
07:23Six more is going to be quite the contest.
07:25Right, the first numbers game of the day is eight, four, seven, two, ten, and three.
07:33And the target?
07:35Nine hundred and ninety-one.
07:36Nine-nine-one.
07:37Nine hundred and thirty-one.
08:09Yes, Tom?
08:109-9-1.
08:109-9-1, Giles?
08:12This is 9-9-6.
08:139-9-6.
08:14So, Tom?
08:15OK, 10 times 8.
08:1610 times 8 is 80.
08:19Plus 2.
08:20Plus 2 is 82.
08:223 times 4 is 12.
08:233 times 4, yep, 12.
08:25Multiply them together.
08:26For 984.
08:28And add on the 7.
08:29Perfect, 9-9-1.
08:30Well done.
08:31Well done indeed.
08:36Good opening for you, Tom.
08:3724 to 6, as we go into our first tea time teaser, which is called Rigid Man.
08:44And the clue, the sort of glance you might give to your bow.
08:48The sort of glance you might give to your bow.
09:06One welcome back.
09:07I left you with the clue.
09:08The sort of glance you might give to your bow.
09:10And the answer is, it would be an admiring glance.
09:15Admiring.
09:15Now, if you'd like to become a Countdown contestant, you can email countdown at channel4.com to request an application
09:23form.
09:23Or write to us at contestantsapplications, countdown leads, LS3, 1, J, S.
09:32So, Tom on 24, Giles on 6, and Giles, it's a letters game.
09:36Now, a vowel please, Rachel.
09:38Thank you, Giles.
09:39E.
09:40And another.
09:42O.
09:42And a consonant.
09:44P.
09:45And another one.
09:47S.
09:48And a consonant.
09:50H.
09:51And a vowel.
09:53A.
09:54And another vowel.
09:56U.
09:57Consonant.
09:59G.
10:00And another consonant, please.
10:02And the last one.
10:03D.
10:04Stand by.
10:06D.
10:06D.
10:07D.
10:07D.
10:07D.
10:07D.
10:08D.
10:08D.
10:09D.
10:10D.
10:10D.
10:11D.
10:11D.
10:16D.
10:22D.
10:23D.
10:23D.
10:24D.
10:25D.
10:27D.
10:28D.
10:36D.
10:36D.
10:36D.
10:36D.
10:36D.
10:36D.
10:37D.
10:37D.
10:37D.
10:38Tom oh seven so Giles a sound and
10:42resting word yes, there we are
10:47John and Susie love sound is very beautiful doesn't actually sound as beautiful as its meaning
10:53Which is when the wind makes a moaning or rustling sound in the trees. Yeah. Yeah, and the else that's
10:59a ration
11:01Six is otherwise so yeah, okay kissed amorously
11:06Pashed thank you
11:09Pashed 30 in place 31 and Tom can I start with a constant piece? Thank you Tom ah
11:16and another
11:18Y and another
11:21S and a fourth
11:24M and a vowel oh
11:27and another
11:29E and another
11:31A and another vowel
11:36I and a final vowel please and a final E
11:42Stand by
11:43I
11:44I
11:44I
12:12I
12:18I
12:19I
12:25I
12:26I
12:26I
12:27I
12:27I
12:32I
12:39I
12:41I
12:43I
12:44I
12:44I
12:44I
12:46I
12:47I
12:50I
12:51I
12:52I
12:52I
12:54I
12:55I
12:56I
13:07I
13:09I
13:09I
13:09I
13:11I
13:11I
13:16I
13:17I
13:19I
13:21I
13:22I
13:23I
13:25I
13:26I
13:42I
13:42I
13:53I
13:53I
13:53I
13:53I
13:53I
13:55I
14:03I
14:07I
14:09I
14:09I
14:16I
14:18I
14:18I
14:18I
14:20I
14:25I
14:27I
14:28I
14:29I
14:36I
14:37I
14:37I
14:37I
14:37I
14:40I
14:47I
14:49I
14:52I
14:53I
14:53I
15:03I
15:04I
15:05I
15:07I
15:07I
15:08I
15:18I
15:20I
15:21I
15:21I
15:22I
15:22I
15:22I
15:22I
15:22I
15:23I
15:23I
15:35I
15:50I
15:50I
15:50I
15:50I
15:50I
15:50I
15:51I
15:52I
15:54I
15:54I
15:57I
16:08I
16:19I
16:21I
16:21I
16:22I
16:23I
16:23I
16:23I
16:23I
16:23I
16:29I
16:29I
16:29I
16:30I
16:30I
16:50I
16:51I
16:51I
16:51I
16:53I
16:54I
16:57I
17:01I
17:01I
17:01I
17:13I
17:14I
17:15I
17:22I
17:30I
17:40I
17:41I
17:41I
17:41I
17:42I
17:42I
17:42I
17:44I
17:44I
17:44I
17:46I
17:46I
17:56I
17:57I
18:00I
18:00I
18:00I
18:02I
18:02I
18:02I
18:03I
18:04I
18:15I
18:16I
18:17I
18:17I
18:18I
18:19I
18:20I
18:21I
18:22I
18:23I
18:25I
18:29I
18:29I
18:29I
18:29I
18:29I
18:32I
18:34I
18:34I
18:34I
18:35I
18:37I
18:38I
18:38I
18:38I
19:03I
19:04I
19:06I
19:08I
19:08I
19:28I
19:31I
19:32I
19:34I
19:34I
19:35I
19:37I
19:37I
19:37I
19:38I
19:44I
19:44I
19:59I
20:11I
20:12I
20:12I
20:12I
20:12I
20:12I
20:12I
20:13I
20:13I
20:14I
20:14I
20:14I
20:15I
20:15I
20:15I
20:15I
20:15I
20:19I
20:20I
20:24I
20:30I
20:37I
20:39I
20:39I
20:39I
20:39I
20:40I
20:42I
20:43I
20:43I
20:43I
20:45I
20:45I
20:46I
20:46I
20:46I
20:46I
20:46I
20:47I
20:48I
20:48I
20:48I
20:48I
20:49I
20:50I
20:50I
20:59I
21:00I
21:03I
21:04I
21:05I
21:17I
21:18I
21:32I
21:33I
21:34I
21:35I
21:35I
21:35I
21:35I
21:37I
21:37I
21:37I
21:37I
21:37I
21:38I
21:38I
21:38I
21:38I
21:38I
21:38I
21:38I
21:38I
21:42I
21:43I
21:50I
21:51I
22:00I
22:01I
22:03I
22:03I
22:07I
22:14I
22:16I
22:16I
22:16I
22:16I
22:29I
22:31I
22:32I
22:33I
22:34I
22:56I
22:59I
23:01I
23:01I
23:02I
23:05I
23:09I
23:13I
23:15I
23:16I
23:16I
23:17I
23:19I
23:19I
23:22I
23:50Yes, Charles?
23:51Only six.
23:52Tom?
23:53Sit as well.
23:55OK.
23:56I've got groats.
23:57And Tom?
23:59Ratios.
24:00Ratios.
24:02Sixes.
24:03Any sixes in the corner?
24:04John, Susie?
24:05Yeah, I like groats.
24:06Good word, groat.
24:07But we've actually got a seven, which is rosaria.
24:11Oh.
24:11Yes, rosaria.
24:13A plural of rosarian, which is a rose garden.
24:16Rosaria.
24:17All right, 62 apiece.
24:18And Tom?
24:20Make hay, Tom.
24:21We're getting near the end.
24:22It's the letters game.
24:23A consonant, please.
24:24Thank you, Tom.
24:25S.
24:26And another.
24:28R.
24:29And another.
24:31M.
24:32And another.
24:33D.
24:34And a vowel.
24:36O.
24:37And another.
24:37A.
24:39And another.
24:41And a consonant.
24:44T.
24:45And a vowel, please.
24:47And the last one.
24:48O.
24:50Tantan.
24:51Tantan.
25:21Tom.
25:22Nine.
25:24Yes, Giles.
25:25Yep, nine.
25:26Shall we better the same word, Tom?
25:29Moderatos.
25:30Moderatos and?
25:31Moderatos as well.
25:32There we go.
25:32Two good champs there.
25:34And the nine in the corner?
25:38We did have that one.
25:39Well, we had doormats.
25:41Doormats?
25:41Which is slightly more esoteric, I think, than moderatos, which means?
25:44Passages marked to be performed at a moderate pace.
25:47All right.
25:48Very good.
25:49APPLAUSE
25:53Well done.
25:5480 points apiece.
25:56And now, it's Susie's Origins of Words.
25:59Susie?
26:01Nick.
26:02We're going to be talking about numbers.
26:05About 2,000 years ago,
26:07it was believed that everything was made up of four known elements.
26:11That was earth, air, fire and water.
26:13And these dictated everything, including the bodily humours.
26:17Of course, the balance of the humours within your body was supposed to determine your moods,
26:22and in fact, sometimes your destiny.
26:24But Aristotle said that there was a fifth element to add to all of this, which the heavenly bodies were
26:30composed.
26:31And in Greek, he called this a pempteousia, which was translated by the Romans as the fifth substance, or the
26:39quintessence.
26:39And the quint in there, it's like quintuplets.
26:42It is all about that fifth very, very all-important substance that determined human life.
26:50And today, if we talk about the quintessence, of course,
26:52we're talking about the ultimate representation of something.
26:55And that meaning gradually took over, I suppose, in the 15th, 16th century.
27:01And Sir Walter Scott, for example, talked to a friend in a letter about having escaped the quintessence of bores,
27:08which I think is a great phrase.
27:10But if you go from five to three, you'll also find the number three behind the word trivial.
27:15And for the Romans, trivial meant where three roads meet.
27:19It was the crossroads, if you like.
27:22And the idea was that it was so commonplace, this sort of meeting place,
27:27that trivial took on the meaning of something that was sort of not particularly important.
27:31But also, if you can imagine at this crossroads, it would be a bit like the water cooler today.
27:35People would exchange commonplace gossip, if you like, and make everyday conversation.
27:41But the trivium, also in medieval times, was the introductory course of grammar, rhetoric, and logic.
27:47It was like 101, if you like.
27:49It was the sort of early stage.
27:50And that helped the idea of something that was simple and basic, the trivial there.
27:56But what's interesting as well is the extreme opposite of trivial, of course, is crucial.
28:00And that goes back to the Latin crux.
28:02And crucial, the crux, was initially a finger post at a crossroads,
28:06indicating which way travellers should go.
28:08So it's all important, because it showed you the right way ahead.
28:11Very good.
28:13So wonderful.
28:16Well done.
28:1780 points, please.
28:18And Giles, here we go.
28:20Penultimate letters game.
28:21Make it count.
28:22Consonant, please.
28:23Thank you, Giles.
28:25F.
28:26And another.
28:28M.
28:29And a third.
28:31L.
28:32And a vowel.
28:33E.
28:34And another.
28:35A.
28:36And another.
28:37O.
28:38A consonant.
28:40R.
28:42And a vowel.
28:44E.
28:45And another vowel, please.
28:48And the last one.
28:50O.
28:51Stand by.
28:52OK.
29:22Giles.
29:23Seven.
29:24A seven, Tom.
29:25I'll try a seven.
29:26Right, Giles.
29:27Femoral.
29:28Femoral, I think.
29:29No, Tom.
29:31Formal.
29:31Formal with an E.
29:35Oh, it's not there at all.
29:36I thought it was.
29:38As you must have done.
29:39But it's not, I'm afraid.
29:41I'm sorry about that.
29:42Bad luck.
29:43Femoral, of course, relating to the femur, the upper part of the thigh.
29:46But no formal.
29:48Bad luck.
29:49Bad luck.
29:50What have we got in the corner?
29:51John.
29:52We haven't.
29:53We had femoral as well.
29:54We had femoral, but that was it.
29:55All right.
29:56We cannot improve.
29:57All right.
29:5887 plays.
29:59Tom's 80.
30:00And Tom, you're back again now.
30:02Letters game.
30:03A consonant, please.
30:04Thank you, Tom.
30:06P.
30:06And another.
30:08N.
30:09And another.
30:11V.
30:12And a fourth.
30:14T.
30:15And a vowel.
30:17I.
30:18And another.
30:19A.
30:20And another.
30:22O.
30:24And another.
30:26E.
30:28And a final consonant.
30:30And a final L.
30:32Stand by.
30:33Stand by.
30:35E.
30:43ORCHESTRA PLAYS
31:067, Giles?
31:077
31:07Mm-hmm, Tom?
31:09Pantile
31:10Well done, Giles?
31:12Polenta
31:13And Polenta
31:14Yes, two excellent countdown words
31:17Very good
31:17Can you guys match 7?
31:19We had Violates and we also had Pivotal
31:21Ah, two good ones
31:23Very good
31:2494 plays 87
31:26And Giles, it's your numbers game now, Giles?
31:29I'm going to rely on the conundrums, they're going to have a nice 2 large
31:32I can give you a 2 large, I can't guarantee it'll be nice
31:35Thank you, Giles
31:36Two large, four small for the final time today
31:38These numbers are 1, 4, 2, 8
31:43And the large two, 150
31:46And the target, 528
31:495, 2, 8
31:505, 2, 8
32:21Yes, Giles?
32:225, 2, 8
32:235, 2, 8
32:24And Tom?
32:245, 2, 8
32:26Giles?
32:2750 over 2 is 25
32:2850 over 2, 25
32:30Add that to 100
32:31125
32:32Then 8 minus 1 is a 7
32:35Yeah
32:35And then you get 132
32:38So add that for 1, 3, 2
32:40And then times by 4
32:41And then times by 4
32:42Yes, well done
32:445, 2, 8
32:45Well done
32:45And Tom?
32:47Differently, 50 minus 2
32:4850 minus 2, 48
32:518 plus 4 minus 1
32:538 plus 4 minus 1, 11
32:55And multiply them together
32:56Yeah, well done
32:565, 2, 8
32:57Fantastic
32:58Well done
33:03Well done, chaps
33:04So 104 to 97
33:06Tom Giles, fingers on buzzers
33:09Let's reveal today's crucial conundrum
33:15Gile Mott
33:17Yes, let's see whether you're right
33:22Gile Mott
33:23Whoa!
33:24Whoa!
33:30Well done
33:34Well, you spat that out so fast
33:36With a bit of desperation in your voice
33:39But you got it right
33:40Well done
33:41114
33:41To Tom's 97
33:44And so it is
33:45That we shall see you in our first semi-final
33:47Well done, indeed
33:48And I'm sorry about
33:50Tom
33:50Only one slip, really
33:51Yeah
33:52There we go
33:53But listen
33:53You're a tremendous competitor
33:55As always
33:55Take this
33:57Kryptonite with you
33:58Drag it home
33:59With our
34:00Applause
34:01Ringing in your ears
34:03Well done, indeed
34:03Thank you
34:04Thank you very much
34:04Well done
34:05Well done
34:05See you tomorrow
34:07John and Susie
34:08Wasn't that good?
34:09Close run thing
34:10Went 15 rounds
34:11Landed the knockout punch at the end
34:12Indeed he did
34:13Brilliant stuff
34:14See you tomorrow
34:15See you tomorrow
34:16Rachel
34:16That was a close one
34:18Absolutely
34:18Absolutely
34:19Flip-flopped
34:20Hard to call at the start
34:21Did you see young Giles Hutchings
34:22He shot that answer out
34:24It was brilliant
34:25Yeah
34:25Comeback kid
34:26Absolutely
34:27Tactics paid off
34:28Indeed
34:29Same time tomorrow
34:30Same time tomorrow
34:31We've got more for you
34:31You be sure of it
34:32A very good afternoon
34:35You can contact me at the end of the day
34:36You can contact the programme by email at countdown at channel4.com
34:39By twitter at c4countdown
34:41Or write to us at countdown leads LS3 1JS
34:45You can also find our webpage at channel4.com forward slash countdown
34:53An entertainer loved by the whole country for years
34:56A shocking accusation
34:58Where lies the truth?
35:00From Jack Thorne
35:01Robbie Coltrane in National Trager tonight at night
35:04A fun-loving Bedfordshire pair want a bit of a Costa del Sol bolt hole to retire to next this
35:10afternoon
35:10The search is on for a place in the sun after the break