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This episode was kindly donated by SuperLegendary.
This episode's repeat was broadcast on Tuesday 14th July 2020.
This episode's repeat was broadcast on Tuesday 14th July 2020.
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TVTranscript
00:31Good afternoon and welcome to the Countdown Studio for the last of the Champion of Champions quarterfinals, so there's just
00:38one semi-final place left.
00:40Now, today, Rachel, the great Dolly Parton turned 70 today and what a remarkable career she's had. Let me just
00:48spin out some songs. Jolene, you remember Jolene? Nine to five, I Will Always Love You.
00:54She starred in films. She's even opened her own theme park. It's called Dollywood. Are you a big country fan?
01:02Not really country, but she did do a couple of films that I really liked. Was it nine to five?
01:06That was the song she had, yeah.
01:08Oh, no, there was a film where she played herself, and she played herself separated at birth as a hillbilly,
01:13and then it was one of those Switch Live ones, and I think she was in the Beverly Hillbillies as
01:17well.
01:18All right. Let's see what's in store for us today. As we say, this is the last semi-final place,
01:25and it'll go to either Dan McCollum or Mark Murray.
01:28Dan's back to the quarterfinals. PhD linguistic student from Edinburgh. Last week kept a cool head, Dan, and went on
01:36to beat fellow contestant Paul James.
01:39So keep that cool exterior today. You've got to beat Mark Murray up against Dan. He's Mark, our champion from
01:462014. Originally from Dublin.
01:49Yeah.
01:50Good Irishman here. Beat Antoinette Ryan last week, pipping her to the post by a remarkable 37 points. How are
01:57you feeling? You feeling good?
01:58I'm just happy to be here, so.
02:01Well, we're delighted to have you. Let's have a big round of applause for Mark Murray and Dan McCollum. Mr.
02:05Cool.
02:10And over in the corner, of course, with Susie, Naga Manchetti, BBC journalist, newsreader, the face, really, of the news
02:19early in the morning. Welcome back.
02:21Thank you very much. Delighted to be here.
02:23Excellent. Now, Dan, take us away on our merry letters game.
02:27Thanks, Nick. Hi again, Rachel.
02:29Hi again, Dan.
02:30Can I start with a consonant, please?
02:30You can, thank you. Start today with R.
02:32R. Continent.
02:35T. One more.
02:39S. A vowel, please.
02:42E. Another vowel.
02:44O. Vowel.
02:47A. A consonant.
02:50L. A vowel.
02:55E.
02:58And finish with A consonant, please.
03:02And finish with D.
03:04Stand by.
03:05B.
03:06A consonant.
03:07A consonant.
03:08Bежде.
03:33A consonant.
03:35well done hey yes mark I'll stick with an eight done
03:42traddles and mark desolate desolate excellent very good hello what have you
03:53got I only had a seven I had tasered yes tasered and very good another eight is
04:01delay tours people who report or reported once upon a time a crime yeah I have to
04:06just add in on the lighter note that leotards are there as well okay don't
04:10get taser than the leotard points each now then mark let us go
04:16I can write your mark can I start with a consonant please thank you start with C
04:22and another s and another P and a vowel I and another you and another oh and
04:38another I and a consonant D and a vowel please and the last one a stand by
04:51okay
05:06so
05:22Yes, Mark?
05:23Er, just a six.
05:25A six, Dan?
05:26Er, in that case, I'll have to go with a six, then.
05:29Oh, all right.
05:30Mark?
05:31Er, cuspid.
05:33Caspid, both of you?
05:34Same.
05:35Well done.
05:37All right.
05:38And over in the corner there, Nagger and Susie.
05:41We mixed the letters up.
05:42Cupid's.
05:43Cupid's?
05:44Yes.
05:44That's much more attractive.
05:46It is, yes.
05:46Anything else?
05:47Caspid just reminds us a tooth with a single point, a canine tooth.
05:52All right, 14 to piece, and it's Dan's numbers game now.
05:55Dan?
05:56Can I try four large, please, Rachel?
05:57You can, indeed.
05:59Thank you, Dan.
05:59Four large and two little ones.
06:02And for the first time in this contest, the little ones are eight and three.
06:06And the big ones, one hundred, fifty, twenty-five, and seventy-five.
06:11And the target, eight hundred and eighty-four.
06:13Eight, eight, four.
06:14voucher and four.
06:16Nasıl be able to get into this behold, and from my arm, one hundred and eighty-five, and three hundred
06:19and eighty-five.
06:23One hundred and thirty thirty.
06:27One hundred and eighty-five, both of you and me.
06:42One hundred and seventy-five, five hundred and eighty-five.
06:44Yes, Dan?
06:46Can I get 887 not written down?
06:48887.
06:50And Mark?
06:51I think I've got 888 not written down.
06:55All right, so, Dan?
07:00100 plus 50 over 25.
07:03100 plus 50 over 25 is 102.
07:06Times 8.
07:08Times by 8 is 816.
07:10Plus 75.
07:11Plus 75 is 891.
07:13Take away 3.
07:15And take away 3, 888.
07:18I think you'd get 887, yeah.
07:21So let's turn in that case to Mark.
07:24Okay, well, I'm not sure if I'm right, but we'll give it a go anyway.
07:2850 over 25 is 2.
07:30Yep.
07:32Plus 100.
07:33Plus 100, 102.
07:35Multiplied by 8.
07:37I think I've probably gone around here.
07:38Multiplied by 8 for 816 again.
07:42Plus 75.
07:44Sorry.
07:45Are we doing deja vu for 891?
07:49And take away the 3.
07:50And we've...
07:51Yeah, 888.
07:52Sorry, I wasn't even listening to that.
07:55I was concentrating on whether I got it or not.
07:59That's delicious.
08:01How funny.
08:03Now, Rachel.
08:05Giggles aside.
08:06884.
08:07Is that possible at all?
08:09Um, bit of a tricky one, so leave it with me.
08:11All right.
08:12Now then, 21 plays 14.
08:13And it's time for a tea time teaser.
08:16Let's hear it for the teaser.
08:18It's hear dove.
08:19And the clue.
08:20If you can hear a dove, it's probably up here somewhere.
08:24If you can hear a dove, it's probably up here somewhere.
08:43Welcome back.
08:44I left you with the clue.
08:46If you can hear a dove, it's probably up here somewhere.
08:49Up where?
08:50Up here.
08:51Overhead.
08:52Overhead.
08:53So, 21 to Mark.
08:55Down on 14.
08:56And we turn now to Mark for a letters game.
09:00Mark.
09:00Start with a consonant, please, Rachel.
09:02Thank you, Mark.
09:03S.
09:04And another.
09:06J.
09:08And another.
09:10M.
09:11And a vowel.
09:13E.
09:14And another.
09:16I.
09:17And another.
09:19A.
09:21And a consonant.
09:23M.
09:24And a consonant.
09:26M.
09:29And a consonant.
09:30And lastly, T.
09:32Stand by.
09:33And a consonant.
10:04Mark.
10:05Eight.
10:06An eight.
10:07Eight.
10:08And Dan's got an eight too.
10:09Mark.
10:10Jammiest.
10:10Jammiest and?
10:12Same.
10:12There we go.
10:14Jammiest.
10:19And what else have we got in the corny?
10:22Didn't do any better than that, did we?
10:23No, quite.
10:24Jammiest was our best, actually.
10:25We had some sevens.
10:28Jasmine, inmates.
10:29Well done.
10:30Well done, Naga.
10:31Now, Dan, your letters game.
10:33Score standing seven points between you, 29 to 22.
10:38Can I have a consonant, please, Rachel?
10:40Thank you, Dan.
10:41D.
10:43Another.
10:44Z.
10:45Another.
10:47S.
10:48Time for a vowel, please.
10:50E.
10:51A vowel.
10:52I.
10:53A vowel.
10:55A.
10:56A consonant.
10:58M.
11:00A consonant, please.
11:03C.
11:04And finish with a vowel, please.
11:08And finish with E.
11:10Stand by.
11:11C.
11:12C.
11:47I'll try a six.
11:49All right.
11:49Dan?
11:50Medics.
11:51Medics and Mark?
11:53Mazes with the I.
11:56Mazes.
11:56It does say here, Mark, that it's a maths noun,
12:00and I can't see in any of the examples.
12:02Even though there may be different varieties,
12:04I think you would still call about...
12:05You would still mention types of maize rather than mazes.
12:08It's a little bit like rice.
12:10No problem.
12:10There we are.
12:11You're still one point ahead.
12:12Bad luck.
12:13So, Mark on 29, Dan on 28,
12:16and we're back with the numbers for Mark Murray.
12:19Mark?
12:20Can I have three large, please?
12:21You can indeed.
12:22Thank you, Mark.
12:23Three from the top, bro.
12:24And three little ones.
12:25And these numbers are 1, 5, 10,
12:30and the big ones 25, 50, and 100,
12:34all in nicely ascending order.
12:35And the target?
12:37Oh, 114.
12:39114.
12:39We can give one of the ticks.
12:40To be.
13:00Hello.
13:00Thank you, Mark Murray.
13:01Thank you, Mark Murray.
13:01Thank you, Mark Murray.
13:05Thank you, Mark Murray.
13:07Thanks, Brandon.
13:07I love you, Mark Murray.
13:11yes mark i did actually get up on us straight away but i've got one one four
13:16all right and dan yeah i've also got it all right let's speed through this one then mark
13:22five take away the one four four to add to ten and a hundred yeah there we go and dan
13:28yeah same
13:29way there we go well done all right so just one point in it mark on 39 dan on 38
13:35as we turn to
13:36naga naga i read with um some trepidation that you're a stickler for grammar a trait you share
13:43with the former dictionary corner guest and indeed a future one too i hope bill turnbull
13:49indeed you know what we call bill go on the grammar hammer really is he a stickler a real stickler
13:55and
13:55we sit there grumbling in the morning if apostrophes aren't in the correct place or if certain words
14:03aren't being used but my thing is singular and plural and susie and i have been discussing this
14:08off air and i'm wrong but i'm right as well yes i think so i get really upset with the
14:13sports presenters
14:15when they say football teams are right so crystal palace are it's crystal palace is in my head in
14:21the same way as i'm a financial journalist companies are singular so units a company um so i get a
14:28little
14:28upset there and i cringe and i if i have to read a sport headline i change it so it
14:33i can get the
14:34singular in or just avoid the plural um but one of my things i want something i learned um not
14:41so long
14:41ago i was talking about the american civil war i don't know why i'm talking about the american civil war
14:46and there was the battle of and i've written this down so i pronounce it correctly appomattox and it was
14:52just over 150 years ago and the united states used to be plural and one of the things that was
14:58came
14:58out from the um agreement at appomattox in the court of appomattox was that on the eve of the civil
15:06war
15:06it's a four-year war awful um 750 000 casualties an awful war as most rules are um it was
15:14a the united
15:15states was a federation of independent and quasi independent sovereignties hence states but it
15:20was always referred to in the plural so plural noun so it was the united states are a republic
15:26and after that agreement it became a singular noun so the united states is a nation which is why we
15:33say
15:33the united states is not the united states are which if anyone does that or writes that for us i
15:39do have
15:39a little mini temper tantrum i can understand that but tell me the thing is about the football
15:45does anybody say um chelsea is or manchester united is i do and just accept the weird looks all right
15:55thank you very much and now we march on with dan into a letters game dan can i have a
16:01continent please
16:02thank you thank you dan ah continent p continent g vowel o vowel u another vowel please i consonant r
16:24a vowel e and finish with a consonant please and finish with n stand by
16:36and finish with aells
17:07well done try nine try nine mark I'll have to try nine as well nerves all
17:18around so done reporting reporting and the same there we go convinced about to
17:25report will surprise you this one but it is in first reported in the 1600s yes
17:32to pour back very good all right and naga anything though I just found a grouper put
17:46them back it wasn't anything else and pong here is that seven creepy but
17:52reporting up tonight all right well done thank you and a group of two so still one
17:56point in it mark let us go I can have a constant please thank you mark
18:01T and another P and another R and a vowel A and another U and another O and a
18:19consonant S and a vowel A and a consonant and the last one F
18:31stand by
18:32so
18:37so
18:44so
18:50so
19:07so
19:09so
19:10so
19:16so
19:29so
19:31yes provincial governor in the ancient Persian Empire very nice my
19:34pleasure
19:35and the earth sprout which is much better family
19:39right all right so 62 now for Dan mark on 57 and we turn to a down for numbers game
19:47Dan I'll go for large again go for large why not and two little ones and this time the little
19:53ones are eight and two and the largest we know fifty twenty five seventy five and one hundred and the
20:02target three hundred and ninety five three nine five
20:13so
20:22so
20:22so
20:22so
20:22so
20:24so
20:24so
20:24so
20:26so
20:27so
20:27so
20:38so
20:39so
20:40so here we go okay I did fifty times eight fifty times eight four hundred then a hundred plus seventy
20:48five one hundred and seventy five
20:50over twenty five
20:51over twenty five is seven
20:52take away two
20:53four the five
20:54and that's the five perfect three nine five
20:56well done and Mark
20:57I've done that the same way
20:58there we go
20:59yeah Dan well done
21:00all right
21:04well done
21:05turn now for our second tea time teaser which is nice talc and the clue you might find this biblical
21:12chant rather amusing you might find this biblical chant rather amusing
21:32welcome back I left you with a clue you might find this biblical chant rather amusing and the answer is
21:39Canticle Canticle Canticle Canticle Canticle
21:44it comes from the Latin for a little song and it's a hymn or chant that forms a regular part
21:51of a church service
21:52thank you Susie so
21:5367 plays Dan 72 and we turn now to you Mark with an urge to catch up if you can
22:01I'll try
22:02can I have a consonant please
22:03thank you Mark
22:04S
22:05and another
22:08F
22:08and a vowel
22:10E
22:11and another
22:13A
22:14and another
22:15O
22:16and a consonant
22:18B
22:19and another
22:21D
22:22and a vowel
22:24E
22:26and a consonant
22:29and lastly
22:31R
22:31A
22:32and aighing
22:32A
23:00and a пиш
23:04yes mark oh I might not have much luck but I'll try an eight yes Dan I've
23:10getting only got seven you're seven four bad four bad now how much of a risk is
23:15this mark at board ease how you spelling it B O A R D E E S oh I so
23:25wanted to say that was in to make up for the other one but it's not no I'm
23:28afraid mark sorry no body bad luck I'd like now go 70 baser yep yeah excellent
23:37and four bad otherwise just a couple of them all right so 79 to 67 as Dan takes
23:44on another letters game can I have constant please thank you Dan W consonant
23:50D consonant s vowel piece I a vowel you a vowel E a continent please H the vowel oh and
24:12finish with another continent please and finish with ah countdown
24:20so
24:21so
24:47yes Dan stick with six a six mark seven Dan
24:53housed now then mark showier very nice well done excellent well done indeed
25:01Naga what's happening we have the perfect two words for this corner yes or for one
25:06half of this corner yes wordies yes weirdos
25:12I'm the weirdo oh well done very good Naga anything else that's it uh yeah I think we'll
25:18go through on that one all right 79 plays 74 and Susie now it's your origins of words
25:24uh well quite appropriate for this competition it ain't over till the fat lady sings it ain't over
25:29till our conundrum and we're going to look into the origin of that because again it's another one that I'm
25:33often asked about um two very popular stories attached to this one one involving German opera
25:40and the other involving American sport and I'll start with the uh opera and the gutter
25:45demo room which is the last of uh Wagner's incredibly long for opera ring cycle of course so long in
25:53fact
25:53it's about 14 hours uh in some performances and uh essentially one of the central characters
25:58brunhilde is usually portrayed um on stage as a quite well endowed shall we say uh lazy who sings
26:04that 10 minute solo at the end which sounds very convincing um and to go to the u.s sport
26:10just say
26:10all the early references that you'll find in the oxford english dictionary are from the uh arena of
26:16american baseball uh or the ballpark of american baseball and particularly uh yogi bera who um died at
26:23the end of last year actually um but he was a celebrated baseball player and manager and he's
26:28probably most famous for his uh wonderful quotes some of which may be misattributed but they're
26:33quite fun uh one of my favorites is it's deja vu all over again and when you come to a
26:39fork in the road
26:40take it which i love but apparently he also said the game isn't over till it's over so no fat
26:47lady in
26:47there but that was a popular saying that he came out with but actually if you delve a little bit
26:51further
26:51into uh the records you'll find that it's in the american south that it probably originated and
26:57church services of the american south which would be rounded off apparently by a female
27:02uh solo or in fact a chorus of females perhaps they were particularly well endowed but one of the
27:07earliest references is church ate over until the fat lady sings uh so probably it lies in the american
27:14south and not with yogi bera even though i do have to say i love his quotations indeed very good
27:20well done
27:22thank you thank you susie so we've got a close contest here mark on 74 dan 79 and it's mark's
27:29letters game can i have a consonant please thank you mark n and another s and another
27:37h h and another r and a vowel a and another e and another i and a consonant t and
27:57a vowel and the last one
27:58star bye
28:07oh
28:31Well, Mark?
28:32Nine.
28:33A nine down.
28:35Nine.
28:36OK, Mark?
28:37Hortensia.
28:38Hortensia.
28:39Same.
28:40Hortensia.
28:42Very good.
28:46Is that a flower?
28:47Yes, it's a hydrangea.
28:49OK.
28:50Yeah.
28:50Very good.
28:51Naga, any news?
28:52No, I didn't come anywhere close to a nine, but Susie got one which surprised me, because
28:57I actually said she was that English.
28:59Yeah.
28:59It slipped into the mainstream from Portuguese.
29:03It's senorita with the H.
29:05And it's a young woman, especially an unmarried one.
29:08It's often used as a form of a dress.
29:10Indeed.
29:11Senorita.
29:12Well done.
29:12Ninety-seven plays, ninety-two.
29:14Dan, final letters game.
29:17Can I have a consonant, please, Rachel?
29:18Thank you, Dan.
29:19Q.
29:20Consonant.
29:22N.
29:24Consonant.
29:26G.
29:27One more, please.
29:29T.
29:31A vowel.
29:32U.
29:34Another vowel.
29:35E.
29:37Vowel.
29:39A.
29:41Another vowel, please.
29:44I.
29:46And a final consonant, please.
29:49And a final G.
29:51Here's the countdown clock.
29:53Eso.
29:57Y.
30:08Y.
30:08Y.
30:08Y.
30:08Y.
30:25Uh, yes, Dan?
30:26Eight.
30:27An eight.
30:28Mark?
30:29Oh, sure, we'll try an eight.
30:31Thank you, Dan.
30:32Uh, equating.
30:34Equating and?
30:35Uh, quintage.
30:37Quintage?
30:38Yes.
30:39Sounds very Harry Potter-esque.
30:41Desperation.
30:42Um, not there, Mark.
30:43Sorry.
30:44Oh, sorry.
30:44Well done.
30:45Bad luck.
30:47Now then.
30:48Now go.
30:49Couldn't do any better than equating.
30:51No, without two.
30:52That's it?
30:52Yes.
30:53All right.
30:54All right.
30:55Bit of a blow there, Mark.
30:56Ah, 92 to 105, but we go into the numbers game now.
31:00Mark?
31:01It has to be gambling time, so we'll go for six more.
31:04Six more, thank you, Mark.
31:05And good luck to stay in the competition.
31:08Six little ones coming up, and they are three, five, ten, nine, three, and two.
31:17And the target, 893.
31:20Eight, nine, three.
31:21Six little ones coming, honey.
31:22Let's go.
31:22Five little ones coming, honey.
31:48Let's go.
31:51And the target, nine, three, one, three.
31:52mark eight nine four eight nine four yeah don't eight nine four as well all right mark at two
32:01multiplied by the five two multiplied by five is ten multiplied by the order ten multiplied by
32:07ten for one hundred by the nine as well nine hundred and take away to two threes and then
32:13the two threes for one away yes eight nine four yes then same there we go all right well done
32:20rachel they're one away can you make eight nine three leave it with me may i do that few seconds
32:26while they're doing the conundrum all right so here we are no crucial conundrum for you chaps
32:31but it's fingers on buzzers let's roll that countdown conundrum
32:38so
33:07nope no luck there that's right
33:09roll it and see what uh see what you felt grab here
33:14fluoresce
33:15not easy guys not easy who comes out and who goes into the uh second semi-final
33:22dan mcconn well done dan thanks well done indeed all right and bad luck mark murray
33:28bad luck great player and just a little slip there well the standard dan is a fantastic player so
33:35you know i'm glad i gave him a good fight anyways you gave him a very good fight and you're
33:40a very
33:40good player too don't ever you know diminish that there's your piece of uh almost uh priceless
33:46kryptonite future take home with our very best wishes well done dan we shall see you on thursday
33:52yep thanks well done indeed and naga and susie in the corner thanks for today and we shall see
33:59you again tomorrow absolutely well done all right now rachel what have you done eight nine three yes it
34:05was there if you say nine times five is 45 add two is 47 uh three times the other three
34:13is nine
34:14add two the 10 for 19 and the product of two primes eight nine three well done well done
34:23nothing fox's rage but thank you so much join us tomorrow same time same place our first
34:28semi-final good afternoon
34:32contact us by email at countdown at channel 4.com by twitter at c4 countdown or write to us at
34:40countdown
34:40leeds ls3 1js you can also find our webpage at channel 4.com forward slash countdown
34:50all that stands between the professionals and a place in the semi-finals is the perfect
34:55macaron harder than it looks tonight bake off is new at eight here on channel four
34:59searching for that perfect spanish bolt hole next this afternoon with a place in the sun
35:10going forward
35:11so
35:11and
35:12i
35:12i
35:12i
35:12i
35:12i
35:12i
35:12i
35:13i