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00:00This programme contains strong language and adult humour.
00:04APPLAUSE
00:31Hello, everybody. Welcome to Countdown this Thursday afternoon.
00:35Whether your day is good or bad,
00:37try and just park up with us for 45 minutes.
00:40Sounds like a good idea. We always enjoy it.
00:42Rachel Riley, you said in an interview recently, and I quote,
00:45when they asked you,
00:46would you ever like to present Countdown, as in anchor it?
00:49You do present it, as in sitting in this chair.
00:51You said, they'd have to claw the numbers out of my cold, dead eye.
00:55That's the first thing that popped into my mind when you said that,
00:58and I don't remember saying it. I love it.
01:00Listen, we have, you know,
01:02a true sporting hero in Dictionary Corner this week,
01:05and Steve Cram.
01:06And today, in 1896,
01:09it was the opening of the modern Olympiad,
01:13the modern-day Olympics, as we know it today,
01:16devised by Pierre de Coubertin.
01:19And most of those events are still the same today.
01:23There's some random things.
01:25The first place got a silver medal,
01:28an olive branch and a diploma, and there was no bronze.
01:32So, just to be finished third, you get absolutely nothing.
01:36And they didn't actually compete for their nations.
01:38People don't really notice this.
01:40That was a couple of Olympics later.
01:42They would say, oh, you're from England,
01:44or, oh, here we have a 100-metre runner,
01:47a 100-yard dash, as it might have been then, from Perthshire.
01:51But you wouldn't have the flag and the anthem and stuff.
01:54That whole idea of doing it for your country came a lot later.
01:57Bring back tug of war, that's what I say.
02:00I think we're still the Olympic tug-of-war champions
02:03from about 1924, and it was disbanded after that.
02:06Come on! Come on, yes.
02:08Traditional sports. I love it.
02:10We are Olympic geeks. We absolutely love it.
02:13And, listen, I don't need the introduction now.
02:15Alongside Susie Dennis, Steve Cram.
02:17APPLAUSE
02:20Right, Barbara Dodds is our new champion.
02:23She's from Greater Manchester,
02:25but after getting in a little bit of trouble with the law,
02:28she skipped the country.
02:29She now lives in Port of Ferry in Northern Ireland.
02:32It's the cold of my relatives.
02:34And, I mean this in the nicest way,
02:36as nervous a first appearance as I've ever seen.
02:39And to pull out that performance was absolutely something else.
02:42How are you feeling today?
02:44OK.
02:45All right. Brilliant to have you back.
02:47Barbara Dodds is our champion, up against Greg Pearce,
02:50who's from Bristol. How are you doing, sir?
02:52I'm all right, thanks. How are you?
02:54Loving the dress, loving the garb. Thank you.
02:56You look fantastic. If only others had made an effort, Steve.
02:59That would have been nice. You look great.
03:01Now, there's a fine line between being a collector and a hoarder.
03:06And you think that you kind of, like, tow that line a bit.
03:09Tell me about it.
03:10I collect all kinds of silly things. Yeah?
03:12Postcards, stamps, England football shirts,
03:1680s designer sportswear.
03:18Brilliant. I love that.
03:19Greg and Barbara are going to be a good day. Good luck.
03:21Cheers.
03:25Dodds has the glasses out again.
03:27It's time to pick some letters.
03:29Hiya, Rachel. Hi, Barbara.
03:30Could I have... Start with a consonant, please.
03:32You can indeed start today with H.
03:34And could I have another consonant, please?
03:37C.
03:38And another consonant, please?
03:40Y.
03:42And a vowel, please?
03:44I.
03:45And a vowel, please?
03:47O.
03:48Another vowel, please?
03:49E.
03:51And a consonant, please?
03:53G.
03:55A consonant, please?
03:57T.
04:00And a consonant, please?
04:02Lastly, R.
04:03At home and in the studio, let's play Countdown.
04:20MUSIC PLAYS
04:36All right, Barbara.
04:38Six. And Greg.
04:39Six.
04:40The sixes are?
04:4180.
04:4280 and...?
04:43Goiter.
04:44And goiter. 80 and goiter?
04:46Yeah, what a Countdown word. Yeah, both are absolutely fine.
04:48Anything else?
04:49Yeah, I had 80. Heroic.
04:51Yeah, beautiful. Easy start.
04:53We'll just ease ourselves into today.
04:55As Greg, you get to pick the letters.
04:57We'll start with a consonant, please, Rachel.
05:00Thank you, Greg.
05:01N.
05:02Another consonant, please?
05:04S.
05:05A vowel.
05:07U.
05:09A consonant.
05:11P.
05:13A consonant.
05:15R.
05:16A vowel.
05:19E.
05:21A consonant, please?
05:25C.
05:26A vowel.
05:29I.
05:31And a...
05:35..consonant, please?
05:36A final S.
05:38Big final decision. 30 seconds.
05:40MUSIC PLAYS
05:50MUSIC CONTINUES
06:11How do you get on, Greg?
06:12Eight.
06:13Very good. And Barbara?
06:14Just seven.
06:15Just the seven. What is it?
06:16Princess.
06:17And this eight?
06:18Oh, princess. Well done.
06:20APPLAUSE
06:23Was it a nine?
06:24Not that we can find.
06:25No.
06:26Right, numbers. Shall we do it, Barbara?
06:28One from the top, please.
06:29Rachel.
06:30One from the top. Five little... Thank you, Barbara.
06:32And the first numbers of the day are...
06:35..five, ten, one, three, five,
06:40and the big one, 100.
06:42And the target, 779.
06:45779, numbers up.
06:47MUSIC PLAYS
07:17779, the target. Barbara?
07:19775, not fully written down.
07:22Four away. Will it matter, Greg?
07:24I think I've got 780.
07:26That's one away for seven points. Let's hear it.
07:28Five plus three is eight.
07:31Five plus three is eight.
07:34Times by... No, I've messed it up.
07:37Oh, there you go. So, not fully written down.
07:40Four away. Barbara?
07:42Five plus three minus one.
07:44Five plus three minus one is seven.
07:47100 plus ten.
07:49110.
07:51Multiply.
07:52770.
07:53And add the five.
07:54And the second five that you haven't used gets you to four away.
07:57Yeah, slow, steady wins the race there.
07:59But 779, off you go, Rach.
08:01You have to leave it with me. I've got to one away.
08:04Will do. Rach, we'll go to tea time.
08:06Teaser, Age In Sun.
08:08Age In Sun.
08:09He spent an age in the sun and his face turned this.
08:13He spent an age in the sun and his face turned this.
08:32Welcome back. Age In Sun.
08:34The tea time teaser.
08:35He spent an age in the sun and his face turned this.
08:37Sanguine. Sanguine.
08:39Right, let's get back to the game.
08:41Barbara, our champion, trailing by one.
08:43And, Greg, good start for you, mate. More letters.
08:46Consonant, please.
08:47Thank you, Greg.
08:48R.
08:50And a vowel.
08:52O.
08:54And another vowel, please.
08:56A.
08:58A consonant.
09:00L.
09:01A consonant, please.
09:03R.
09:05A consonant.
09:08T.
09:10A vowel.
09:12E.
09:14A vowel, please.
09:17I.
09:19And a consonant, please.
09:22And lastly, M.
09:2430 seconds.
09:40MUSIC
09:55How many, Greg?
09:56Seven.
09:57How did you get on, Barbara?
09:58Seven.
09:59Two sevens. Greg, the word?
10:00Trailer.
10:01And, Barbara?
10:02Rialto.
10:03Rialto.
10:04And trailer.
10:05Rialto, is that what they call estate agents in...
10:07In the US.
10:09Yeah, absolutely right.
10:10Other sevens are better?
10:12Not better. We have pretty much the same, actually.
10:14Can't improve.
10:15There you go.
10:16More letters, then. We'll move on.
10:18Another close encounter today.
10:20Barbara, let's see if you can change the script.
10:23Can I have a consonant, please, Rachel?
10:25Thank you, Barbara.
10:26N.
10:27And a consonant, please.
10:29T.
10:30And a consonant, please.
10:32F.
10:34A vowel, please.
10:36E.
10:37And a vowel, please.
10:38U.
10:40A vowel, please.
10:42O.
10:44And a consonant, please.
10:46R.
10:48And a consonant, please.
10:51N.
10:54And a consonant, please.
10:56Lastly, G.
10:58And here's your half a minute.
11:08MUSIC PLAYS
11:30That's time.
11:31Barbara?
11:32Seven.
11:33You got the seven. And Greg?
11:34Seven.
11:35What a game. Barbara?
11:36Fortune.
11:37And Greg?
11:38I, too, have fortune.
11:39Let's have a little look.
11:41That's not fortune.
11:44Very good, Barbara.
11:45Dictionary Corner, two fortunes.
11:48So, seven points each.
11:50How's your fortune going?
11:51Not doing any... Yeah, exactly.
11:53Do you want to see mine?
11:55They're all the same.
11:56Yeah, there's a good few sixes, but...
11:58Yeah, there's a neutron, a subatomic particle,
12:00for the physicists out there.
12:02Yeah.
12:03Greg, your first time picking the numbers. Good luck.
12:05Let's keep it simple. One big one, please.
12:07I will do my best.
12:09One large, five little coming up for you, Greg.
12:12And this time, they are...
12:14Two, ten, one, one...
12:17Uh-oh.
12:18..six and 100.
12:20And the target...
12:22654.
12:23654, numbers up.
12:25MUSIC PLAYS
12:35MUSIC CONTINUES
12:56Greg?
12:57654.
12:58And Barbara?
12:59654.
13:00There you go. Ten points each.
13:02Let's see it through, Greg.
13:04100 plus ten minus the one...
13:08109.
13:09..times by six...
13:11Don't need to be so hesitant. 654.
13:13I'm terrified.
13:15Yeah, those early numbers rounds, Greg.
13:17APPLAUSE
13:20Let's cross over to Dictionary Corner.
13:22Steve Cram making his debut this week.
13:24I just hang on your every word. I've loved it.
13:26And yesterday, you were talking about your first commentary
13:29being such a disaster.
13:31You must have had some amazing times, you know,
13:34with the mic in your hand.
13:36I've had some disastrous times as well, yeah.
13:38No, you're right.
13:40I mean, it's not quite the same as being on the track,
13:42where it's a great second best.
13:44You know, you get the thrills, you're at the stadium.
13:47I had to learn a lot, to be honest, about Paul Volton, Javelin,
13:50and, you know, because they're not my...
13:52They're different sports, almost.
13:54Not as much as you had to learn about curling.
13:56I love curling. We had Eve Muirhead here.
13:58She was one of my favourite Dictionary Corner guests.
14:01How do you approach that?
14:02Because I suppose you have to be really respectful
14:05of the person sitting beside you, who knows everything about it.
14:08You can never say, well, I've done that.
14:10I love it. It's a really enthralling sport, draws you in.
14:14It's a bit of a... It looks like a very genteel sport.
14:16It's got all these phrases, you know,
14:18the hammer and the hit and the raise and the steal and the hack.
14:21You know, it's a very... I love all the terminology around it.
14:24But it's probably one of the most strategic sports,
14:27I think, anybody could watch.
14:28And that's why people get drawn into it.
14:30It's quite simple, really, there's a target and there's stones.
14:33But when you think about it,
14:35they're trying to stop it within millimetres.
14:37You're over 40 metres of ice, a 20kg stone.
14:41And once you hand, that's why you're so good.
14:44You know, she's got to play those big shots.
14:46So, yeah, but she's got a big challenge now.
14:48I'm coaching her to do a London Marathon in a couple of weeks' time.
14:51Oh, no. What do you mean, oh, no?
14:52I mean... She's going to be great. She'll be fine.
14:54She's got a great coach.
14:55I just kind of... I think you'd be quite a hard taskmaster,
14:58would that be right?
14:59Not with people like Eve.
15:01She's got elite mentality.
15:03Right, OK.
15:04So if you're training a loser like me,
15:06then you would have to push me hard.
15:08I couldn't possibly say it, Colin.
15:10But if you're looking for a coach for the marathon, I'm your man.
15:13Thank you, Steve.
15:16Barbara and Greg, just one point in it.
15:18And we're going to pick it up with your letters, Barbara.
15:21Can I have a consonant, please, Rachel?
15:23You can indeed. H.
15:26And a consonant, please.
15:27W.
15:29And a consonant, please.
15:31S.
15:32And can I have a vowel, please?
15:34A.
15:36And can I have a vowel, please?
15:38I.
15:40And another vowel, please.
15:42E.
15:43And can I have a consonant, please?
15:45P.
15:47And a consonant, please.
15:49G.
15:52And a consonant, please.
15:54Lastly, T.
15:56Let's play Countdown.
16:22MUSIC STOPS
16:27That'll be all, Barbara.
16:29Four not written down.
16:31And Greg?
16:32Six.
16:33The four not written down?
16:34With.
16:35And Greg?
16:36Pasty.
16:37Pasty, there you go. Can you have that both ways?
16:39You can have it both ways.
16:41It can also mean a nipple tassel,
16:43but I think most of us would think of it as a variant of the Cornish pasty
16:47with a Y.
16:48Anything from you, Steve?
16:49Again, a slight sporting theme.
16:51I suppose if you want to be good at anything these days,
16:53you probably need to lift some weights.
16:55Very good. Back to more letters.
16:57Let's leave it to Greg.
16:58May I have a consonant, please?
17:00You may. Thank you, Greg. S.
17:02And another one, please.
17:04R.
17:06And a vowel, please.
17:07O.
17:09And a consonant, please.
17:11P.
17:13And a consonant, please.
17:15T.
17:17And a vowel, please.
17:20E.
17:22And a consonant, please.
17:26F.
17:28And a...
17:31..vowel, please.
17:33I.
17:35And a consonant, please.
17:38Lastly, Z.
17:40Here we go.
17:48THEY CONTINUE TO PLAY
18:11Jamie, number, Greg?
18:13I have a seven.
18:14And Barbara?
18:15Seven.
18:16Greg, the word?
18:17Profits.
18:18Barbara?
18:19Forties.
18:20Forties and profits.
18:22Did Dictionary Corner talk to me?
18:24Yeah, a couple of other sevens kicking out.
18:26Riposte was one, but an eight letter.
18:29You could have had firepots.
18:31Oh, nice. A firepot.
18:32Old-fashioned word for a pan.
18:34What's the origin?
18:35Yes, it is old-fashioned.
18:37So it could have been, in the olden days,
18:39a pot containing explosives,
18:41but more likely a pot-shaped receptacle for burning fuel.
18:44There you go.
18:45Let's switch back to the numbers,
18:47and, Barbara, you will decide how many big ones.
18:50Just one from the top, Rachel, please.
18:52The way you're looking at me, like, if I have to,
18:54you will enjoy this, Barbara.
18:56One from the top and five little, you're here for fun.
18:58Right, the next round is...
19:011, 5, 5,
19:047, 3 and 25.
19:07And the target for you to reach, 451.
19:10451, numbers up.
19:14BELL RINGS
19:17BELL CONTINUES
19:42The target, then, 451.
19:44451.
19:45Greg?
19:46451.
19:47OK. Not written down.
19:48Greg, not written down, let's have it.
19:50OK.
19:517 minus 1 is 6.
19:54Yep.
19:55Times that by 3.
19:5618.
19:57Times that by 25.
19:59450.
20:00And then 5 divided by 5 equals 1.
20:02It is.
20:03And add that on the top.
20:04Magic. 451.
20:06Got there. What about yourself, Barbara?
20:08Exactly the same.
20:09Wow.
20:10There you go, well done.
20:12APPLAUSE
20:13Right, let's get this tea time teaser.
20:16Hack Scab. Hack Scab.
20:19You can get this at the supermarket, but you can't buy it.
20:22You can get this at the supermarket, but you can't buy it.
20:33APPLAUSE
20:35APPLAUSE
20:41Welcome back. Good tea time teaser, eh?
20:43Hack Scab, something that you can get at the supermarket,
20:46but you can't buy it, is cashback.
20:48Who's your money on here? Mine stays in my pocket.
20:50Let's pick it up again. Greg? Letters.
20:53Can I start with a consonant, please, Rachel?
20:56You can indeed. Thank you, Greg. L.
20:59And a vowel, please.
21:01A.
21:03And a consonant, please.
21:05D.
21:06And a consonant, please.
21:08A word that's never been used to describe Colin.
21:11N.
21:12And a consonant, please.
21:15B.
21:18And a vowel.
21:21U.
21:23And a vowel, please.
21:25O.
21:28And a consonant, please.
21:32M.
21:35And a...
21:39..vowel, please.
21:41Lastly, E.
21:43OK, start the clock.
22:02CLOCK TICKS
22:15Greg? I think I've got an eight.
22:17And Barbara?
22:19I'll risk a nine. I'll dodge a nine.
22:21Right, thinks and risks.
22:23Let's start with the think, Greg.
22:26Unblamed? The possible nine.
22:29Moundable. Moundable.
22:31I would have said that unblamed had a better chance, if I'm honest,
22:35but the result is that neither are in the dictionary.
22:39Well, no-one's surprised that moundable... No.
22:42..is not in the dictionary. Moundable, yes. Yes.
22:45But moundable... I know.
22:47Right, no points scored here, so what would have scored highly?
22:50It's possible the nine is undoable.
22:52Yes, very nice.
22:54Undoable is an eight.
22:56Ah, yes, very good.
22:58Trying to be obtuse, sorry.
23:00Undoable. Undoable. Is there anything else?
23:03We had abdomen for a seven. Abdomen for a seven.
23:06And undoable. The scores stay the same.
23:09So, Barbara, let's go round again.
23:11Can I have a consonant, please, Rachel? Thank you, Barbara.
23:14T. And a consonant, please.
23:18N. And a consonant, please.
23:21L. And a vowel, please.
23:24A. And a vowel, please.
23:27O. And a vowel, please.
23:30A. And a consonant.
23:32S. And a consonant, please.
23:35M. And a vowel, please.
23:37And, lastly, O.
23:39Countdown.
23:57MUSIC PLAYS
24:11That's time. Talk to me, Barbara.
24:13A six. And, Greg, talk to me.
24:15I have a six also. Excellent.
24:17The six. Saloon. And, Greg?
24:19Same word. There you go. Let's have a little look.
24:22Barbara? Oh, yeah, yeah.
24:24Saloon. Six points each. Dictionary corner.
24:26Who'd have thought there might have been one in there?
24:29We're struggling a little bit. I had talons as well for...
24:32..for six. Susie?
24:34Yeah, there is a seven there. Man's lot.
24:36Historical term. Seven letters.
24:38This is for a small holding that is as small as one ox
24:42could plough in a year in terms of land.
24:45I mean, how specialist is that?
24:47So, man's... A man's lot, not a man's lot.
24:50Got to get that right. Yeah. Four rounds to go.
24:52But, Susie, Origins Awards time.
24:54Yes.
24:55Staying with letters from our wonderful viewers,
24:58and this is a great one because it's not something
25:01I have ever considered or quizzed myself on,
25:04and it's simply from David in Dublin.
25:06Why do we call bread or toast cut into short lengths
25:09for dipping into soft-boiled eggs?
25:11Soldiers. Yeah. Never even thought about it.
25:14More likely than not, it's because it's reminiscent
25:17of the formation of soldiers on parade.
25:19It's probably as simple as that.
25:21But there's another theory, and that is that it comes
25:24from the childhood rhyme Humpty Dumpty,
25:27because these soldiers might be those who went to rescue
25:31Humpty Dumpty after he'd had his great fall,
25:33which kind of makes sense,
25:35because Humpty Dumpty is always represented as an egg.
25:38In real life, of course, Humpty Dumpty was not an egg,
25:41but a powerful cannon that was used by the Royalist forces
25:44during the English Civil War.
25:46And in the battle known as the Siege of Colchester,
25:49it was said that Humpty Dumpty really saved the day
25:52for supporters of Charles I,
25:54because he was put in pole position
25:56on top of the church tower of St Mary at the Walls.
25:59Unfortunately, the top of the tower was eventually blown away.
26:02Humpty Dumpty, of course, crashed to the ground,
26:04was buried in marshland, and all the King's horses
26:07and all the King's men could not possibly
26:09put Humpty back together again.
26:11And the reason Humpty looks like an egg
26:13is that in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass,
26:16that's exactly how he made his iconic drawing,
26:20named it Humpty Dumpty,
26:22shaped as an egg with, you know, short legs and short arms,
26:26to show the impossibility of, you know,
26:28not being able to be put back together again
26:30because it was a cracked egg.
26:32Whether or not he was referring to the cannon, I'm not sure.
26:35But just to go all the way back to our soldiers,
26:37I love that theory, that it might be simply looking back
26:39to Lewis Carroll and the fact that they are attending an egg.
26:42That's great.
26:45Back to the game, Barbara against Greg.
26:47Seven points in it, four rounds to go.
26:51And, Greg, let's get one of those out of the way now.
26:53Consonant, please, Rachel.
26:55Thank you, Greg. S
26:57And a consonant, please.
26:59K
27:01And a consonant, please.
27:03T
27:05And a vowel, please.
27:07E
27:09A...consonant, please.
27:11J
27:13A...consonant, please.
27:15M
27:17A vowel, please.
27:19U
27:21A...cons...
27:24A vowel, please.
27:26E
27:28And a consonant, please.
27:31Lastly, T.
27:33Good luck.
27:44MUSIC
28:05How many, Greg? I have a six.
28:07And, Barbara? Six.
28:09A six. OK, talk to me, Greg.
28:11Musket.
28:13After us talking about the king's horses and the king's men.
28:15Did you have a musket? I did.
28:17There you go.
28:19There you go, double barrels.
28:21We get six points each there.
28:23To Dictionary Corner.
28:25Any increase in that, any advance?
28:27Firing blanks apart from musket, I'm afraid.
28:29Right.
28:3173-66.
28:33And it feels like we've just been holding our breath
28:35for so many rounds now.
28:37So who's going to blink? Let's find out.
28:39A consonant, please, Rachel.
28:41Thank you, Barbara. N. Thank you.
28:43And a consonant, please.
28:45B
28:47And a consonant, please.
28:49N
28:51And a vowel, please.
28:53O
28:55And a vowel, please.
28:57E
28:59And a vowel, please.
29:01I
29:03And a consonant, please.
29:05R
29:07And a consonant, please.
29:09Lastly, V.
29:11Yes, last letters.
29:37B
29:39B
29:41B
29:43B
29:45B
29:47B
29:49B
29:51B
29:53B
29:55B
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