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00:00This programme contains strong language and adult humour.
00:20CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
00:31Hello, everybody. Welcome to our midweek countdown.
00:34And our last round of 16 of our Champion of Champions
00:37is going to be very special indeed, but forget all about that for now,
00:42because we are celebrating a very special birthday today.
00:47Yes, indeed. Mary J Blides is 52.
00:50Love her so much. I've had a real love Mary Jane all night long.
00:53I love Mary J, yeah.
00:55One of the great... I think she's top 100 of all time.
00:57I thought you were going to say Brian Robson or Jamie Vardy or...
01:00No, Mary J... Actually, Taylor Dawson.
01:02Seriously, though, happy birthday to you.
01:04Why, thank you very much.
01:06Listen, they say a gentleman never asks a lady her age.
01:10But we've got a bit of a cheeky present for you from Susie and I.
01:13So if you go behind the board... Right.
01:17..it's hanging up. It's hanging up.
01:19Now, it doesn't quite reveal your age,
01:21but it will be to people that are as good as mass as you.
01:25Is that so?
01:28Why, thank you very much. I'm root 1369.
01:32Any plans today?
01:34I mean, a few numbers games, chuck a few letters up.
01:37You're used to spending your birthday in the Countdown studio anyway.
01:40Yeah. Yeah, I mean, my first ever show was, I think,
01:44the day after my 23rd birthday.
01:47Wow. And look at you now. Look at me now.
01:49And you were thinking, I know you love your fashion,
01:51what were you going to wear tonight when Pasha took you out?
01:54Now you've got it sorted, you wear our T-shirt we bought you.
01:56I mean, it's probably about the right length for my old-style dresses.
02:00But I might have to wear some trousers with that.
02:02Thank you very much. No worries.
02:04What lovely gift.
02:05If ever you need a dishrag, you've always got it there to use,
02:08by the way. Just a bit of fun.
02:10Right, let's get over to Dictionary Corner.
02:12That was your idea, by the way. Oh, OK.
02:14Come on. All my fault.
02:16Our J of the day, Susie Dent, is here,
02:18alongside the phenomenally successful musician,
02:21whether as a lead singer of M People
02:23or as a fantastic, globally successful solo artist.
02:26Heather Smalls here.
02:31And hoping for a perfect day today is Matt O'Connor.
02:35Now, Matt, just before the titles roll,
02:37you had a great stat about the 16 Champion of Champions competitors.
02:41I think me and one other, I think it's Leo Smith,
02:44are the only ones that were born when Countdown first aired in 1982.
02:49There you go. You're obviously 40 years old in a day or something.
02:52Yeah. Yeah, that's what it would be.
02:54Are you still a detective constable? I am, yeah.
02:56Don't take this the wrong way, right,
02:58but I have a friend who works in the same profession.
03:02You cannot watch any programme with him,
03:04like Line Of Duty, Columbo.
03:06He spoils it, he's like, that wouldn't happen,
03:08that's not the correct process, you can never arrest him for that.
03:11Are you one of those? Yeah.
03:13I just don't watch the shows in the first place,
03:15cos that's what I am like.
03:17Well, listen, we'll not watch TV together apart from this.
03:19We can watch this back.
03:20Hopefully it makes for good viewing for you.
03:22Well, you're up against a very familiar second name in Kapelman Lines,
03:26another runner-up, this time from Series 82.
03:28And, Sam, of course, Florence, your wife,
03:32is already through to tomorrow's first quarterfinal.
03:35Breaking news, the winner of this plays tomorrow.
03:38And, of course, it will be against Florence.
03:40How was she after she won her round of 16?
03:43Good winner, bad winner? Oh, yeah, good winner.
03:45And, of course, relieved that she's kept her half of the bargain.
03:48Yes. Cos we want to set up that big game.
03:51Cos she said she would relish beating you in the quarterfinal.
03:54Exact words, we have it on tape.
03:56That's what she said. National TV, she said that.
03:59What is the level of rivalry for you?
04:01I don't think there's much of a rivalry.
04:03We're just really excited about the idea that we could play each other.
04:06It would be a great moment, but it would be also brilliant
04:08to have one of Rachel's favourites, Matt O'Connor,
04:10get through to that quarterfinal.
04:12So, no favourites here, let's just play it out.
04:14Matt and Sam, good luck.
04:17So, let's get under way.
04:19Matt, nine letters from you.
04:21Hi, Rachel, happy birthday. Thank you, Matt.
04:23Let's start with a consonant, please. Thank you.
04:25Start today with S.
04:27And another one.
04:29R.
04:30A vowel.
04:31A.
04:32A consonant.
04:34T.
04:35A vowel.
04:36O.
04:37Another vowel.
04:39E.
04:40Consonant.
04:41P.
04:42A vowel.
04:44A.
04:46And a vowel, please.
04:49And lastly, E.
04:51At home and in the studio, let's play Countdown.
04:57ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS
04:59ELECTRONIC MUSIC CONTINUES
05:25Let's tie, Matt.
05:26Eight.
05:27Sam.
05:28What?
05:29Separate.
05:30Yes, and Sam.
05:31Operates.
05:32Operates and separate.
05:33Why not start with a couple of eights?
05:35That's the way it's going to be.
05:37Heather, how do you get on?
05:38Yes, separate.
05:39Yes, separate as well, same as Matt.
05:41Anything else, no? Any nines?
05:42No, those two exactly.
05:44Right, let's get more letters. Sam's on you, Matt.
05:46Hi, Rachel. Hi, Sam.
05:47Can I start with a consonant, please?
05:49You can indeed. Start with G.
05:51And another one.
05:53M.
05:54Another consonant.
05:55R.
05:56And a fourth.
05:58V.
05:59A vowel.
06:01U.
06:02A vowel.
06:03A.
06:04And a third.
06:05O.
06:07Another vowel, please.
06:09E.
06:11And a consonant, please.
06:14Lastly, Y.
06:1530 seconds.
06:17ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS
06:28ELECTRONIC MUSIC CONTINUES
06:47That's time. Sam?
06:48Six.
06:49And Matt?
06:50Six. OK, Sam, what's the word?
06:52Morgue-er, with R-E at the end.
06:54OK, and Matt?
06:55Morgue.
06:56Happy enough, Susie?
06:57How are you spelling yourself?
06:58M-A-U-G-E-R-E.
07:00M-A-U-G-E-R-E.
07:02Yes, which is an old preposition,
07:05meaning in spite of or notwithstanding.
07:08Not found anymore.
07:09Anything better?
07:10One seven, we had.
07:11Voyager.
07:12Oh, very good.
07:13Voyager, yes, using the V and using the Y.
07:17Very good.
07:1814 points each.
07:19Numbers for the first time today.
07:21Matt O'Connor is picking.
07:22Can I have two lads, please?
07:24You can indeed.
07:25Playing the Cautious Opener.
07:27Two large, four little.
07:29First numbers of the day.
07:31Seven, five, eight, seven, 75 and 25.
07:37And the target?
07:39207.
07:40207, numbers up.
07:55MUSIC PLAYS
08:12All right, Matt?
08:13207.
08:14Sam?
08:15207.
08:16Go ahead, Matt.
08:1725 times eight plus seven.
08:18That was a waste of 30 seconds.
08:20One that just... Unless Sam's had a real panic attack.
08:23Oh, I can do it differently if you like.
08:25Or I could just pass that over.
08:27And there you go.
08:28No cracks have appeared yet.
08:30Matt and Sam locked on 24 points each.
08:32Let's see what happens in part two.
08:34Here's your tea time teaser.
08:36Won't meld.
08:37Won't meld.
08:38The cheese on toast is about to collapse.
08:41The cheese on toast is about to collapse.
08:43APPLAUSE
08:58Welcome back.
08:59A tasty tea time teaser.
09:01Won't meld.
09:02The cheese on toast is about to collapse.
09:04Turns in to meltdown.
09:06Nobody's quite had one yet in the studio,
09:08despite the pressure of the champion of champions.
09:10So let's get on with it.
09:13Can I start with the consonant, please?
09:15Thank you, Sam.
09:18Another one.
09:21And a third.
09:23One more.
09:27A vowel.
09:29Another vowel.
09:31And one more.
09:35A vowel.
09:39And a consonant, please.
09:42And lastly, S.
09:44Thanks, Rachel.
10:13That is your 30 seconds, Sam.
10:15Six, not written down.
10:17OK, Matt?
10:18I'm going to try a seven.
10:19OK, this could be a big moment.
10:21Sam, what's your six, not written down?
10:23Fossi.
10:24Fossi.
10:25And Matt, what's the seven you're going to try?
10:27Soccages.
10:28Let's get straight to Susie Dent.
10:31Oh, I think it is just available in the singular.
10:35It is, it's a mass noun, Matt.
10:37Feudal tenure of land.
10:39But no S on the end, I'm sorry.
10:41And Sam, six, we're OK?
10:43Sam, six is absolutely fine.
10:45A fossa is a ditch, really.
10:47It's a narrow depression, or hollow, used in archaeology that time.
10:51Good stuff.
10:52Anything else for me, Heather Schmultz?
10:54The only thing we have is gooses, and that's another six.
10:58But, of course, the plural of goose is geese.
11:00Yes.
11:01So, gooses must have a different meaning.
11:04Yes, as a verb.
11:05If you goose someone, you pinch them in the bottom.
11:07Oh, really?
11:08Yes.
11:09There you go.
11:10Not a very advisable thing to do.
11:13Right.
11:14Wish I hadn't asked.
11:16Matt, let's get to the bottom of another letters round.
11:18A consonant, please.
11:19Thank you, Matt.
11:21M.
11:22Another one.
11:24S.
11:25A vowel.
11:26E.
11:27A consonant.
11:29H.
11:30A vowel.
11:31U.
11:32Another vowel.
11:34I.
11:35A consonant.
11:37T.
11:39A vowel.
11:41O.
11:43And a consonant, please.
11:47And, lastly, B.
11:49Here we go.
12:10BUZZER
12:21Matt.
12:22I'll try an eight.
12:23Try an eight. And Sam?
12:24Seven.
12:25And what's the seven?
12:26I had bothies.
12:27And Matt?
12:28Mouthies.
12:29OK, bothies and mouthies.
12:31Mouthie is in the dictionary as a person's mouth,
12:33and you can put the S on that, so well done.
12:35Fantastic.
12:36APPLAUSE
12:39Anything else to shout about after mouthies?
12:41No, that was ours, too.
12:42Yeah, you see, it's always going to be like that.
12:44Shall we get our second numbers round, then, Samit and you?
12:47Can I have six more numbers, please?
12:49Yeah.
12:50Taking different tack.
12:51Six little ones coming up, taking your life into your own hands.
12:54And they are...
13:02And the target to reach, 262.
13:04262, numbers up.
13:09ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS
13:36Sam?
13:37Yeah, 262.
13:38Yeah, and Matt?
13:39262.
13:40Good, Sam got it in one second, cos I looked up and he was sitting back.
13:43Let's have it.
13:44Nine times three is 27.
13:4627.
13:47Times by ten?
13:48270.
13:49And take off all the other numbers.
13:50Yeah, fairly straightforward one.
13:52Yeah, good stuff.
13:53Was indeed.
13:54How did you do it, then, Matt?
13:55Similar, nine times three.
13:57Nine threes, 27.
13:58Take one.
13:59Take one, 26.
14:01Times ten?
14:02260.
14:03Plus two.
14:04262, well done.
14:06APPLAUSE
14:09No surprise, it's another close contest.
14:11You've got to do it at the moment, don't you?
14:13Live in the moment, which Heather Small has had to do her entire career.
14:17Take the stage, you just get one take.
14:19And I wonder, Heather, if I say to you about memorable gigs,
14:23good and bad, maybe we could get one of each.
14:26What would you say is your most enjoyable moment on a stage?
14:31That's hard, because I've had quite a few,
14:33but some memorable ones, definitely Old Trafford and Glastonbury.
14:37Oh. Yeah.
14:38I mean, we were this pop dance band
14:41and we walked out to the Glastonbury audience
14:44and I thought, what's going to meet us?
14:46But they were amazing.
14:48They sung every word and I always remember the sun going down
14:51and me singing, doing what I love to do best,
14:54to an audience that was singing everything back to me,
14:57an iconic, iconic venue.
15:00So Glastonbury is one of the top ones.
15:03Another gig, also beginning with G,
15:06I think it must have been a club called The Tunnel in Glasgow.
15:09Indeed it is, a club called The Tunnel in Glasgow.
15:12We're going a long way from Glastonbury.
15:14Going a long way back.
15:16And they had this little plinth for me to stand on
15:19and then there was two burly bodyguards next to me
15:22and then the audience.
15:24I mean, I was as far away from them as Susie and myself
15:27and that was quite funny.
15:29Enthusiastic, absolutely brilliant, brilliant night,
15:32but it was a little surreal.
15:34What about other countries, Heather?
15:36Because we're very sort of focused on the British music scene,
15:40our Glastonbury and our iconic venues,
15:43but is there a country further away that you love to play in
15:46with a crowd as maybe very special?
15:48Yeah, Mardi Gras in Sydney.
15:50Oh, OK.
15:51That is fun.
15:53I mean, because I'm a patron of the LGBTQ Prize,
15:59Iris Prize, which is a film festival,
16:02so going there was so much fun.
16:05You know, the dressing up, the music,
16:08and people just celebrating each other in such a positive way.
16:12That's brilliant.
16:13Well, listen, keep playing on.
16:15Thank you very much.
16:19Right, 42-40 is the score in today's countdown.
16:22Let's get back into the thick of it.
16:24Matt O'Connor, now more letters.
16:26Consonant, please.
16:27Thank you, Matt.
16:28N.
16:29Another one.
16:31Vowel.
16:32A vowel.
16:33A.
16:34Consonant.
16:36G.
16:37A vowel.
16:38I.
16:39Another vowel.
16:42A.
16:43A consonant.
16:44X.
16:45E.
16:46A consonant.
16:48T.
16:50And a vowel, please.
16:54Lastly, O.
16:56It's time.
17:01MUSIC PLAYS
17:27Talk to me, Matt.
17:29Six.
17:30And Sam?
17:31Seven, I think.
17:32OK, the six is, Matt?
17:33Taxing.
17:34And the seven might be taxing on you.
17:36Let's find out.
17:37Aleation.
17:38Let's go to Susie Dent.
17:39Please spell that for me.
17:40A-L-A-T-I-O-N.
17:42Yes, very good.
17:43In zoology and paleontology,
17:45it is something that has wings,
17:48it's to do with the arrangement of wings.
17:50Beautiful word as well, so regaining the lead in that round.
17:53Nyeh.
17:54I'm going to just start saying that to both of you after each round.
17:57Don't you dare, don't you dare.
17:59No, we've only... Sixes.
18:01Oxtail.
18:02Otonal.
18:03Yeah.
18:04And just one that I chanced upon.
18:07A tiglon.
18:09T-I-G-L-O-N,
18:10which is the hybrid offspring of a male tiger and a lioness.
18:13Love that. Right, let's get more letters.
18:15Sam, it's on you, Matt.
18:16A consonant, please.
18:17Thank you, Sam.
18:18L.
18:19And another one.
18:21T.
18:22And another consonant.
18:24N.
18:25One more.
18:27F.
18:28A vowel.
18:30U.
18:31Another vowel.
18:32E.
18:33A vowel.
18:35O.
18:37A vowel.
18:39E.
18:41And another vowel, please.
18:44Lastly, O.
18:46Half a minute.
18:56MUSIC PLAYS
19:17Sam?
19:18Seven.
19:19And Matt?
19:20Seven.
19:21Sam, what's the seven?
19:22Noteful.
19:23Brilliant. And Matt?
19:24Toluene.
19:25Toluene, colourless, liquid, hydrocarbon.
19:27Noteful is the same.
19:29It's a synonym for notable, noteworthy.
19:31Wonderful stuff.
19:32Still within that crucial countdown conundrum range
19:35as we get more numbers now.
19:37Matt, you're picking.
19:39I'll go too large again, please.
19:41Tough decision, isn't it?
19:43Whether to risk it for a biscuit or not, in your case.
19:46Right, the four little ones.
19:47Seven, two, seven, two.
19:51175.
19:54And the target, 496.
19:56496, numbers up.
20:24MUSIC PLAYS
20:29496 is the target. Matt?
20:32495.
20:34One away. Sam?
20:35I've got 496.
20:36Off you go.
20:37100 times 2.
20:39100 times 2, 200.
20:41Add 7.
20:43207.
20:44Times that by 2.
20:46Is 414.
20:48And add the 75 and the other 7.
20:50And the second 7.
20:52Nicely done.
20:54APPLAUSE
20:57Huge ten points.
20:58Good time to take a break.
20:59We're second tea time.
21:00Teaser, Hob Clare.
21:02Hob Clare.
21:03He'll have a drink, but not another half.
21:06He'll have a drink, but not another half.
21:09MUSIC PLAYS
21:17APPLAUSE
21:23Welcome back. He'll have another drink, but not another half.
21:27He's on his own. Hob Clare becomes Bachelor.
21:30Either Matt or Sam will be left at the altar.
21:33I think it's still too close to come to any conclusions.
21:36So many rounds left, so let's get cracking straight away, Sam.
21:38More letters.
21:39Consonant, please.
21:40Thank you, Sam.
21:41T.
21:42And another one.
21:43S.
21:44A consonant.
21:46N.
21:47And one more.
21:49S.
21:51A vowel.
21:53A.
21:54Another vowel.
21:55E.
21:56A vowel.
21:57I.
21:59A vowel.
22:01E.
22:03And a consonant, please.
22:06And lastly, D.
22:08Here we go.
22:21MUSIC PLAYS
22:39How do you get on, Sam?
22:40Stick with an eight.
22:41Stick with an eight. That's the standard.
22:43And Matt?
22:44So I'll stick with an eight.
22:45OK. Sam, what's your eight?
22:47And a sight.
22:48And a sight.
22:49Same for me.
22:50So how did Dictionary Corner get on?
22:56Well, were you both wondering who put the S on?
22:58Yes.
22:59Well, you both made absolutely the right decision
23:01because that is a maths noun from geology
23:03and a sight.
23:04It's a dark, fine-grained volcanic rock,
23:07but it can only be one.
23:09Right, 72 plays at 57.
23:12And it's Matt's turn to pick the letters.
23:15Consonant, please.
23:16Thank you, Matt.
23:17P.
23:18Another one.
23:19R.
23:20A vowel.
23:22A.
23:23Consonant.
23:25S.
23:26A vowel.
23:27E.
23:28Another vowel.
23:30I.
23:31A consonant.
23:33T.
23:34A vowel.
23:36A.
23:37Consonant, please.
23:38And lastly, P.
23:40Clanker.
23:41MUSIC PLAYS
23:50MUSIC CONTINUES
24:12It's time. Matt?
24:13Eight.
24:14Sam?
24:15Eight as well.
24:16Eight as well. Matt?
24:17Parasite.
24:18Yes, and Sam?
24:19Yeah, the same word.
24:20Well done.
24:21Well spotted. Parasite for eight in that.
24:24Anything in and around that or anything that can match it?
24:27There were a few eights there. Actually, it was quite a nice one.
24:30Parapets are there and appraise.
24:32OK, well, let's appraise the scores.
24:3480 plays at 65.
24:36Four rounds left.
24:38Two of them worth ten points each.
24:40This isn't done yet, but we'll take a little pause,
24:42and Susie Dent, our origins of words.
24:45Less origins of words and more origins of place names,
24:48because this is a subject I haven't returned to for a while.
24:51But it always fascinates people, including me.
24:54Where do our town, city and village names come from?
24:59And English Heritage has got some lovely stuff on their website
25:03about the origins of place names.
25:05And through them, this is just an introduction today, really,
25:08you will find all the stories of English, all its adventures,
25:11from Saxon settlers to the powerful Norman conquerors,
25:15and also lots of geographical features.
25:18You will find the very lost imprints of the Celts.
25:21I mean, it's just wonderful.
25:23And languages, you will find Latin, you will find Celtic,
25:26you will find Anglo-Saxon, you will find French.
25:29Lots and lots of different ones,
25:31all quite often moulded together to form these wonderful place names.
25:35And topographical features like hills and rivers and fortresses, etc.
25:39And you can start to decode them
25:42once you've got a few prefixes and suffixes under your belt.
25:46So, for example, you might begin to notice ton, T-O-N,
25:51like Wigton, for example, at the end of a word.
25:55That means farm or hamlet.
25:57You will find ham itself, which meant a village or indeed a hamlet.
26:01Stow, as in Walthamstow.
26:04Place or a meeting place.
26:06And bury, and that was a fort.
26:09Likewise, chester, from the Latin casta, a castle or a fortress was there.
26:14So, over the next few days, I'm just going to try and unpick
26:18the different place names that were given to us by the Celts,
26:21by the Romans, by the Normans, etc.,
26:23and try and decode some of the most familiar ones to us.
26:26But, as I say, it's well worth just getting a little glossary together
26:30of all the prefixes and suffixes.
26:32And you can actually, as you're driving past,
26:34or going down on the train, wherever you're going,
26:37you can start to think, oh, I know how that one started.
26:39Lovely. Great. Looking forward to it.
26:41APPLAUSE
26:43And back to the game, it's Sam from Rochdale,
26:45and it's Matt from the hamlet of Warrington.
26:48So, I'm looking forward to the culmination of today.
26:50Sam, it's your letters.
26:52Can I have a consonant, please? Thank you, Sam.
26:54M. And another one.
26:57N. And a third.
27:00W. One more.
27:03T. A vowel.
27:06O. Another vowel.
27:08I. And a vowel.
27:10E. A vowel.
27:13I.
27:15And another vowel, please.
27:17Lastly, E.
27:19Here we go.
27:32ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS
27:51Sam? Eight.
27:53Matt? Six. The sixes?
27:55Toneme. Really big moment, Sam.
27:58Mayonite.
28:00OK, it is an aluminosilicate mineral.
28:04Pearly crystals of various colours.
28:06Well done.
28:08APPLAUSE
28:11All right, one more letters round again.
28:13Not done yet. Not done yet.
28:15Matt? A consonant, please.
28:17Thank you, Matt. R.
28:19Another one.
28:21N. A vowel.
28:23U. Consonant.
28:26C. A vowel.
28:28I. Another vowel.
28:31U. Another vowel.
28:34O.
28:36A consonant.
28:38L.
28:40Oof. Erm...
28:42A vowel, please.
28:44Not the best selection, is it?
28:46A final E. Last letters.
28:48ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS
28:58ELECTRONIC MUSIC CONTINUES
29:18Matt? Oh, six.
29:20And Sam? I'll go with six, then.
29:22Well, this will take you through to that quarterfinal.
29:26We've all been talking about the six, Matt.
29:28Recoil. Recoil, yes.
29:30And Sam? Uncoil.
29:32Uncoil and recoil.
29:34Either way, we've unravelled this programme.
29:36Well done. Six points each.
29:38Sam will face his wife, Florence, tomorrow on Countdown.
29:41APPLAUSE
29:44We're tapping you, but we kind of feel sorry for you as well.
29:47I know, my money's on.
29:49Right, the dictionary corner? We had uncoil.
29:52All right, good competition today.
29:54So let's enjoy these last two rounds.
29:56Sam, you're picking the numbers.
29:58Let's have four large, please.
30:00Some practice to show Florence what she's up against tomorrow.
30:03Four large, two little. Final numbers of the day.
30:06One and four.
30:08And then we know 25, 75, 100 and 50.
30:13And the target...
30:15929.
30:17929, the last numbers.
30:19ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS
30:24ELECTRONIC MUSIC CONTINUES
30:49Anywhere near, Sam? 925.
30:51925, four away. Matt?
30:53933.
30:54Four away, the other side.
30:56So, Sam first.
30:58I've done 4 plus 1 is 5.
31:014 plus 1 is 5.
31:0350 over 25 is 2.
31:05Yeah.
31:07Times them together for 10.
31:0910.
31:1010 times 100 and subtract 75.
31:13For four away, yeah.
31:14Four the other way, Matt. Let's hear it.
31:1675 times 25.
31:1875 times 25 is 1,875.
31:22Minus 1.
31:23Minus the 1, 1874.
31:25Times 50.
31:27Times by 50 and we're going to end up dividing by 100.
31:30900...
31:3293700.
31:35Divide by 100.
31:36There we go, for the 937.
31:38And then take 4.
31:404, 4 the other way.
31:42You're very relaxed there.
31:44So, you either have it or it might not be possible.
31:46No, I had something similar to Matt's, so you have to leave it with me.
31:49Yeah, all right, no problems at all.
31:51101 plays 78.
31:53The conundrums have been wicked.
31:56And I don't mean that in a modern way, I mean evil.
31:59In the Champion of Champions.
32:01So, it's a real test even for the best of the best.
32:03Fingers on the buzzers, Matt and Sam,
32:06as we reveal today's Countdown Conundrum.
32:19BELL RINGS
32:34Matt.
32:35Aerofrost?
32:37Aerofrost, let's have a look.
32:39It's not, Sam, it's all yours.
32:42BELL RINGS
32:47OK, let's reveal the answer to today's Countdown Conundrum.
32:51Forastero. Forastero, don't worry about it.
32:54He was an Italian midfielder in the 86 World Cup.
32:57I thought it would have been a capital.
32:59Apparently not. What is it?
33:01Oh, it's from Spanish, in fact.
33:03And it is a widely grown cacao tree.
33:05And, get this, it provides the bulk of the world's cocoa beans.
33:09Yes, nice. Didn't help these two.
33:13Matt, it's been a delight to have you back,
33:15but you've had your collar felt. You've been Nick's son.
33:18No, it's been great to have come back, so thank you.
33:20It's really good to have you here. And it is on, Sam.
33:23It is on. Husband versus wife.
33:27How do you feel? What's your initial feeling right now?
33:29I'm so looking forward to it.
33:31Cannot wait for tomorrow. Matt, brilliant to have you here.
33:33Sam, fantastic win.
33:35APPLAUSE
33:38Bring on tomorrow. Heather?
33:40I'm very excited. I cannot wait.
33:42I don't care about the domestics, it'll be a grit TV.
33:44I'm not going home with any of them, so it's fine.
33:46Talking of grit TV, how are we doing with 929?
33:49Well, we could have saved ourselves the trouble
33:51of going to the thousands. We didn't need to.
33:53You could have said 100 plus 75 plus 50, 225.
33:59Add a 1 here for 226, times it by 4 for 904,
34:05and add on the remaining 25, 929.
34:08APPLAUSE
34:11Well, for us, it is Rachel's birthday,
34:13so it's time to head to the bar.
34:15And Susie's getting the drinks in because I got in 15 rounds.
34:19Simple as that. We'll try and keep our heads clear
34:21for an amazing quarterfinal of our Champion of Champions tomorrow.
34:24Susie, Rachel and I will be here another day older.
34:27You can count on us.
34:30You can contact the programme by email at countdown at channel4.com
34:34or write to us at countdownleagues ls31js.
34:38You can also find our web page at channel4.com forward slash countdown.
34:46Their family home is bursting at the seams
34:49with the classic dilemma for Kirsty and Phil,
34:51love it or list it, in Birmingham at 8 o'clock tonight.
34:54And at 8 on Friday, Channel 4 taps into the new series of Food Unwrapped
34:58with a look at Piri Piri, Stir Fry Vegetables and Ice Lollies.
35:02Next, looking for a place in sunny Spain.