The Greatest Show on Turf is no need to cancel countdown - dont mind it at least not as bad a Wimbledon where BBC blanket cover it on both channels, now that is infuriating

To make lots of money from exploiting animals - many of whom die.

Save this claptrap for another thread, love.

I did not start the subject of horse-racing, I was merely answering someone's question; if you don't believe that horses die every year at Cheltenham & Aintree then you're severely deluded. Oh & don't call me "love".

The horse racing should be on More 4.

What a pair of weak players we had yesterday, a situation that only occurs after an Octochamp has departed; fat chance of the winner winning again on Monday.

I never said horses don't die. They actually die at venues other than the two you mentioned, so I am far from deluded.

I dispute that 'many of them' die though. It's a very small percentage, given there are about 20-30 races every single day.

This Tom bloke who is winning every day is seriously good. Just a couple of points shy of the max score each day.

Yes he is - trouble is, try as you might to avoid it, you start looking forward to his eighth win, so that two new people can come on and actually have a contest.

Yes , I am always suspicious of those very good players who come up with obscure words, perhaps they are border line spectrum, they do spoil the show because it becomes too predictable and ruins it for the other players.

I commend him for his obvious ability - it's what Countdown is about - but I don't doubt it must be hard as his challenger to sit there in front of everyone and get absolutely hammered.

It's shaping up to be a very high standard series with four octochamps already and Tom looking likely to become the fifth and a credible contender for the title.

Suspicious?

If the game rewards something you don't agree with then it's the fault of the format, not the contestants.

You might not be aware that there is a website called Apterous - http://www.apterous.org - where all the hardcore Countdown fanatics play each other online. You can always tell the contestants who have been schooled on there...

There's someone who comes up with suspiciously good words every day - Susie Dent. Of course we all know where they come from. She still has no objection to taking credit for them and lapping up the applause though. Shame on you Susie.

It would be interesting to see how well or, more to the point, how badly, she did without the earpiece and computer feeding her the words.

Countdown i like

I can remember a time when Susie started acknowledging the producers for certain words, but I don't think it lasted very long; it came after the press leapt on the earpiece construct as if it wasn't already common knowledge, and I guess when the show realised that nobody really cared either way, they stopped needlessly covering themselves.

It's not as if she's some bimbo who can barely string two letters together, so I'm sure she fares perfectly well and indeed I expect she gets many - not all - of the words herself.

Finally someone gets it. It's fun too.

Yes she probably gets most of them but if someone upstairs gets a better one they probably get on her earpiece. They certainly don't come from the computer as that would pick up all the high scores and it's not that unusual for me (or the contestants, especially those like the current champ) to get a higher score than dictionary corner - same with Rachel.

If the number of octochamps (or those who get very close to it) continues to rise I can see the show makers reducing the number of consecutive appearances from next season onwards.

I don't think this guy needs 8 wins in a row to prove he's in the top 1%. We want to be watching this guy in the finals against another top brain, not against those who struggle to find 5-letter answers when there are clearly 6 or 7-word ones staring them in the face.

Well said, bobcar, having read some of the above comments I was going to say the same but you got in first.

Whilst I appreciate the skill of the current champ and others of his ilk I do find they tend to suck the life out of the programme and most of its pure entertainment value. On the other hand the producers need to keep the brainboxes on-side as they draw in a huge audience of real fanatics who boost the all-important viewing figures. And very occasionally we get one who manages to combine superb skill with modesty and an engaging outgoing personality and we like them anyway.
Last edited by Ken Tun : 27-03-2015 at 09:14

Tom doesnt really come across as smug, just a bit shy and awkward.

BTW anyone know why the Countdown App isnt in the iOS app store any more?

Both girls got some chestal areas on display today, and very lovely they look too.

Oh hard luck, valkay. We cannot accept 'chestal', it's not in the dictionary.

Surprised that Rachel said the last numbers game today was impossible ...

100, 50, 3, 4, 3, 8 and target =893

3x4=12, add 100 = 112, x8 = 896, subtract other 3 = 893.

ICESNOBOB

She didn't, she said she'd have another go, which she did after the conundrum, doing it the same way as you. But surprised she didn't get it in the 30 seconds.