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Countdown - so much better these days!


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Old 17-02-2009, 11:26
Simon6776
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Is it true that there must be at least 3 vowels chosen? If it is I never knew that. and I have been watching the programme since almost the very beginning lol
It's so that people can't hold on to a lead unfairly by picking all consonants so that it's impossible to form a word. Jeff mentioned it in the first show, I think.
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Old 17-02-2009, 13:44
scotchegg
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i think that they should just say 3 vowels and 6 consonants or whatever combination they need and for them to be picked at random like scrabble letters. Similar also to the numbers getting picked....then it would reduce their "word thinking" time. I'm sure that some linger over their choices so that they can think up words as the letters come out.
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Old 17-02-2009, 14:41
Old Bloke
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i think that they should just say 3 vowels and 6 consonants or whatever combination they need and for them to be picked at random like scrabble letters. Similar also to the numbers getting picked....then it would reduce their "word thinking" time. I'm sure that some linger over their choices so that they can think up words as the letters come out.
What's wrong with that? Both contestants can do the same.
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Old 17-02-2009, 21:05
textyboy
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The first week averaged 1,125,600 while the second week averaged 961,200 in the ratings.
How do you know these figures Thebenster? Do you work on the show??? Tell us more!!!
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Old 18-02-2009, 16:35
Carman
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I wish Rachel would stop over-emphasising the letters when she puts them up...S has suddenly become "Ess-uh".
That is so irritating! As a teacher this annoys me as it goes against the whole principle of phonics.
As I said earlier, I assume it's so that it's clear for the contestants who are writing the letters down, and not necessarily looking at them while they're being put up. S could be misheard as F if it wasn't said clearly.

Felt sorry for the lady today, Anita. I think she could have gone on to win a few games if she hadn't come against such a strong champion.
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Old 18-02-2009, 18:47
LindyLupin
 
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There was one of those moments we long for today on Countdown. A rude word spelt out when Rachel put up the letters! This was about 20 minutes in. It got a nice ripple of laughter from the audience. Rachel handled it very well though and soldiered on.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g1...1Feb161715.jpg
They do have a giggle about it and handle it well. Richard used to go bright red! Are the letters completely random, so it's possible we could see the F or C word come up?
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Old 18-02-2009, 18:54
JordanDS
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They do have a giggle about it and handle it well. Richard used to go bright red! Are the letters completely random, so it's possible we could see the F or C word come up?
It's possible for the F or C word to come up - but you wouldn't see it on the telly, the contestant would be asked to pick again. Likewise, if a contestant submitted a rude but valid word, they would receive the points but would be asked to re-record the sequence using a clean word.
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Old 18-02-2009, 18:57
decemberboy
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They do have a giggle about it and handle it well. Richard used to go bright red! Are the letters completely random, so it's possible we could see the F or C word come up?
The one Richard Whitely moment I remember is when the last four letters on the board were A-R-S-E

And Richard said "You've got 30 seconds to get to the bottom of it"
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Old 18-02-2009, 19:33
LindyLupin
 
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The one Richard Whitely moment I remember is when the last four letters on the board were A-R-S-E

And Richard said "You've got 30 seconds to get to the bottom of it"
That was it! Classic Richard.

They do seem to manage to recover quickly from any slightly amusing or awkward moments! Last week, following a particularly poor selection of letters, Kate who had a female partner, was only able to make the word poofters! She had no choice as the points were important. A little embarrassed, she said something like, I'm going to be teased for this back at the office. Jeff and co. moved swiftly on.
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Old 18-02-2009, 20:36
Simon6776
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The one Richard Whitely moment I remember is when the last four letters on the board were A-R-S-E

And Richard said "You've got 30 seconds to get to the bottom of it"
There was another one where F-A-R-T came up, and RW said of Carol "She's been waiting 19 years for that!"

I don't see why, if something rude came up, say, S-H-I-T, they couldn't just put the last letter at the other end of the board, and carry on, or just swap the letters round a bit.
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Old 19-02-2009, 21:14
cescpistol
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wasn't looking forward to the new host but it seems that jeff has a sense of humour with the old word play. the new girl is pretty cool.
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Old 20-02-2009, 10:29
andymcv
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Can anyone tell me who are the guests in dictionary corner for the next month?

Hopefully it will be the old favourites: Richard Digance, Tom (not Deaf) O'connor and Rick wakeman.
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Old 20-02-2009, 10:42
chumbles
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Has anyone noticed that she pops her thumb out on her left hand as she puts a letter up!
Oh that's easy, she must have humungously long nails!
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Old 20-02-2009, 10:44
chumbles
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It's possible for the F or C word to come up - but you wouldn't see it on the telly, the contestant would be asked to pick again. Likewise, if a contestant submitted a rude but valid word, they would receive the points but would be asked to re-record the sequence using a clean word.
How then did PISS get through? Fair does to Rachel, she managed to get through without the crude guffaw that the otherwise gorgeous Carol used to give out.
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Old 20-02-2009, 11:04
alanwarwic
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Watched it for the first time in ages.

Extremely wooden.
All smiles and zero personality.
Surprising considering Jeff is brilliant on soccer Saturday
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Old 20-02-2009, 20:22
Simon6776
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Don't forget, what you're watching now is probably only the second or third session of recordings, so there's still a long way to go before things start to relax a bit. Have to admit though, at the moment, I can't see any chemistry between Jeff and Rachel.
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Old 20-02-2009, 21:39
5 a day
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Can anyone tell me who are the guests in dictionary corner for the next month?

Hopefully it will be the old favourites: Richard Digance, Tom (not Deaf) O'connor and Rick wakeman.
Brian Capron is next week, Dr Phil Hammond the week after and then Colin Murray. I don't know any further ahead.
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Old 20-02-2009, 22:02
Simon6776
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Brian Capron is next week...
That'll be murder.
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Old 20-02-2009, 22:59
Paace
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Watched it for the first time in ages.

Extremely wooden.
All smiles and zero personality.
Surprising considering Jeff is brilliant on soccer Saturday
Have to agree although I think Rachel is a big improvement on Carol. I'm not to put off by Jeff but I think he's just too polished, all flashy teeth with little substance and so far little personality.

What made Richard such an icon was his quirky, not polished, sometimes corny style, plus he exuded warmth and charm which I'm afraid is very hard to replace.
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Old 20-02-2009, 23:05
Lime Kiln
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That'll be murder.

I think he was on before and he was good. I like Jeff Stelling and Rachel Riley too; the show goes on and all that.
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Old 20-02-2009, 23:41
Artangel
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I think Jon Gaunt is going to be a guest on dictionary corner in March.
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Old 20-02-2009, 23:49
Lime Kiln
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I think Jon Gaunt is going to be a guest on dictionary corner in March.

Great show.
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Old 21-02-2009, 07:38
MagiGirl
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The new girl has a lop-sided smile which is something of a distraction, and I haven't ever seen her successfully solve a numbers problem, and she shouldn't wear six-inch stiletto heels because then she can't stand up straight and she's all bent at the knees so it's no wonder she can't get the numbers right when she can hardly even stand up.

The boy who is on a winning streak just now - the maths student - he should become an actor, because he has an interesting face and he could become one of the greatest character actors of his generation. He's very laid back, whereas the numbers girl is very laid-forward on account of those stilettos.
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Old 21-02-2009, 10:12
klunk
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I think Jeff's great, and I don't really care what the numbers girl is like. The new one doesn't have Vorderman's strong personality (yet), which may or may not be a good thing.

Anyway, I think just about any TV show would be improved by not having Des O'Connor in it -- hell, even Des O'Connor Tonight would have been better without Des O'Connor -- so I much prefer the new Countdown. It's years since I watched the show regulalry, but it's now back on my DVR's list of things to record, because it seems fresher and much more fun, like the good old days.

As for Richard Whiteley, I sense a certain rose-tinted nostalgia here. Was he really that good? I always thought he had a touch of Alan Partridge about him. I liked how he was intelligent and well-read but didn't show it, but I also found him just a little bit... creepy.

Jeff Stelling could maybe ditch the corny start-of-show routines, but otherwise he's an excellent host.
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Old 21-02-2009, 10:41
textyboy
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The new girl has a lop-sided smile which is something of a distraction, and I haven't ever seen her successfully solve a numbers problem, and she shouldn't wear six-inch stiletto heels because then she can't stand up straight and she's all bent at the knees so it's no wonder she can't get the numbers right when she can hardly even stand up.

The boy who is on a winning streak just now - the maths student - he should become an actor, because he has an interesting face and he could become one of the greatest character actors of his generation. He's very laid back, whereas the numbers girl is very laid-forward on account of those stilettos.
I don't think you can have watched many shows if you haven't ever seen Rachel successfully solve a numbers game. And she hasn't worn stilettos for a while either (which is a shame in my opinion!) Keep up!
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