Countdown (game show)

rdf:langString Countdown (game show)

rdf:langString Des chiffres et des lettres

rdf:langString Yorkshire Television

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rdf:langString Granada Yorkshire

rdf:langString ITV Studios Entertainment

rdf:langString Lifted Entertainment

rdf:langString United Kingdom

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rdf:langString Armand Jammot

rdf:langString Marcel Stellman

rdf:langString ITV Studios

rdf:langString English

rdf:langString present

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rdf:langString Dock10 studios

rdf:langString Granada Studios, Manchester

rdf:langString The Leeds Studios, Leeds

rdf:langString Channel 4

rdf:langString S4C

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rdf:langString More4

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rdf:langString

rdf:langString Anne Robinson

rdf:langString Colin Murray

rdf:langString Des Lynam

rdf:langString Des O'Connor

rdf:langString Jeff Stelling

rdf:langString Nick Hewer

rdf:langString Richard Whiteley

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rdf:langString Celebrity Countdown

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rdf:langString Rachel Riley

rdf:langString Anne-Marie Imafidon

rdf:langString Carol Vorderman

rdf:langString Susie Dent

rdf:langString Countdown is a British game show involving word and number tasks that began airing in November 1982. It is broadcast on Channel 4 and is currently presented by Colin Murray, assisted by Rachel Riley, with resident lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and 85 series have been broadcast since its debut on 2 November 1982. With over 7,000 episodes, Countdown is one of Britain's longest-running game shows, along with the original French version, Des chiffres et des lettres (Numbers & Letters), which has been running on French television continuously since 1965. Countdown was produced by Yorkshire Television and was recorded at The Leeds Studios for 27 years, before moving to the Manchester-based Granada Studios in 2009. Following the development of MediaCityUK, Countdown moved again in 2013 to the new purpose-built studios at Dock10, Greater Manchester. The programme was presented by Richard Whiteley for 22 years until his death in June 2005. It was then presented by Des Lynam from October 2005 until December 2006, Des O'Connor from January 2007 until December 2008, Jeff Stelling from January 2009 until December 2011 and Nick Hewer from January 2012 until July 2021, with Colin Murray standing in for Hewer during part of the COVID-19 pandemic. The series was then presented by Anne Robinson, its first female presenter, from July 2021 until July 2022. Murray then returned on 14 July as a stand-in host. On 25 July 2022, it was announced that Les Dennis would guest host the show from 4–15 August followed by Jenny Eclair from 16 to 19 August, because Murray tested positive for COVID-19. Guest hosts would return later that year as part of the show’s 40th anniversary celebrations, with Floella Benjamin, Richard Coles, Trevor McDonald (for a second time) and Moira Stuart each hosting "for a week or two". In the early years, the show had multiple assistant presenters, including Carol Vorderman, who was hired for the first series to check calculations in the numbers round, and her role expanded to include placing the number and letter tiles. She left in 2008, at the same time as O'Connor, and was replaced by Rachel Riley. Susie Dent has been the permanent lexicographer since 2004 and appears in "Dictionary Corner" alongside a celebrity guest. The two contestants in each episode compete in three game types: ten , in which the contestants attempt to make the longest word possible from nine randomly chosen letters; four , in which the contestants must use arithmetic to reach a random target number from six other numbers; and the conundrum, a buzzer round in which the contestants compete to solve a nine-letter anagram. During the series heats, the winning contestant returns the next day until they either lose or retire with eight wins as an undefeated "Octochamp". The best eight contestants are invited back for the series finals, which are decided in knockout format. Contestants of exceptional skill have received national media coverage and the programme, as a whole, is widely recognised and parodied within British culture.