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00:00This programme contains strong language and adult humour.
00:05APPLAUSE
00:31Hello, everybody. Welcome to Countdown.
00:33On this, the 11th anniversary of the opening ceremony
00:36of the London Olympics.
00:38But you know all about that,
00:40so instead, let's mark Bagpipe Appreciation Day.
00:43Or, if you use the acronym, BAD.
00:46Which many people find bagpipes.
00:48So do you, Rachel Riley, appreciate bagpipes?
00:51You know, my mum is one of those people
00:53who absolutely loathes bagpipes, but I'm on the other side.
00:56I went to my best friend's wedding recently in Scotland
00:59and they had a ceilidh with a proper bagpipe band
01:02and it was brilliant, the most I've had in a long time.
01:05It's a marmite instrument, though, I understand that.
01:08I'll take you back to the South Africa World Cup in 2010,
01:11which I worked on.
01:12Hugely enjoyable and I had a great theme as well,
01:15Shakira's time for Africa, Waka Waka.
01:18It was brilliant.
01:19But those vuvuzelas, I mean...
01:22And the thing is, what you saw on TV,
01:25if you were there, they were outside your hotel room
01:2824-7.
01:29I don't mean to be ungrateful, great experience,
01:32but it was a month, 24-7, vuvuzela.
01:35If I ever see one again, I'm just going to put a pair of pants on it
01:39and do a pencil something on it.
01:41That's the present that you buy,
01:43the friend who's a parent who you don't like,
01:45you buy the kid something like a vuvuzela or a drum kit.
01:48Yeah.
01:49A horrible noise.
01:50What's yours?
01:51I mean, probably not to the same degree, but a harpsichord.
01:54I remember always on a keyboard there's the harpsichord feature
01:57which is the worst button to press, isn't it?
01:59When you go to one of those themed medieval banquets.
02:02Well, no, I like a bit of classical music,
02:04but baroque isn't my style, it's not my favourite.
02:06I know what you mean, I know what you mean.
02:08But there you go, each to their own.
02:10Let's have a look over in Dictionary Corner,
02:12our J of the D, Susie Dent,
02:14joined by a man who loves the alien pipe of a Sunday evening.
02:17It is a comedian and broadcaster, Neil Delamere.
02:20APPLAUSE
02:23I never realised bagpipes sound best in cold temperatures.
02:26Apparently humidity affects how they sound and you can lose it tuning.
02:30I learned that the other day.
02:31Let's just see if that was a boring fact or there's a gag coming.
02:34No, boring fact.
02:35Boring fact, thank you very much.
02:37Let's move on to our champion, Howell Jones, who's one, two now.
02:40How are you doing, sir?
02:41I'm all right, I've been here a lot longer than I thought I would be.
02:44Right, that's good, though, that's good.
02:46Listen, you know when you do something once in your life
02:48and you have such an outcome, you go, well, there's no need to do it again?
02:52Fishing is that thing for you?
02:54Yeah, I love all sports, but fishing's never appealed.
02:57I've been fishing once in my life and the only fish I've caught is a piranha.
03:01LAUGHTER
03:03Which is where I didn't think they had those in Wales.
03:05Exactly, in the River Dee, yeah, there's many of them.
03:08Well, listen, let's see if Tom Swain is a shark today
03:11and he can take your title.
03:12You're from Bury, you're a Bury FC fan, you've been through a lot,
03:16so glad you've got your club back.
03:18But you play water polo?
03:19Yeah, I do, yeah, for the university that I'm at.
03:22Right, so, above water, it looks like a very lovely game.
03:25Tell me about underwater.
03:26Yeah, not as nice underwater.
03:28What are the tactics, the things that you do below the surface?
03:31Kick, pull, scratch.
03:33Everything?
03:34Yeah, everything.
03:35Proper tough game.
03:36Yeah, it's quite a tough game, yeah.
03:37None of that today below the desk, all right?
03:39Keep it clean.
03:40Tom and Hole, let's have a good game.
03:43APPLAUSE
03:45Sky, straight in, Mr Jones.
03:47OK, can I start with a consonant, please, Rachel?
03:49Thank you, Hole.
03:50I'll start today with L.
03:52And another one.
03:55D
03:56And a third, please.
03:58B
03:59A consonant.
04:01Y
04:03And then a vowel, please.
04:05A
04:06Another vowel.
04:07O
04:09A third vowel.
04:11U
04:13A consonant.
04:15G
04:16And a vowel, please.
04:17And lastly, E.
04:19At home, man, in the studio, let's play Kite Dive.
04:48MUSIC STOPS
04:54Well, Hole, well.
04:55Just six.
04:56Yeah, and Tom?
04:57Just a five for me.
04:58Difficult round, that, Mr Swain. What have you got?
05:00Baldy.
05:01Baldy!
05:02Thanks.
05:03Sorry!
05:05I was repeating his word, not referring to you.
05:08What's your word?
05:09I've been called worse. Double.
05:11Double, OK.
05:12Baldy and double, to Dictionary Corner.
05:14Neil?
05:15Yeah, there is a seven there. Ladybug.
05:17Nice. Ladybug for seven.
05:19Hole takes the first six points of the game.
05:21Tom, you're picking these letters.
05:23Hi, Rachel.
05:24Hi, Tom.
05:25Can I have a consonant, please?
05:26You can, indeed.
05:27C
05:28And another consonant.
05:30S
05:31And another consonant, please.
05:34M
05:35A vowel.
05:37A
05:38Another vowel.
05:39E
05:41Another vowel.
05:43I
05:45A consonant.
05:47J
05:49A consonant.
05:51N
05:53And a vowel, please.
05:55Lastly, E.
05:5730 seconds.
06:15MUSIC PLAYS
06:28Time's up. Tom?
06:29Er, seven.
06:30How well?
06:31Er, just a six.
06:32Just a six. What have you got?
06:34Minces.
06:35Tom, can you bounce straight back?
06:36Menaces.
06:37Menaces.
06:38Well done. Excellent.
06:39Not a phantom word. Seven points for Tom, our challenger.
06:43Neil Delamere?
06:44Yeah, there's a couple of sevens.
06:45Jasmine is one, and a second one?
06:47Yeah, amnesic, which means the same as amnesiac.
06:50Somebody who's lost all memory.
06:52Very good.
06:53Loads of sevens in there.
06:55Two more than we even expected.
06:57Tom, well done to you.
06:59And, Howell, let's get the first numbers round.
07:01I'm going to stick with three large and three small, I think.
07:04Three from the top and three little.
07:06See if you can get a lead back.
07:08The first numbers of the day.
07:10Five, three, three.
07:1350, 100 and 25.
07:17And the target, 971.
07:20971. Numbers up.
07:42MUSIC
07:53971. Howell?
07:55970.
07:56Yeah, and Tom?
07:57Yeah, 970.
07:58Let's find out.
08:00OK, three times three...
08:04..times 100.
08:05900.
08:06And then 50 plus 25 is 75.
08:0975.
08:10And take off the five.
08:12970. One below.
08:14What was your road, Tom?
08:15Yeah, the same way.
08:18Spot on.
08:19I took a different road, still ended up in the same place.
08:21971.
08:22You're not going to get any closer.
08:24That was the best you could have done.
08:26Well done. I love that.
08:27I love that, cos you're feeling deflated, you didn't get it,
08:30and when you realise it's impossible, the euphoria.
08:32So, well done. Closest you can get was one away.
08:34First teatime teaser, My Thin Mug.
08:36My Thin Mug.
08:37My Thin Mug.
08:38Not fat, just a toothless what's-his-name.
08:41Not fat, just a toothless what's-his-name.
08:59Welcome back.
09:00Not fat, just a toothless what's-his-name.
09:02Thing-a-me.
09:03Thing-a-me.
09:04Spelled thin gummy.
09:05Didn't know it was in the dictionary.
09:07Certainly didn't think it was spelt like that.
09:09No, it can be spelt in lots and lots of different ways,
09:11and we've been having a bingo session
09:13in terms of what might be in these exclamations.
09:15So you had whatchamacallit.
09:17Whatchamacallit is in.
09:18And Rachel had what's-her-face, and that's in as well.
09:21Brilliant.
09:22Right, well, what's-his-name and what's-his-face
09:24are doing quite well so far.
09:25Just a point in it.
09:26And thing-a-me, can I get some more letters?
09:29Can I get a consonant, please?
09:30Thank you, Tom.
09:32P.
09:33Another consonant.
09:35T.
09:36A vowel.
09:38A.
09:39Another vowel.
09:40I.
09:42A consonant.
09:43F.
09:45A consonant.
09:46R.
09:48A vowel.
09:50A.
09:52Another vowel.
09:54E.
09:55And a consonant, please.
09:57And lastly, L.
09:59Thanks, Rach.
10:03MUSIC PLAYS
10:31Tom?
10:32A six.
10:33Oh, well.
10:34Just five.
10:35A five.
10:36Plot.
10:37And a six.
10:38Failure.
10:39A failure.
10:40Erm, not there.
10:41Really?
10:42Unfortunately.
10:43You see, so careful with these what we call agent nouns.
10:46And, yeah, that one's not in.
10:48Doesn't win.
10:49So the five counts for whole in this tight contest.
10:52Anything else?
10:53Yeah, there's a seven and an eight.
10:55Parfait for seven.
10:56Yeah.
10:57And an eight, that's...
10:58I mean, I'm not even going to pretend I got it
11:00big enough.
11:01Susie?
11:02Parietal.
11:03Yeah, it's from anatomy and biology
11:05and it is relating to the body cavity, essentially.
11:08OK, thank you.
11:09Ciamp, your letters.
11:11Can I have a consonant, please?
11:13Thank you, Hill.
11:14R.
11:15And another one.
11:17N.
11:18And a third, please.
11:20S.
11:21A vowel.
11:23I.
11:24Another vowel.
11:26U.
11:28A...
11:29Another vowel.
11:31E.
11:33A consonant.
11:35C.
11:37Another consonant.
11:39H.
11:40And a final vowel, please.
11:43A final I.
11:45Half a minute.
11:59MUSIC PLAYS
12:17Time's up.
12:18How well?
12:19Just six.
12:20And Tom?
12:21Six as well.
12:22Six as well.
12:23What are the words?
12:24Ensure.
12:25Yep.
12:26Riches.
12:27Ensure.
12:28The dictionary corner.
12:29Yeah, very good.
12:30And we also have...
12:31Urchins.
12:32I don't know why she looks at me when she says that.
12:34There's a certain...
12:35Well, it's an old name for a hedgehog.
12:37Not that I was looking at you for that reason, either.
12:39Oh, you say hedgehog now.
12:40You had Artful Dodger in your eyes.
12:42That's all I'll say.
12:44Lovely.
12:45Let's get back to the numbers, then, Tom.
12:47One last, please.
12:48Thank you, Tom.
12:49One from the top.
12:50And five.
12:51Not for this round.
12:52And this selection is...
12:55Nine.
12:56Five.
12:57One.
12:58Three.
13:00Another nine.
13:01And a large one, 25.
13:02And the target to reach, 346.
13:05346.
13:06Numbers up.
13:26MUSIC PLAYS
13:37Tom?
13:38346.
13:39And Howell?
13:40Yeah, 346.
13:41Yeah, well done, both of you, Tom.
13:43Nine plus five equals 14.
13:45Yep.
13:46Multiply by the 25 is 350.
13:48It is indeed.
13:49And then take the three and take the one.
13:51Perfect, 346.
13:52Nailed it. Howell?
13:53Exactly the same way.
13:54Well done, both of you.
13:55APPLAUSE
13:58Matching each other on the numbers so far.
14:0034 plays 30 as we head to Dictionary Corner.
14:04It was an apology to your better half yesterday.
14:07What are we going out with, Neil?
14:09Well, we're going out with...
14:11Do you remember we talked about fostering dogs on the show before?
14:14You could forget it.
14:15It cast me in a very good light that we foster dogs sometimes.
14:18It doesn't always go right.
14:21So, a couple of years ago, we got the house renovated,
14:25so we had to get a cleaner in to get rid of some brick dust
14:28and stuff like this, right?
14:29So he calls around on the Monday and he looks around the house
14:32and he says, I'll be back on Friday.
14:34And we said, absolutely.
14:35He goes, do you have any kids, do you have any pets?
14:37We said, no.
14:38I said, we're going away for the weekend, we'll leave you a key out.
14:41So he comes around on the Friday.
14:42We fostered a dog for three or four days during the week
14:45before it was rehomed.
14:46The dog went to the loo in the spare bedroom
14:48in a solid way, shall we say, OK?
14:50We didn't see it because it was a spare bedroom
14:52and it was the day we left.
14:53So we left, cleaner turns up, finds this,
14:57realises from an earlier inspection we don't have any pets
15:00or any children, right?
15:02Thinks that I must have thought,
15:04well, I'm getting the place cleaned anyway,
15:06might as well go for this.
15:08So he calls around the following Monday,
15:10understandably fairly frosty.
15:12And he gives me the invoice and I said, are you OK?
15:14And he goes, well...
15:17And looking back, I thought he'd have a euphemism
15:19and he went, well, there was a big poo on the spare bedroom floor.
15:22And I panicked and said, what did it look like?
15:24Not, that's disgusting.
15:26What did it look like?
15:28And he went, well, I have a picture on my phone.
15:30He had a picture on his phone
15:32and he had a pound coin beside it for scale purposes.
15:37And I'm so sorry.
15:38Then I put it together and said it was the dog, that's what it was.
15:40I'm so sorry.
15:41And he goes, oh, I'm glad I told you now
15:42because I wasn't sure whether to tell you.
15:44Imagine had he not told me.
15:46You've just ruined your reputation.
15:48So it doesn't always work out, but if you can, foster dogs.
15:51Yes, exactly, and that's the point at the end of it.
15:54Wonderful stuff. Thank you, Niamh.
16:00Back to the game.
16:02Howell, you're picking the letters.
16:04Yeah, can I have a consonant, please, Rachel?
16:06You can indeed. You can have G.
16:08And another one?
16:10P.
16:11And a third, please?
16:13Q.
16:14And a vowel?
16:16E.
16:17Another vowel?
16:18A.
16:19A consonant, please?
16:21S.
16:23Another consonant?
16:25B.
16:27A vowel, please?
16:29E.
16:31And a final consonant?
16:33A final D.
16:35Start the clock.
16:44CLOCK TICKS
17:07Time's up. Difficult letters. Howell?
17:10Erm, six.
17:12And Tom?
17:13Just a five.
17:14And the five is?
17:15Speed.
17:16And the six?
17:17Debase.
17:18And debase.
17:19Very good. Yes, that's that one.
17:21Six, going to be hard to beat that.
17:23Yeah, only a couple of sixes. Badges or gasps.
17:26Yeah.
17:27Ten points the difference at the moment. Tom, more letters.
17:31Consonant, please?
17:32Thank you, Tom.
17:34R.
17:35Another consonant?
17:37D.
17:38A vowel?
17:40O.
17:41Another vowel?
17:42A.
17:43Consonant?
17:45N.
17:47Consonant?
17:49L.
17:50A vowel?
17:52O.
17:54Another vowel?
17:56E.
17:58And a consonant?
18:00Lastly, C.
18:02Half a minute.
18:11MUSIC
18:34Tom?
18:35Six.
18:36And Howell?
18:37Six as well.
18:38And six as well. What are the words?
18:40Cradle.
18:41Ordeal.
18:42Ordeal. Chills a little bit today.
18:45Cradle and ordeal.
18:47To Dictionary Corner.
18:48There are no holes in this one.
18:50Colander.
18:51Nice.
18:52For eight.
18:53Yes.
18:56Numbers, then, with still ten in it,
18:59which means this crucial conundrum territory has been for a while.
19:03Howell?
19:04Three big and three small, please, Rachel?
19:06Your favourite, three large and three not.
19:10And the three small ones?
19:12Two, one and nine.
19:15And the three large, 25, 100 and 50.
19:19And the target, 213.
19:22213, numbers up.
19:39MUSIC
19:54213 is the target. Howell?
19:56Yeah, 213.
19:57And Tom?
19:59Not written down, but I think got 213.
20:01Off you go, then.
20:02100 x 2 is 200.
20:04200.
20:0650 divided by 25 is 2.
20:08Yes.
20:10No, that's 2 on 2. No matter.
20:12Sorry.
20:13No worries.
20:14Howell?
20:16I did 100 plus 1.
20:18100 plus 1, 101.
20:20Multiplied that by 2.
20:22Yeah, we're going to get there. 202.
20:24Added the 9.
20:25211.
20:26And then 50 divided by 25 is 2.
20:29Yeah.
20:30And add that on.
20:31That gets you there, 213.
20:32APPLAUSE
20:34Trickier than it looked.
20:36Well done. 20-point lead now.
20:38Our second tea time teaser is Hear Nigel, as in H-E-R-E.
20:43Hear Nigel.
20:44His soul was intact, but this needed to be done.
20:47His soul was intact, but this needed to be done.
20:59APPLAUSE
21:06Welcome back. It was Hear Nigel, H-E-R-E.
21:09We spell it out, by the way, for visually impaired people
21:11so everyone can play along, but I wasn't going to spell out the soul
21:14because that was S-O-L-E in the clue.
21:16His soul was intact, but this needed to be done.
21:19Rehealing. Rehealing.
21:21Back to the game. Six rounds to go.
21:24Let's get on with it. Tom Swain.
21:26Vowel, please.
21:28Thank you, Tom.
21:29I.
21:31And a consonant.
21:33N.
21:34And another consonant.
21:36S.
21:37And a vowel.
21:39O.
21:41And another vowel.
21:44A.
21:45And another vowel.
21:48O.
21:49And a consonant.
21:51T.
21:52And another consonant.
21:53G.
21:54And finally a consonant, please.
21:56And finally, P.
21:58Countdown.
22:04CLOCK TICKS
22:29Tom?
22:31I've got a seven not written down.
22:33Seven.
22:35What's not written down?
22:36Pooting.
22:37Pooting. And what is?
22:39Posting.
22:40And posting.
22:41Pooting. We like a pootle, but can we go pooting?
22:43You can poot if you break wind.
22:46Really?
22:47Yes.
22:48That's the politest way I've ever heard that.
22:50So we pooted. How did you have a little poot?
22:52It sounds like how you'd announce somebody into a room.
22:55Yeah.
22:57It is more of that, isn't it? A toot and a poot.
23:00Very nice.
23:01Very nice.
23:02Right, more than a seven, though.
23:04Yes, as in she stoops to conquer.
23:06Stooping.
23:07Does that come from the stoop, as in the doorway,
23:10the bottom of the steps on the New York tenement?
23:14Yeah, that goes back to a Dutch word, stoop.
23:17That's how that came in.
23:19And the stoop when we're stooping over, that is related to steep.
23:23Yeah, I love that.
23:24Hole, let's get more letters.
23:26OK, a consonant, please, Rachel.
23:28Thank you, Hole.
23:29S.
23:30And another one.
23:31M.
23:32And a third, please.
23:34V.
23:36A vowel, please.
23:38U.
23:39Another vowel.
23:40A.
23:41Another vowel.
23:43O.
23:44A consonant.
23:46R.
23:47Another consonant.
23:49W.
23:51And a final vowel.
23:53A final... Oh, not a U.
23:55Kind dying.
24:00ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS
24:02ELECTRONIC MUSIC CONTINUES
24:28Very difficult, Chum.
24:29Five.
24:30Yes, and Tom?
24:31Six.
24:32Oh, he's pulled one out here. What's the five?
24:34Worms.
24:35Worms. And what did you get?
24:36Savour.
24:37Let's go for savour.
24:38Lovely, yes.
24:39Nice, well done.
24:40APPLAUSE
24:42Savour could be your saviour.
24:43You're pulling it back just to 14 points in it.
24:46Oh, my goodness, surely not a seven.
24:48No, I couldn't do better than savour, I'm afraid.
24:50No, likewise.
24:51Very good indeed.
24:52Right, four rounds left.
24:53Back in the mixer.
24:54And, Susie, a proper origins of words now.
24:57I'm going to talk about the word berg.
24:59B-E-R-G.
25:01And that is a very, very old word.
25:04It's got relatives in lots of different languages,
25:07including Sanskrit, I think.
25:09Meaning a hill.
25:11Particularly a hill or a mountain
25:13on which there was a kind of castle or a fortress.
25:16So keep that one in mind.
25:18Now, the first thing that it has given us
25:21is lots of place names, as you would expect.
25:23So we have Strasbourg, we have Pittsburgh,
25:25we have Hamburg, we have Middlesbrough,
25:28which is related because a borough was originally a place
25:32which had a fortified fortress
25:34or, you know, something which was protected on high ground.
25:38Edinburgh, another one, you've got the castle up there.
25:41So that's one of them.
25:42We also have an iceberg,
25:44which, of course, is a hill of ice when you see it from the sea.
25:48We have Steven Spielberg,
25:50and Spielberg actually is a very old word
25:53meaning a play hill or a play mountain.
25:55So somewhere, I love to think,
25:57where you would just sort of go and frolic, which is really nice.
26:01In Germany, you have the Zauberberg as well,
26:03which is the magic mountain.
26:05It's rippled through so many different places
26:07and really surprising ones as well.
26:09So bourgeois was originally applied
26:12to people who lived in a borough,
26:15which, again, often had this sort of fortified place,
26:17always up on high ground, and were considered to be urbane.
26:20They were town dwellers, hence they were the bourgeois.
26:23So it's in that, it's in burglary,
26:25because the first places to be burgled
26:28were often sort of, you know,
26:30densely populated sort of cities, if you like.
26:32So the idea is that you kind of go where people gather
26:35in order to increase your booty.
26:37And also, in very much disguised form,
26:40you will find it in Belfry.
26:42Belfry started off in, as Old English is,
26:45Bergfriede, I'm not sure I'm pronouncing that correctly,
26:48but that, again, was a protected area of high ground.
26:51But because it was applied to something tall
26:54and particularly related to military protection,
26:57we like to imagine that these towers had bells in them.
27:00So, eventually, we kind of lost the idea of the burg
27:03and we put a bell in instead.
27:05But, yeah, just so many little threads,
27:07often invisible ones, that just weave,
27:09are woven through the fabric of English, I love it.
27:12From one word, just an explosion. Yeah.
27:14Fantastic.
27:1863-49, it is tightening up,
27:21and we get more letters now from Tom.
27:24Consonant, please. Thank you, Tom.
27:27T
27:29Consonant.
27:31S
27:33Vowel.
27:35O
27:37Another vowel.
27:39E
27:41Another vowel.
27:43I
27:45Consonant.
27:47W
27:49A vowel.
27:51E
27:53And a consonant.
27:55And, lastly, R.
27:57OK, good luck.
28:18BUZZER
28:29Give me a number, Tom.
28:31Seven. And Howell?
28:33Seven. Very good, Tom.
28:35Howell? Withers.
28:37Withers. Over to Dictionary Corner.
28:39Did you say hoister?
28:41Hoister, yeah. Just double-check that, absolutely fine, yeah.
28:44Good. Seven's the best?
28:46Ooh, I've got theories for eight. Very good.
28:49And I think the first nine since I've been here.
28:52Yeah. I didn't get it.
28:54Otherwise. Otherwise.
28:59Tom, that was maybe the little window you were looking for
29:02to blow this game wide open.
29:04But still three more chances for you.
29:06Let's get the last letters round. Howell?
29:09Can I start with a consonant, please, Rachel?
29:11You can, indeed. N
29:13And another one.
29:15And a third.
29:17S
29:19And a vowel.
29:21U
29:23Another vowel. E
29:25A consonant.
29:27L
29:29Another consonant.
29:31N
29:33A vowel.
29:35A
29:37And a final consonant, please.
29:39A final S.
29:41Last letters.
29:45MUSIC PLAYS
30:10Howell? Seven.
30:12And Tom? Just a six.
30:14Tussle.
30:16And this is for the win.
30:18Salutes. Salutes, and we can salute you.
30:20Well done.
30:24Pushed all the way, Tom. You should be proud of yourself.
30:26Really well done.
30:28But what a champion we have in Hull. It'll be another win for you.
30:30Anything else for our last letters round?
30:32Is annulet a word?
30:34Yes. We know about amulets, the sort of talisman,
30:36but this is an annulet with a double N.
30:39In architecture, it's a small band that encircles a column.
30:42Thank you so much. Let's get the last numbers round.
30:44Tom, pressure's off a bit, so whatever you fancy.
30:47Six small, please.
30:49You want to have a little bit of fun with six small numbers.
30:51Thank you, Tom.
30:53Final numbers round of the day.
30:55The selection is...
31:03And the target to reach with them...
31:07Numbers up.
31:13MUSIC CONTINUES
31:15MUSIC CONTINUES
31:39Seemed like a good idea at the time.
31:41653?
31:43655.
31:44Yeah, 650.
31:46And three away, so it's going to work out all right for you, Tom.
31:48Seven points up for grabs. Off you go.
31:50Eight plus three is 11.
31:52Eight plus three, 11.
31:54Times a six is 66.
31:5666.
31:58Times a ten is 660.
32:00Yep.
32:02And then take away the five for 655.
32:04Yep, well done. Two away.
32:06653, Rachel Riley, MBE.
32:10Not first time seeing numbers together, but still.
32:12If you say ten plus four is 14.
32:16Times by six is 84.
32:18Take away three for 81.
32:22Times it by eight for 648.
32:25And you have a five left over.
32:27653.
32:29Very good.
32:31APPLAUSE
32:33It's been a tight affair,
32:35and you can leave here just four points behind
32:37if you get our Countdown Conundrum.
32:39So, fantastic fist of it from Tom Swain
32:42up against our now three-time champion,
32:46Howell Jones.
32:47Fingers on the buzzers as we reveal today's Countdown Conundrum.
32:56Go on, Howell.
32:57Is it hilarious?
32:58Is it hilarious?
33:00APPLAUSE
33:03No last laugh for Tom Swain,
33:06but a really good performance today.
33:08And, hey, he might be better on land, you're better on water.
33:11Never forget that. Never forget that.
33:13And, Howell, wonderful.
33:15I think you're shaping up to be a potential OctoChamp.
33:18And that sounds good in any language.
33:20Yeah, absolutely. A long way to go. I need to learn that in Welsh.
33:23Yeah, I think. I tell you, I have high hopes for you
33:25going into tomorrow and next week.
33:27This is really testing you both.
33:29I don't expect you to know. Our last Welsh OctoChamp?
33:32I know. I certainly don't have one in my time.
33:35I can't. No, I can't think of one.
33:37There's a challenge. That's the pressure on you now.
33:39You're representing a whole nation. Absolutely.
33:41My goodness, we'd like to be you tomorrow.
33:43Well, I would, because we get to be here together
33:45and it's always a privilege. Thank you so much.
33:47And, Neil, listen, in a rare moment of sincerity,
33:50it's just great to see your stand-up career going from better to better.
33:54These venues are just getting bigger and bigger.
33:56You won't want to know us soon, I know that, but it's been great.
33:59I will always be back. Thanks.
34:01We'll have someone in your chair tomorrow alongside Susie.
34:03Have a good day. Yeah, you too.
34:05You take the high road, I'll take the low road
34:07and I'll see you back here tomorrow. Perfect.
34:09Rachel, Susie and I will be here. You can count on us.
34:12APPLAUSE
34:14You can contact the programme by email at CountdownAtChannel4.com.
34:18You can also find our web page at Channel4.com forward slash Countdown.
34:23APPLAUSE
34:35CHEERING AND APPLAUSE