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00:31Good afternoon and welcome to the Countdown Studio.
00:34Now, I'm going to just say look into my eyes, but not for very long, because it was, I think,
00:43200 years ago, today, that a German physicist called Franz Mesmer passed away.
00:49Who was this Franz Mesmer? Well, he was, as I say, a physician, and he believed in the theory of
00:55animal magnetism, and this became known as mesmerism.
01:01Where am I going with all this? Well, of course, he was the frontrunner of hypnotism, so people were mesmerized,
01:07they were sort of hypnotized.
01:08And I was once mesmerized and hypnotized by a bloke when I wanted to give up smoking.
01:14Ah, okay.
01:15Yeah, and it worked for about 12 hours.
01:21Right.
01:21I think I fought it off, really.
01:23I fought it off.
01:24Yes, you've got to want to.
01:25But people can be terribly susceptible to this, as you know, I mean, it's extraordinary.
01:29Do you ever fancy being hypnotized?
01:30I've been hypnotized as well.
01:31I was quite susceptible.
01:33But apparently, I'm reading this book about the science of the brain, and they said it's not a different type
01:37of brain state being hypnotized,
01:39so they can't technically make you do things without your will.
01:43But, you know, if you're willing to...
01:45So you sort of gave in.
01:46I thought you'd have fought like mad and not refused to be hypnotized.
01:51No, I quite like it.
01:51You gave in.
01:52It's getting the subconscious, isn't it, and just implanting the seed, and then you do the rest of it yourself.
01:56Yeah.
01:57So you don't have any trigger words.
01:58But you know what it did?
01:59I took the pills afterwards.
02:01It worked like a dream.
02:02Okay, fair enough.
02:03Yeah, I haven't smoked for 17, 18 years.
02:06Now, who have we got here?
02:07Look who's back, Rachel.
02:09None other than Jordan Barker.
02:11Student from Oldham, and he's playing for his octo-championship today.
02:18Octo-champton, really.
02:20Fantastic.
02:21Good luck.
02:21But you've got to overcome Debbie Jones now, chemistry student at the University of South Wales.
02:26Comes from Merthyr Tidville, and you're a cheerleader.
02:29I think this is all based on the American girls with short skirts and pom-poms that rush out onto
02:34the pitch and entertain the crowd.
02:36Is that it?
02:36Yeah, but there's different types, like my team, like the team I want don't use pom-poms, because there's pom,
02:42dance, jazz, dance.
02:43And then there's big stent, where there's dance, tumbling, and stenting, combining stentings, when, like, you throw people and catch
02:52them at, like, quite high.
02:53Really?
02:54Well, good for you.
02:54Well done.
02:55Well, look, you're up against a formidable chap in Jordan Barker, so let's have a big round of applause for
03:00Jordan and Debbie Jones.
03:06Well done.
03:07And over in the corner, of course, Susie, joined once again by the wonderful, and I say that because she's
03:14so modest, because she is wonderful, Pam Ayres.
03:17Thank you, Nick.
03:18Excellent stuff.
03:19You're not so bad yourself.
03:22Well, shucks.
03:23Now then, Jordan, what about a letters game?
03:26Hi, Rachel.
03:27Hi, Jordan.
03:28Start the vowel, please.
03:29Start with I.
03:31And another.
03:32O.
03:33And a third.
03:34U.
03:35A consonant.
03:38N.
03:38Another, please.
03:40V.
03:40A third.
03:42T.
03:43A fourth.
03:46G.
03:47Um, another, please.
03:50S.
03:51And a final vowel, please.
03:53And a final A.
03:55And here comes the countdown clock.
04:13And a final vowel, please.
04:15And a final vowel, please.
04:15And a final vowel, please.
04:15And a final vowel, please.
04:15And a final vowel, please.
04:16And a final vowel, please.
04:16And a final vowel, please.
04:23And a final vowel, please.
04:28Yes, Jordan?
04:29Seven.
04:30Seven.
04:30Debbie?
04:31Seven.
04:32Jordan?
04:33Agonist.
04:34And Debbie?
04:36Agdings.
04:37Yep, very good.
04:39And an agonist, two meanings.
04:41In biochemistry, it's a substance which initiates a physiological response,
04:45or a response in the body.
04:46And in anatomy, it's a muscle which, when you contract it,
04:50it moves a part of the body directly.
04:54It's an agonist.
04:54Very good.
04:55Seven apiece.
04:56But in the corner, what have we got now, then?
04:59Pam?
05:00We've got staving.
05:02Yes.
05:03Staving off.
05:03Staving off a cold or the flu.
05:06And we've got something nice.
05:08We've got...
05:09Oh, no, it's not nice.
05:10It's ousting.
05:11I thought it was outing.
05:12Well, I suppose you could have outing as well.
05:13We could have outing, yes.
05:15Ousting.
05:16Ousting.
05:16Yes.
05:17All right.
05:18Now, then, seven apiece.
05:20Debbie, what are you going to do for us?
05:21Hey, Rachel.
05:22Hi, Debbie.
05:23Could I have a consonant, please?
05:24You could, thank you.
05:25Start with...
05:26And another.
05:28T.
05:29And a third.
05:31B.
05:33And a vowel.
05:34O.
05:36And another.
05:37E.
05:39Consonant.
05:41T.
05:44Vowel.
05:46A.
05:47A.
05:48Vowel.
05:49I.
05:51And a final consonant, please.
05:53And a final L.
05:56Stand by.
05:56A.
05:57A.
06:10olan.
06:10An.
06:11A.
06:11A.
06:12A.
06:12A.
06:19A.
06:20A.
06:20B.
06:24A.
06:25A.
06:28No, then, Debbie.
06:29Just a six.
06:30A six.
06:31Jordan?
06:32A whiskey seven.
06:34Debbie?
06:34Lighter.
06:36And Jordan?
06:36Bachelor.
06:38A battler.
06:40Are you sure you can be a battler?
06:41Yes.
06:42Somebody who fights is a battler.
06:43Very good.
06:44Now, then, what offering from the corner pan?
06:47Well, we have bloater, which is seven.
06:51What else have we got?
06:52What else have we got?
06:53There were quite a few sevens, but there was one eight that we could find, which was libretto.
06:58A libretto?
06:59A libretto.
06:59Yeah, the text of an opera or other long vocal work.
07:02Produced by a librettist.
07:07Thank you very much.
07:08Well done.
07:09So, Jordan on 14, Debbie on 7.
07:11Now, their numbers time.
07:13Jordan, entertain us.
07:14One large, please, Rachel.
07:16Thank you, Jordan.
07:17Stick to what you know.
07:17One large and five little ones.
07:19And the first numbers game of the day is 5, 1, 9, 7, 3, and the big one, 50.
07:28And the target, 659.
07:306, 5, 9.
07:33One large number.
07:35Have a great day.
07:36Have a great day.
07:36I'm here.
08:01We'll see you next time.
08:02Jordan?
08:03Yeah, 659.
08:05And Debbie?
08:06659.
08:07Thank you, Jordan.
08:087 plus 5 plus 1.
08:10Is 13.
08:11Times 50 plus 9.
08:12650 and 659.
08:15Lovely.
08:17Debbie?
08:18Is it the same?
08:20Same way, just give Jordan a chance to watch.
08:26Well done, both of you.
08:30So, 24 plays 17 as we turn to a teatime teaser, which is true debt.
08:36And the clue, flattered someone and put on a bit of a spread.
08:41Flattered someone and put on a bit of a spread.
08:59Well, welcome back.
09:00After the clue, flattered someone and put on a bit of a spread.
09:04Clever.
09:05It's buttered.
09:07Buttering somebody up.
09:0824 to Debbie's 17.
09:11Now then, Debbie.
09:12Constance, please, Rachel.
09:14Thank you, Debbie.
09:15S.
09:16And another.
09:18R.
09:19And a third.
09:22S.
09:23And a vowel.
09:25O.
09:26And another.
09:27A.
09:29Consonant.
09:31D.
09:33Vowel.
09:35E.
09:37Consonant.
09:39M.
09:40And a final vowel, please.
09:43And a final U.
09:46Stand by.
10:17Debbie.
10:18A six.
10:20A six, yep.
10:21Seven.
10:22A seven.
10:23So, Debbie.
10:23Sword.
10:25Now then.
10:26Aroused.
10:28Aroused.
10:29Yep.
10:30Very good.
10:31Now, what has the corner got to offer us?
10:33Well, we've got something that might go with aroused.
10:36We've got masseur.
10:38All right.
10:3931 plays, 17.
10:40Jordan, letters time.
10:41Bile, please, Rachel.
10:42Thank you, Jordan.
10:43A.
10:44And a second.
10:45E.
10:46And a third.
10:47U.
10:48Consonant.
10:50P.
10:51And another.
10:52T.
10:53Another, please.
10:55R.
10:56Another, please.
10:57C.
10:58Erm, vowel, please.
11:01I.
11:02And a final consonant.
11:04And a final T.
11:06Stand by.
11:37Jordan?
11:38A seven.
11:39A seven, Debbie?
11:40Seven.
11:41Jordan?
11:41Capture.
11:42Capture and?
11:43Katia.
11:44Very good, yes.
11:45Katia.
11:46Now then.
11:47And there is an eight there, which is urticate.
11:51Gosh.
11:51And that's the technical term for something that a nettle will do to you,
11:55because it's to cause a stinging or prickling sensation.
11:57And scratching.
11:58Very good, thank you.
11:5938 plays, 24, Jordan in the lead, Debbie's numbers game.
12:03Could I have one large and five small, please?
12:04Indeed, thank you, Debbie.
12:06One large one, five little ones coming up for you.
12:08And for this round, your five small ones are three, nine, four,
12:13another three and seven, and the large one, 25.
12:17And the target, 850.
12:19Eight, five, zero.
12:53So, Debbie?
12:54No, I lost her.
12:56Too far?
12:57Yeah, too far.
12:57Jordan?
12:58850.
12:59850.
13:00Said with confidence.
13:01So, Jordan?
13:02Three times nine.
13:03Three nines are 27.
13:05Plus seven.
13:0634.
13:07Times 25.
13:08Yes, you know you're 25 times table.
13:10Well done.
13:12Well done.
13:15So, 48 plays, 24, as we turn to Pam Ayres.
13:22Now then, all week we've had wonderful, wonderful poems, beautifully delivered, if I can say that.
13:30Thank you very much.
13:31What's today going to bring?
13:32I'm going to do one that's, there's another one that's often requested, a more sort of modern one, really.
13:38It's called, They Should Have Asked My Husband.
13:42You know, this world is complicated and imperfect and oppressed, and it's not hard to feel timid, apprehensive and depressed.
13:53It seems all around us tides of questions ebb and flow, and people want solutions, but they don't know where
14:01to go.
14:03Opinions abound, but who is wrong and who is right?
14:06No, people need a prophet, a diffuser of the light, someone they can turn to as the crises rage and
14:16swirl, someone with the remedy, the wisdom, the pearl.
14:21Well, they should have asked my husband.
14:26He can sort out any mess.
14:43He can rejuvenate, he can cure the NHS, so any little niggle, anything you want to know, just run it
14:53past my husband, wind him up, and let him go.
14:59Congestion on the motorways, free holidays for thugs, the damage to the ozone layer, refugees, drugs, these may defeat the
15:10brain of any politician bloke, but present it to my husband, he will solve it at a stroke.
15:17He will clarify the situation, he will make it crystal clear, you'll feel the glazing of your eyeballs, and the
15:27bending of your ear, corruption at the top, he's an authority on that, and the mafia, Gaddafiya and Yasser Arafat.
15:36Upon these areas, he brings his intellect to shine, in a great compelling voice that's twice as loud as yours
15:47or mine.
15:47I often wonder what it must be like to be so strong, infallible, articulate, self-confident, and wrong.
15:57See, when it comes to tolerance, he hasn't got a lot.
16:01Joyriders should be guillotined, and muggers should be shot.
16:06The sound of his own voice becomes like music to his ears, and he hasn't got an inkling that he's
16:13boring us to tears.
16:15My friends don't call so often, well, they have busy lives, I know, but it's not every day you want
16:23to hear a windbag suck and blow.
16:29Encyclopedias, on them we never have to call, why clutter up the bookshelf when my husband knows it all?
16:40Well done.
16:46Very good. Lovely stuff. Thank you very much.
16:49Now then, Jordan on 48, Debbie on 24. Jordan, let's have a letters game, shall we?
16:56Vowel, please, Rachel.
16:57Thank you, Jordan.
16:58E.
16:58Another vowel.
17:00O.
17:01Another vowel.
17:02I.
17:04Consonant.
17:05P.
17:06Another, please.
17:08N.
17:09A third.
17:11X.
17:12Four.
17:13N.
17:16Consonant.
17:18K.
17:19Oh, God.
17:20Another consonant, please.
17:22And the last one, R.
17:24Stand by.
17:26I.
17:27I.
17:37I.
17:53I.
17:54I.
17:54I.
17:54I.
17:54Jordan six a six Debbie I think you are six yeah so Jordan pinker pinker and
18:03same pinker pinker pinker absolutely fine pinker there we go
18:08happy Jordan's tamers we have rather a nasty one we've got poxier there we are
18:1854 to 30 mmm Debbie that is time constant please Rachel thank you Debbie B and
18:27another L and a third and the vowel a consonant H and another ah vowel I and
18:46another e and a final consonant please and a final F countdown
18:59so
19:26yes Debbie seven a seven Jordan
19:30say five and five anvil an anvil now then Debbie inhaler yes very well done well
19:41done now what's the corner got ravelin is another seven r-a-v-e-l-i-n and it's a
19:48v-shaped fortification it's used to protect the entrance of a fort okay slows
19:52people down yeah absolutely yeah yeah all right very good and well done well done
19:57Debbie there 37 out of 54 this time this time Jordan numbers time usual please
20:04usual one from the top thank you Jordan and five little ones and for this round
20:09they are seven one five another one three and 25 and the target 478 478
20:23so
20:36so
20:52Well, Jordan?
20:53Um, four, eight, three, I think.
20:56Not written down.
20:57Four, eight, three.
20:58And Debbie?
20:59Four, seven, five.
21:00Four, seven, five.
21:03Come on, Debbie.
21:05Um, three plus one is four.
21:06Yes.
21:07Times five.
21:08Times five is 20.
21:10Minus one is 19.
21:12Yep.
21:12Times 25.
21:13Times 25, four, seven, five.
21:15Three away.
21:16Three away.
21:17How tricky is that?
21:18Rachel?
21:18Um, you can get there if you say three times seven is 21.
21:2425 minus the two ones is 23.
21:27Times those two together for 483.
21:30And take away the five.
21:31Well done.
21:32Well done, Rachel.
21:33Four, seven, eight, indeed.
21:35But, uh, well done, Debbie, too.
21:37Only ten behind.
21:38You're still well in the game as we go into a tea-time teaser, which is net gross.
21:43And the clue?
21:44He likes to write words for the numbers.
21:47He likes to write words for the numbers.
22:05Welcome back.
22:06I left with a clue.
22:06He likes to write words for the numbers.
22:09Because he's a songster.
22:12He's a songster.
22:13There we go.
22:1454 to 44.
22:16Debbie, what are you going to do?
22:18Letters game.
22:20Can I have a consonant, please?
22:21Thank you, Debbie.
22:23M.
22:24Another.
22:26L.
22:27And a third.
22:30N.
22:31Can I have a vowel, please?
22:33O.
22:35And another.
22:36E.
22:38Consonant.
22:39G.
22:43Vowel.
22:45U.
22:47Another vowel.
22:49A.
22:52And a final vowel, please.
22:55And a final E.
22:57And here's the countdown clock.
23:31Yes, Debbie?
23:33Six.
23:34A six?
23:35Six as well.
23:36So?
23:37Lounge.
23:38Now, Jordan?
23:39Mangle.
23:40And what else have you got in the corner there?
23:42I've got a very feeble five, which is lunge, but I think Susie's done a lot better.
23:47Susie?
23:49More sixes, ligue, legume, ménage, but mélange is there, sticking with the French for seven.
23:54A mélange, a mixture.
23:55Yeah, indeed.
23:57A mangle.
23:58I remember the mangle when I was a kid.
23:59Terrified one's fingers would get into the mangle.
24:02Do you remember?
24:03Probably because the mother would say, keep your fingers away.
24:06Yes.
24:07Yes.
24:07Mangled.
24:08You'd have very long and flat fingers at the end of that.
24:10Now, Jordan, letters time.
24:13Vowel, please, Rachel.
24:14Thank you, Jordan.
24:16I.
24:16Another.
24:18O.
24:19Third.
24:20E.
24:21Consonant.
24:23W.
24:24Another, please.
24:25C.
24:26Third.
24:28N.
24:29Another consonant, please.
24:31S.
24:32Another.
24:35L.
24:37Final vowel, please.
24:38And a final U.
24:41Stand by him.
24:42Stand by him.
25:13Yes, Jordan.
25:14A six.
25:15A six.
25:16Debbie?
25:17Six as well.
25:18Yes.
25:19Winces.
25:20And Debbie?
25:21Same.
25:22How unusual.
25:24Yeah.
25:24What else have we got there?
25:26We have council.
25:27Preferably wise council, which is a seven.
25:30Yes.
25:30Susie?
25:31No, a single seven that we could find.
25:32Well done, then.
25:33Yes.
25:34Well done, Pam.
25:3656 plays 66.
25:38Still ten in it, and there's time as we turn to Susie.
25:44Susie, teach us.
25:46We're ready to learn.
25:48Come.
25:48A little bit about English spelling today, Nick, because it is notoriously slippery.
25:53And it's estimated that about 60% of all English words have some silent letter.
25:59They're the silent ghosts of English, really.
26:01But if you look behind them, they all have a little bit of a story to tell.
26:04And one of the main themes goes back to the Renaissance, when Latin scholars, and scholars
26:10generally who were transcribing medieval manuscripts, wanted to show off their classical
26:16learning.
26:16Because, of course, during the Renaissance, they wanted to bring a lot of classical learning
26:19back, and they certainly wanted to bring it back and have more of an influence on the
26:23English language.
26:25So, wanting to show off their Latin knowledge and the Latin roots of words, they decided
26:30to return a lot of English words to what they thought was the original spelling, or at least
26:35spelling that reflected these Latin roots.
26:37And it's thanks to them that plumber suddenly acquired a bee.
26:41It wasn't in there before, and it goes back to the Latin plumbum, or plumbum, lead, simply,
26:46because it was all to do with lead pipes.
26:48Then we have the bee in doubt, which was, again, was never there before.
26:52It was spelt with a W, because it goes back to the Latin dubitum.
26:56Similarly, debt didn't have a bee in it at all.
26:58It goes back to the Latin debitum.
27:00Subtle from subtilis.
27:01And receipt goes back to the Romans' receptor.
27:05So they changed all the spellings of the words, which today don't really make sense
27:09for us, and certainly not to children learning English spelling.
27:11But it was all due to the fact that they wanted to show off these Latin roots.
27:15Salmon never had the L.
27:16again, until it was thought to show off its classical heritage.
27:20Fault came over as Fault from the French, F-A-U-T-E, which is a bit closer to ours,
27:26but it took on an L because of the Latin felita.
27:29And finally, William Caxton put the H in ghost, because he couldn't find enough English printers
27:36over here, so he employed a lot of Flemish printers for his works.
27:39And the Flemish, for a ghost, is geest, with the H.
27:42And so they randomly put the H in.
27:45And we still have it today.
27:47Brilliant.
27:47Well done.
27:50Excellent.
27:51Thank you, Susie.
27:52Wonderful stuff.
27:5366 plays 56.
27:55And, Debbie, letters.
27:59Give a consonant, please.
28:00Thank you, Debbie.
28:02R.
28:02And another.
28:04T.
28:05And a third.
28:07R.
28:09And a fourth.
28:11P.
28:18And a final consonant, please.
28:30And a final R.
28:31Stand by.
28:32Dock, sorry.
29:01Dock,Corps.
29:02Dock.
29:03Debbie six and Jordan six as well Debbie parrot and the same both of you and in the corner now
29:14we
29:15have another bird we have a raptor a type of bird very good 72 62 and Jordan let us time
29:23bow please Rachel thank you Jordan I another a third I consonant please L another s another t fourth and
29:40a fifth
29:41G final vowel please and a final a time down
30:18Jordan seven now then Debbie it's five and you're
30:25five games the gates yes so are you spending it with the LI yeah that's the same route as ligature
30:34so it's to tie up a wound or an artery now what news in the corner Pam we have a
30:39seven one I like
30:40very much which is gimlet yes a gimlet eyed person I think it's a sort of drill isn't yes it
30:47is the
30:47boring holes yeah very fine Susie gamiest another seven gamiest yeah all right 79 to 62 so Debbie
30:58make the most of it it's the final numbers game um please you can gamble in time good decision thank
31:05you Debbie hopefully it will pay off for a crucial conundrum this last numbers game is three five nine
31:12eight four and seven and the target five hundred and seventy two five seven two
31:23so
31:35so
32:05well Debbie
32:07add them together for 52 and then seven add four is 11 and multiply them together five seven two
32:14thank you well done thank you Rachel
32:19so there we are then 79 plays 62 the heats off Jordan as we go into uh today's countdown conundrum
32:28things on buzzers let's reveal that conundrum
33:02nope not on song up here but who in the audience
33:06who in the audience
33:09nobody in the audience let's reveal this difficult countdown conundrum saucerful
33:14what's wrong with that saucerful
33:17very good
33:19well well done Debbie Jones well done you had him you had him
33:23within reach for a long long time and then he slipped away he slipped away so well done Debbie
33:29take this back to um Merthyr Tidville with our very best wishes and good luck in your chemistry degree
33:35excellent stuff well done thank you but now I must turn to young Jordan Barker she had you a little
33:41bit worried for a while but you pulled away in the end but well done Octo Cham we'll see you
33:46in the finals brilliant stuff brilliant stuff well done excellent stuff now then in the corner
33:55we'll see you tomorrow yes see you tomorrow for our last time I know you come back again
34:01I hope so all right see you tomorrow see you tomorrow join us tomorrow two new competitors
34:06and Pam airs last day with us so join us then same time same place you'll be sure of it
34:11very good
34:12afternoon contact us by email at countdown at channel 4.com by twitter at c4 countdown or write
34:20to us at countdown leads ls3 1js you can also find our webpage at channel 4.com forward slash countdown
34:31at nine o'clock tonight when long buried truths rise to the surface was awkward in the rather
34:37fantastic cucumber here on the floor deal or no deal is coming up next