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00:10Good afternoon and welcome to the Countdown Studio and of course it's that time of year.
00:16What time of year? Well it's that time of year when a great slew of course everybody's getting
00:21ready for Christmas and what better time to launch a book. Now published today comedian
00:27Joe Lycett who will be with us in Dictionary Corner actually tomorrow. He's got a book out
00:31and so has musician and singer Phil Collins and it's an autobiography in his case called
00:39Not Dead Yet. Kenneth Clarke our ex-chancellor of many years ago his political memoir is out
00:46but the big news is that today there's a book that's published it's hot off the press it's
00:53dense modern tribes and who's written it? Susie Dent. Our very own Susie Dent. Can't
01:02wait to read it. Oh thank you. Well done. Thank you. Now do I have a favourite sort of book?
01:07Well the one that's sort of predominantly read at the moment is Stalin's Englishman a story
01:15of Guy Burgess the infamous spy on the Cambridge spy network and what a rogue he was. So I love
01:25I love
01:26fact rather than fiction. What about you? Well I don't have too much time for reading stuff I've just
01:31got into audiobooks actually so while I'm driving I can you know listen to something interesting on
01:35the way so I've um last year Sir Alex Ferguson had his book out leading and I thought that was
01:40absolutely fascinating it was narrated by someone with a Scottish accent so you really feel like
01:45Sir Alex is talking to you and then I've got this other audiobook which was something about it was a
01:49football managers book and it was narrated by if you can imagine Lloyd Grossman in robot form
01:56exactly anyway good luck Susie we shall congratulate her in a moment but first of all we've got to
02:03congratulate Andrew McLeod for being here with seven wins under his belt well done thank you well done
02:09now you're joined today and don't let us down Andrew maybe Peter Andrews will let you down
02:15Peter is a retired civil servant from Swansea loves his cycling he's bird watching playing table tennis
02:20at the Penland Table Tennis Club and once went to Machu Picchu it's a while ago now was it impressive
02:27when you went it was indeed was it crowded out with tourists or was it quite a lot yes but
02:32I walked up to
02:33the uh Inca gate yes and uh there's nobody there well that's something to cross off the the old wish
02:40list
02:40isn't it yeah Machu Picchu well done that's a big round of applause then for Peter and Andrew
02:51and over there in the corner we've got um Susie Susie good luck with the book I hope it fills
02:56many a Christmas
02:57stocking and you're joined of course by the wonderful Brendan Cole of course for his last uh
03:03his last outing with us yes all right thank you so much but now it's down to very serious business
03:10particularly for young a McLeod Andrew it's a letters game hi Rachel hi Andrew can I have a consonant
03:17please thank you start with S and a vowel U and a consonant N and a vowel I and a
03:30consonant R and a vowel A
03:35and a consonant J and a vowel E and a consonant and the last one N
03:46and here's the countdown clock
03:51so
03:59so
04:05so
04:06so
04:06so
04:15so
04:16so
04:19andrew
04:19andrew
04:20seven a seven peter seven thank you Andrew Sonia
04:26Peter
04:27Sonia
04:28can you show that to Andrew there we are
04:31and
04:32what have we got we've got a seven and it is injures
04:36thank you well done anything else Susie no that was our best all right well done thank you Brandon
04:41seven a piece and it's Peter's letters game Peter
04:44a consonant please Rachel
04:47thank you Peter
04:48D
04:49and another
04:52S
04:53and a vowel please
04:55O
04:57and a consonant
04:59T
05:01and a vowel please
05:02A
05:03A
05:05and another vowel
05:05E
05:08and a consonant
05:09V
05:12and another consonant
05:14N
05:16and a final consonant
05:18and a final F
05:21T
05:22T
05:22T
05:22T
05:53Peter?
05:54Six.
05:55A six.
05:55Andrew?
05:56Six.
05:57Peter?
05:58Mastered.
05:59And?
06:00Staved.
06:01And staved?
06:02Yes, good sixes.
06:04Much as we could do as well.
06:06A few sixes in there.
06:07Motored is another one.
06:08Yes.
06:10Yeah, but if there was a seven, we haven't found it yet, Nick.
06:13Staved?
06:14Staved off hunger.
06:15Yeah, is it not always staved off?
06:20Yes, but you can still have it.
06:21It's still in the dictionary.
06:22Although I suppose you could refer to the garden staves as well, possibly, couldn't you?
06:29Wooden posts or planks in a structure.
06:32So you could use it in that sense too.
06:34But yeah, it's often to stave something off or to stave something in to break it by piercing it.
06:38All right.
06:39Thirteen points apiece.
06:41And now, Andrew, it's your numbers game.
06:43Good luck.
06:44Can I have two large and four small, please?
06:45You can.
06:46Another two large.
06:47Four little ones for you.
06:48Thank you, Andrew.
06:49And for the first time today, the numbers are nine, seven, eight, four, and the large one, 75, and 100.
06:57And the target, 525.
07:00525.
07:02525.
07:02525.
07:32Yes, Andrew.
07:34525.
07:35525, Peter.
07:36525.
07:38Thank you, Andrew.
07:4075 times seven.
07:41I think we can all work that one out.
07:43And Peter?
07:4375 times seven.
07:4523 points apiece.
07:46And we turn to our first tea time teaser, which is I am clean.
07:51And the clue.
07:52I am all clean.
07:53Now I can put on some skin lotion.
07:55I am all clean.
07:57Now I can put on some skin lotion.
08:18And the answer is calamine.
08:24Calamine lotion, which in the old days you used to put on if you had been sunburned.
08:2923 points apiece.
08:31Peter?
08:33Letters came.
08:34Thank you, Rachel.
08:36Consonant, please.
08:37Thank you, Peter.
08:39R.
08:40And another.
08:42Q.
08:43And another.
08:45G.
08:46And a vowel, please.
08:49O.
08:50And another.
08:51U.
08:53And consonant.
08:56D.
08:58And another consonant.
09:00B.
09:01And a vowel.
09:04A.
09:06And another vowel.
09:07And the last one.
09:09E.
09:10And here's the countdown clock.
09:12E.
09:13E.我不
09:14E.
09:23E.
09:24E.
09:25E.
09:27E.
09:43Peter, what do you make of that?
09:44Seven.
09:45A seven.
09:46Andrew?
09:46Seven.
09:48Peter?
09:48Baroque.
09:50Baroque and?
09:51Brogued.
09:53And brogued.
09:55Brogue's certainly in there.
09:57Can you be brogued?
09:59Oh, Andrew, it's not there, I'm afraid.
10:01It would need to be specified as an adjective, and it's not.
10:04I've been kicked by a brogue.
10:05Does that not count as brogued?
10:06I've been brogued.
10:07I believe.
10:07Yeah, it hurts.
10:08Yeah, not there as a verb either, I'm afraid.
10:10It sounds painful.
10:11Yeah, what?
10:13All right, 30 points to Peter, Andrew on 23.
10:17This is an unusual place to find yourself, Andrew.
10:19It's your letters game, though.
10:21Can I have a consonant, please?
10:23Thank you, Andrew.
10:24W.
10:25And another.
10:27T.
10:28And another.
10:30S.
10:31And a vowel.
10:33O.
10:34And another.
10:36I.
10:37And another.
10:38E.
10:40And a consonant.
10:41P.
10:42And another.
10:44L.
10:46And a vowel, please.
10:47And the last one.
10:49I.
10:51And the clock starts now.
10:53O.
10:54T.
10:54I.
11:15And a vowel.
11:22And a vowel.
11:24Andrew.
11:25Seven.
11:26Of seven, Peter?
11:27Six.
11:28You're six?
11:29Polite.
11:30Polite and oiliest?
11:33Yes.
11:34Fine.
11:36Good for seven.
11:37Brendan and Susie, what have you concocted between you?
11:40You've got a good...
11:41Polities.
11:42Yes.
11:43Yes.
11:43Eight.
11:44Very good.
11:45Yes.
11:46A polity is a formal process of civil government or constitution,
11:50and plural is polities.
11:52Yeah.
11:52Organised societies.
11:54Well done.
11:55All right.
11:5530 apiece.
11:56Well done, Peter.
11:57Now it's your numbers game.
11:59One large and five small, please.
12:01Thank you, Peter.
12:02One from the top and five litmans coming up.
12:04And for this round, the numbers are eight, seven, three, ten, seven, and 75.
12:13And the target, 646.
12:15Six, four, six.
12:16Six, four, six.
12:47Peter.
12:48No.
12:49Lost it right at the end.
12:51How about Andrew?
12:52Six, four, six.
12:53Six, four, six.
12:55So, Andrew.
12:5675 plus seven is 82.
12:5882.
12:59Times eight.
13:00Is 656.
13:02I'm going to subtract the ten.
13:03Six, four, six.
13:04Lovely.
13:04Yeah.
13:05Well done.
13:06Well done.
13:09A ten point lead for you, Andrew.
13:1242, Peter.
13:13His 30s.
13:14We turned to Brandon.
13:15And Brandon, years ago, you left New Zealand to come here.
13:19I did.
13:19But you get back again because there's a draw.
13:21It's home.
13:22What is it about New Zealand everybody loves?
13:25Who have been there?
13:25Well, I thought I'd tell you a little story about an experience I had with New Zealand.
13:29Once I'd left there, I think when you're living anywhere, you tend just to stick within your comfort zone, I
13:34suppose.
13:34And I went back there kind of as a tourist.
13:36I was judging New Zealand, dancing with the stars.
13:38So, I was kind of there working.
13:40Had all this free time.
13:41My wife and I, which was my girlfriend at the time, we went on a little trip down to a
13:45place called Queenstown in the bottom of the...
13:48Down south, right down the south of the South Island.
13:50On this particular day, we went to a restaurant, a little pizzeria, and we were sitting in there.
13:55And lo and behold, a mouse ran across the beam in front of us.
13:58And, of course, you're in a restaurant.
13:59It's a bit like, well, can I keep a bit of mice?
14:00So, the owners of this particular place were absolutely mortified.
14:05And we got to chatting with them.
14:06And we ended up having a bit of a lock-in with them.
14:08And we're there until 2 o'clock in the morning having this phenomenal chat about all sorts of things.
14:12And they said to us, listen, we're going on a helicopter trip tomorrow, going fishing off the coast.
14:18Would you like to join us?
14:19Let me tell you, it's one of the most incredible days I've ever had.
14:23And it was on my doorstep all that time when I was growing up there.
14:26We flew across the mountain range.
14:28We landed on a rock in the middle of the ocean.
14:30There was a seal flapping around in the rock as we were chucking the lines off and fishing.
14:35It's just a phenomenal thing.
14:36And I wanted to share that because it was a magical day for me.
14:39And I think more people should enjoy and experience magical days.
14:43All started by a mouse running across a beam in a restaurant.
14:46Thanks very much.
14:47Well done.
14:48Well done.
14:53So, 40 points to Andrew.
14:5530 for Peter as we turn to Andrew again for your letters game.
14:59Can I have a consonant, please?
15:01Thank you, Andrew.
15:02R.
15:02And another.
15:04S.
15:06And another.
15:08D.
15:09And a vowel.
15:11A.
15:12And another.
15:13E.
15:14And another.
15:16I.
15:17And a consonant.
15:19N.
15:20And another.
15:22R.
15:23And a vowel, please.
15:25And the last one.
15:26O.
15:28Countdown.
15:29One.
15:30One.
15:41One.
15:43And another.
15:59Andrew.
16:00Nine.
16:01Nine.
16:02Peter.
16:03Nine.
16:05Right.
16:06Andrew.
16:07Ordainers.
16:08And?
16:09Ordainers.
16:11Yeah.
16:12Well done.
16:18Very good.
16:19And we assume it's OK, Susie?
16:22It's absolutely fine.
16:24It's excellent.
16:25Yes, really, really good to get a nine.
16:26Susie was on the money as well.
16:28I was obviously sitting here thinking about New Zealand, but...
16:31Very good.
16:32Thank you very much.
16:32Well done, guys.
16:3358 plays 48.
16:35And, Peter, your letters came down.
16:38Farewell, please, Rachel.
16:39Thank you, Peter.
16:40E.
16:41And another.
16:43U.
16:44And the consonant.
16:46X.
16:48And another.
16:49S.
16:50And another.
16:52N.
16:53And a vowel, please.
16:55A.
16:56And another.
16:58O.
17:00And consonant, please.
17:03F.
17:04And another consonant.
17:05And lastly, N.
17:08Stand by.
17:25And a vowel, please.
17:26And a vowel, please.
17:27And a vowel, please.
17:27And a vowel, please.
17:29And a vowel, please.
17:29And a vowel, please.
17:29And a vowel, please.
17:29And a vowel, please.
17:29And a vowel, please.
17:30And a vowel, please.
17:40Peter.
17:42Five.
17:43A five from Peter.
17:44Andrew?
17:45Six.
17:46And a six.
17:47Peter?
17:48Faxes.
17:49Faxes now then.
17:51The six of yours.
17:52Unsafe.
17:53Well done.
17:55Unsafe.
17:56Yeah, really good to get a six out of that horrible selection.
17:59Well done.
18:00How do we manage in the corner?
18:02Brendan and Susie, anything else?
18:04A couple of fives.
18:05Snafu and eons.
18:08All right.
18:0964 to 48.
18:11Well done, Andrew.
18:12And it's now your numbers game.
18:15Too large and four small, please.
18:17Thank you, Andrew.
18:18Too large for a little coming up.
18:20And this time they are three, nine, two, one.
18:25And the big ones, 125.
18:28And this target, 120.
18:32One, two, zero.
18:38Two, zero.
18:39Two, zero.
18:40Alt form.
18:40Okay.
19:04Andrew.
19:051.20.
19:06Yes, and Peter?
19:071.20.
19:08Let's get this over with.
19:10Andrew.
19:129 plus 1 is 10.
19:13Is 10.
19:14Times 2 is 20.
19:15Yep.
19:15Add 100.
19:16Quite a few ways for this one.
19:17There we go.
19:18Peter?
19:19Different.
19:20100 plus 25 minus 2 plus 3.
19:24Lovely.
19:25Another 10 points.
19:26Thank you very much.
19:27And there we are.
19:2974 plays 58 as we turn to our final tea tongue teaser, which is Faye Mince.
19:35And the clue, Faye would often mince around.
19:38She was full of this.
19:39Faye would often just mince around.
19:41She was full of this.
19:445.
19:58Welcome back.
19:59I left you with a clue.
20:00Faye would often mince around.
20:02She was full of this.
20:03She was full of feminacy.
20:07Feminacy.
20:0874 plays 58, and it's Peter's Letters game.
20:10A consonant, please do it all.
20:12Thank you, Peter.
20:14R.
20:15And another.
20:17M.
20:19And another.
20:21C.
20:22And a vowel, please.
20:24I.
20:25And another.
20:27E.
20:28And consonant.
20:31D.
20:32And another.
20:35M.
20:36And a vowel.
20:39A.
20:40And another vowel.
20:42And the last one.
20:44O.
20:46And the clock starts now.
20:47Election.
20:51Dекенные fossil Evchy.
20:52And another vowel.
21:08And evaluation.
21:14And another vowel.
21:15Clues.
21:15You.
21:16You.
21:17You.
21:17You.
21:18Yes, Peter?
21:19Seven.
21:20A seven. Andrew?
21:21Seven.
21:22Peter?
21:23Crammed.
21:24And?
21:25Crammed.
21:26Both crammed.
21:27Crammed seven in there.
21:30Now, Brendan?
21:31We can't do more than a seven.
21:33Unfortunately, we're crammed, obviously.
21:34Comrade.
21:35Yeah.
21:36Comrade and Mercado.
21:38Yes.
21:39Mercado.
21:40Mercado, yes.
21:40Market in Spanish-speaking countries.
21:43Yeah, I dare say it is in Spanish-speaking countries.
21:45Supermarcado.
21:45Is it in our dictionary?
21:46It is.
21:47Why?
21:50Possibly because of the amount of expats living in Spain.
21:54I'm not sure.
21:55You need to know where it is.
21:56You've got to ask.
21:56I need to go to the Supermarcado.
21:58It's very important to know it.
22:00All right.
22:0281 plays 65.
22:03Andrew's in the lead, and it's Andrew's letters game now.
22:06Can I have a consonant, please?
22:07Thank you, Andrew.
22:09S.
22:10And a vowel.
22:12I.
22:13And a consonant.
22:15T.
22:15E.
22:16And a vowel.
22:18E.
22:19And a consonant.
22:21R.
22:22And a vowel.
22:24A.
22:25And a consonant.
22:27N.
22:28And a vowel.
22:31O.
22:31And a final consonant, please.
22:35And a final N.
22:37Stand by.
22:39And a vowel.
22:57And a vowel.
22:57And a vowel.
22:58And a vowel.
22:58And a vowel.
22:58And a vowel.
22:58And a vowel.
22:58And a vowel.
22:58And a vowel.
22:59And a vowel.
22:59And a vowel.
23:04And a vowel.
23:10andrew eight and eight peter eight two eights thank you andrew notarize and peter notaries
23:19notaries yes that's absolutely fine very good yeah and brendan and susie got the brains beside
23:27me two nines anointers and re-anoints very good well done
23:39well done thank you well done thanks susie 89 to 73 andrew's in the lead as we turn to you
23:48susie
23:48for more of your wonderful origins of words and today i'd say i have to thank jez stafford
23:56who emailed in to ask about the origin of the word plonk i don't know whether he particularly
24:03likes a bottle of good plonk if good plonk isn't a contradiction in terms um but it's so fixed a
24:09part of our our lexicon really that it might surprise you to know that actually originated
24:14in australia possibly in new zealand as well and um in australia certainly at some point you might
24:21have heard about the plonk bar for a wine bar plonk shop um especially a sort of cheap and cheerful
24:28wine shop uh plonking up was getting ready for a party getting all the wine in and to be plonko
24:35was
24:36to be totally intoxicated i should be doing this with a proper accent sorry um but where did it come
24:41from originally and all the evidence points to uh france and the uh soldiers fighting in france during
24:49the first world war where they would come into contact with lots of french inevitably uh but their
24:53language skills weren't uh always of the best again understandably and so they would meet this
24:58these french phrases and they would produce some sort of mangled english version so i remember my
25:03mum would very often say san ferrian if she was being quite stoical comes from her french san
25:09ferrian it doesn't matter and so a lot of these french phrases slipped into english but in completely
25:14unrecognizable form going back to plonk probably what was happening was that the british soldiers and
25:19australian soldiers probably were sitting in france and they were enjoying what they called the ring
25:24blong at some point or the van blong uh bottles of wine which of course were regularly drunk in france
25:31of an evening they would go on their days off and enjoy a bottle uh weren't always of the best
25:37quality
25:37perhaps so van blong uh was uh became van blonk uh for the english speakers and then eventually was
25:44somehow morphed into plonk went back to australia first because it wasn't really a custom in england
25:49at that time to drink wine in the evening certainly amongst uh the aristocrats possibly
25:54uh but it was much more common in australia of course they were producing their own wine so it
25:58stayed in australia for a very long time before coming back here not at least because of novels
26:03like neville shoots a town called alice set in australia and eventually it passed and we still talk
26:08about plonk uh possibly um although i think for me it still has resonances of um uh abigail's party
26:15in that kind of era uh but anyway van blong gave us plonk just as san ferrian gave us san
26:21ferrian my mother's favorite phrase thank you very much well done
26:30very good well done 89 plays 73 and peter let us game consonant please rachel thank you peter
26:39t and another t and another h and another s and another r and the vowel please i and another
26:55a and
26:58another e and another e and another vowel o and a final consonant and a final p stand by
27:10so
27:26so
27:41Well, Peter?
27:42Six.
27:44Andrew?
27:45Eight.
27:47And an eight.
27:47Peter?
27:48Er, poster.
27:51Andrew?
27:52Hooriest.
27:54Hooriest, yes.
27:55The hooriest frost.
27:56Absolutely fine.
27:59And in the corner?
28:00You're going to like the corner today.
28:02Three nines that she writes in book.
28:04She's got three nines.
28:05See what I did there.
28:06Atrophies.
28:07Nines.
28:08Atrophies.
28:09Look at this.
28:10Sousie.
28:10Yes.
28:16Brilliant.
28:17Brilliant.
28:18Well done.
28:18And you put your hand out as though you're attributing this to Brendan.
28:22Well done, Brendan.
28:23I've given so much to this episode.
28:26Atrophies.
28:27Fantastic.
28:28This is clever.
28:28Well, may your muscles never atrophy, Brendan, otherwise you'll be in terrible trouble.
28:33Sorry.
28:3497 to 73.
28:37Andrew's on the cusp there of scoring 100 as we go into the final letters game.
28:41Andrew?
28:42Can I have a consonant, please?
28:43Thank you, Andrew.
28:45And another.
28:47R.
28:48And another.
28:50L.
28:52And a vowel.
28:53I.
28:55And another.
28:56U.
28:57And another.
28:58I.
29:00And a consonant.
29:03T.
29:04And another.
29:06S.
29:07And a vowel, please.
29:09And lastly.
29:11E.
29:13Countdown.
29:14T.
29:15T.
29:16T.
29:17T.
29:19And a vowel.
29:20T.
29:20T.
29:21T.
29:22T.
29:45Andrew, stick with a seven.
29:47A seven, Peter.
29:48I'll try an eight.
29:49Good man.
29:51So, Andrew, revisit.
29:53Revisit and, Peter.
29:54Virilist.
29:56Virilist.
29:56Ooh, I don't think that's going to be specified as a superlative.
30:02It's not, I'm afraid.
30:04Sorry.
30:05Sorry, Peter.
30:06No.
30:07Good try, Peter.
30:08Yeah.
30:09What can we have?
30:10What can we have there?
30:11Brendan, Susie?
30:12You can have an eight.
30:13You can have utiliser.
30:15Very good.
30:21Anything else, Susie?
30:23Virtues for seven.
30:25I like virtues because they originally were thought of as being manly, linked to virile.
30:29Quite.
30:30Comes from Latin, yeah.
30:31All right.
30:31Not true, of course.
30:32So, Andrew, well done.
30:33104.
30:33Peter, strong stuff.
30:3473.
30:35And now it's your numbers game.
30:37Last one.
30:39One large and five small, please, Rachel.
30:41Thank you, Peter.
30:42One from the top.
30:42Five, a little to finish today.
30:45And this election is three, five, nine, six, eight, and 100.
30:52And the target, 640.
30:55Six, four, zero.
31:27peter 640 640 andrew 640 thank you peter uh six times 100 600 eight times five asia 40
31:39and adam on there we go all right andrew exactly the same and so well done andrew 114 well done
31:46and peter 83 and i think i'm right in saying that you're the highest scoring loser to to to andrew
31:53so
31:53well done as we go into the final round fingers on buzzers let's have today's countdown conundrum
32:23andrew peachiest peachiest let's see whether you're right peachiest
32:33wow very good
32:40well done well done we'll come back to you in a second peter andrews that was great performance
32:46actually 83 because you know you're up against an octo champ and uh they're very good players but
32:52you're not about there either thanks for coming you take this goodie bag back to swansea with our
32:57very best wishes and good luck with the table tennis as well thank you all right now then andrew
33:03well done congratulations you are third highest seed in the series and we shall see you in the
33:09finals congratulations thank you great performance well done thanks
33:18well done indeed and we shall see you tomorrow as you see with the new contestants sadly brendan we
33:25have to sort of say cheerio to you you come back and see us soon when you're free of all
33:31your
33:31light-footed commitment craziness thank you very much it's been a pleasure having you here thank you
33:36it always is and uh see you tomorrow susie see you tomorrow and tomorrow who have we got we've got
33:42young joe lysett who is also i think on 8 out of 10 cats occasionally he is indeed and i've
33:48gone to
33:48see his stand-up as well which is hilarious is he good he'll have to edit quite a lot of
33:52it out for
33:52daytime tv oh we shall see you tomorrow we look forward to seeing him all right same time same
33:58place you'll be sure of it two new contestants and somebody else in dictionary corner that'll be
34:03young joe lysett good afternoon contact us by email at countdown at channel four dot com
34:10by twitter at c4 countdown or write to us at countdown leads ls3 1js you can also find our
34:18web page of channel four dot com forward slash countdown clever use of an amazing space a cricket
34:27score box is turned into a hangout in the garden at eight o'clock tonight but coming up the pilgrims
34:32and the boxes noel's inviting you to join in today's deal or no deal
34:37you
34:39you
34:43you
34:44you
34:47you