Countdown (game show)

:For other meanings of the term countdown, see Countdown (disambiguation).

History

Countdown is based on the French game show Des Chiffres et des Lettres (Digits and Letters). It was originally broadcast in the Yorkshire Television ITV region as Calendar Countdown – Calendar being that region's local news magazine show which was, at the time, fronted by Whiteley. The programme was seen by Cecil Korer, who had been appointed Head of Light Entertainment at the soon-to-be-launched Channel 4. Korer quickly entered into negotiations with the French format owners to bring the show to a wider audience, with the result that Countdown became the first show to be aired on Channel 4 when the station launched at 4.45pm on 2 November 1982. After the death of Whiteley, Sir Jeremy Isaacs, the then head of Channel 4, said that he had been the one to decide to bring over the French programme and had only then learnt of YTV's programme.

Related Topics:
French - Des Chiffres et des Lettres - Yorkshire Television - ITV - Calendar - Cecil Korer - 2 November - 1982 - Jeremy Isaacs

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Yorkshire Television, now part of the Granada Television group, still makes Countdown for Channel Four. Since the new Granada Productions company structure came into force on 1 November 2004, the show has been credited as a Granada Yorkshire production.

Related Topics:
Granada Television - Granada Productions - 1 November - 2004

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Originally, Richard was assisted by not one but four "hostesses" - Vorderman, Kathy Hytner, Dr Linda Barrett and Beverley Isherwood. This arrangement was much-mocked, with critics quick to point out that four regulars were surplus to requirements, and Barratt and Isherwood were axed at the end of 1983. Hytner remained with the show until 1987, being replaced first by Karen Loughlin and then by Lucy Summers, but neither of these remained with the show for long, so in 1989 Carol Vorderman became the sole hostess, and remains so to this day. The other main change in the programme's format came in 2001, when it expanded from its traditional 30-minute slot to 45 minutes, with two commercial breaks instead of one.

Related Topics:
1983 - 1987 - 1989 - 2001

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As well as the regular presenters, each episode has a guest from the world of light entertainment in "Dictionary Corner", who provides additional entertainment before the first commercial break of each programme. These entertainments take various forms and have included jokes, show business anecdotes, poems, puzzles and magic tricks.

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At the time of writing (early 2005) the programme is broadcast from 3.15pm to 4.00pm every weekday, with each programme repeated in the early hours of the morning about two and a half days later. Probably as a result of its timeslot, the show is most popular amongst the elderly and students, both groups being well represented in the mix of contestants.

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In 2001, Countdown introduced the teatime teaser -- an eight-(originally seven-)letter anagram similar to the conundrum, set as a puzzle for the viewers over the commercial break (the goal presumably being to minimise channel hopping). Whiteley gave an (often punning) clue to the answer just before the break. Since this was often written for him by the producers, amusement would sometimes stem from Whiteley not understanding the clue himself. A forerunner of the teatime teaser had appeared from 1999 to 2000, when the show was sponsored by healthfoods manufacturer Seven Seas. Their sponsorship bumpers each side of the ad break would feature an anagram in the same fashion as the later "teasers", though this was down to the sponsor and nothing to do with the show itself.

Related Topics:
1999 - 2000 - Seven Seas

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Countdown, like most of the "old guard" of British game shows, is never so much about winning prizes as simply competing (and possibly showing off to the nation how smart you are). The current prize fund tends to be a board game and other assorted items for every contestant (and even this is significantly more generous than the prizes available when the show started) and a full Oxford English Dictionary for the series winner.

Related Topics:
Board game - Oxford English Dictionary

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Whiteley's banter with the contestants would occasionally sound uncomfortable, sometimes even to foot-in-mouth proportion (such as referring to himself and guest adjudicator Richard Stilgoe as "a pair of Dicks"), however, it became legendary for its pun content. It is still not certain how much of this content was written professionally and how much by Whiteley himself (though the contestant introductions, which invariably ended with multiple puns, are known to have been written by the producers), but this has led to him being described by many as the "Pun King".

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The show is probably best known in America for its appearance in the 2002 Hugh Grant movie About a Boy.

Related Topics:
America - 2002 - Hugh Grant - About a Boy

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In July 2004 it was announced that both Whiteley and Vorderman had extended their contracts to present the show until 2009. When Whiteley fell ill with Pneumonia in 2005, guest presenters were drafted in as hosts to fill his spot, however filming with these guest hosts was postponed, and ultimately cancelled, after Whiteley's death in June 2005. The news was shocking for everyone concerned as there had never been a time when anyone involved with the show considered the fact that Whiteley would not recover and return to the show, and Vorderman was devastated by his death. After a meeting that lasted throughout the night following the news, it was decided that, after the cancelling of that day's show, the remaining editions that Whiteley had recorded before falling ill (five in all) would air in tribute. The show then went on an extended hiatus, with a lot of uncertainty regarding if the show would return at all. In July 2005 it was announced by Vorderman http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4711859.stm that the series would return with a permanent replacement host.

Related Topics:
July - 2004 - 2009 - Pneumonia - 2005 - June - Hiatus

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In August 2005, there were rumours that Des Lynam and Paul Merton had been shortlisted for the role of new presenter. http://tinyurl.com/96bjd Lynam was named as host for the show as of September 24, 2005.

Related Topics:
August - 2005 - Des Lynam - Paul Merton

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