Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Colin Murray and Rachel Riley host as contestants race against the clock to pit their wits against vowels, consonants and numbers. John Thomson joins Susie Dent in Dictionary Corner. Each day two contestants compete in 15 rounds of words and numbers to become the Countdown Champion.

John Patrick Thomson (born Patrick Francis McAleer; 2 April 1969) is an English comedian, narrator and actor best known for his roles in The Fast Show, Men Behaving Badly, Cold Feet, 24 Hour Party People, Grimsby and Coronation Street.

#Channel4 #Countdown


BACKGROUND
Countdown is the channel’s longest running show and the first show ever broadcast on Channel 4 when it launched over 40 years ago, in November 1982. The original version of Channel 4's Countdown is the French television programme « Des chiffres et des lettres » (literally "numbers and letters"), where the Numbers Round is referred to as « Le compte est bon » ("the total is right"). The show debuted in 1965 as « Le mot le plus long » using letters only, and reached its present format in 1972. The French version was cancelled in 2024.

Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUpgiXuylHjcrINLEeoO_ATx_N2LeU0gC


SPIN-OFF
"8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown" is hosted by Jimmy Carr, with Rachel Riley and Susie Dent assuming their Countdown roles. The formation of the crossover with "8 Out if 10 Cats" began as a series of specials, the first of which was broadcast on 2 January 2012, when Channel 4 orchestrated a special "mash-up night", merging two shows to form a special edition of the pair, as part of its 30th-anniversary celebrations eleven years ago.

Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUpgiXuylHjdIubu658JuqHEG4Qw0ZXgK