Uploaded September 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"Des chiffres et des lettres" was a French television program which originally aired from 1965 to 2024. It was created by Armand Jammot and tests the numeracy skills and vocabulary of two contestants. It was one of the longest-running game shows in the world, and the inspiration for Countdown on Britain's Channel 4. The show came to an end on 25 August 2024 after a 52-year run; it aired at weekends during its last two years. An unsold pilot for a U.S. version titled Countdown was filmed on 18 September 1990 hosted by Los Angeles Radio personality Michael Jackson, announced by Charlie O'Donnell, and produced by the Guber-Peters Company.
The game debuted in 1965 as "Le mot le plus long" using letters only, and reached its present format in 1972. From 2004 to 2024, it was transmitted on France 3 after 39 years first on Antenne 2 and then France 2. It had been hosted since 1992 by Laurent Romejko, who was originally assisted by Arielle Boulin-Prat and Bertrand Renard, the latter two respectively checking words proposed by the contestants and providing solutions to the number problems the contestants fail to solve. Renard was hired on the show at the age of 19, after having won as a contestant in 12 consecutive matches. Starting on 17 September 2022, Boulin-Prat was replaced by Blandine Maire and Renard by Stéphane Crosnier, due to disputes over their salaries and the terms of their contracts.
There are, by the way, rumors that Channel 4 pressed pause on "8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown". It's been said that Channel 4 has been sitting on the current series since it was delivered last year and there are no plans to record a new series this year. "We have already shot episodes which are ready to air," said a spokeswoman. "To keep the show current we will shoot further episodes nearer transmission." Channel 4 wasn’t able to say when the new episodes will be shot.
"Des chiffres et des lettres" was a French television program which originally aired from 1965 to 2024. It was created by Armand Jammot and tests the numeracy skills and vocabulary of two contestants. It was one of the longest-running game shows in the world, and the inspiration for Countdown on Britain's Channel 4. The show came to an end on 25 August 2024 after a 52-year run; it aired at weekends during its last two years. An unsold pilot for a U.S. version titled Countdown was filmed on 18 September 1990 hosted by Los Angeles Radio personality Michael Jackson, announced by Charlie O'Donnell, and produced by the Guber-Peters Company.
The game debuted in 1965 as "Le mot le plus long" using letters only, and reached its present format in 1972. From 2004 to 2024, it was transmitted on France 3 after 39 years first on Antenne 2 and then France 2. It had been hosted since 1992 by Laurent Romejko, who was originally assisted by Arielle Boulin-Prat and Bertrand Renard, the latter two respectively checking words proposed by the contestants and providing solutions to the number problems the contestants fail to solve. Renard was hired on the show at the age of 19, after having won as a contestant in 12 consecutive matches. Starting on 17 September 2022, Boulin-Prat was replaced by Blandine Maire and Renard by Stéphane Crosnier, due to disputes over their salaries and the terms of their contracts.
There are, by the way, rumors that Channel 4 pressed pause on "8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown". It's been said that Channel 4 has been sitting on the current series since it was delivered last year and there are no plans to record a new series this year. "We have already shot episodes which are ready to air," said a spokeswoman. "To keep the show current we will shoot further episodes nearer transmission." Channel 4 wasn’t able to say when the new episodes will be shot.
![Countdown S94E16 [8814] - Ciphers and Letters (2026-07-20)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xAF4SWxIoU8/mqdefault.jpg "Countdown S94E16 [8814] - Ciphers and Letters (2026-07-20)
Colin Murray, Rachel Riley and Susie Dent host, with Justin Moorhouse in Dictionary Corner, as contestants race against the clock to pit their wits against vowels, consonants and numbers [https://www.channel4.com/programmes/countdown]
Justin Moorhouse is a guest on Countdown. He is a stand-up comedian, radio DJ and actor from Manchester. He starred in Phoenix Nights and as Spleen in the 2009 film, Looking for Eric.
From 30 January to 3 February 2023, his debut week saw him as the first debut guest under Colin Murrays tenure as a full-time presenter. [https://wiki.apterous.org/Justin_Moorhouse]")
