Words and numbers game show

Countdown is the longest running programme on Channel 4. It was the very first programme to be broadcast on Channel 4 and it is still being shown today. It is presented by Richard Whiteley, who has been on the show from the very first programme, and co-presented by Carol Vorderman.

The format of the programme is as follows: Each programme features two contestants. Usually, one is a newcomer and the other is the winner of the previous day's programme. The rounds of the game alternate between letter rounds and number rounds. (The original French version of Countdown is in fact called "Numbers and Letters" in French.)

The letters round features one player choosing a set of nine vowels and consonants at random. Both players will then have 30 seconds to make the longest word they can using the letters given. The player with the longest valid word gets as many points as there are letters in their word.

In the numbers rounds, a player will chose a set of six numbers at random. They can choose between small numbers and large numbers. Once they have chosen their numbers, Carol Vorderman presses a button next to a display on a board that generates a three digit number. Using the basic rules of arithmetic, and the given numbers, the players must try to arrive at the number on the display. If they can do so they get 10 points.

The final round of an edition of Countdown is known as the Countdown Conundrum. This is a nine letter anagram in which a single nine letter word has been scrambled into another real word or group of words. The fact that the letters have been scrambled into real words adds to the difficulty. This round is a buzzer round in which the players must buzz in as soon as they work out what the answer is. If they are correct, they get 10 points. If they are wrong, their opponent gets the remaining time to think about the conundrum. If the scores are close enough so that the winner of the conundrum will win the whole programme, it is known as a "Crucial Conundrum". If the scores are tied before or after the conundrum, then repeated conundrums will be played out in a sudden death situation. The first player to solve a conundrum correctly will win.

Countdown was originally shown one series at a time. In 1996, this was changed and Countdown was shown all year round from then on. When one series ended on a Friday, the next series would begin the next Monday.

Countdown is made by Yorkshire Television for Channel 4.

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