Countdown Game Show - Number Rounds (25 October 2023)

Colin Murray and Rachel Riley host as contestants race against the clock to pit their wits against vowels, consonants and numbers. Mark Watson joins Susie Dent in Dictionary Corner. Each day two contestants compete in 15 rounds of words and numbers to become the Countdown Champion.
#Channel4 #Countdown
BACKGROUND
Countdown is the channel’s longest running show and the first show ever broadcast on Channel 4 when it launched 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. This year marks the shows 51st anniversary.
Playlist: • The Original Countdown...
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: • Series 23 - 8oo10cdc (...

[@raykincaid]

Bjoern - many thanks for posting these videos. They are the best parts of Countdown in my opinion and I love to play along in Canada. cheers!

[@crystalaustralia]

Thank you, Bjoern! I concur 😊

[@leonhardeuler675]

100 x 10 = 1000 / 4 = 250 + 6 + 7 + 9 = 272 (favourite solve for a while)

[@peterkwan1448]

For the first one, I got a factoring solution as: 75 + 1 = 76 76 x 6 = 456 456 + 7 = 463 463 x 2 = 926 For the second round, it is easy if you get the multiple of 9: 7 x 10 = 70 100 - 70 = 30 30 x 9 = 270 6 - 4 = 2 270 + 2 =272 For the third round, there are many ways, and I found a factoring solution as well, since 207 is divisible by 9: 100 / 4 = 25 25 - 2 = 23 23 x 9 = 207

[@dcnole]

Other than the third game, which was super easy, this was a tough day of numbers games! For each of the other 3, I saw how to get one away within 5 seconds, but couldn't find the exact solution. I think have a bit of a blind spot for those solutions where you need to multiply the big number by one small number, then add/subtract the product, then multiply by another small number.

[@ticijevish]

Ditto. I just also managed to get the second number, 272 with 2 seconds to spare.

[@alanshand829]

I guess it just depends on how you are thinking about it. For the 4th round because there was a target in the 900's and a 50. I was looking for 20 which was 4X5, and then needed to remove 23 which was 4X6-1. Because the 4 overlapped I knew that I needed to do the x20 in stages with the subtraction between them. For the first round I was 1 out and the second round there's an easier way with 100(9-6)+(4*7). in 30 seconds if you start down the wrong track its hard to switch.

[@timkokesh1968]

The first problem has a second, similar solution: add 10 to 450 to get 460, multiply by 2 (920) and 7-1 is the 6. I also found a wonderfully perverted way to get 207: 100 / 4 = 25 25 - 10 + 8 = 23 23 x 9 = 207

[@boybawang1981]

75+1 = 76X6 = 456+7 = 463X2 = 926 75X6 = 450+10 = 460X2 = 920 7-1 = 6+920 = 926 9X4 = 36+100 = 136 10-7 = 3 6÷3 = 2X136 = 272 100-9 = 91÷7 = 13+4 = 17 10+6 = 16X17 = 272 100÷4 = 25-2 = 23X9 = 207 9+4 = 13 100+10 = 110X2 = 220-13 = 207 50X5 = 250-6 = 244X4 = 976+1 = 977

[@ShDynasty_Comma_To_The_Top]

272: 9-6=3 3x100=300 7x4=28 300-28=272 207: 2x100=200 200+10+9-8-4

[@Adamdow95]

9 - 6 = 3 3 x 100 = 300 7 x 4 = 28 (300 - 28 = 272) 100 + 8 = 108 108 x 2 = 216 (216 - 9 = 207)

[@quizmaster85]

For 207: 100 + 4 = 104 104 × 2 = 208 9 - 8 = 1 208 - 1 = *_207_*

[@RichPAFC1987]

9-6=3 100*3=300 7*4=28 300-28=272 I saw that one farily quickly.

[@easternbrown]

Also for 926 without using the ten: (75+1)*6=456 (456+7)*2=926

[@joanneaugust1489]

I have a tendency to overcomplicate these calculations - like the second one, where I made the 7 by subtracting 4 from 10, then 8 from 9, 6+1.

[@jacem37]

926 (2 x 75 =150) + (7 - 1 = 6) = 156 x 6 = 936 - 10 = *926

[@Jothamvvw]

926-> 75*6=450 450+10=460 460*2=920 920+7-1=926 272-> 9-6=3 3*100=300 4*7=28 300-28=272 The third one isn't worth the text, but the fourth was way too difficult for me.

[@user-wm3bf7pi3u]

Rachel is not happy when Colin makes the contestants look foolish by saying it was easy when neither one of them got it 6:29 absolute DAGGERS for eyes.

[@user-kz5wn4ig5t]

2:57

[@jacem37]

272 100 - (7 x 10) = 30 30 x 9 = 270 + (6 - 4) = *272

[@medusa_404]

207: 100 / 4 = 25 25 - 2 = 23 23 * 9 = 207 100 + 8 = 108 108 * 2 = 216 216 - 9 = 207 100 - 8 = 92 92 * 9 = 828 828 / 4 = 207

[@burritojimmy9609]

Keep it up and thanks

[@michaelfalkner1186]

I: Got 925 just after the bell same way the first contestant did. Oof, that one was tough for 926. II: NICE ONE on another toughie. Several ways I found to get close, but that was a good one! III: Couple of easy ways to get there. 9+8=17 17-10 is the 7 and you can figure out the rest. IV: At first, I thought I had it, and then it ended up like dcnole (I have the same blind spot!), one away quickly but couldn't get it.

[@easternbrown]

Also 207 = (100/4-2)*9

[@mrkrouwel]

(9-6)x100-(4x7)=272

[@simonrodgers8902]

For 207, I did 2*100=200 Then add (10-4)=6 and (9-8)=1 Anyone else get this?

[@nathanshine5534]

75*6=450+10=460 *2=920 7-1=6+920=926

[@user-sz6lo8kt2x]

6 times 9 is 54.

[@daviddesreumaux338]

272. 200-6=94. 7-4=3*94=282-10=272

[@user-sz6lo8kt2x]

7 times 10 is 70.

[@daviddesreumaux338]

207. 100+8=108*2=216-9=207

[@user-sz6lo8kt2x]

70 plus 100 is 170.

[@karelfinn2343]

Interesting that Rachel said she only found one way to solve the first one, because that implies I found an answer that she didn't, which is rare to say the least. 75 - 2 - 1 = 72, 7 + 6 = 13, 72 x 13 = 936, 936 - 10 = 926.

[@pauldobson2529]

That's the one I saw...well outside 30 seconds though. Second one was different from theirs...100 x (9 - 6) - 7 x 4 = 272, and Round 4 same as Rachel

[@user-sz6lo8kt2x]

50 times 5 is 250.

[@einSteppenwolf]

926=2×(6×(75+1)+7)

[@einSteppenwolf]

272=(100/4-9)×(10+7)

[@einSteppenwolf]

977=1+4×(5×50-6)

[@leonhardeuler675]

That's what Rachel did

[@tomkandy]

It's the only way other than the trivially similar 1+4×((10-5)×50-6)

[@Nullifidian]

In the first numbers round, I saw Rachel's solution, but I was surprised that she didn't see that if she could do what she did, she could also do this: 75 x 2 = 150 150 + 6 = 156 7 - 1 = 6 156 x 6 = 936 936 - 10 = 926 And another way of getting to 936 is: 75 - 2 - 1 = 72 7 + 6 = 13 72 x 13 = 936 936 - 10 = 926 In the second round, I saw Caroline's solution, and also had these based on factoring (17 x 2^4 = 272): 10 + 6 = 16 9 - 7 = 2 16 x 2 = 32 100 - 32 = 68 68 x 4 = 272 10 + 7 = 17 100 / 4 = 25 25 - 9 = 16 17 x 16 = 272 100 - 4 = 96 10 + 7 = 17 96 x 17 = 1632 1632 / 6 = 272 In the third numbers round, I saw both contestants' solutions, and also had these: 100 + 8 = 108 108 x 2 = 216 216 - 9 = 207 100 x 8 = 800 9 x 2 = 18 800 + 18 + 10 = 828 828 / 4 = 207 100 - 8 = 92 92 x 9 = 828 828 / 4 = 207 In the final numbers round, it was no joke about there being loads of dead ends. In fact, it's the _only_ viable solution, so I did spot it but I have nothing else to offer.

[@ricksimon9867]

The last one isn't even that difficult; the basic strategy works: divide by the numbers you already have. You have 50, means you need 20 which is 5x4, take it from there.

[@litigioussociety4249]

I tried to go by means of 90 (50+4*10) and struggled. It wasn't easy unless you found a correct path.

[@ricksimon9867]

@@litigioussociety4249 That is literally the opposite of what I suggested.

[@michaelfalkner1186]

Except some of us think you need 19.

[@ricksimon9867]

@@michaelfalkner1186 Again the opposite of what I wrote