Inside Countdown & Swearing Around Children

[@TheRestIsEntertainment]

Watch Sweetpea now with Sky Stream, the new, simple way to get Sky. No dish. Next-day delivery. Cancel anytime. Visit sky.com.

[@sloveniadave]

The Guardian review says it's deathly dull.

[@OB1KXB]

The clock on Countdown probably wont light up all the way around, but the hand will go all the way around. There's a video of Cats does Countdown where Jimmy Carr activates the clock by accident and they reset it and you can see the hand go all the way around

[@rob57898]

was going to say that!

[@matthewomalley3]

Also, on Richard Whitley's Gotcha from Noel's House Party, in one of the clips the clock keeps ticking and the music keeps playing (obviously controlled fron the control room), but the hand stops moving. When they reset the clock supposedly to reshoot, the hand kept going without the music. It moved quickly like it would when you're winding an old analogue clock or watch.

[@videoeditorbloke]

@matthewomalley3 Was just going to post the same thing! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYavg5SQnpmDjqssi=PfUtpW17hDbsSjRl&t=2991

[@bazzakrak]

Was also going to point out that on severel episodes of Cats does, where we see the hands go all the way around, because they have to reset it

[@phueal]

Raises the question… At the end of each round when they reset it, does it complete its clockwise turn, or does it get wound backwards up to the top?

[@alanhill6974]

The Cantina Band from Star Wars Episode 4!

[@ILikeBirds80]

Brilliant!

[@meaninglesskibble]

The perfect fictional band - the band members are wearing costumes with masks so they're anonymous, and they can't play their instruments because the instruments are fictional too. Excellent!

[@dibdab101]

I grew up with the French version of Countdown (Des Chiffres Et Des Lettres which first incarnation originated in 1965, before being updated to the format we know today in 1972), and was shocked to discover that its very last episode was aired on 3rd September 2024. RIP😪...at least its British offspring is alive and well, long may it continue.

[@Elwaves2925]

There's an Australian version as well, which in the great tradition of no fuss Aussies is called Letters And Numbers. A direct translation from the French title of course but it always makes me smile how it tells you straight up what the show is about. Countdown could be anything.

[@KristineMaitland]

They forgot The Commitments.

[@rigsby1454]

Anti Irish

[@Elwaves2925]

I thought of them before Blues Brothers and Spinal Tap.

[@simoncooper2994]

Me too

[@sorscha1308]

Yes they did.

[@carguyuk7525]

Brilliant film.

[@gtc9966]

0:20 “We are Sex Bob-Omb and we are here to make you think about death and get sad and stuff!”

[@Cameronwatt]

1. The electric mayhem band - muppets 2. Tony Coca Cola and the roosters- driller killer 3. Mulligan & O'Hare - vic and bob

[@andycain4351]

I think there needs to be a book written where the Countdown clock can go from 30 to 60 seconds but everyone who sees it do so gets murdered and the murders are investigated by a group of pensioners that meets regularly. If only there was an experienced author who could take on this project .......

[@Elwaves2925]

Jimmy Carr as the murderer because....why not?

[@dannyquinn9128]

They could meet on Thursdays if they're all free.

[@buzzukfiftythree]

@@Elwaves2925I’d rather Jimmy Carr be the victim - that way whoever was reading the whodunnit would have to suffer less of his irritating mannerisms and laugh! 😊

[@RachelMay1989]

Honourable mention for The Oneders from 'That Thing You Do'.

[@barrycross8952]

Hey, that’s O-Ned-Ers.

[@KevinClairSoutham]

Good choice.

[@nixxie2390]

@@barrycross8952 I always say it as O-Need-ers in my head!!

[@nixxie2390]

Great choice - that movie is one of my al time faves.

[@zoranblackie5921]

Ah Catchphrase, I had the honour of doing the last season with Roy Walker, and also doing the set-up for his This is your Life by guessing that a set up animation meant 'A big surprise', followed by Michael Aspel rocking up on set... still got a holiday in Hawaii out of it, and the amazing Ted Rogers was the warmup guy who offered me a cheeky swig before filming the show... I present the 90's

[@YorkshireBusGuy]

Are you sure you don't mean Ted Robbins as he was the usual warmup?

[@zoranblackie5921]

@YorkshireBusGuy Sorry that's exactly who I meant, lovely fella...Ted Rogers was 321 and Dusty Bin

[@YorkshireBusGuy]

@@zoranblackie5921 Yeah Ted is a true pro. Done a lot on TV in front of and behind the camera and a nice guy by all accounts. Glad you had a great experience back in the day!

[@OldCharlieRum1903]

The Ruttles

[@davidmurray1682]

"Get up and go"

[@longjonwhite]

They’d have never got anywhere without Leggy Mountbatten …

[@trotskii7941]

I'm shocked and stunned....

[@7cColin]

I went here to say that

[@JasonSmith0]

A true count "down" would appear as a massive clock hand moving UP, from bottom to top. Perhaps the count "down" reflects the falling clock hand, not time remaining. Great question and answer, cheers!

[@colinfisher5451]

The TV game show Countdown is named after the countdown to a new channel when it first aired on Channel 4 in 1982. The show's original presenter, Richard Whiteley, introduced the first episode with the line, "As the countdown to a brand new channel ends, a brand new Countdown begins"

[@andrewdarowski1975]

My 3 year old daughter is half English, half turkish. She's picked up a few English swear words by osmosis from me, but she doesn't swear in Turkish until.... two big street dogs charged at my puppy agressively and my toddler ran between our dog and the street dogs. In perfect Turkish she held up her hand and screamed "Stop! Dont bark at my dog, dont bite my dog, you bastards!" I was thrilled!

[@DSQueenie]

🥹 That’s so cute and so brave!

[@mother2bach]

Absolutely agree. There are no ‘bad words’, only inappropriate situations, and the ‘mummy and daddy can say these things, but you can’t’ idea is absolute bull, and easily recognised as such by every child.

[@peterbennett7176]

Just to unnecessarily add to the Countdown discussion. The 'clock' actually has no numbers on it, so we're really just assuming that it works like a normal clock face by saying that it counts up, but there is no reason that has to be the case and the bottom line could represent 0.

[@PatrickKelly-lz3pv]

Just time it using your phone

[@peterbennett7176]

@@PatrickKelly-lz3pv You’re right - it definitely uses seconds like a normal clock. All I was saying was there’s no reason that unlike a normal clock face the top line could, for instance, represent the number 30 and the bottom line represent 0 - therefore it would still be ‘counting down’ as it goes round. For a normal clock face, when we’re timing something, we often think of doing the opposite and starting a zero at the top, hence Colin’s comment of it ‘counting up’ as it goes around. Just wanted to point out that doesn’t have to be the case - for those whose world was thrown by this idea! Still don’t know if I’ve made myself clear, but I think that’s all the time I can reasonably give this discussion 😂

[@stevenspringer1599]

the band 'Strange Fruit' from "Still Crazy" 1998

[@phill6859]

Swearing is also done in ADR, they throw in a reaction shot or shoot the speaker from behind. So you can't see they were not swearing on set.

[@eldarad]

Colin Murray blowing everyone's minds

[@Gerry-Hat-trick]

Strange Fruit, from the film Still Crazy. Brilliant film, great band/cast and a roadie everyone should have, played by Billy Connolly 😊

[@johnmckenzie4639]

"We wait with baited breath."🤘

[@UggsMilne]

Strange Fruit, Still crazy is such a good film

[@kevjones5047]

All over the world tonight, feet are hitting the ground!

[@thomasturnbull3742]

The Countdown clock plays the Hawaii 5-0 theme when it goes past half past, ref TFI Friday in the 90s.

[@Gambitbeer]

The Northern Lights right behind Marina ….. principal Skinner would be overjoyed!

[@visualthinking]

So happy for The Monkees love. First 2 albums are ultimate bubble gum, but then get more and more interesting. Especially love Nesmith as a songwriter.

[@KevinClairSoutham]

Thank you Marina for agreeing with Richard. I thought I had entered the twilight zone there where he was going on forever about the countdown clock. I swear I was watching that bit for hours while only three minutes passed 😂

[@andycain4351]

If you hadn't put Spinal Tap in first place then I would have tutted and sighed quite loudly before quietly moving on with my life. I call it my ex of X position.

[@ruairi_d]

I think countdown is one of my favourite game shows!! The clock for the Channel 4 series was planned to be 45 seconds it seems- you can see in series 1 where the lights of the clock go to 45 seconds. I think the clock has been replaced only once or twice in its 40 odd year run.

[@YorkshireBusGuy]

Sean Lock broke one and you can see it in the foyer of Dock 10 studios, Media City 😀

[@thirstyguy4652]

best fictional band - Strange Fruit from the film Still Crazy

[@KristineMaitland]

Good morning, loves, from Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦.

[@CynicalRhys]

Watching along repeating over and over in my head "Please say Spinal Tap" thank you for not disapointing me

[@Charlieb82]

23:03 - Marina just basically pitched "Give us a Clue" 😂

[@AnnaNangi]

Those Gregg Wallace comments didn't age well, eh?

[@GustavoJacob]

Number 2 should be The Rutles, how could you forget about them??? 😮

[@SLCandy1]

Ouch!.....ouch, ouch, ouch....ooooooo.

[@icarusandtherabbit]

I was kind of hoping for a Bad News shoutout!

[@J.Blogsblues-ns4to]

Yep the original and best, makes the Spinal Tappers seem semi professional!

[@monkeymansingsSKA]

The answer regarding the Countdown clock is easy to solve - see how it resets to zero from 30 seconds. Which way does the hand travel between rounds!

[@ApolloVIIIYouAreGoForTLI]

Clockwise... I said in a comment above that I've seen Jimmy Carr reset the clock on Cats Does Countdown & the hand goes in clockwise to reset.

[@jimsbooksreadingandstuff]

Daisy Jones and the Six are a great fictitious band.

[@grahamlewis6777]

Marina, I loved your recent Guardian article about Strictly. This is fantastic and very funny writing : "Yet for something meant to be a bit of fun, Strictly can have the flavour of some totalitarian country’s state television, with its nutso apparatus of fervently expressed joy and gratitude, underpinned by beady-eyed artist chaperones and mandated apologies that typically resemble hostage videos."

[@gavinneedham2013]

The countdown clock on set CANNOT do a full one minute rotation as currently programmed. When it resets it sweeps up clockwise but faster. It probably could be programmed to go at speed.

[@bobstephenson8747]

Re swearing - a line I learned when I entered the the world of work; “boys know how to swear, men know when to swear”

[@chrisc_1012]

Marginally less entertaining now that Marina has nailed both the intro and how top 3s work

[@Charlieh1989]

The whole "haha messed up the intro again" shtick was getting very old.

[@davidhartley94]

The countdown music also doesn't align with the clock, the music is slightly faster and has 32 beats within the 30 seconds.

[@johnrussell8120]

Live action Catchphrase concept is basically Give Us a Clue with Michael Parkinson, Liza Goddard and Lionel Blair.

[@stewartbrodie1720]

It started with Michael Aspel, Una Stubbs and Lionel Blair. Great little programme, very entertaining to have celebrities who were there to play rather than just plug their latest book or their own image.

[@elloello_erm]

17:13 is that richard turning off the buzzer? hahaha

[@jamesabbot-cole6814]

There is also Strange Fruit from Still Crazy.

[@Dickie101]

... All the John Carney films do fictional musicians brilliantly, but I do have a soft spot for the '80s inspired Sing Street.

[@97channel]

*Please read this entire comment if the Countdown Clock question interested you. It's a very scrappy comment, because of the process involved where I edited it as I fell deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole. But I've left it this way, as it was an interesting journey which I hope reflects in how the final draft now appears...* I can give a definite answer to whether or not the Countdown clock can tick for the full minute. The answer is yes. And it has been seen to be able to do so on TV. ...The reset function of the clock, to take the hand back to the top, is currently a fast wind off-camera shortly after the clock hits and stops at 30 seconds. But in the early years of the show, it would simply carry on ticking beyond the 30 second mark until it made the full rotation. However, the camera shot did not always pull away exactly at the 30 second mark, and could sometimes be seen carrying on for a further second or two. Now, this is the very definition of finding a needle in a haystack, but I have honestly watched an old episode on KZbin where they accidentally cut to a wide studio shot during that particular reset process and the hand was ticking at around the 50 second mark. So the answer is yes, the Countdown clock can tick for a full 60 seconds. The proof is out there, but good luck finding it. Edit: I originally said that TFI Friday featured the clock ticking past 30 seconds, but I found the footage of the clock appearing on the 1997 new year show and I was wrong. I did see it do so on a TV show, but it turned out that my memory of it being TFI Friday was false. It obviously was a different show, but it did happen. *Edit number 2: I found the proof for you all. Search KZbin for Behind The Scenes Of Countdown and see the picture at the 1 minute 50 seconds mark.* Edit number 3: No, I'm sure it was TFI Friday. The more I think about it, I'm convinced that it was when Richard Whiteley was a guest and Chris Evans made a big deal of having the clock in the studio and that they were going to show it tick past 30 seconds. *Edit number 4: Yes! I was right! Search KZbin for 'GREG SCOTT (kind of) ON TFI FRIDAY - Channel 4 - 1996'* Sorry for how this comment has gone through so many edits now, but I was determined to be accurate and prove that the clock can tick the full minute. Which I have done, so it was well worth the effort.

[@ApolloVIIIYouAreGoForTLI]

I know the Countdown clock does a full rotation clockwise when it resets because I've seen Jimmy Car do it on Cats Does Countdown... He set it off too early & to reset the clock it doesn't reverse, it goes around the full minute. There were no lights however on second 31-60

[@SkoolyAd]

Fictional bands: I immediately thought of The Wonders from Tom Hanks' That Thing You Do; what I really liked about this film (apart from Steve Zahn, who I would watch reading the weather) was that it was about a one-hit-wonder band, and it would have completely failed if their hit song hadn't actually sounded any good. Thankfully, Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger wrote a song that wasn't just catchy in it's own right, but it genuinely sounded like it could have been a hit in the era the film was set in. There's nothing worse than a film/drama about a supposedly-successful fictional band or singer if their music isn't any good (HBO's The Idol) or a comedian whose jokes aren't funny (HBO's I'm Dying Up Here/Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip). That's perhaps why the Coen Brothers and T Bone Burnett dug out some little-known, real songs for The Soggy Bottom Boys and Llewin Davis to sing, rather than attempt to write their own...

[@cbpoppet1288]

"It's coming from advertisers, not license fee payers." Marketing budgets come from profits. Profits come from customers. Just because there are a couple of layers of obfuscation and because it's nickel and dimed over time, doesn't mean it doesn't come from the same people.

[@davidlewis6464]

Spinal Tap performed at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley in 1992.

[@magenpie_4009]

"Ferrari of Swearing" proper laughing out very loud. Excellent.

[@DuncanEvans-t7q]

Who would have thought that a simple question about the mechanics of the Countdown Clock would turn into a deep exploration of the perception of existence?

[@shaunhouse8469]

I think in the sixties Frankie Howerd after a matter of years made it back from a story about him and his relationship with a male electrician but Frankie Howerd was Frankie Howerd

[@ChubbyChecker182]

Mr Chips was actually self pleasing himself

[@TomJ79518]

Surely the reason it's 'Countdown' is because it's not a clock, it's a stopwatch

[@Schmorg_24]

Top fictional bands: Wyld Stallyns, Flight of the Conchords, Crucial Taunt (Cassandra's band in Wayne's World - she can really wail)

[@DrCalamityJan]

Forever to be called Count Up. I'm on that train! Brilliant.

[@richardbutler4488]

If only Richard Whitely was still alive just imagine what he would be doing now with all this technology for him to fluff over 😅

[@JustMe-ks8qc]

Good for you, Nick. I would put the Pointless trophy on my CV.

[@mouthstick-gaming]

Well, I just had a bit of a freak-out moment. About 5 seconds before Richard used ' A Stitch In Time' as an example of a catchphrase, that exact catchphrase popped into my mind. WTAF!

[@panman1964]

on the swearing front has anyone commented that Richard & Marina sign off with "See(c) Yo(u) Next Thursday" ?

[@PortobelloPink]

13:22 I’m sure I’ve an an episode of Cats does Countdown where the clock went up the other 30 seconds

[@mikejohn0105]

Regarding past celebrities who left their show under a cloud. Peter Adamson Who played Len Fairclough on Coronation Street from 1961 to 1983 was accused of sexual assault in 1982 of two young girls, he was eventually acquitted but the cost of his defense nearly bankrupted him. He was sacked from Coronation Street in 1983 for breach of contract after selling a tell all piece about the cast and crew of the show. After leaving he never appeared on TV again and went bankrupt 1991. He passed away in 2002.

[@panman1964]

the Jess Yates having an affair with a young actress then it being revealed he wasn't actually the father of Paula Yates but Hughie Greene was

[@vincegormley]

Strange Fruit from Still Crazy

[@TonyP_Yes-its-Me]

Is the Countdown Clock a high-tech version of Trigger's Broom? Do the changes to the clock, make it a different clock?

[@ThedudeabidesDood-l5n]

Has anyone else noticed that Mr chips from catchphrase hasn't aged a day in decades?

[@freakanika]

0:27 what about Sister Act? Do choirs count?

[@MattPageUK]

Loads of people got 'disgraced' in the old days: men who were found to have male lovers, unmarried women who got pregnant, anyone who had an affair. Also Ken Dodd, Lester Piggott, Angus Deaton, Jeffrey Archer and many more

[@christophersmith108]

Any top three that does not include _The Hong Kong Cavaliers_ from Buckaroo Banzai has just not been given sufficient thought!

[@greggles2412]

I was the audience warm-up man on Countdown from 1990 - 2003… Back in the days when they HAD an audience! Whilst there, we recorded some very silly versions - With me as host… Have a wee look! Or don’t. Up to you… kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5ykq55vgZeWorssi=YWKNhJBXcPFkALTc

[@SixEightySeven]

Boyz Unlimited was a terrific series. Well worth checking out on 4OD (or whatever that is called now)

[@sonofliberty1]

I also really like Almost Famous but I always thought that, even though the music was different, Stillwater were essentially Spinal Tap but just played a bit more straight. Blues Brothers is another great film though the performances from James Brown, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Cab Calloway (i.e. the real-life musicians) were the real standouts. After reading some of the other comments, Sex Bob-Omb is a great call but my favourite song of that film is by The Clash at Demonhead. Other fictional bands I haven't seen mentioned yet that are worth a shout are The School of Rock and Sing Street.

[@ilpalozzo]

8 out 10 Cats does Countdown did use the full clock once and used the music from Steptoe and Son for the other 30 seconds

[@CapriOwnersClub]

Question for you: Richard you have a very good American accent! What other examples of good or absolutely shocking accents have appeared in films/tv, mostly films I'm guessing?! Thanks Earl Gray

[@JonathanB6023]

Colin Murray's proposal that Countdown should be called Countup because the 'clock' goes forwards, is maybe not such a crazy idea as the pilot episode of the US version of Countdown, made in 1990 (link below), actually featured a dial that 'counted' backwards from halfway back to the top. Or is that breaking time? Should it actually go forwards from halfway up to the top? Is it impossible to countdown from 30 to 0 on a clock face because there never is a 0 in time? kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGjWZYOEi8-Vjckfeature=shared

[@terrysmith8224]

Wyld Stallyns!!!

[@KevinClairSoutham]

Oh yes. Amazing choice.

[@jeneric97]

Of all the Countdown staff consulted, why in the world would you not ask Rachel, the smartest person on the show?

[@ComicbookSam]

Where was Bad News in the bands list?

[@wufflesthespider]

If the Countdown clock has no numbers and the hand is ticking from top to bottom, then calling it Countdown is surely correct?

[@EdwardLindon]

In which Richard introduces the Clock of Theseus...

[@chrisofnottingham]

I haven't watched it for a while so correct me if I'm wrong but the countdown clock doesn't have numbers anyway, so no one can can if it is counting up or down. And also the hand does literally go down.

[@roanirv]

I often wonder when the Countdown clock resets, does it continue in a clockwise direction or does it return counter-clockwise back through the 30 seconds!

[@phill6859]

It's British. I'm guessing filming stops and two stage hands come on and spend five minutes dismantling it and then putting it back together

[@gromcom]

I'm sure we've seen on Catsdown that it returns anti-clockwise

[@Elwaves2925]

@@gromcom Yep, was just going to say that. I've seen it go back to zero in an anti-clockwise direction while they were joking around and playing for more time.

[@PixelRatedGames]

I love you, Marina! (you're also ok, Richard).

[@CathalKelly-g4s]

I think there was an episode of 8 out of 10 cats does countdown where it went for 60 seconds…

[@justlookingaround9834]

I think they have missed the point, does it reset by going around, or does it go backwards.

[@christianstanding]

Does The Electric Mayhem mean nothing to you?! 😂

[@ILikeBirds80]

Their Mr Blue Skies cover is legendary!

[@stewartbrodie1720]

Their version of Bohemian Rhapsody is amazing, performed with all their friends.

[@ChrisH78]

I have a mate on the inside of TV and he doesn't have very good things to say about GW :/

[@guidomando]

Maybe the countdown clock is upside down? 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@vvmmuu]

Maybe if you introduced each other it might help. 🥰 ALL the best.

[@Earbrass1]

Nothing beats the Elf Band from Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom

[@tomemanuel1100]

Immediately went to see the clip of Mr Chips being rude! 😂

[@highdownmartin]

If you don’t want ‘Celebrity Combine ‘ , Richard, can I pitch it?

[@Ginger-Tom13]

I can’t believe you left out The Banana Splits from your top bands!!

[@PaulMcCarthyBrain]

Bad News. Greatest rock and roll band in history

[@anoncomposmentis]

The Archies, no 1 with sugar sugar, also Flame (Slade) but Spinal Tap rool

[@davidhazle6357]

I think you missed the main problem - the countdown conundrum is an anagram.

[@rikardottosson1272]

Speaking of spicy language- have Richard or Marina expounded on their thoughts around Pete & Bas?

[@dannyboy9709]

Where’s my question? I asked about Family Fortunes!

[@TommyDaniels-zt8zy]

What was the question? I have many questions about Family Fortunes.

[@dannyboy9709]

@@TommyDaniels-zt8zy I was enquiring about the surveys

[@lucialaluce2221]

Ironically Colin Murray asked for feedback. Disgraced but still employed.

[@SkinnyObelix]

I find it so weird how the English speaking world is so careful about swearing, yet swearing is so engrained in their daily conversations. Meanwhile, in a lot of other languages there's no such thing as shielding children from swearing, and for some reason swearing is nowhere near as prevalent as in English. Correlation might not mean causation, but I feel like censoring the swearing does nothing. Either children understand the swears and it's too late to shield them anyway, or they don't and it doesn't matter that they hear it. Swear censorship just makes them want to seek out what they're not allowed to hear or say.

[@danmayberry1185]

The US provides the top example. Puritanical Christians take the moral high ground, with swearing, sex, and all the forbidden fruits of adulthood. Compare the societal and legal consequences between the US and Scandinavian countries (among others). One culture seems to have issues that the others don't.

[@johnnhoj6749]

@@danmayberry1185 I'm not puritanical, Christian or American but I don't think it's the puritanical Christians causing the majority of problems in America.

[@GRLintern]

the last words, always a cherry on the cake, x (is it still regarded as a gender-specific insult? If not, why not?)