The Countdown Thread

[CameronYoung]

Looks like Colin's got himself a comically large green button, presumably to start the clock. I think Jimmy uses it in the newer episodes Catsdown.

It's the same Button that was used when Nick was in charge, However, it couldn't be seen because it was positioned to his Left as he was Left Handed

I wonder why it's so big now, wasn't it reduced to a little one inset into the desk when Whiteley did it?

[Brekkie]

Are they back to new teatime teasers - they were just repeating ones from earlier series during covid. Indeed you'd think it would be harder to go through the archives and reuse old ones than just to come up with something new.

I would guess we'll know by the end of the summer if Colin is continuing past November as surely those final few weeks of the year (expected to be a 40th Birthday Championship) would likely be filmed in September at the latest. The show really deserves to have a genuine fan in the chair to see it through it's 40th birthday.

[scottishtv]

It's the same Button that was used when Nick was in charge, However, it couldn't be seen because it was positioned to his Left as he was Left Handed

I wonder why it's so big now, wasn't it reduced to a little one inset into the desk when Whiteley did it?

Personally, I don't think it's really that comically large. Fine it's bigger than before, but it's not really distracting.
After all, the clock is a central, key feature of Countdown... it's obviously very large so a visible button to (seemingly) activate it seems fine to me!

[Brekkie]

Didn't it used to be embedded in the desk pre-Anne?

[Spencer]

Looks like Colin's got himself a comically large green button, presumably to start the clock. I think Jimmy uses it in the newer episodes Catsdown.

It's the same Button that was used when Nick was in charge, However, it couldn't be seen because it was positioned to his Left as he was Left Handed

I reckon he could have worked it with his right hand.

[CameronYoung]

Didn't it used to be embedded in the desk pre-Anne?

No, as mentioned up thread, Nick had that one hidden behind the teapot and dictionaries. You can just see it in wide shots.

[Brekkie]

Probably time to move the dictionary then, though tbh on the show itself I've not even noticed it.

[Jon]

I wonder why it's so big now, wasn't it reduced to a little one inset into the desk when Whiteley did it?

Personally, I don't think it's really that comically large. Fine it's bigger than before, but it's not really distracting.
After all, the clock is a central, key feature of Countdown... it's obviously very large so a visible button to (seemingly) activate it seems fine to me!

Yes, I pictured something at least as big as the BGT buzzers, when described. I don’t think that would be a bad thing to control the comically large clock. Would look better if it was embedded in the desk like on the Aussie version.

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Probably time to move the dictionary then, though tbh on the show itself I've not even noticed it.

That would just look weird.

[Pip]

Personally, I don't think it's really that comically large. Fine it's bigger than before, but it's not really distracting.
After all, the clock is a central, key feature of Countdown... it's obviously very large so a visible button to (seemingly) activate it seems fine to me!

Yes, I pictured something at least as big as the BGT buzzers, when described. I don’t think that would be a bad thing to control the comically large clock. Would look better if it was embedded in the desk like on the Aussie version.

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Probably time to move the dictionary then, though tbh on the show itself I've not even noticed it.

That would just look weird.

Two birds with one stone… have Colin throw the dictionary at the clock to activate it. No button, dictionary moved.

[Steve in Pudsey]

Yes, in the old days there was a button built into the desk much like the contestant's buzzer buttons for the Conundrum.

[Brekkie]

A cup has now appeared in front of it.

[CameronYoung]

By the way, when I say comically oversized, I was kind of thinking this

[James2001]

What a load of sloblock  .

[DE88]

Right, so, uh... right, and, uh... right, so, uh...

Returning to the subject of hosts, the Serbian version of the show has no less than four of them on a rotating basis. Without any sexism intended, it's probably not a coincidence that all four are female.

(The one in the first video, Kristina Radenkovic, might be familiar to Eurovision fans - she was one of the green room presenters when Belgrade hosted the 2008 Contest.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBclhgiyfRk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oy3CZ47Kyg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYTxEEORRcY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1mX67PO6Ao

[Brekkie]

Never even occurred to me there were other versions still going (along with France and Australia). Are there any more?