Countdown

It’s a little known fact that the first ever programme to be broadcasted on Channel 4 was Countdown. It seems bizarre that a channel regarded as being cutting edge started with a modest Scrabble-based game show.

But the phenomenon of Countdown is one of the most interesting stories in British television. For instance, did you know that a Labour MP was so impressed with the educational benefit of the show that he tabled a motion to have it moved to an after-school slot? Did you know that the prize for the series winner is a leather-bound Oxford English Dictionary worth a staggering £4,000? And that one contestant once declined it on behalf of his strict veganism? With over 4,000 episodes, it is one of the longest-running game shows in the world.

Back then viewers questioned what on earth compelled Channel 4 to choose Countdown as their first offering, but whatever strange affection it was, nowadays we all share it. Countdown has made Britain think; it has made Britain laugh and last year it made Britain mourn. Over twenty years later, Countdown has educated Britons in the joy of lex and has risen to cult status. Here’s to twenty more years.

Robert Jackman