Countdown Series 86 Finale (23 December 2022)

Colin Murray and Rachel Riley host as Tom Stevenson takes on Edward Byrne in the final of Series 86. Neil Delamere joins Susie Dent in Dictionary Corner. Series 86 saw the highest score achieved on Countdown. Tom Stevenson scored 154 points in his fourth appearance; breaking Elliott Mellor’s 3 year lasting record by 2 points.

Countdown Series 86 Finale playlist:
   • Countdown Series 86 Final (15 Dec 2022 - 2...  


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"). #DCDL debuted in 1965 as « Le mot le plus long » using letters only, and reached its present format in 1972. This year marks the shows 50th anniversary.

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 ten years ago.