Countdown has taken some tremendous knocks in recent years, first with Richard Whiteley’s sudden death, and later the departure of Carol Vorderman and Des O’Connor. However in January 2009 the popular game show came back to our screens with Jeff Stelling as presenter and Rachel Riley replacing The Vord at The Board. Jeff had been a sports presenter for a number of years, but Rachel, a recent Oxford Mathematics graduate, was a complete television novice. Jeff and Rachel were clearly nervous at the outset, but Rachel’s initial clumsiness with the letter and number cards was endearing and she is clearly blessed with charm and beauty as well as brains. Jeff is debonair, bright and witty, everything the host of an eclectic game show should be. Susie Dent, the only remaining member of the former team, presides in Dictionary Corner with her celebrity guest of the week, and her input has been expanded to incorporate a segment on the origin of words. Part of the appeal of Countdown is the random nature of the selection of letters – sometimes to the delight of everyone a rude word will mysteriously appear. Countdown is a celebration of cleverness – there are no millions of pounds on offer, but those who achieve the status of Countdown Champion are deserving of high praise. Even those who survive long enough to receive a Countdown teapot can hold their heads high. Meanwhile, the rest of us mere mortals play along at home, delighted when we construct more than a four letter word or solve the mathematical puzzle within the allotted 30 seconds.