History Series / Countdown

* AudienceParticipation: Until 2020, if neither player can solve the Conundrum, the host asked if anyone in the audience had the answer and picked someone to call it out. Done away with once the show resumed filming after production shutdowns caused by the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic and got rid of its studio audience.
* BlinkingLightsOfVictory: The set flashes when one of the contestants gets a nine-letter word.

* CatchPhrase: Several, used by the various hosts to start the clock: "Stand by," "Clock time," "And here's the countdown clock," "And your time starts... now," and sometimes just "Countdown." Colin Murray favors "Numbers up" in the numbers rounds.

* AndYourRewardIsClothes: Or, as befits the game, books: the grand prize is a dictionary. Not just any dictionary, though, but the [[{{Doorstopper}} full 23-volume leather-bound complete Oxford English Dictionary]]. It's so huge, it actually causes problems for some winners because it takes up ''so much'' space.

* BonusRound: Occasionally seen on ''8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown'', played for extra points. So far, bonus rounds have included a pub quiz, penalty shoot out, drawing a life model, and [[https://youtu.be/Bp04HZDCELw "Carrot In A Box"]] (a bluffing game carried over from the parent show).

* CrossOver: Being as iconic as it is, the game has appeared in ''other'' shows as part of some kind of task -- notably to embarrass Creator/AntAndDec on ''Saturday Night Takeaway'', and as a shopping budget task on ''Series/BigBrother''.

* [[CuteKitten Cute Kittens]]: Jimmy actually brings eight kittens in during one round to distract the contestants. It works, but he also spends the round literally herding cats when they escape from their baskets.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: the basic format hasn't changed that much since the show started on Channel 4, but there have been some peripheral changes which make watching anniversary repeats a bit strange. For example the existence of several female assistants instead of one (who essentially acts as co-presenter now), the extending of the show from half an hour to three quarters, no Susie Dent as resident lexicographer with her own "origins of words" featurette, no "Teatime Teaser" book-ending the commercial breaks, and (in the first episode) the fact that things did seem a lot more awkward.

* GameShowHost: Richard Whiteley is the most well-known.[[note]]He was also a presenter on Yorkshire Television's regional news programme ''Calendar'', earning him the nickname "Twice Nightly Whiteley".[[/note]] He was replaced after his passing in 2005 by Creator/DesLynam, who turned the desk over to Des O'Connor in 2007. Jeff Stelling was the next host, starting in 2009; he left at the end of 2011 and was replaced with Nick Hewer ([[Series/TheApprentice yes,]] ''[[Series/TheApprentice that]]'' [[Series/TheApprentice Nick Hewer]]) at the start of 2012. Anne Robinson, host of ''Series/TheWeakestLink'' (and a Dictionary Corner guest in 1987), succeeded Hewer after he left in June 2021, she was succeeded in July 2022 by Colin Murray, who had previously filled in for Hewer in 2020/21 when the latter was shielding from Covid-19 and until he was vaccinated.[[note]]Murray himself would have to be covered - firstly by Les Dennis and then Jenny Eclair - after testing positive for Covid.[[/note]] Creator/JimmyCarr naturally hosts ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown''.

* ImpossiblePickleJar: During one of the countdowns in ''8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'', Jimmy pulled out an enormous jar of pickles from under the desk and attempted to open it, using an assortment of increasingly unlikely tools. In the dying seconds, Rachel walked over and opened it for him, causing him to comment "I loosened that".
* LovelyAssistant: Carol Vorderman up to 2008, Rachel Riley since 2009.[[note]]Carol's initial role was just that of checking the working out in the numbers round and providing a solution if the contestants couldn't, carrying the humorous (if slightly sexist sounding) job title "vital statistician"! (She also shared this role with Linda Barrett in the first two series.) Other hostesses were involved in dealing with the letters and numbers tiles. (They included, at various times: Cathy Hytner, Beverley Isherwood, Karen Loughlin and Lucy Summers)[[/note]] In some seasons of ''8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown'', Rachel got her own LovelyAssistant in the shape of Joe Wilkinson.
** Fabio and his cohorts are a male example- their collective job is to bring the prizes in and out while wearing very little clothing, and then smile and wave to the audience.

* NonSequitur: In many Letters rounds (rarely Numbers) on the ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' edition, whilst the clock is ticking, Jimmy would take part in a humorous activity, such as blowing up balloons (and then getting lifted up with them), drinking a potion to grow hair quickly or enticing a bird of prey to fly onto his arm. Rachel and occasionally Susie sometimes take part in these segments.

* SeriousBusiness / SuddenDeath: If the two players are within 10 points of each other for the final Conundrum, it becomes a Crucial ''Countdown'' Conundrum, and the lights dim to emphasize.

* ThinkMusic: About as iconic in the UK as the ''[[Series/{{Jeopardy}} Final Jeopardy!]]'' music is in America, to the point that people who never even watch the show will start humming it as a hint that you need to hurry up and make a decision). [[https://youtu.be/ifFicglEXGs Have a listen]].

* GameShowHost: Richard Whiteley is the most well-known.[[note]]He was also a presenter on Yorkshire Television's regional news programme ''Calendar'', earning him the nickname "Twice Nightly Whiteley".[[/note]] He was replaced after his passing in 2005 by Creator/DesLynam, who turned the desk over to Des O'Connor in 2007. Jeff Stelling was the next host, starting in 2009; he left at the end of 2011 and was replaced with Nick Hewer ([[Series/TheApprentice yes,]] ''[[Series/TheApprentice that]]'' [[Series/TheApprentice Nick Hewer]]) at the start of 2012. Anne Robinson, host of ''Series/TheWeakestLink'' (and a Dictionary Corner guest in 1987), succeeded Hewer after he left in June 2021, and, after she left, was replaced by Colin Murray in July 2022, having already hosted it in place of Nick Hewer in 2020/21 when the latter was shielding from Covid-19 and until he was vaccinated.[[note]]Murray himself would have to be covered - firstly by Les Dennis and then Jenny Eclair - after testing positive for Covid.[[/note]] Creator/JimmyCarr naturally hosts ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown''.

* SeriousBusiness: If the two players are within 10 points of each other for the final Conundrum, it becomes a Crucial ''Countdown'' Conundrum, and the lights dim to emphasize.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* AudienceParticipation: Until 2020, if neither player can solve the Conundrum, the host asked if anyone in the audience had the answer and picked someone to call it out. Done away with once the show resumed filming after production shutdowns caused by the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic.

* AudienceParticipation: If neither player can solve the Conundrum, the host asks if anyone in the audience has the answer and picks someone to call it out.

* CatchPhrase: Several, used by the various hosts to start the clock: "Stand by," "Clock time," "And here's the countdown clock," "And your time starts... now," and sometimes just "Countdown."

* '''Numbers Round''': The player requests anywhere from zero to four "large numbers" (25, 50, 75, or 100) chosen at random, and enough "small numbers" (two each of 1 through 10) are drawn to give six altogether. A random three-digit number is generated, and the players must use the four basic math operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) to get as close to it as they can. No fractions, decimals or non-positive numbers are allowed. Only the player closer to the number scores, provided their calculations are correct: 10 points for hitting it exactly, 7 for being 1-5 away, 5 for being 6-10 away. Currently played four times per episode.
* '''Conundrum''': Always played as the final round of each episode. The players are shown a group of short words totaling nine letters, and the first to buzz-in and rearrange the letters into a single word scores 10 points. If the scores are tied after this round, additional Conundrums are played until the tie is broken. When the scores differ by 10 points or less going into this round, it is called a "Crucial ''Countdown'' Conundrum."

* A '''Teatime Teaser''' is played for the home audience at each commercial break, in which a set of short words is displayed and the host reads a cryptic clue to a single word that can be anagrammed from them. The solution is given at the start of the next segment. (e.g. SADMOODY with a clue of "We'll all be sad and moody when this arrives" leads to DOOMSDAY.) The ''Cats'' version has Conundrums and Teasers with rude words/innuendos but innocent answers (e.g. ISEEPORN - "Who came first?" leads to PIONEERS.)

** The ''Cats'' version occasionally features "Tension Rounds" with a more hurried variation of the music (with a voice counting down from 10 seconds), along with pyrotechnics and other stuff blowing up during the round.

''Countdown'' is based on a [[EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench French]] game much more straightforwardly titled ''The Numbers and Letters'' (''Des chiffres et des lettres''). There is also an Australian version titled ''Letters and Numbers'', to avoid confusion with the [[NamesTheSame Australian program titled]] ''Countdown'', a music video show (see below).

* BonusRound: Occasionally seen on ''8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown''. So far, bonus rounds have included a pub quiz, penalty shoot out, drawing a life model, and [[https://youtu.be/Bp04HZDCELw "Carrot In A Box"]] (a bluffing game carried over from the parent show).

* BonusRound: Occasionally seen on ''8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown''. So far, bonus rounds have included a pub quiz, penalty shoot out, drawing a life model, and "Carrot In A Box" (carried over from the parent show).

** When a champion loses, the challenger who beat him/her receives a teapot shaped like the show's 30-second time clock.

* NonSequitur: In many Letters rounds on the ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' edition, whilst the clock is ticking, Jimmy would take part in a humorous activity, such as blowing up balloons (and then getting lifted up with them), drinking a potion to grow hair quickly or enticing a bird of prey to fly onto his arm. Rachel and occasionally Susie sometimes take part in these segments.

** The ''Cats'' version: SITONSEAN, RIDEVEGAS and DENTPOOPS.[[labelnote:Answers]]SENSATION, GRAVESIDE and POSTPONED[[/labelnote]]

* EndOfAnAge: On Carol Vorderman's last show (12 December 2008), the final conundrum was ERACLOSES [[labelnote:Answer]]CASSEROLE[[/labelnote]].

** The ''Cats'' version: SITONSEAN, RIDE[[Creator/JohnnyVegas VEGAS]] and DENTPOOPS.[[labelnote:Answers]]SENSATION, GRAVESIDE and POSTPONED[[/labelnote]]

* EndOfAnAge: On Carol Vorderman's last show (12 December 2008), the final conundrum was ERACLOSES (CASSEROLE).

* ShoutOut: Some Conundrums and Teasers of the ''Cats'' version feature these to some of the panelists. Examples include SITONSEAN, RIDEVEGAS and DENTPOOPS.[[labelnote:Answers]]SENSATION, GRAVESIDE and POSTPONED[[/labelnote]]

* LovelyAssistant: Carol Vorderman up to 2008, Rachel Riley since 2009 [[note]]Carol's initial role was just that of checking the working out in the numbers round and providing a solution if the contestants couldn't, carrying the humorous (if slightly sexist-sounding) job title "vital statistician"! (She also shared this role with Linda Barrett in the first two series.) Other hostesses were involved in dealing with the letters and numbers tiles. (They included, at various times: Cathy Hytner, Beverley Isherwood, Karen Loughlin and Lucy Summers)[[/note]]. In some seasons of ''8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown'', Rachel got her own LovelyAssistant in the shape of Joe Wilkinson.