!!Series
* AccidentalInnuendo: When one contestant went for AROUSES in 2024, Colin quipped "It ''is'' an exciting word!".
** The letters board is by nature prone to slightly less daytime-friendly combinations.
* AdaptationDisplacement: Approximately zero of its viewers know it is actually a British localisation of a French gameshow.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The main theme and 30-second timer.
-->Doo doo, doo doo, diddly doo, ''boom''.
* FanNickname: Richard Whiteley used to be nicknamed "Twice Nightly" Whiteley by Yorkshire Television viewers- whether or not any DoubleEntendre was intended, it was due to the fact he also used to present the local news programme ''Calendar'' as well as the game show within the same evening.
* HarsherInHindsight: A joke Sean did on the ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' version of the show about [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWjW_tJvMEk what he would like his obituary to be]] became this after his own passing and many people struggled to come up with obituaries for him.
-->''"You can't write tears, Jimmy."''
** Richard Whiteley's final conundrum before his untimely death was 'LIFEFAIDS' ('Falsified').
* MemeticMutation: The ThemeTune ''embodies'' this Trope, but also "[[UnusualEuphemism Two from the top and one from the bottom, please, Carol]]".
** On the internet, Sean's "That's a challenging wank" quip has become a popular response to FanDisservice.
* MisBlamed: Did you see that video / image with the word [[spoiler:Cuntflaps]] on the board? Well, that didn't actually happen; it was a photoshopped hoax.[[note]](You can see it in the video where one letter moves around a bit, and there have to be at least three vowels in the selection.)[[/note]] Even if that ''did'' happen, the second the word [[spoiler:cunt]] showed up, someone would have come out and changed it.
** Same goes for the show's Australian equivalent spelling out Penisdump. That word has never appeared on the show, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDZ2cRBLIDw although it does pop up regularly on the popular Danish series "Inspector Penisdump."]]
* QuestionableCasting: To say that Nick Hewer was a surprising choice for host would be a spectacular understatement.
%%* ReplacementScrappy: Rachel Riley.
* TheScrappy: Anne Robinson (known for being the no-nonsense host of Series/{{The Weakest Link}}) took over the show after Nick Hewer's departure from the role. Not only did she prove herself unpopular with viewers, some of whom felt she projected an air of unfriendliness towards contestants, but there were also rumours of a feud between herself and Rachel Riley (never confirmed, although Robinson did state in an interview that she and Rachel did not get along). After just a year, she left the role with no warning or fanfare initially claiming that she hadn't intended to stay long term before then stating she had left over a pay dispute. Either way, very few were sorry to see her go.
* TearJerker:
** Carol Vorderman's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppXEjf8lCzg tribute to Richard Whiteley]] the day after his death.
** Johnny Vegas' [[HiddenDepths poem]] about TheAlcoholic, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JADmrVVz3bI as seen here]].
--->And then the landlord shows him out.\\
The child inside is crying out.\\
"I was not meant for such sweet sorrow"\\
But opts instead for "See you tomorrow."\\
Thou stout-soaked, cig-stained feckless soul\\
Is what for, [[ItIsDehumanizing not whom]], that bell did toll.
** Sean Lock's passing in 2021 lead to an outpouring of tributes, including from Jimmy, Susie, Rachel, and several fellow comics who also appeared as panelists on the show.
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Rachel Riley. Des Lynam to a lesser extent; he had a pretty difficult act to follow in Richard Whiteley, but it didn't help that he often came across as somewhat grumpy.
** An [[http://www.usgameshows.net/x.php?show=Countdown1990 attempt]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7s4PNVjbWg on September 18, 1990 to export the show to America]] kicked out the Numbers Games and tacked on a $10,000 bonus round. The fact that there was a $25,000 bonus for any nine-letter word just makes it more absurd.
** Parodied in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGjui-08W_M this skit]] showing a fictional Creator/{{NBC}} attempt to "Americanize" the programme. Yes, the "model" is Creator/KarenGillan. [[{{Fanservice}} You're welcome.]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpdIJOujFqU Series 31]] saw the show get a makeover with a new set, new opening titles, a new theme song... and new clock music, which gave out three dramatic notes during the thirty seconds. This led to many complaints that the 'extra intensity' music was nothing but distracting, and the new tune was pulled after just twelve episodes and replaced with the classic, proving that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
** ''Series/DeadRingers'' also did a (radio) parody of an attempt to Americanise the show, with Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger as the host and Creator/RobertDeNiro and Creator/JackNicholson as the contestants.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: [[Creator/AlexHorne Little Alex Horne]] on ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown''. He's the only guest comedian to appear on both the spinoff and [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L28b4c9y2II& as a contestant]] on regular ''Countdown'', and even made it to the finals, earning the 7th seed! However, he wasn’t brought on as a contestant on the comedy-focused spinoff, (only as the occasional musical guest relegated to Dictionary Corner) despite the fact that he could be a legitimate challenge to [[TheSmartGuy Jon Richardson]].
* ValuesDissonance: One might perhaps observe this in the roles of the hostesses over the programme's history from supporting role to essentially fully-fledged co-presenter. None there just to stand around putting up the letters and numbers anymore, and even Carol Vorderman's original role checking the numbers was given the nickname "vital statistician" back in '82 (which might sound a wee bit sexist now!) Arguably subverted by the attention Rachel Riley gets due to her looks, mind you, but that's perhaps the audience's fault...
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