Trivia / Countdown

Related to the game show (and the 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown panel show):

• Corpsing: Richard Whiteley loses it while telling a joke once; amazing how he can even make a bad joke funny.
• In Memoriam: A tribute aired at the end of the 138th Catsdown episode (the 2021 Christmas special), reading, "IN LOVING MEMORY OF COMEDY LEGEND SEAN LOCK 1963–2021". Series 22 would be Lock's final series for the show.
• Missing Episode: There have been a small number of episodes that have never aired.
  • A series of episodes from the short-lived Countdown Masters spin-off in 1991 never aired in order for Channel 4 to focus on coverage of the Gulf War. A later episode was never transmissioned for reasons unknown.
  • A pair of episodes were produced as a contingency in the event of cricket coverage running shorter than anticipated and were never aired. (Both episodes were one-offs featuring former contestants.)
    • Three other one-off specials for similar purposes were also never transmissioned.
  • There were four standard episodes that have not aired for one reason or another:
    • An episode from 1997 was removed from the air after it was revealed that the losing contestant was a convicted child molester between recordings, and replaced with a repeat of the documentary Countdown: The 2000th Edition.
    • An episode from 2013 was removed for similar reasons, after being revealed that the losing contestant was also a minor molester. A one-off "Husband and Wife" filler special featuring two previous contestants who now became a couple, aired in its place.
    • The 24 March 2020 episode was replaced with a repeat of another Channel 4 programme due to the opening diatribe discussing about death, which was deemed too sensitive to the COVID-19 Pandemic, as the country had been placed into lockdown a day prior.
    • The 8 June 2022 episode was removed from air for, what Channel 4 said: "Reasons beyond our control". A repeat of the Championship of Champions XV final aired in its place.
• Never Work with Children or Animals: On an 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown episode, Jimmy Carr's attempt to distract the panel with two baskets of four kittens each (get it?) quickly went south when he couldn't control them.
• Standalone Episode: There have been several standalone specials produced, normally featuring previous contestants playing again with a specific theme (eg, previous champions, contestants who have since become couples, replays of finals, relatives, couples, etc.) These are standalone offerings normally used to fill out sports coverage (eg, Horse Racing, Cricket) and don't affect the current season of play.
• What Could Have Been:
  • A pilot for a U.S. adaption was made in 1990; details are here. It notably disposed of the numbers round, and had celebrities playing with the contestants; it's not surprising that Jon Peters, a producer synonymous with Executive Meddling, was at the helm here (though it's because he acquired Chuck Barris Enterprises shortly before; he ended up selling it to what's currently Sony Pictures Television).
  • During Richard Whiteley's illness in 2005, the original intention was to carry on with guest presenters each doing a week's shows (Richard Digance, Lesley Garrett, Esther Rantzen, Barry Norman, Tim Rice, Nicholas Owen and Jennie Bond were all scheduled to host). Whiteley died the day before filming was due to begin, and the recordings were cancelled out of respect.

Related to the Toonami T.I.E.: