Countdown

Oxford University Press has a longstanding relationship with the TV quiz programme, for many years providing the official dictionary used on the show.

Countdown began its life on 2 November 1982. It was the first show ever broadcast on Channel 4 and Richard Whiteley opened the programme with the great line, ‘As a countdown to a brand new channel ends, a brand new Countdown begins’.

Twenty years on, and some 3 to 4 million people still tune in to Countdown each afternoon to put their old grey matter to the test.

So what is the appeal of the long-running words and numbers quiz?

Some like to take on the contestants, while others are happy to see if they can beat their own previous personal best score.

Countdown has received hundreds of letters from grateful parents over the years who have watched the show with their young children.

The children have picked up on the name of each letter as it is drawn from the pile – and have started repeating the name even before Carol Vorderman has said it – so not only has it proven to be a vehicle for adults to wrack their brains, but young children have found it a great way of learning the alphabet.