However, this afternoon’s edition was a notable one, marking the debut in the hostly chair of Nick Hewer – better known, of course, as Alan Sugar’s squinting sidekick on The Apprentice. And what a triumphant debut it was.The Countdown hot seat has seen...

And with Carol Vorderman not having placed numbers and letters in their slots for nearly three years now, the challenge for Nick Hewer to try and rustle up some of the old Countdown magic is a considerable one. Going by his debut showing however, it...

The show has struggled to find a long-term host since Richard Whiteley passed away. Are you in it for the long haul? "If Channel 4 are up for it, then I think I am. I don't want to go overboard and say that it's an honour. But there is honour in it. ...

For ten years, Carol Vorderman seemed painfully obscure and then she sort of exploded randomly onto every programme going. Richard Whiteley on the other hand was just strangely obscure from the start. Or was that just his ties? Or his godawful puns? ...

“I hope that it does come across on screen because I am just thrilled to be on it and I think it is a privilege to be on it. I’ve had the best feeling on that – apart from the Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain as that’s a wholly different event – since...

It could be argued that the Brit version is the more lively interpretation of the format. How it all started - the pilot for Calendar Countdown The first British incarnation of the show was a Yorkshire TV regional filler for eight weeks in the spring...