![]() Amongst those recruited, Beverley Isherwood was hired to work alongside Hytner in handling the selection of number and letter tiles respectively, while Linda Barrett and Carol Vorderman were recruited for checking over calculations by contestants in the numbers round. ![]() Whiteley tenure Īlongside the original cast from Calendar Countdown, the new format of the gameshow led to production staff seeking out further hostesses through advertisement in national newspapers for young women to become a member of the programme's cast, with notable conditions about their involvement in particular, those recruited for calculations found it made clear that as an applicant, their appearance would be less important than their skill as a mathematician. Richard Whiteley introducing the first Channel 4 episode of Countdown. The game show and its first episode were the first to be broadcast when the channel launched, with Whiteley opening the programme with the line:Īs the countdown to a brand new channel ends, a brand new Countdown begins. Instead, the production staff opted to allow contestants of differing ages, young and old, to participate on Countdown. An additional spin-off to the programme for young contestants was proposed at the time, dubbed Junior Countdown – the concept would be similar in format, but with it hosted by Gyles Brandreth and Ted Moult – but while a pilot was created, the proposal was abandoned after it was found to be highly flawed. While Whiteley and Hytner from the original cast were retained, the programme was renamed Countdown, with the format was expanded to include additional members in the hosting team, including letters and number experts. īy 1982, after an additional pilot episode was made with a refined format – an episode that was never broadcast - the gameshow was bought up by Channel 4, a new British television channel set to launch in November 1982, based on the refined concept. He was assisted by Cathy Hytner and Denise McFarland-Cruickshanks, who handled the letters and numbers rounds respectively. The spin-off was aired only in the Yorkshire area, with Whiteley earning the nickname of "Twice Nightly Whiteley" because of his daily appearances on both programmes. The concept was purchased in the early 1980s by Yorkshire Television, which commissioned a series of eight shows under the title Calendar Countdown, aimed at being a spin-off of their regional news programme Calendar with the programme's host deemed the natural choice for the concept. After watching the programme, Belgian record executive Marcel Stellman brought the format to Britain on the belief it could be popular overseas, and proposed his concept for the British version to several networks. Despite this, The One praised Countdown as "complex and substantial", and expressed that the game's espionage plot and exotic locations are 'engaging'.Countdown originated from the format of the French game show Des chiffres et des lettres ( Numbers and Letters), created by Armand Jammot. Despite praising the game's 'good' animation, The One criticized Countdown's 'average' graphics and "limited" inputs, stating that it "can't quite match the breadth or complexity of a top class Sierra or Lucasfilm" game. While expressing that Countdown isn't an 'interactive movie' but rather an adventure with cinematic effects, The One compared Countdown's visuals to British science fiction series Joe 90, and 1965 spy film The Ipcress File. The One gave Countdown an overall score of 84%, praising the game's "cinematic atmosphere", which they attributed to the game's digitized graphics, "spine-chilling" sound effects, and the game's flashback sequences. ![]() The magazine wrote that excellent VGA graphics, sound, and controls made the game a "feature film" compared to the "mere cartoons" from Sierra On-Line, and compensated for the stock plot devices of amnesia and a protagonist falsely accused of murder. It also comes closer to earning its self-appointed identification as an ' Interactive Movie' than any of its predecessors or competitors". ![]() Amiga and Atari ST versions of Countdown were planned for release in Autumn 1991, but were never released.Ĭomputer Gaming World 's Charles Ardai stated that " Countdown is as close to perfect as any game can be.
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