Countdown

[PaulB]

When they have a special guest on Countdown that sits with the dictionary person, how on earth do they get so many long words etc? Do they have a special machine or something? lol

[sft42]

Because they have a professional lexicographer sitting next to them.....as they work with word one would assume it is they, and not the special guests, who manage to come up with the long words.

[PaulB]

Cheers, I think I remember once some kind of rumour that insinuated that, via an earpiece, a computer or someone running a computer was secretly helping the lexicographer along ;oO

[IndieSinger]

You're right PaulB, some years ago an undercover newspaper report found out that the celebrities sometimes had earpieces to help them along. The Countdown production team didn't deny it either - they said that they'd never suggested that that wasn't the case and that it was only given to some celebrities because the recording demands were so rapid.

Richard Whitely said himself on one online chat interview last year: Occasionally they do come up with long words because [the celebrities] are highly intelligent. They do have an earpiece, which is connected to the 2 producers, Damian and Michael, who play the game in the gallery, so they offer those words to them. It's not cheating, but obviously if you think about it you've got to offer the best possible solution that you can otherwise it would be a pretty dull game. The job of those people is to add value with the spin that they put on the words. It's no secret, we've done it for 21 years. We could have Damian and Michael in Dictionary corner but it would be less pretty!

[PaulB]

Lol, cheers Indie

[jenstar]

Actually, despite what RW says, Damian Eadie did used to be a regular in Dictionary Corner, and was quite good-looking IMHO!

[anthomson]

....and according to my aunt who went to one of the recordings, they also take an absolute age to find their long words. It was apparently very boring.

[PaulB]

LOL jenstar and, anthomson, that is interesting and very easy to beleive now I think about it! :o)

[PaulB]

Believe!

[BenDToy]

To PaulB - I do, I do! ;-O

[PaulB]

LMAO! (",)

[robber1]

Using a simple "spell checker", nine letters can be entered and with one click the longest word that can be produced from them is given. A similar system will be used in Countdown I presume.

[Headtime]

I would also assume that a computer is used, but on a few occasions I have got longer words than Dictionary Corners best effort, and the players regularily beat Dictionary Corner with say an 8 letter word when all DC could muster was a 7.

Conversley, some of the words DC gets are so obscure that I would doubt that even the talented Susie Dent and her lexicograhical genius would have known without the aid of a computer.

Maybe, they have computer help on hand, but sometimes choose not to use it?

[robber1]

Yes, you are right Headtime. that makes our theories look a little suspect. Mmmmm...