Countdown: 19/03/2026


2:10 pm - 3:00 pm, Thursday, March 19 on Channel 4 (4)

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About this Broadcast

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19/03/2026
Season 1, Episode 1

Colin Murray and Rachel Riley host the words-and-numbers game, with Nicki Chapman joining Susie Dent in Dictionary Corner


new HD subtitles new
Game Show/Quiz/Contest Show/Game Show

Cast & Crew

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Rachel Riley (Co host)
Susie Dent (Contributor)
Damian Eadie (Series producer)

More Information

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Did You Know..

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Colin Murray (Host)
Born: March 10, 1977 in Dundonald, east Belfast
Best Known For: Co-hosting the Colin and Edith Show on Radio 1
Early-life: Born on March 10, 1977, and raised on the Ballybean Housing Estate in Dundonald, east Belfast. Expelled from grammar school at 16 for being disruptive in class, Murray was keen on entering a career in journalism, becoming a trainee on The Ulster News Letter and spending a year's fellowship at the Toronto Star. He then set up a pop magazine called Blank and wrote a pop column in the Sunday People.
Career: He got his big break when he was signed up to co-host Radio 1's Session programme alongside Donna Legge in 1999. His witty one-liners and laidback presenting style proved popular, and the pair often deputised for the likes of John Peel, Steve Lamacq and Mary Anne Hobbs. In 2002, Colin was headhunted to front Channel 4's ill-fated breakfast show RI:SE but left to front the channel's late-night music shows. In late 2003, he was reunited with RI:SE co-host Edith Bowman for The Colin and Edith Show, which pulled in more than five million listeners before the pair went their seperate ways in 2006. Since then, he has presented Five's American football show, NFL Live, and the channel's European Poker Tour Series. He currently presents the channel's coverage of the UEFA Cup and hosts the topical sports-based news show Fighting Talk on BBC Radio Five Live. However, he hasn't forgotten his roots and also presents a late-night weekend show on Radio Ulster.
Quote: 'It used to be that you'd turn on a TV chat show, and you'd learn by the end something about the person. These days, it tends to be just an interviewer cracking bad jokes.'
Trivia: Murray supports the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.
Rachel Riley (Co host)
Born: January 11, 1986 in Rochford, Essex
Best Known For: Countdown.
Early-life: Rachel Annabelle Riley was born in Rochford, Essex, on January 11, 1986. She studied mathematics at Oriel College, Oxford.
Career: Riley's big break came in 2008 when she was chosen from more than 1,000 applicants to replace Carol Vorderman on Countdown. She presented her first show alongside Jeff Stelling in January 2009, and reached her 1,000th episode in June 2013. Away from the numbers and letters on Countdown, she began co-hosting The Gadget Show alongside Jason Bradbury in June 2013. She was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 and was the fifth celebrity to be eliminated.
Quote: 'I don't want girls to aspire to being famous for the sake of being famous. If I was only known for wearing a dress, that wouldn't have any value for me.'
Trivia: Riley won £36,000 for charity on a celebrity edition of The Bank Job. She supports Manchester United.
Susie Dent (Contributor)
Nicki Chapman (Guest)
Born: January 14, 1967 in Canterbury
Best Known For: Being a judge on Pop Idol and presenting daytime lifestyle programmes.
Early-life: Born in Canterbury on January 14, 1967, Nicki spent her childhood in Herne Bay. At 21, she became a Promotions' Assistant at MCA Records and later worked at RCA as Head of Promotions.
Career: From 1995 until the end of 2000, Chapman was a joint partner in the Brilliant! PR Company, which represented the Spice Girls, Take That, Phil Collins, Billie Piper, David Bowie and Amy Winehouse. In January 2001, she joined Simon Fuller's management company 19 Entertainment as Creative Director. She began her TV career as a judge on Popstars, Pop Idol and Popstars: The Rivals. Pop Idol was the top rated TV show in the UK in 2001 and 2003. In recent years, Chapman has fronted a number of lifestyle programmes such as Holidays at Home, RHS Chelsea Flower Show, City Hospital, Wanted Down Under, and Escape to the Country. She has also deputised for various presenters on Radio 2.
Quote: 'I'm driven but not ambitious. I've been in the right place at the right time and I've grabbed my opportunities when they've presented themselves.'
Trivia: Chapman has travelled to Uganda and Ghana for Sport Relief. She has a passion for Elizabethan history and novels.
Damian Eadie (Series producer)
Born: August 15, 1969 in Blackpool