8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown


10:00 pm - 11:05 pm, Friday, December 19 on E4 Extra (31)

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About this Broadcast

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Season 4, Episode 3

Jimmy Carr hosts the comedy version of the words-and-numbers game, with team captains Sean Lock and Jon Richardson joined by Josie Long and Rob Beckett. Vic Reeves waxes lyrical in Dictionary Corner with Susie Dent, while Joe Wilkinson turns up once more to 'assist' Rachel Riley at the board


Comedy Game Show/Quiz/Contest Movie/Drama Show/Game Show

Cast & Crew

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Sean Lock (Team captain)
Jon Richardson (Team captain)
Josie Long (Guest)
Vic Reeves (Guest)
Susie Dent (Contributor)
Rachel Riley (Contributor)
Joe Wilkinson (Contributor)
Richard Osman (Executive producer)
Ruth Phillips (Executive producer)
Andrew Westwell (Executive producer)
Karen Murdoch (Series producer)

More Information

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Did You Know..

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Jimmy Carr (Host)
Born: September 15, 1972 in Slough
Best Known For: His stand-up comedy
Early-life: James Anthony Patrick Carr was born in Slough on September 15, 1972, one of three sons of Irish immigrants. His parents split in 1994, though the marriage didn't end until the death of his mother in 2001. Jimmy did well at school and studied political science at Cambridge before moving into advertising. He landed a job in the marketing department of Shell Oil, but felt unfulfilled. When the company offered him voluntary redundancy, he took it, and decided to pursue a career in comedy.
Career: Carr began performing on the stand-up circuit, doing up to 300 shows a year for three years, before taking his act to the Edinburgh festival in 2002. This brought him to the attention of TV bosses, and before long he was presenting series such as Your Face or Mine and Distraction. Since then, he's rarely been off TVscreens, hosting the first run of the Friday Night Project, 8 Out of 10 Cats and numerous Channel 4 list shows. He's also made a move into acting, appearing in Alien Autopsy, Confetti, Stormbreaker and Telstar. He is one of Britain's busiest comics and his DVDs are big sellers.
Quote: "I'm not being condescending, I'm too busy thinking about far more important things you wouldn't understand."
Trivia: In February 2007, Carr was the first major comedian to perform in the virtual reality world Second Life.
Sean Lock (Team captain)
Born: April 22, 1963 in Chertsey, Surrey
Best Known For: His razor sharp wit on various comedy panel shows.
Early-life: Born in Woking, Surrey, on April 22, 1963. He is one of four children and admits that finances were tight - his father was made redundant several times. He does, however, credit his parents with giving him a strong work ethic. Sean left school in 1981 and began working on building sites, but being exposed to sunlight all day every day led him to develop skin cancer. He made a full recovery and moved into comedy.
Career: Lock's first professional TV appearance was in 1993, when he appeared in a supporting role alongside Rob Newman and David Baddiel on their signature TV show Newman and Baddiel in Pieces. He toured with the duo as their support act and, as a result, became the first comedian to perform at Wembley Arena. He script-edited the 1998 BBC Two series Is It Bill Bailey? and had his own show on BBC radio, 15 Minutes of Misery. It was later expanded into the half-hour series, 15 Storeys High. He's now a team captain on the panel game 8 Out of 10 Cats. Other game show appearances have come in the likes of The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, Have I Got News for You, QI, and They Think It's All Over. He also hosted his own entertainment show on Channel 4 called TV Heaven, Telly Hell.
Quote: "I started doing panel shows, and I found that people liked me on them. They're fun. They're well-paid. And you don't have to spend six months writing them."
Trivia: Bizarrely, in the 1970s, Lock appeared on the BBC's Nationwide with Uri Geller - where he was taught the art of spoon-bending.
Jon Richardson (Team captain)
Born: September 26, 1982 in Lancaster
Best Known For: 8 Out of 10 Cats.
Early-life: Jon Joel Richardson was born on September 26, 1982, in Lancaster. He has a sister. His parents split up when he was very young, and he was raised by his mother and her long-term partner; he also maintained a relationship with his father. Jon's teachers often noted what a good sense of humour he had on his school reports, and although he dreamed of being a comedian, didn't think it would be possible. He studied Spanish and Portuguese at university but dropped out, became a chef, then decided to give stand-up a go.
Career: In 2003, Richardson won his heat of the BBC New Talent Comedy Search, and a year later did well in the Laughing Horse New Act of the Year competition and J20 Last Laugh Comedy Search. Encouraged by these successes and kind words from Jasper Carrott and Dave Spikey for a performance at the Criterion Theatre in London, his confidence grew. More stand-up followed, including appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He went on to feature on numerous radio shows before moving into TV. Richardson appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Have I Got News For You before becoming a team captain on 8 Out of 10 Cats. He's since published his first book, It's Not Me, It's You! and taken part in various documentaries.
Quote: "My big thing is that you should be comfortable on your own in the dark. There's nothing eating away at you."
Trivia: Richardson fronted the documentary A Little Bit OCD in which he examined the lives of OCD sufferers while trying to work out if he also had the condition. It won a Mind Award for best documentary in 2013.
Josie Long (Guest)
Rob Beckett (Guest)
Vic Reeves (Guest)
Born: January 24, 1959 in Leeds
Best Known For: Being Bob Mortimer's mate.
Early-life: Born James Roderick Moir in Leeds on January 24, 1959, but he is better known by his stage name Vic Reeves. He moved to Darlington with his parents and younger sister, Lois, at the age of five. He left school without any qualifications and after his plan to attend art college was dashed, he became an apprentice at a mechanical engineering firm. A move to London in 1979 changed his life. Vic appeared in several bands before turning to comedy, naming himself after singers Vic Damone and Jim Reeves. His friends still call him Jim, while his family knows him as Rod.
Career: In 1986, Reeves received an Enterprise Allowance grant to finance the stage show Vic Reeves' Variety Palladium, which later became Vic Reeves' Big Night Out. He met Bob Mortimer during its run, and their partnership was formed. A TV version of the show appeared in 1990. Reeves and Mortimer went on to create hits such as The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, Shooting Stars, Families at War and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). Away from the partnership, Reeves has featured in various adverts, hosted historical series Rogues Gallery, been a contestant on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and presented Brainiac: Science Abuse. He's also published an acclaimed autobiography, Me: Moir. Shooting Stars was later resurrected - then unceremoniously axed - by the BBC, but Reeves and Mortimer continue to work together, including on the sitcom House of Fools.
Quote: "Vic Reeves is really just a character on TV. He's an exaggerated version of me, I suppose. He's more brusque and self-confident."
Trivia: Reeves now uses his real name when appearing in straight acting roles, such as the 2011 drama Eric and Ernie.
Susie Dent (Contributor)
Rachel Riley (Contributor)
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.
Joe Wilkinson (Contributor)
Richard Osman (Executive producer)
Born: November 28, 1970 in Billericay
Best Known For: Pointless.
Early-life: Richard Thomas Osman was born in Billericay on November 28, 1970, but grew up in West Sussex. He was raised by his single mum after his father left home - they didn't see each other for 20 years. Richard studied politics and sociology at Trinity College, Cambridge, where his future Pointless colleague Alexander Armstrong was reading English literature. He claims that one of his proudest moments came when his mum and grandfather watched his graduation.
Career: Osman has worked behind the scenes as an executive producer on a number of TV programmes, including Deal or No Deal, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and 10 O'Clock Live. As the UK creative director of TV production company Endemol, he pitched the quiz Pointless to the BBC. As a way of explaining the rules, he played the co-host during a run-through. He was asked to do the role for real when the show was commissioned. Pointless started on BBC Two in 2009 and was an immediate hit. It quickly made the switch to BBC One. Since being in the spotlight on Pointless, he has made guest appearances on QI, Have I Got News for You and Would I Lie to You? He also guest presented an episode of The One Show alongside Alex Jones.
Quote: "Whenever I turn up to pub quizzes now, I see people going: ‘Urgh, that's the guy who knows everything.'"
Trivia: He is the younger brother of Mat Osman, bassist with Suede, and suffers from nystagmus, a condition that results in uncontrolled movement of the eyes.
Ruth Phillips (Executive producer)
Andrew Westwell (Executive producer)
Karen Murdoch (Series producer)