Galway 2022: The group pose after the event in Galway (not Yorkshire!)

Galway 2022: Darren shoots some pool

Galway 2022: Yorkshiremen abroad

Galway 2022: Yorkshiremen abroad, pt. 2

Galway 2022: The ladies line up

Galway 2022: Goalkeeper Rachael is unbeatable

Galway 2022: George, Fiona, Tom, and James go crazy for golf

Galway 2022: Robbo’s open-top bus tour?

Galway 2022: Dave is wowed by Phil and Paul’s karaoke skills

Galway 2022: Group meal

Galway 2022: Bradley, Mike, Tom, Fiona, and Cal go parkrunning

North East 2022: Bradley, Richard, and Ashwin enjoy an Indian meal

North East 2022: Bradley, Phil, Tom, and Stu hit the Toon

North East 2022: Parkrunners outside Greggs!

North East 2022: Group picture at an Indian restaurant the night before the event

North East 2022: Matt, Adam, and Bradley are having a great time

North East 2022: Host Robbo poses with the top 3

North East 2022: The many ties of host Robbo

North East 2022: James, Joseph, and Dinos escape a pirate room!

North East 2022: Stevie, Matt, and Stu on the Toon

North East 2022: Tas and Rachael are best pals

London 2022: Bradley, Ronan, and Cal enjoy the gameplay

London 2022: Rachael, Adam, Darren, Steven, and Coral hit the pub

London 2022: Conor suddenly realises he has to play Rob in the final

London 2022: champ Rob collects his trophy from hosts George and Fiona

London 2022: Sandie, Fi, and Rhys are ready to play

London 2022: Ashwin hosts Gevin vs SJ

Manchester 2022: Countdowners gather in the pub

Manchester 2022: The big screen graphics are set for the final

Manchester 2022: The All Jacks (Worsley and Hurst) prepare for their final showdown

Manchester 2022: Host Robbo prepares his quiz

Manchester 2022: Hosts Robbo and Mark present champion Jack with his prizes

Lincoln Hangover 2022: Cal gives the thumbs up again

Lincoln 2022: Dinos and Richard enjoy the Lincoln double-header

Lincoln 2022: Dinos tackles the Fox and Hounds burger challenge, with George and Tom for encouragement

Lincoln 2022: Gameplay in full swing

Lincoln 2022: Conor is victorious

Lincoln 2022: Can you spot one of the 9s available from this selection that Callum is giving the thumbs up to?

Lincoln 2022: George plays darts

Blackpool 2021: Cal and Andy admire Bra’s air hockey skills

Blackpool 2021: Brahag is champhag!

Blackpool 2021: Countdowners enjoy the Funny Girls show

Blackpool 2021: Countdowners at the Blackpool tower!

Blackpool 2021: Jason tries his arm at darts

Blackpool 2021: Jeff, Rachel, and Robbo are having a great time

Blackpool 2021: Countdowners go parkrunning!

Blackpool 2021: Paul, Fi, Tas, and Tom love the karaoke bar!

Blackpool 2021: Steven, Coral, and Adam

Blackpool 2021: Sunday funday!

Blackpool 2021: Taz and Callum play pool

Blackpool 2021: The top 3 with their spoils

Waterford 2021: Champ Eddy with mum Annalisa and dog Tilly!

Waterford 2021: eventgoers revel in some co:event sun

Waterford 2021: Host Eoin gives the thumbs up

Manchester 2020: Host Innis with Champion Tom

Manchester 2020: You’ve heard of chess boxing. Meet chess countdown.

Manchester 2020: Also in attendance were Countdown-loving couple Mark and Tracey.

Lincoln 2020: Tim is smiling at the Hangover event

Lincoln 2020: Zubair is enjoying Dave’s story, but Ned finds it soporific

Lincoln 2020: Jack wins the Hangover!

Lincoln 2020: Fiona plays host for Suzy and Keli

Lincoln 2020: It’s James vs Jack in the Hangover final

Lincoln 2020: Host Ben hands the illustrious COLIN spoon to winner Jonathan

Lincoln 2020: COLIN XVI

Lincoln 2020: Jonathan vs Jack in the COLIN XVI final

Lincoln 2020: Ben, George, and Andy pose in the pub

Lincoln 2020: Countdowners switch codes and play Only Connect in the pub

Finals 2019 podium

Wolverhampton Open 2019 podium: bow down to Queen Jen.

Wolverhampton Finals 2019: Finalists Bra and Cal face off

Braintree 2019: FOCAL events make Matt smile

Braintree 2019 podium and hosts

Braintree 2019: The evil stare of a 5 vowel picker

Braintree 2019: Callum is snapped telling another anecdote. Get this man in Dictionary Corner already.

London 2019: Sam is in the thick of it

London 2019: Bradley LOVES consonants.

London 2019: Callum tells Bradley an anecdote about something oblong.

Blackpool 2019 has the thumbs-up from finalists Tom and Callum.

Blackpool 2019: Countdowners Assemble

Deliberations after a letters round. What’s the longest word you can make from DRNIOETMU?

Blackpool 2019: Group fun at the Pleasure Beach

The Waterford podium — 2nd place Hazel Drury, winner Eddy Byrne, 3rd place Gerry Tynan.

Tom Carey (L) clinches his semi-final with tie-break conundrum PERIODATE in just over a second, and shakes hands with Eddy Byrne (R). With this, Carey booked his place in the final as adversary-in-waiting Dylan Taylor looks on.

Mike Brown presenting the Grand Final, flanked by Graeme Cole on graphics and DC wordsmith Sam Prouse.

L to R: James Robinson, co-host; Philip Garbe, Men’s Captain at Lightcliffe Golf Club; Tim Down, runner-up; Jack Worsley, champion; Kirk Bevins, 3rd place; Callum Todd, co-host.

Blackpool 2019: Hip-hop’s next big trio?

L to R: Runner-up Bradley Horrocks; host Mike Brown; winner Rob Foster; 3rd place Tom Carey, also a Cantabrian student.

Bradley Horrocks: 1 FOCAL event win

Birmingham 2017 group photo

Birmingham 2017

Milton Keynes 2017 – Graeme being used as a table the morning after

Bournemouth 2017 champ Rob with organisers Jeff and Sean

Waterford 2017 – Champ Tom with Carol Sinnott’s very impressive Countdown clock cake!

Waterford 2017 top 3 – Hazel (2nd), Tom (1st) and Gerry (3rd)

King’s Lynn 2017 champ, Rob, with organiser Mike

King’s Lynn 2017

King’s Lynn 2017

King’s Lynn 2017

London 2017 champ, Oli, with organiser Jen

London 2017

London 2017

Leeds 2017 Team Quiz

Leeds 2017 finalists, Dylan and Jack

Leeds 2017

Leeds 2017

Manchester 2017: Stephen with his trophy.

Manchester 2017: Champion Stephen with organisers Jack and Matty.

Manchester 2017: Runner-up Rob with his prizes.

Manchester 2017: Pre-final japery.

Manchester 2017: A more sedate pre-final photo.

Manchester 2017: Audience giggles during the final.

Manchester 2017: It wouldn’t be a Co-event if Callum weren’t making a stupid face.

Manchester 2017: Michelle gives herself a good fisting.

Manchester 2017: Phil oversees a game between Anthony and newbie Kath!

Manchester 2017: Play nicely, children !

Manchester 2017: Mark and Zarte chatting.

Manchester 2017: Thumbs up 1.

Manchester 2017: Thumbs up 2.

Lincoln 2017: One of the enduring tropes of a COLIN weekend is Mark and Graeme’s bromance.

Lincoln 2017: Callum and Dylan are riveted by Andy and a rubber band. He’s just that charismatic.

Lincoln 2017: Tim and Lauren reeeally love COLIN.

Lincoln 2017: The final between Conor and Dylan gets underway.

Lincoln 2017: Friendships forged many COLINs ago are still going strong.

Lincoln 2017: The final of the unofficial COLIN quiz. Tensions are not that high.

Lincoln 2017: The winning team from the unofficial COLIN quiz – Tim, Jen, Tom and Graeme.

Lincoln Hangover 2017: Newly-engaged Countdown couple Adam and Lucy celebrate their impending nuptials!

Lincoln Hangover 2017: Notly-engaged Countdown couple Mark and Graeme celebrate their love. (We’re still waiting for the proposal. Maybe next year?)

Lincoln Hangover 2017: Another photo trope of COLIN – Matt’s Mobot of despair.

Lincoln Hangover 2017: Jono, Stephen and Jack.

Lincoln Hangover 2017: Lucy and Mike.

Lincoln 2017: Tom, Lauren and Ryan.

Lincoln 2017: Callum loves COLIN, and so will you.

Birmingham 2016: FOCAL Finals finalists Jack and Giles prepare for the crucial conundrum that will decide the year’s champion…

Birmingham 2016: FOCAL 2016 runner-up and style champion Giles shows off his Christmas jumper.

Birmingham 2016: A more plush venue than usual!

Glasgow Hangover 2016: Playing a spot of post-Countdown group Sporcle.

Glasgow 2016: No hard feelings between finalists Innis and James.

Glasgow 2016: Veteran and head of the Edinburgh Countdown Club, Nita Marr, looks apprehensive.

Glasgow 2016: The event often begins on Friday night, with players meeting up to eat, drink and catch up before the Countdowning begins.

Huddersfield 2016: A group of wild Countdowners poses with Jason and Penny Larsen, who flew 5,000 miles from Seattle to be at the tournament!

Huddersfield 2016: an array of prizes on offer.

Huddersfield 2016: Pointless winners, Tom and Jack.

Huddersfield 2016: John, also from Seattle, enjoys his first ever Countdown tournament/trip to England.

Huddersfield 2016: Losing semi finalists’ ‘sad selfie’.

Huddersfield 2016: Playing Pointless.

Huddersfield 2016: Michelle gets lairy.

Dublin 2016: Group selfie!

Dublin 2016: First-timer Matt Tassier winning the pool competition!

Dublin 2016: Pool champion Matt gets a bit lairy in the heady rush of victory.

Dublin 2016: Adam shows off his own Countdown t-shirt.

Dublin 2016: The final between former McSeriesWinners; Edward McCullagh and Dan McColm battle it out.

Dublin 2016: Prizegiving after Ed edges it.

Dublin 2016: Hard at work.

MK 2016: Jen, Tracey and Mark – but which is which?

MK 2016: Ryan Taylor meets his doppelganger, who works at Milton Keynes Wetherspoons.

MK 2016: Eddy, Mark and Peter snuggle up in the pub.

Milton Keynes 2016: Champion James celebrates his win.

MK 2016: titans of the game Jack Worsley and Dylan Taylor enjoy themselves.

MK 2016: Welcoming Ciaran, the first deaf player on Countdown, to Milton Keynes with some awkwardly remembered sign language.

Nottingham 2016: Zubair referees Zarte and Callum’s Flake fight, showcasing the mature nature of Co-events.

Nottingham 2016 winner: JACK WORSLEY

St Albans 2016: Jessica, Natasha and Mauro Pratesi show that FOCAL’s fun for all the family.

King’s Lynn 2016: The final begins…

King’s Lynn 2016: More cheerful posing.

King’s Lynn 2016: Post-final posing.

King’s Lynn 2016: Matty

King’s Lynn 2016: Stewart hosts Toby and Alan.

King’s Lynn 2016: Third placed James Robinson.

King’s Lynn 2016: Post-event pub.

CoLeeds 2016: organiser Callum finds his calling as a programme seller.

Jen Steadman: 1 FOCAL event

Bristol 2016: Graeme gets a glamorous makeover.

Bristol 2016: Our winner, Jack Hurst, receives his trophy.

Bristol 2016: Callum makes an interesting face.

Bristol 2016: Organiser Mark Murray gets his drink on.

Bristol 2016: Adam prays for divine help during the tournament.

Bristol 2016: The two finalists, Jack Hurst and Jack Worsley.

Bristol 2016: The dynamic presenting duo of Jeff and Mark!

Bristol 2016: Amie and Zarte have a natter between rounds.

Lincoln 2014: Mark and Graeme’s bromance, part 1.

Lincoln 2015: Mark and Graeme’s bromance, part 2.

Lincoln 2016: Mark and Graeme’s bromance, part 3.

Lincoln 2016: a wild group of Countdowners appeared!

Lincoln 2016: Zarte gets his grump on.

Lincoln 2016: Mark and Graeme get bromantic at the local Little Chef before the Countdowning starts.

Dublin 2015: Finalists James and Kevin fit in some posing before their final.

Dublin 2015: Chris, Eoin and Heather in jovial spirits.

Nottingham 2015: Tracey falls over during a heated lunchtime game of football.

Nottingham 2015: Andy shows off the more stylish side of a Co event.

Nottingham 2015: group photo!

Nottingham 2015: Tracey can’t get enough of the CoNot lifestyle.

Nottingham 2015: John and Zubair are all smiles.

King’s Lynn 2015: Finalists Graeme and Rob show off their trophies.

King’s Lynn 2015: Jayne and Matt, ready to go.

King’s Lynn 2015: The boys get their thinking caps on.

King’s Lynn 2015: Lauren and Phyl take a breather from the gameplay.

Glasgow 2015: A post-tournament group meal.

Lincoln 2015: Graeme models Jen’s tiara.

Lincoln 2015: Jono gets a stunning makeover.