Des Chiffres Et Des Lettres - UK Version

UK Version

The long-running United Kingdom TV show Countdown began in 1982, and is a close adaptation of the same format. The main differences are that the rounds last only 30 seconds instead of 45; there are only three numbers rounds, only one contestant chooses the letters in each round and the "duels" are replaced with the "Countdown Conundrum", a nine-letter anagram.

The style of presentation is notably (and deliberately) more old fashioned, and prides itself on featuring no computerised elements whatsoever, other than a random number generator for the numbers round. Whereas contestants on Des Chiffres Et Des Lettres use computer touch-screens to register their words / number solutions, Countdown contestants use pen and paper. Unlike Des Chiffres Et Des Lettres' computerised displays, Countdown's letters and numbers are displayed on boards, with the time limit being measured using a huge clock face at the back of the set, as opposed to a bar gradually filling in. The clock, and the music played during rounds, have become icons of the UK show, and have become very famous.

No major prizes are offered, with winners receiving a dictionary, a home version of the game, and a special Countdown teapot depicting the show's clock face. The winner of each series receives a leather bound complete set of the Oxford English Dictionary. The low-tech and low-budget nature of the production is a subject of numerous jokes within the programme.