8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

image c Channel 4

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
3 / 5

Series: 8
Aired: 2012 - present
Channel: Channel 4
Writer: N/A
Cast: Jimmy Carr, Sean Lock, Jon Richardson, Joe Wilkinson, Susie Dent, Rachel Rielly et al

Originally part of the celebration of Channel 4's 30th birthday during their mash-up night, wherein certain Channel 4 favourites were squished together to create new formats. Whilst originally it was intended as a one-off special, the show was commissioned as a full series due to its popularity and has been running since then, though it feels like a "I can't believe this happened" kind of thing with the sheer success it has, almost out-stripping the original show(s).

If you've never seen either Countdown or 8 Out of 10 Cats, then there's really nothing I can do for you. It's a bona fide mash-up wherein the comedians who frequent the panel show play the game of Countdown. The captains are the same and the guests are your standard Cats guests and we have the standard Top Banter that the modern Channel 4 is built upon.

Personally, I much much prefer this version. The main reason being is that it is so much funnier. We don't have any non-comedian guests (with a few exceptions) which means there's no Channel 4 news reader trying so hard to be funny it hurts to watch and we don't get comedians tearing apart other people's lives just for a quick laugh like we do on normal Cats when they're talking about news items and celebrity stories.

Of course, there are running gags that are getting old. The not-stolen-from-Qi gag of Sean Lock being "the stupid one" and rarely ever winning hasn't actually gotten old per sé, unless you get Jon Richardson obviously and purposefully losing. These instances are easily brushed aside because I'm not sure that anyone is watching it for the outcome of the actual game. The mascots gag (wherein each contestant brings in a mascot for good luck, ranging from photos of their relatives or their children's teddies to absurd oddities) is old and tired but still endearing to an extent but easily ignored.

And yeah, I do play along. I'm terrible at maths so when I do it (the easy ones with 100) I get a bit giddy, and that time I got a nine-letter word that wasn't the conundrum is right up there with scoring 15 points all by myself on University Challenge. It has its utterly trite moments, with certain types of jokes and naff guests (I'm looking at you Joey Essex), but all-in-all its what I look for in a panel show, though it is getting a little old now.