Countdown (game show) World Records" for the most series of a TV game show broadcast. Countdown (game show) Countdown is a British game show involving word and number puzzles. It is produced by ITV Studios and broadcast on Channel 4. It is currently presented by Nick Hewer, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and 77 series have been broadcast since its debut on 2 November 1982. With over 6,500 episodes, "Countdown" is one of the longest-running game shows in the world, along with the original French version, "Des chiffres
Countdown (game show) who would like to become a game show hostess. Unlike almost any other game show hostess of the time, however, the advertisement also made it clear that the applicants' appearance would be less important than their talent as a mathematician. Gradually the tasks performed by the extra presenters were taken over by Carol Vorderman, whose role within the show essentially became that of co-presenter. Whiteley fell ill with septicaemia in 2005, and as a result he was no longer able to record "Countdown". Although Whiteley made a slow recovery from his illness, he died on 26 June 2005, after a