Countdown (game show) Stelling was confirmed as the new host, with Oxford graduate Rachel Riley in the Vorderman role. It was announced on 24 May 2011 that Stelling would be leaving the programme, and he presented his final show on 16 December 2011. On 16 November 2011, it was announced that Nick Hewer would be taking over as host, with his first show broadcast on 9 January 2012. "Countdown" quickly established cult status within British television – an image which it maintains today, despite numerous changes of rules and personnel. The programme's audience comprises mainly students, homemakers and pensioners, owing to the "teatime"
Countdown (game show) would succeed Lynam as host. Lynam's final show as "Countdown" presenter was broadcast on 22 December 2006. O'Connor first presented Countdown on 2 January 2007. The other studio mainstay is Dictionary Corner, which houses a lexicographer and that week's celebrity guest (referred to as "GoD" or "Guardian of the Dictionaries"). Initially farmer and broadcaster Ted Moult was on hand for verification. The role of the lexicographer is to verify the words offered by the contestants (see "Letters round rules") and point out any longer or otherwise interesting words available. The lexicographer is aided in finding these words by the show's