Countdown (game show)
On 26 June 2005, Whiteley died after a failed heart operation. At the time, he had been slowly recovering from pneumonia earlier that year. This had prevented him from recording further episodes. His death impacted the show, at the time on its 53rd series, causing the episode due to air on 27 June to be postponed by Channel 4 by one day as a mark of respect, while the remaining episodes he had managed to complete were aired after his death, beginning with a tearful tribute from Vorderman with the episode aired on 28 June. After the series' conclusion, Countdown was placed into hiatus after 1 July, the series Grand Final, to determine how to proceed.