Channel 4 Countdown Board Game

The Countdown game show has become somewhat of a British institution. The first programme was aired on Channel 4 in 1982 and the game show has over 5,000 episodes behind it, across no less than 65 series, making it one of the longest-running game shows in existence.

Watching the game is all very well but now you can actually play it! The Countdown board game by Britannia Games brings the infamous game show to the comfort of your home. A chance to beat the countdown clock, knock out fellow contestants and impress friends and family with your lexical dexterity and numerical agility.

The game, for 2-6 players, is the perfect present for the brainiac and for fans of the show. You know the type, they usually like to guess along with the contestants on screen and recall the good old days of Richard Whitely, Des Lyman and Des O Connor, all the way to Jeff Stelling and the show's current host: Nick Hewer. Let's not forget Carol Voderman and her replacement co-host, Rachel Riley.

The show format, which this board game imitates, involves word and number puzzles. Contestants choose their own cards: A vowel please, a consonant, another consonant and the replica countdown clock is turned on, after which the contestant has just 30 seconds to create the longest possible word from the cards. Feel the tension building as the replica clock (featuring the treasured 30-second Countdown sound effect) ticks away. In round 2, contestants must use arithmetic to reach a target pre-determined number in 30 seconds. Finally, in round 3 they have 30 seconds more to solve the infamous Countdown Conundrum.

The game consists of a board, special writing pads (with a set of pencils), a special die and four decks of cards (with word games, number games and Conundrums). The game even includes a replica countdown clock with the classic (and treasured) 30-second sound effect , which has chimed through British living rooms since 1982.