Underplayed Gems

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (2012)

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown poster
Genre
comedy, panel game
Country
United Kingdom
Length
23 seasons, 150 episodes
Rated
M
Rating
7.3 of 10 from 101 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this series is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

The show is a mashup of the game show Countdown and the panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats. Comedians play word and number games while making jokes, with Jimmy Carr hosting and Rachel Riley and Susie Dent helping with the game. Team captains and guests compete for laughs and points.

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What happens

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown is a British comedy panel show on Channel 4. The show follows the game of Countdown, but presented in a comedy panel show format seen on 8 Out of 10 Cats, with the show being a crossover of the two. The show is hosted by 8 Out of 10 Cats host Jimmy Carr, with Rachel Riley and Susie Dent assuming their Countdown roles assisting with the game. During most of the run, the two teams had regular captains Jon Richardson and Sean Lock; after Lock's death in 2021, his team has been led by a rotating series of guest captains while Richardson continues to be a regular captain (except when scheduling conflicts prevent him from appearing). In 2025, Rob Beckett was announced as a team captain, with Judi Love joining as a regular returning guest. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.