letters and numbers
September 21, 2010 2:14 AM Subscribe
This new Australian tv quiz show is so awkward it's endearing, and Lily's good at maths!
SBS is wonderful Australian television station station (really) and they have a new quiz show.
It's a based on a French show that spawned an English show, but the producers of the Australian version of 'letters and numbers' have created something so uniquely awkward, so out of place and time, that it feels like my television is picking a ghost from 1970's East German Broadcasting.
The game is based around arithmetic and anagrams, so there's little need for any references to current events or popular culture, it could be be from a parallel universe, where people have evolved beyond our shallow notions of cool.
And when Lily, the letter turner woman, pulls out her whiteboard marker and reveals her astonishing mathematical prowess, I feel it's a universe I would like to raise my children in.
letter and numbers
SBS is wonderful Australian television station station (really) and they have a new quiz show.
It's a based on a French show that spawned an English show, but the producers of the Australian version of 'letters and numbers' have created something so uniquely awkward, so out of place and time, that it feels like my television is picking a ghost from 1970's East German Broadcasting.
The game is based around arithmetic and anagrams, so there's little need for any references to current events or popular culture, it could be be from a parallel universe, where people have evolved beyond our shallow notions of cool.
And when Lily, the letter turner woman, pulls out her whiteboard marker and reveals her astonishing mathematical prowess, I feel it's a universe I would like to raise my children in.
letter and numbers
"Geoblocked: This video is not available in your region."
So, instead, That's Wordwang!
posted by disillusioned at 2:28 AM on September 21, 2010
So, instead, That's Wordwang!
posted by disillusioned at 2:28 AM on September 21, 2010
@disillusioned > Geoblocked : damn!
posted by compound eye at 2:32 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by compound eye at 2:32 AM on September 21, 2010
A wonderful show on a wonderful TV channel. It's replaced The Simpsons in my household as the 6pm home from work relaxification program. Spotting the nine letter word is a thrill to be savoured! And indeed, Lily boggles my mind with the elegance of her mathematics.
posted by Philby at 2:33 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by Philby at 2:33 AM on September 21, 2010
To answer my own question, apparently yes.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:36 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:36 AM on September 21, 2010
Oh, and the other co host who does the letters part is David Astle, AKA DA- the man responsible for much gnashing of teeth and rending of garments, the compiler of the sadistically tortuous Friday Sydney Morning Herald cryptic crossword.
posted by Philby at 2:40 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by Philby at 2:40 AM on September 21, 2010
Australia has *just* got Countdown?! Celebrating 30 years of electricity indeed...
posted by i_cola at 2:40 AM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by i_cola at 2:40 AM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
Yeah, it's Countdown - but that name has a very particular meaning in Australian TV.
posted by pompomtom at 2:40 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by pompomtom at 2:40 AM on September 21, 2010
@EndsOfInvention > yes but i wish you could see the video so you could tell me, is countdown so excruciatingly awkward?
posted by compound eye at 2:43 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by compound eye at 2:43 AM on September 21, 2010
Ah, Countdown, perennial favourite of the elderly and unemployed. Something of a national institution in the UK.
posted by him at 2:46 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by him at 2:46 AM on September 21, 2010
Oh, and watch out Lily. You could be mirroring 2038's version of Sarah Palin if your UK counterpart is anything to go by ;-)
posted by i_cola at 2:46 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by i_cola at 2:46 AM on September 21, 2010
I love that it's called "Letters & Numbers". To be fair it is copying the original French show, but that has to be the most literal game show title ever. Like if they had a quiz called "Questions".
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:52 AM on September 21, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:52 AM on September 21, 2010 [3 favorites]
Personally I prefer Street Countdown.
posted by SyntacticSugar at 3:48 AM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by SyntacticSugar at 3:48 AM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
Richard Morecroft (Letters and Numbers host) used to read the news on ABC TV with a baby flying fox up his shirt.
posted by girlgenius at 4:11 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by girlgenius at 4:11 AM on September 21, 2010
Oh, this is so wonderful! I was just sitting downstairs, doodling away, with this very anachronistic game show on in the background. It was quite amazing and reminded me (in tone) of the very dry 'It's Academic'. SBS is the shit, honestly.
posted by h00py at 4:31 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by h00py at 4:31 AM on September 21, 2010
Err, yeah, geoblocked but it sure looks exactly the same as the ancient Brit programme "Countdown".
posted by Decani at 4:40 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by Decani at 4:40 AM on September 21, 2010
Don't miss the prank on the host of Countdown, Richard Whiteley.
"This is the famous Richard Whiteley Gotcha from Noel's House Party. The Gotchas were basically hidden camera style practical jokes which were played on celebrities. During Comic Relief 1999, the Whiteley Gotcha was voted as the all time best one."
posted by yaymukund at 4:51 AM on September 21, 2010 [4 favorites]
"This is the famous Richard Whiteley Gotcha from Noel's House Party. The Gotchas were basically hidden camera style practical jokes which were played on celebrities. During Comic Relief 1999, the Whiteley Gotcha was voted as the all time best one."
posted by yaymukund at 4:51 AM on September 21, 2010 [4 favorites]
Finally Americans can know the "Video unavailable in your region" woes!
posted by delmoi at 5:10 AM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by delmoi at 5:10 AM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
What's supposed to be so awkward about this? Reading about it, it sounds kind of boring.
posted by delmoi at 5:14 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by delmoi at 5:14 AM on September 21, 2010
So, instead, That's Wordwang!"
Oh man i loved the whole series of those skits.
posted by MrLint at 5:16 AM on September 21, 2010
I love the fact that Stephen Fry has actually made 17 appearances on Countdown so far, subsequent to appearing in this sketch.
posted by tomcooke at 5:37 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by tomcooke at 5:37 AM on September 21, 2010
"What bastard luck, you only needed a k for WANK" - Roger Mellie, the man on the telly.
posted by vbfg at 5:40 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by vbfg at 5:40 AM on September 21, 2010
So at this rate, Australia will be gripped by Deal Or No Deal sometime around 2040?
posted by afx237vi at 5:45 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by afx237vi at 5:45 AM on September 21, 2010
The Countdown theme is in my iTunes Library.
posted by spamguy at 5:47 AM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by spamguy at 5:47 AM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
These videos are not available in my region! Now I know how all you folks in, you know, the lesser areas feel.
posted by Justinian at 6:11 AM on September 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 6:11 AM on September 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
@yaymukund Holy fuck, is that Houellebecq in the prank from Noel's Houseparty?
posted by ouke at 6:19 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by ouke at 6:19 AM on September 21, 2010
> So at this rate, Australia will be gripped by Deal Or No Deal sometime around 2040?
Dude, Australia has had Deal or No Deal since 2003, and it's completely different to the UK version (if Noel Edmonds's version the Celestine Prophecy, then the Australian version is the video for Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love).
posted by hot soup girl at 6:21 AM on September 21, 2010
Dude, Australia has had Deal or No Deal since 2003, and it's completely different to the UK version (if Noel Edmonds's version the Celestine Prophecy, then the Australian version is the video for Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love).
posted by hot soup girl at 6:21 AM on September 21, 2010
This brings memories. When we first got satellite TV at home in the late 80's (or maybe later, in the very early 90's), I used to watch this game in Turkish. Now, with the Internet, it's very easy to get exposure to foreign languages. But I remember at the time the giddiness of being there, in my grandparents' living room watching Numbers and Letters in Turkish. I think it was Turkish, I don't speak it. It had umlauts though.
posted by kandinski at 7:06 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by kandinski at 7:06 AM on September 21, 2010
Yes, early 90's satellite TV was great for picking up strange, exotic channels from foreign shores. I remember experiencing the same giddiness as kandinski describes, only instead of Turkish quiz shows it was late-night softcore porn from RTL2 and Vox in Germany. Ah, treasured times.
posted by afx237vi at 7:17 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by afx237vi at 7:17 AM on September 21, 2010
I'm trying to figure out how to get to it via proxy, but in the meantime here's a clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUvNGSe09x0
posted by thermonuclear.jive.turkey at 7:49 AM on September 21, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUvNGSe09x0
posted by thermonuclear.jive.turkey at 7:49 AM on September 21, 2010
That whole episode of the IT Crowd where Moss appears on Countdown is one of the funniest episodes I've ever seen.
posted by salmacis at 8:34 AM on September 21, 2010
posted by salmacis at 8:34 AM on September 21, 2010
Probably what now counts as my max(closest contact*best well known) celebrity story: I briefly taught the current co-host of the UK version of Countdown.
posted by PMdixon at 5:17 PM on September 21, 2010
posted by PMdixon at 5:17 PM on September 21, 2010
Finally Americans can know the "Video unavailable in your region" woes!
That might be because SBS is the "Special Broadcasting Service", where "special" means "foreign". The TV station was set up to cater for the multicultural community (something like 46% of Australians were born overseas or had at least one parent born overseas, according to census figures).
So, it's the station that shows all the arthouse movies from overseas, along with other non-anglophone stuff like Inspector Rex. They probably just slap a blanket "for domestic use only" rule on all videos...?
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:58 PM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
That might be because SBS is the "Special Broadcasting Service", where "special" means "foreign". The TV station was set up to cater for the multicultural community (something like 46% of Australians were born overseas or had at least one parent born overseas, according to census figures).
So, it's the station that shows all the arthouse movies from overseas, along with other non-anglophone stuff like Inspector Rex. They probably just slap a blanket "for domestic use only" rule on all videos...?
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:58 PM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
Eh?
I thought it stood for "Sex Between Soccer"?
posted by pompomtom at 11:36 PM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
I thought it stood for "Sex Between Soccer"?
posted by pompomtom at 11:36 PM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
Now I'm wondering what this would be like with Molly Meldrum instead of Richard Morecroft.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 2:01 AM on September 22, 2010
posted by obiwanwasabi at 2:01 AM on September 22, 2010
Tout in Egypt: "Hey, mistaa! Hey, yes you - what your country?"
"Uh, Australia"
"Australia! Kangaroo! Maaaiyte! You know Molly Meldrum?"
"I know of Molly Meldrum..."
"He is friend of mine. He is great big pooftah. He like jiggy-jiggy with Egypt boys. You like Egypt boys?"
"Um, er, Egyptians are nice people, if that's what you-"
"OK, I find you boy to jiggy-jiggy with! You come with me! You friend of Molly Meldrum, yes?"
posted by UbuRoivas at 4:01 AM on September 22, 2010
"Uh, Australia"
"Australia! Kangaroo! Maaaiyte! You know Molly Meldrum?"
"I know of Molly Meldrum..."
"He is friend of mine. He is great big pooftah. He like jiggy-jiggy with Egypt boys. You like Egypt boys?"
"Um, er, Egyptians are nice people, if that's what you-"
"OK, I find you boy to jiggy-jiggy with! You come with me! You friend of Molly Meldrum, yes?"
posted by UbuRoivas at 4:01 AM on September 22, 2010
PMdixon: Probably what now counts as my max(closest contact*best well known) celebrity story: I briefly taught the current co-host of the UK version of Countdown.
!!!
Did she wear the same outfits to her classes?
posted by afx237vi at 1:05 PM on September 22, 2010
!!!
Did she wear the same outfits to her classes?
posted by afx237vi at 1:05 PM on September 22, 2010
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