Countdown octochamp Ian Kinsella has shared insider knowledge on how the Channel 4 gameshow works, revealing the three levels of play and what the iconic cast are like when the cameras stop rolling.
Ian, a musician from Newbridge, won eight games and scored 812 points during his Series 93 run, which aired in April. He later headed to the finals earlier this year.
Three Levels of Play
Speaking to Smooth Spins Casino, Ian explained: "The way I see it is that there are three levels of play and you really need to kind of integrate all three levels."
"So there's playing at home while watching on the telly, there's practising on Apterous, which is the online quiz platform, and then there's playing in the actual studio. They're all very different."
Fatigue and Recording Schedule
He described the physical toll of the show, noting: "There's a huge amount of fatigue involved as well because they record five episodes a day. A lot of those players are kind of looking at the tiles, and they're constructing things from scratch, whereas the more you practice online, the more frequently you see words, the more frequently you're getting to practice the numbers constantly."
Behind the Scenes with the Cast
Ian also gave insight into what viewers don't see during recordings: "It was really interesting just to see Colin [Murray], Rachel [Riley] and Susie [Dent] just carry on in their workplace."
"When the cameras go on and everything's shooting, they have their kind of studio face on."
"In terms of the banter and the chat when things weren't being recorded, Colin [Murray] is very expressive in what he says."
