[Brekkie]

Is Countdown an all year round broadcast now?

Colin said at the end of the series 89 final today that series 90 starts on Monday. I'm sure there used to be a short break before the new series started,

It's been broadcast all year round since series 32 in 1996.

[nwtv2003]

It's been broadcast all year round since series 32 in 1996.

That’s right. The only times there have been breaks since was immediately after Richard Whiteley’s death and the other was during COVID, but that was mid series and there was only one series in 2020, not two.

Definitely a worthy series champion today. Like I’ve said before it’s a shame the grand final episodes have been cut back in recent years. Whilst there’s still a ceremony at the end of the episode the winner only receives the Richard Whiteley memorial trophy now, where as in previous years there was always the leather bound dictionaries and a decent a runner up prize, even in well into Hewer-era of the show. Shame it stopped.

[Brekkie]

To be fair I think Arthur had already read the dictionary.

[Neil Jones]

Definitely a worthy series champion today. Like I’ve said before it’s a shame the grand final episodes have been cut back in recent years. Whilst there’s still a ceremony at the end of the episode the winner only receives the Richard Whiteley memorial trophy now, where as in previous years there was always the leather bound dictionaries and a decent a runner up prize, even in well into Hewer-era of the show. Shame it stopped.

Do they get a physical replica of that trophy as a memento? I know it gets presented to them on screen, but that doesn't mean they get to keep it once the cameras stop rolling.
It was mentioned when they first introduced the trophy that the winner names will be engraved on said trophy so I presume there's like 20 years worth of names on it by now?