Countdown remains a staple of the daytime TV gameshow in the UK ever since its debut in November 1982, and now one of Bedford’s own has achieved the heralded ‘Octochamp’ status in Series 92 on Channel 4.
Ciaran McCarthy, 32, has appeared on the show twice and on his second attempt, soared to eight straight game wins – scoring over 100 points in five of them – securing a place in the quarter-finals, which have been broadcast this week.
Ciaran first appeared on Countdown in Series 70 three days after his 21st birthday, but lost out to eventual champion, Mark Murray in 2014 despite scoring 104 points, which is believed to be amongst the highest losing scores in a heat game.
After plenty of practice on the virtual game, Apterous, which allows Countdown players to go up against each other in simulation mode, Ciaran returned for a second crack in 2025 and went on to reach the last eight, winning eight heat games in a row.
Achieving the rare ‘Octochamp’ status is made all the more impressive by the fact that Ciaran is deaf, which means he played the game in what is effectively his second language.
He was the show’s first-ever deaf contestant in 2014, and a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter was present to guide him through this series, which he excelled in.
“I felt incredibly proud of becoming an Octochamp, and I think I am probably the first deaf Octochamp”, says Ciaran.
“English is the second language for deaf people, as BSL is their main language. BSL is kind of a deconstruction language and does not have the same sentence structure.
“For example, ‘I am going to the shop to buy a bar of chocolate’ in English would be, ‘I go shop buy chocolate’ in BSL, so you can tell we have some missing vocabulary.
“I think doing this can inspire deaf people to apply for any show. It doesn’t have to be a quiz show, but TV shows are thriving for equality and diversity, such as deaf people, which is wonderful”, adds Ciaran.
Route to the finals
Ciaran’s second stint on the show began with victory over fellow ‘Apterite’, Lju Lazarevic, before going on to rack up seven further victories that included five scores of 100-plus points, and six nine-letter words.
Asked how he finds words such as ‘Ungodlier’ and ‘Antiserum’ with the iconic countdown clock counting down to zero from thirty seconds, Ciaran explains the preparations involved, plus a secret weapon up his sleeve.
“I have a photographic memory!” he tells us.
“I learnt lots of obscure words thanks to Apterous, that I sometimes wrote down, but most of the time, I have a photographic memory, so obscure words do come up quite often, and I can remember them.
“I am kind of used to it with the 30-second clock, but it’s a different feeling from playing in the studio than at home!”
Modest, maybe, but it didn’t stop Countdown’s maths magician, Rachel Riley, nicknaming Ciaran ‘The Omen’ ahead of the quarter-finals, in which Ciaran unfortunately lost in a game broadcast on Channel 4 on Tuesday (16 December).
Also, Ciaran’s impact on the show has been recognised by many, including by none other than Sir Stephen Fry, who emailed the team behind Countdown to speak of his pride in Ciaran’s appearance.
“There have been wondrous Countdown guests before now, but surely Ciaran wins the prize for the most delightful of all?”, said the legendary actor, writer and broadcaster.
“It’s wonderful how the show keeps finding such fascinating and inspiring contestants. It gives one hope for humanity in a broken world”, added Fry.
As shout-outs go, they don’t come much more esteemed than that.
“On that day, when I was filming for finals, Countdown showed me Stephen Fry’s email, which really moved me, because it’s always really nice to have a celebrity watch my runs, and it is definitely treasured”, said Ciaran.
“I will put it on a frame on my bedroom wall! I will never ever forget about that”, he adds.
“Rachel and Susie are excellent”
Ciaran is no stranger to the studio lights, as he has appeared on other TV shows, including BBC game shows ‘Impossible’ and ‘Tenable’ in 2022, which was hosted by Warwick Davies on ITV.
Alongside his Countdown exploits, his other major success came on ITV’s ‘Sitting on a Fortune’, in which Ciaran won £40,000 in June 2023.
Understandably, he lists the ‘Sitting on a Fortune’ win as his greatest TV appearance, but his Countdown appearances are not far behind, with Ciaran blazing a trail for fellow deaf people in the UK on one of the nation’s most famous and long-running shows.
Ciaran was also extremely complimentary of the support he received from the team behind Countdown.
“Colin [Murray] is absolutely amazing, and he knows how to make a contestant feel calm and make everyone laugh in the studio.
“Rachel [Riley] and Susie [Dent] are also excellent!
“Me and Rachel are always chatting about her dresses when filming. One day, when she wore a country music outfit to celebrate International Country Music Day, I said to her, ‘If I were a drag queen, I would certainly wear this outfit! ‘
“I want to give a big shout out to the Countdown team, who have been really excellent at looking after me and making sure the interpreters are sorted out, and often communicate with me, which is paramount.”
The Countdown finals continue, and are broadcast at 2:10pm on Channel 4.
