Countdown is a British
game show involving word and number puzzles. It is produced by
ITV Studios and broadcast on
Channel 4. It is presented by
Nick Hewer, assisted by
Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer
Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and 73 series have been broadcast since its debut on 2 November 1982. With over 6,000 episodes,
Countdown is one of the longest-running game shows in the world, along with the original French version,
Des chiffres et des lettres (Numbers & Letters), which has been running on French television continuously since 1965.
Countdown was initially recorded at
The Leeds Studios for 27 years, before moving to
Granada Studios in 2009, and then over to
MediaCityUK in
Salford Quays in 2013.