Letters and Numbers
Encyclopedia
Letters and Numbers is an Australian game show
, currently airing weeknights at 6pm on SBS One. It is hosted by Richard Morecroft
, and co-hosted by David Astle
and Lily Serna
. It is based on the French
format Des chiffres et des lettres
, and the UK version of the show, Countdown
. It began airing on 2 August 2010.
The winner of the game returns in the next show to face a new opponent; a player who wins six times is forced to retire, becoming a retired champion, in which case two new contestants will play the next game. Retired champions may return for special tournaments at the end of each series of 100 episodes. Every contestant also wins a Macquarie Dictionary
5th Edition, signed by the presenters.
on some or all of those numbers to get as close as possible to a randomly generated three-digit target number within the thirty second time limit. Fractions are not allowed—only integers may be used at any stage of the calculation.
Points are awarded for the closest solution, and again both contestants score if the solutions are equally close. 10 points are given for an exact answer, 7 points for a non-exact solution up to 5 from the target, and 5 points for a solution between 6 and 10 from the target. If neither contestant can get within 10, no points are awarded.
is given to the contestants who must unscramble the word within the time limit of thirty seconds. The first person to buzz in and correctly identify the word wins 10 points. If a contestant answers incorrectly then they may not guess again and the other contestant has the remaining time to attempt to find the answer. If neither contestant buzzes in with a correct answer during the time limit then no points are awarded. If the scores are tied after the conundrum, tie-breaker conundrums are used until the match is decided.
Fisher and Fernando from Series 1 have also been rivals outside of Letters and Numbers since the 1990's, having been involved in other mind-puzzle games at tournament level, most notably the Channel News Asia Scrabble Masters tournament held in Singapore in 1999. On that occasion Fernando prevailed in an epic encounter, winning $25,000 to Fisher's $10,000.
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
, currently airing weeknights at 6pm on SBS One. It is hosted by Richard Morecroft
Richard Morecroft
Richard Morecroft is an Australian television presenter and former host of the ABC News Sydney bulletin. He is currently host of the quiz-show Letters and Numbers.-Early life:...
, and co-hosted by David Astle
David Astle
David Astle is a Melbourne-based writer of non-fiction, fiction and plays. He also cohosts the SBS show, Letters and Numbers, as the dictionary expert, in company with Richard Morecroft and Lily Serna....
and Lily Serna
Lily Serna
Lily Serna is an Australian mathematician, best known for co-presenting the SBS game show Letters and Numbers.-Career:Serna attended Cheltenham Girls' High School and graduated from the University of Technology, Sydney with a Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance and a Bachelor of International...
. It is based on the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
format Des chiffres et des lettres
Des chiffres et des lettres
Des chiffres et des lettres is a French television programme. It was created by Armand Jammot and tests the numeracy skills and vocabulary of two contestants...
, and the UK version of the show, Countdown
Countdown (game show)
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 Jeff Stelling, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and over sixty-five...
. It began airing on 2 August 2010.
Gameplay
Two contestants compete against each other in a series of nine rounds, split into three sections. The first two sections consist of two letters rounds followed by a numbers round; the third section consists of a letters round, a numbers round, and the conundrum round.The winner of the game returns in the next show to face a new opponent; a player who wins six times is forced to retire, becoming a retired champion, in which case two new contestants will play the next game. Retired champions may return for special tournaments at the end of each series of 100 episodes. Every contestant also wins a Macquarie Dictionary
Macquarie Dictionary
The Macquarie Dictionary is a dictionary of Australian English. It also pays considerable attention to New Zealand English. Originally it was a publishing project of Jacaranda Press, a Brisbane educational publisher, for which an editorial committee was formed, largely from the Linguistics...
5th Edition, signed by the presenters.
Letters round
One contestant chooses how many vowels and consonants they would like to make up nine randomly chosen letters. There must be at least three vowels and four consonants. The contestants then have thirty seconds to find the longest word that they can make out of these letters. Any word which appears in the Macquarie Dictionary is allowable, as well as some inflections. The contestant with the longest word is awarded one point for each letter in the word, but nine-letter words count double (thus scoring 18 points). If both contestants find words of equal length then each is awarded points.Numbers round
One contestant chooses how many "small" and "large" numbers they would like to make up six randomly chosen numbers. Small numbers are between 1 and 10 inclusive, and large numbers are 25, 50, 75, or 100. All large numbers will be different, so at most four large numbers may be chosen. The contestants have to use arithmeticArithmetic
Arithmetic or arithmetics is the oldest and most elementary branch of mathematics, used by almost everyone, for tasks ranging from simple day-to-day counting to advanced science and business calculations. It involves the study of quantity, especially as the result of combining numbers...
on some or all of those numbers to get as close as possible to a randomly generated three-digit target number within the thirty second time limit. Fractions are not allowed—only integers may be used at any stage of the calculation.
Points are awarded for the closest solution, and again both contestants score if the solutions are equally close. 10 points are given for an exact answer, 7 points for a non-exact solution up to 5 from the target, and 5 points for a solution between 6 and 10 from the target. If neither contestant can get within 10, no points are awarded.
Conundrum
A nine-letter anagramAnagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
is given to the contestants who must unscramble the word within the time limit of thirty seconds. The first person to buzz in and correctly identify the word wins 10 points. If a contestant answers incorrectly then they may not guess again and the other contestant has the remaining time to attempt to find the answer. If neither contestant buzzes in with a correct answer during the time limit then no points are awarded. If the scores are tied after the conundrum, tie-breaker conundrums are used until the match is decided.
Word Mix
Before the commercial break, the audience is given a "Word Mix"—an 8 letter anagram similar to the conundrum, but accompanied by a verbal clue. At the end of the break the anagram is revealed. This does not count towards the scores of the contestants.List of series
At the end of each series, eight contestants, those retiring champions and long running carry-over champions are invited back to compete in a series of finals. The winner of each series receives a trophy.| Series | Start date | End date | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Score | No. of episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 August 2010 | 17 December 2010 | Andrew Fisher | 68 | Naween Fernando | 52 | 100 |
| 2 | 20 December 2010 | 6 May 2011 | Tony Loui | 64 | Matthew Thomason | 51 | 100 |
| 3 | 9 May 2011 | 21 October 2011 | Jacob Davey | 60 | Jeremy Schiftan | 49 | 100 |
Fisher and Fernando from Series 1 have also been rivals outside of Letters and Numbers since the 1990's, having been involved in other mind-puzzle games at tournament level, most notably the Channel News Asia Scrabble Masters tournament held in Singapore in 1999. On that occasion Fernando prevailed in an epic encounter, winning $25,000 to Fisher's $10,000.