Countdown legend bids emotional farewell after sudden show departure – leaving fans stunned

A COUNTDOWN legend has stunned fans as they announced their sudden departure from a hit show.

Susie Dent has broken the news that she and her co-star have stepped away from their beloved podcast.

Channel 4

The Mega Agency

The Countdown matriarch, who is adored for her stint in the Dictionary Corner, has called time on Something Rhymes With Purple.

Susie, 59, fronted the beloved podcast alongside This Morning star Gyles Brandreth.

However, during the latest episode, both stars confirmed the show would be ending after five years.

Opening the episode, which dropped on Tuesday morning, Susie said the series would wrap up after four more episodes.

She told listeners: “It makes us both sad and excited. There will be new things to come, but we will keep the wonderful Purple People community posted about where we are going next and what we are going to do.

“It’s not the end, but in this form, it is.”

Meanwhile, Gyles said: “Yes, this is us over three weeks saying au revoi, not farewell to our lovely purple people because life is full of change.”

Something Rhymes With Purple has recorded over 400 episodes to date and regularly charts on platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.

Both Susie and Gyles confirmed to fans they’ll work together on other projects in the future.

Gyles, 76, previously revealed a huge behind-the-scenes secret of the pdocast series.

Speaking to Theatre Direct, he said: “It’s genuinely improvised. Susie really does know all this amazing stuff about words and language. It’s all there in her incredible head.”

Countdown hosts over the years

Since launching in 1982, Channel 4 game show Countdown has become a staple of daytime telly. There have been several presenters throughout the show's long history. Let's take a look back at who has hosted the iconic show.

• Richard Whiteley (1982-2005): The original and longest-serving host, Richard helmed the programme for 23 years. As Countdown was the launch programme for Channel 4, the presenter and journalist was the first person to be seen on the channel. He died in 2005 at the age of 61.
• Des Lynam (2005-2006): Originally from County Clare in Ireland, Des took over from Richard Whiteley after his death. He is known for hosting TV coverage of several sporting events including Wimbledon and the Grand National. He left the show after less than 18 months.
• Des O’Connor (2007-2008): Another Des was next up, in the form of comedian and presenter Des O’Connor. The long-time TV chat show host was known for The Des O’Connor Show and Take Your Pick. He left Countdown to focus on entertainment projects. Des O’Connor died in 2020, aged 88.
• Jeff Stelling (2009-2011): Known for his work presenting Gillette Soccer Saturday, Jeff became the fourth host of Countdown. He had reportedly previously been in consideration to replace Richard Whiteley. He left after three years to focus on football coverage.
• Nick Hewer (2012-2021): Former public relations consultant Nick was one of Lord Sugar’s advisors for 10 years on The Apprentice. He became the new host of Countdown in 2012, appearing on both shows for two years. He ultimately left Countdown after nine years.
• Anne Robinson (2021-2022): Best known as the original host of The Weakest Link, in 2021 Anne became the first female Countdown presenter. She left the programme a year later, having recorded 265 episodes.
• Colin Murray (2022-present): Before being named the permanent Countdown host, Colin Murray had been appearing on a guest basis since 2020. He returned to the show following Anne Robinson’s departure.