Countdown

Such a wonderfully simple concept, turned into a bona fide British institution thanks largely to the brilliance of Richard Whiteley, Carol Vorderman, Susie Dent and underappreciated producer Damian Eadie

Based on French gameshow "Des chiffres et des lettres", the very first programme ever to be shown on Channel 4 still continues to this day, albeit sadly without the brilliant Richard Whiteley, who never missed a single show throughout his run as presenter.

Despite this, it still draws in a consistent number of viewers every day who enjoy nothing more than pitting their wits against a variety of numbers and letters games, and another great feature of the show is that people of all ages can apply for the show which can be entertaining. With it's well handled simplicity, dignity, light entertainment and wonderfully selected special guests, as well as that famous clock, Countdown remains true to the same formula it created over 25 years ago. Here's hoping the programme lasts another 25.

Just because this show is on in the dead of the afternoon, don't dismiss it as lightweight. This show is a hit and has had such a long run because it is intelligent and does not rely on stupid stunts or gimmicks. Thirty seconds to produce a word from nine randomly picked letters is difficult to say the least, and the numbers game is even harder. It's one of the programs I miss most since moving to Canada. Sure Whiteley's jokes are bad, but that is part of the fun. In a TV world where shows like Survivor and Temptation Island get all the attention and millions of viewers, it's great that there are still some programs that need some brain power to get prizes. I'm not surprised that Countdown has lasted so long.

I love how the celebrity guests sometimes profess to not having done well in school but still manage to find alternatives to the contestants. Every time!

Methinks that there's some kind of jiggerypokery going on here, or am I just far too cynical?

It's a classic "oh what shall I do today when I can't be bothered to get out of my pyjamas?" sort of show. Also worth watching for Rachel Riley.