Countdown is a British game show involving word and mathematical tasks that began airing in November 1982. It is broadcast on Channel 4 and is currently presented by Colin Murray, assisted by Rachel Riley with lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be broadcast on Channel 4 and 89 series have been broadcast since its debut on 2 November 1982. With over 8,000 episodes, Countdown is one of Britain's longest-running game shows; the original French version, Des chiffres et des lettres, has been running on French television continuously since 1965. Countdown was produced by Yorkshire Television and was recorded at The Leeds Studios for 27 years, before moving to the Manchester-based Granada Studios in 2009. Following the development of MediaCityUK, Countdown moved again in 2013 to the new purpose-built studios at Dock10 in Greater Manchester.
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. It is one of the longest-running game shows in the world, and the inspiration for Countdown on Britain's Channel 4.
Idiot Savants is an American television game show on the MTV network which ran from December 9, 1996, to April 25, 1997. It was created by Michael Dugan and Chris Kreski, directed by Steve Paley, and hosted by comedian Greg Fitzsimmons.
Deron Michael Williams is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini before being drafted third overall in the 2005 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. A three-time NBA All-Star with the Jazz and Brooklyn Nets, Williams also played for Beşiktaş of the Turkish Basketball League during the 2011 NBA lockout, and was a gold medal winner on the United States national team at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.
In timed sports, a buzzer beater is a shot that is taken just before the game clock of a quarter, a half, or an overtime period expires, but does not go in the basket until after the clock expires and the buzzer sounds, hence the name "buzzer beater". In basketball, the concept normally applies to baskets that beat an end-of-quarter/2nd-half/overtime buzzer but is sometimes applied to shots that beat the shot clock buzzer.
The 2008 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 17, 2008, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2007–08 season. It was the 57th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, home of the New Orleans Hornets. The Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 134–128. LeBron James was named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, his second time winning the award. This was the first NBA All-Star Game that was hosted by New Orleans, and was the city's first major professional sporting event since the area was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The city was awarded in an announcement by commissioner David Stern on May 22, 2006. The other reported contenders for the 2008 contest was Air Canada Centre at Toronto, who withdrew the bid early in 2005.
The 2007 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2006–07 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeated the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers in a 4–0 sweep. This was Cleveland's first trip to the NBA Finals in their franchise history and San Antonio's fourth. Tony Parker was named the series' MVP. The series was televised on ABC under the ESPN on ABC branding, and produced the lowest television ratings in NBA Finals history until 2020.
Chris Wills is a British gameshow contestant who became the 47th series champion of Countdown in 2002 and a veteran of numerous other shows.
The 2007 Six Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 113th series of the international championship. Fifteen matches were played over five weekends from 3 February to 17 March.
The History of the England national rugby union team covers the period since 1871, when the England national rugby union team played Scotland in the first ever rugby union international.
Grand Slam is a television quiz show first created for Britain's Channel 4 in 2003. In its first and only series in the UK, the main host was Carol Vorderman. She was joined in the studio by analyst James Richardson. The off-camera "Questioner" was Nicholas Rowe.
The 2010 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 14, 2010, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2009–10 season. It was the 59th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 141–139. The East's Dwyane Wade, who recorded 28 points on 75% shooting, 11 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals, was named as the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. This was the second time that the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area had hosted the All-Star Game; the area had previously hosted the event in 1986. Dallas was awarded the 2010 All-Star Game in an announcement by commissioner David Stern on October 30, 2008.
The 2003 Bad Blood was the second Bad Blood professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw brand division. The event took place on June 15, 2003, at the Compaq Center in Houston, Texas. It replaced the previously annual King of the Ring PPV and marked the beginning of worldwide pay-per-views being brand exclusive. It was the first Bad Blood held since 1997, which was originally held as an In Your House event.
Letters and Numbers was an Australian game show on SBS. It is hosted by former newsreader Richard Morecroft, co-hosted by David Astle and Lily Serna. Although it is based on the French game show Des chiffres et des lettres, its structure is similar to the UK version of the show, Countdown - with the titular difference being used to avoid confusion with the Australian music program Countdown.
The 2007 Genesis was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion, which took place on November 11, 2007, at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the third event under the Genesis chronology, the last held in the month of November, and the eleventh event of the 2007 TNA PPV schedule. Eight professional wrestling matches were featured on the event's card, four of which were for championships.
Serena Williams's 2003 tennis season ended abruptly after Wimbledon, as Williams underwent surgery on the quadriceps tendon in her knee at the start of August. Initially she was expected to be out for six to eight weeks.
The 2005 Turning Point was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It took place on December 11, 2005 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the second event under the Turning Point name and the twelfth and final event of the 2005 TNA PPV schedule. Nine professional wrestling matches and one pre-show match were featured on the event's card, two of which featured championships.
The 2017 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place at Melbourne Park between 16 and 29 January 2017. It was the 105th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. The tournament consisted of events for professional players in singles, doubles and mixed doubles play. Junior and wheelchair players competed in singles and doubles tournaments. As in previous years, the tournament's title sponsor was Kia.