Quote:
Originally Posted by bolt2112
8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown is absolutely hilarious and it would never work here in the USA. Thankfully there are dozens of full episodes on Youtube.
Well, the whole thing is an in-joke that you couldn't work on American TV. Countdown is an afternoon gameshow which has been running on Channel 4 since the channel's inception in 1982. It became a bit of a cult with students. The original host was the late Richard Whiteley and the original numbers-lady was Carol Vorderman, who handed over to Rachel ten years ago.
8 Out Of 10 Cats (title taken from a Whiskas catfood commercial which I think actually said, 'Eight out of ten owners say their cats prefer it') is a C4 current-affairs panel show with comedians. The questions often related to opinion polls, hence the title. Some years ago they did a charity edition in which the 8 Out Of 10 Cats panellists attempted to play Countdown, with some quite bizarre elements added, and it was so popular they've just kept doing it.