A teenager from Malpas made TV history when he appeared on Countdown and achieved the highest number of points in the show’s history.
Two of Cheshire’s finest wordsmiths were seen going head-to-head on the long-running game show, as Dylan Taylor, 17, was paired with Russell Millhouse of Boughton in an episode aired last week.
Russell, 28, had wanted to appear on the Channel 4 series since he was a child, and was thrilled to learn he had finally secured a place on the show.
But the experience turned out to be more challenging than he had ever expected, when former Bishop Heber High School student Dylan came up with the highest number of points the show has ever seen in its 31-year history.
He scored a total of 974 points, beating the previous highest cumulative score by nine points.
But despite making his impressive win look easy, Dylan said he found the experience ‘very nerve-wracking’.
“The whole experience was fantastic but I was pretty nervous and it was tiring to play all those rounds.
“I’ve wanted to be on the show since I was a child and I think my age is the perfect age to go on it.”
Dylan, who is currently looking for a full-time-job, added: “I astonished myself by breaking the all-time points record, and it was equally great to win all eight of my games.
“I massively enjoyed my time on the show as the Countdown team were so lovely, especially Rachel Riley who told me I could be a model. “That was great so maybe watch this space.”
But for Russell, who works in the Vice Chancellor’s Office at the University of Chester, having such a strong competitor actually made it easier to get through the show.
“I undoubtedly felt pressure, and in fact, the production team described me and my fellow challengers as 'lambs to the slaughter', which influenced our expectations somewhat.
“But this actually alleviated a large amount of pressure on me, as winning was suddenly not an option!”
He added: “I've always enjoyed watching Countdown since my childhood, when I would watch it with my dad, a tradition that soon became competitive.
“I had to audition over the phone and played a condensed version of the game, which was actually quite refreshing not having that distracting clock riff playing in the background!”
