Countdown: 25 Years Ago Today

At 4.45pm on Tuesday 2 November 1982, Britain's new TV channel launched with Countdown, a fast-moving game of letters and numbers, in which contestants race against the clock to pit their wits with vowels, consonants and numbers. Another chance to see this first episode, presented by Richard Whiteley, the first face to appear on Channel 4, and featuring 21-year-old Carol Vorderman from Leeds, who had just graduated from Cambridge University with a BA in Civil Engineering, and Dictionary Corner guest Ted Moult.