Damian Eadie
Damian Eadie (born 15 August 1969 in Blackpool, Lancashire, England) is the series producer of the game show Countdown. He first appeared as a contestant on the show on 13 July 1994 where he won 6 games and qualified for the series finals as #3 seed. There he won his quarter-final, semi-final and final against Wayne Kelly to become Countdown's 28th champion. He later returned for the Championship of Champions tournament where he reached the final and lost against Don Reid. His final appearance as a contestant was in December 1996 where he lost to Hilary Hopper in the final of his group in the Countdown Supreme Championship.[1]
After appearing on the show, he accepted a researcher's job on Countdown and eventually worked his way up to being the Series Producer of the show. He made 230 televised appearances as a lexicographer on the show where he found the best words from the letters selections and checked the contestants' words in the Oxford English Dictionary.[1]
Eadie writes all the teatime teasers for the show, as well as setting all the conundrums. He is responsible for creating the Origins of Words slot for Susie Dent, and for discovering Rachel Riley, who became the replacement for Carol Vorderman in 2009. He was also responsible for appointing Jeff Stelling to the show as presenter.
Eadie is a huge supporter of Blackpool F.C., his home-town club, and following the relegation of local rivals Preston North End in 2011, arranged for the conundrum in one episode to be scrambled as "PNECRISIS" ("PRICINESS")[2]
Eadie is also a published author and has written several books about Countdown with former producer Michael Wylie.[3]
Publications
- Countdown: Spreading the Word, with Michael Wylie
- Countdown Puzzle Book No1, with Michael Wylie
- Countdown Puzzle Book No2, with Michael Wylie
- Countdown Puzzle Book No3, with Michael Wylie
- Countdown Puzzle Book No4, with Michael Wylie
- Countdown Bumper Puzzle Book, with Michael Wylie
- Countdown The Ultimate Challenge, with Michael Wylie
References
- The Countdownwiki
- Roughley, Gregg (12 May 2011). "Blackpool fan takes Preston North End rivalry into Countdown studio". Guardian newspaper website. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- Books by Damian Eadie on amazon.co.uk