[読書メモ] “Countdown, Spreading the word”

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all prefixed by the generic tag ‘Calendar'

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Cathy, who was and is extremely intelligent

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they have only one possible solution, although some have slipped through the net.

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on a need-to-know basis

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Everyone's experience is different and it's natural to want to talk about it.

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Over the years Mark and I have stayed at each other's flat, borrowed money from each other – well, more me than him – and shared many secrets that will never see the light of day.

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if you want to know the name […] – then Mark's your man.

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(deep breath, here we go!)

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The women take slightly longer than the men (slightly = exponentially) and some take longer than others.

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It's a strange business but, when it gets, it's magic.

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are (or were)

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if their holiday in Yorkshire coincided with recordings

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Paula sings – constantly.

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all people who have got every excuse not to come, but every one of them feels that same urge to prove to themselves that they can do it in a television studio just as well as when they are sitting at home with a cup of tea and some biscuits …

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Why shouldn't I?

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an as-and-when-needed basis

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Perhaps they had a cold, a headache or even hangover. The car broke down, the train was late, there were no parking spaces … a hundred and one reasons why they feel that they didn't do themselves justice.

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ask where he was supposed to wait

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you never know what Richard is going to say or do next

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A true gent.

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I'm not good in hotels. I don't mean I'm naughty in hotels – it's just that things never quite go according to plan. It's not their fault – it's me. Obviously.

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‘You don't want toast?' ‘No. I want toast.

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I have since tried to convince Vanessa Mae, through telepathy of course, that she should[…]

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Countdown has affected me positively

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Being on Countdown is like being a member of a club.

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And how do we get our celebrity guests in the first place? Beg? Brown paper envelop stuffed with cash?

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Over the years it has been a fruitful relationship.

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But let's not underestimate the power of a good cock-up.

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if it ain't broken, don't fix it.

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what you see is what you get

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it was decided to leave it as it is

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And this isn't just the opinion of my wife and myself. Our friends and workmates and everyone in [Derby, Dublin, Glasgow, Cardiff, Yorkshire etc. etc.] agrees with us.

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this was a ‘must attend' thing