Series 83
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This was the last ever series of the winner receiving the volumes of the OED.
Adam Latchford, the winner of Series 83.
Series information
First episode	4 January 2021
Last episode	25 June 2021
Highest score	147 (Luke Boynton)
Number of contestants	124
Number of episodes	125
Results
Winner	Adam Latchford
Runner-up	Luke Boynton

Series 83 was the eighteenth and last series presented by Nick Hewer, with thirty episodes presented by Colin Murray. It ran from 4 January to 25 June 2021, and was won by No. 3 seed Adam Latchford who defeated No. 1 seed Luke Boynton in the grand final. This was also the last series of giving away the twenty volumes of the Oxford English Dictionary to the series winner.

Recordings of this series commenced in October 2020 with social distancing guidelines, introduced in the second half of the previous series overseen throughout. It was also confirmed that studio audiences will not return in any form beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Editions broadcast between 13 January and 9 February were presented by Colin Murray; these editions were recorded in November 2020 during England's second lockdown when Nick Hewer was shielding at the time. This is therefore the first regular series to have more than one presenter (notwithstanding 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Series 16). Hewer announced on his first day back that he will retire in 2021. In addition, the recording block on 11 and 12 January – the first during the third England lockdown – had to be delayed due to Hewer shielding again, Murray being unavailable, two out of three Dictionary Corner guests dropping out and only seven of fifteen contestants being available. Murray returned on 3 March to present a further ten shows while Hewer was shielding again, after getting vaccinated.

Channel 4 were awarded the rights to the 2021 Anthony De Mello Trophy, the first time since 2019 that live international cricket was shown on the channel (and their first Test Matches since 2005). The last-minute nature of the announcement forced episodes during the third Test Match, affected 24 February and 25 February to premiere on More 4 at 2:25pm. 26 February was also initially scheduled for More 4 but was moved back to Channel 4, following the early conclusion of the match.

The 7,500th edition of Countdown on 4 May 2021, concluded with a tribute to Marcel Stellman who sadly passed away on 2 May.

This series consisted of five octochamps, the lowest since Series 78. The No. 1 seed obtained 213 points more than the No. 2 seed, breaking a record for the biggest gulf between the top two seeds. This series also saw more new contestants in comparison with recent series which had an increase in the proportion of contestants reappearing on the show for a second run on the show possibly due to increased ratings that resulted in an increase in applicants, meaning that the show did not have to rely on returnees – although the grand final was the first since Series 80 to feature a finalist who had a previous run on the show.

With a xicount total of 1,014 points – an average of 92.18 per game – Latchford set a new record for the lowest series point total for a series champion of a 15-round series (notwithstanding Series 46, when only a maximum of six preliminary wins were allowed in that series). Latchford also became the first No. 3 seed to win a series since Junaid Mubeen won Series 59.

Apterites James Burley, Adam Latchford, Chiedza Mutongwizo, Louis Moen, Declan McGurk, Claire Spinks, Joey Burton, Ruth Cappleman, Chloe Lavan, Tom Vincent, Bobby Casey, John Lorimer-George, Adam Peel, Malcolm Atkinson, Joe Parry, Jenny Badger and Louis Ross participated in this series; Latchford, Mutongwizo, McGurk and Peel became members after their preliminary games.

Seed table

Progress

Episodes

External Links

• Series 83 on The Countdown Database.

• Series