Countdown to doctor in TV hotseat

Countdown to doctor in TV hotseat

1 May 2024

DOWNE Hospital consultant psychiatrist Dr Mark Finnerty is preparing to temporarily swap life on the ward for the television studio.

He is flexing his numerical know how and word prowess when he takes part in the quarter-finals of Channel 4’s iconic Countdown programme.

A household staple, the daytime quiz show which launched in the1980’s sees contestants pit their wits against their rivals using vowels, consonants and numbers while the iconic Countdown clock ticks down.

Dr Finnerty has already competed in eight episodes of the show securing a place in the quarter finals next month. 

Ahead of the quarter final he explained how he would have always tuned in to the show as a “school kid” having watched it over the years.

And when Northern Ireland’s very own Colin Murray took over as host, Mark decided to apply. “Somehow I found myself filling in an application form and you then forget about it, until five months 

later I got an email asking if I’d like to do an audition for the show,” said Mark. 

“That was back in October last year and the episodes were screened in January of this year.”

Filmed in Manchester, Mark said the process went by in an “anxious blur” and is looking forward to the quarter-finals.

And Mark’s advice to anyone who might be sitting at home watching the show thinking of applying is to “just do it.” 

He added: “After years of thinking ‘I can do that’ I decided to apply. It has been such a good experience and the Countdown team are as lovely as you see on screen.”