Queen praises Countdown
The Queen has sent a message of congratulations to TV quiz Countdown to mark today's 5,000th episode.
Her private secretary wrote to the Channel 4 programme to extend the Queen's congratulations on the "significant achievement".
The afternoon quiz show, in which contestants' spelling and arithmetic skills are put to the test, is presented by Jeff Stelling and maths boffin Rachel Riley.
More than 50 series have been broadcast since Countdown's debut on November 2, 1982, when it was hosted by Carol Vorderman and the late Richard Whiteley.