Student becomes highest-scoring Countdown contestant ever

Countdown contestant Tom Stevenson, 21, has broken the record for the highest-ever score in the series’ 40-year history, with an impressive total of 154.

The previous record was held by Manchester Metropolitan University student Elliott Mellor and was set in May 2019. He scored two points less than Tom.

Tom also became an “Octochamp’” which is the title given to Countdown contestants who win all eight of their heat matches, before progressing to the knockout rounds.

On the win, he told MailOnline: “I’m elated to have done so well. It wasn’t something that I set out to do, I mainly set out just to have a fun time and just win one game.”

He continued: “The rest has been a bonus really. It’s been quite surreal, to be honest. I’m just happy to be back again each time.”

He also has a tip for any aspiring Countdown applicants who might want to apply in the future: look for prefixes and suffixes in the letter jumbles. He says it’s an easy way to transform your four-letter word into a six or a seven.

Tom, who attends the University of Worcester, revealed that he first applied to appear on the show almost five years ago after struggling with agoraphobia while studying for his GCSEs. Agoraphobia is an extreme fear of crowded or wide-open places, spaces that are difficult to escape from and leaving the home.

He said: “I sent an application at 16 but it’s the case with particular shows that it can take a while to get on. I tried again and eventually managed to get on this year.”

New record holder Tom also revealed that he was late to a lecture earlier this week because he was being interviewed by BBC Radio 4.