Possibly the oddest piece of news has come to Quintessential Comedy via our rarely-used showbiz source in London: following the departure of veteran entertainer Des O’Connor from Channel 4’s afternoon words and numbers game Countdown, David Mitchell (of Mitchell & Webb and Peep Show fame) is being lined up as a possible replacement.

To say that this would be a both a massive surprise and a huge coup is something of an understatement, yet Mitchell’s genial nature in his appearances on Would I Lie to You? and various chats on daytime television over the last year or so reveal that in terms of tone and character he would give a much-needed boost to the show that has been flagging somewhat since the sad loss of Richard Whiteley.

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