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Afternoon edition of Countdown falls off air

Posted on 14th February 2023 by The Clean Feed Team
Last updated on 3rd July 2023 Filed under Bloopers

This afternoon’s edition of Countdown on Channel 4 was was off the air for thirteen minutes due to a playout fault.

Shortly before 2.30pm, the video and audio froze. Within seconds, the programme fell off air completely, leaving almost two minutes of black and silence before an animated ‘Programmes continue shortly’ graphic appeared.

For the next few minutes, this caption occasionally gave way to black and silence. Frozen frames from a couple of advertisements also popped up.

For the next nine minutes or so, the ‘Programmes continue shortly’ graphic remained on screen, in silence.

There was no verbal apology from the announcer during the 13-minute break in the programme.

Daytime announcements on Channel 4 are pre-recorded. It’s possible the technical issues prevented even a pre-recorded apology from being played out.

Thirteen minutes after it disappeared, Countdown finally returned – but from an earlier point in the programme than it was at when it fell off air.

To get things back on schedule, some ad breaks were dropped and a 45-minute, alternative edition of A Place in the Sun replaced the billed hour-long edition of the programme.

VIDEO: the afternoon edition of Countdown falls off air for 13 minutes on Channel 4. TX DATE: 14th February 2023. COPYRIGHT: Channel 4 Television Corporation.

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PICTURED: Channel 4 'programmes continue shortly' graphic. COPYRIGHT: Channel 4 Television Corporation.

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Tags: Breakdowns, Channel 4, Channel 4 Television Corporation, Countdown

Dates for the Diary

November/December 2023: World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-23).

Q1 2024: SD versions of BBC channels close on satellite.

2024: BBC Four and CBBC go online-only.

2024: BBC Radio 4 Extra goes online-only.

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