Ba-dup, ba-dup, ba-da-da-da, boom! You guessed it, the countdown has begun to find a successor to Des Lynam in the hotseat of Channel 4's longest-running show. But who should it be?
It seems like only last year we were discussing who should replace the late, great Richard Whiteley. That's because it was only last year.
Lynam, who quit because he wasn't keen on commuting from his west Sussex home to the studio in Leeds, said he "thoroughly enjoyed" his time on the show. But he never really looked comfortable in the hotseat, showing what a great job Whiteley did in making it look all so effortless.
The attraction of the former Match of the Day man was that he never seemed to take anything too seriously, whether it was Wimbledon, the Grand National or the World Cup finals. After all, it's only a game. But try telling that to Countdown fans. Only a game? You're havin' a laugh!.
So who should replace him? Paul Merton and Noel Edmonds were among the also-rans last time round. Edmonds knows how to take a quiz show seriously, but he is rather busy on another rather successful Channel 4 daytime game show at the moment.
Merton reportedly dropped out last time around to concentrate on Have I Got News For You? and Room 101. He also seemed an unlikely choice to me - a funnyman in a straight man's role.
Richard Digance, a regular guest on the show, has also been mentioned in the latest round of candidates, as has Terry Wogan. But the Radio 2 man's name is more likely evidence of the lack of obvious contenders rather than a sign that he is a genuine candidate.
The good news for whoever takes over is at least they won't have the mammoth task of succeeding Whiteley. Lynam's taken care of that. I can imagine Michael Aspel slipping easily into the role, or perhaps Peter Snow. Just so long as he doesn't mistake the Countdown clock for a swingometer. That would be awful.
