A real shame - he was easily the best host besides the great Richard Whiteley.

Although, when you think about it, it was always possible that this would happen after Richard Keys and Andy Gray made fools of themselves...

So, once again, we find ourselves wondering who the next host could be. I think Tim Vine would be a pretty good choice, as would Ken Bruce...

Shame. I liked Jeff. He did a good job.

I think the problem is that Richard Whiteley did Countdown as a full-time job, whereas Des, Des and Jeff have all done it at the same time as other things, if you get what I mean. That's why none of the three post-Whiteley hosts have lasted as long as him.

Well, Des Lynam left because having to travel between his home in West Sussex and the Yorkshire TV studios in Leeds was just too much for him.

But the fact that the next host will be the fifth in just seven years suggests that Damian Eadie and his team should look for someone who won't have too many other commitments...

Richard Madeley was suggested last time as a possible replacement, and I think people are once more talking about him being a replacement. I don't think he'd do it though as he'd face the same travelling issues that Des Lynam faced.

Maybe they'll decide to axe the show permanently after Jeff Stelling goes? It'd be a shame if it got axed, but as RMF1254 says, they need to find someone who can commit themselves to it so they can have some consistency with who the presenter is.

Well the contract for the show expires next year I think.

I read that he'll be leaving at the end of the year, but I don't know whether they mean in filming terms or in broadcasting terms. I think both the Deses and Jeff Stelling took over in January of their respective years (on-screen), so the new presenter might be on-screen from January 2012.

I'm pretty sure they mean in broadcasting terms, H - he'll leave at the end of the next series, the final games of which should be on the airwaves around early December.

Des Lynam took over on 31 October 2005 - does that date sound familiar?

Oh yes! I was mistaken when I thought he took over in 2006. I should've remembered that his stint on the show coincided with the launch of C4's new afternoon schedule, which also included Noel Edmonds starting a new stint.

Jeff has been the best host post-Whiteley by a country mile - in his first week he got his first 9-letter word!

But with his commitments to Sky always coming first, I did worry if he'd stay long term or not...he's been great though!

Would be a huge loss if he goes. He's basically a professional Richard Whiteley, which can only be a good thing, and he clearly enjoys recording the show. It was reported at the end of last month that he may be staying after all. Really hope he does!

If he does go, I doubt they'll axe it. Ratings may be low, but I doubt anything else at 3.10 in the afternoon is going to do much better. It's still a perfectly watchable programme after nearly 30 years, if anything with Jeff and Rachel it feels fresher than ever. I just really wish they'd make it half an hour again; the 'three half' format is too long and turned many casual viewers away. It would give them more options with rescheduling the show to reconnect with its lost student 'cult' following too.

Well, the 'three half' format has been going for nearly ten years now - and it doesn't look like it's going away any time soon.

While it was a bit of a silly decision (especially when pretty much every champion since has been a young man who regularly practices on the computer), it wasn't quite as bad as shoving the show back an hour in September 2003...

Yeah that was just a puzzling move all round, seeing as the slot was just filled with property fodder which I highly doubt rated higher than Countdown was doing beforehand.

The 'practising on the computer' thing is largely thanks to Apterous - an unofficial game which is basically Countdown, you can play thousands of games against other players, working on your weaknesses and absorbing the dictionary. Fine and exciting for the Countdown community maybe, but boring, monotonous and predictable for everyone else. I think changing it back to half an hour would give the underdogs chance of an upset, or at least a few more Crucial Conundrums and close finishes, which are all too rare these days.

As unlikely as it would be, Stephen Fry would be a great choice. Tom O'Connor would be good too but he was looking very ill on Pointless Celebrities recently.

Gotta love this clip from A Little Bit of Fry and Laurie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEkjiF_UilE

I would hope that if Jeff is going they would look for someone a bit younger to interact with Rachel a bit more rather than the frequent 'I suppose, Rachel, you're too young to remember...' banter.

After all, Whiteley was only 38 when he got the gig. But is there anyone young who would really take this on? I can't think of any who would come across as the Countdown type. Maybe like RW a relatively unknown regional personality with a bit of wit and warmth is the answer.

Des Lynam and Des O'Connor were prime examples that a big name is not what the show needs; it operated well enough under their reigns, but they lacked enthusiasm for the game and it felt very stale as a consequence. One of the reasons I think Jeff has come across so well is because he was a complete breath of fresh air to those who had never seen his Soccer Saturday programme. He has also made the game and the contestants more prominent than any of his predecessors.

If another high profile presenter is picked, then Jeff's mark on the show could be lost completely and Countdown could go backwards. It'd be a shame to see that happen.

He's going.

C4 have effectively fired him by the tone of that article. Absolute madness, shades of Carol Vorderman's ousting really. Why they would risk corrupting the show again for 'high profile' names is ludicrous. If its down to ratings, have they not taken into account that maybe the fact that its on at 3.10 in the afternoon and a quarter of an hour too long is something to do with that? Jeff is perfect for this job and they are making a big, big mistake.

Very sad. I hope the show continues etc. as its still the best daytime show by quite a way but I doubt I'll be watching regularly after Jeff's gone.

When is he going to be leaving then I wonder?

At the end of the current series.

The final will likely go out on Friday 16th December, it's usually that week. Although who knows, they might push it to the 23rd to try and get a few more viewers (one of the only times I used to be able to see Countdown 'live' on C4 was when it was on around Christmas and New Year).

With Jeff's final shows having just been filmed, discussion has started again on c4countdown as regards his replacement.

It still hasn't been confirmed who this will be (they're really taking their time over this, aren't they?) but the current frontrunner is an interesting one...

http://www.c4countdown.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8634