Footballer's Countdown success
A professional footballer has been displaying his skills off the pitch by winning five consecutive games on Countdown.
Neil MacKenzie, 32, midfielder for Notts County FC, went on the Channel 4 show to dispel the myth that all footballers were stupid.
He has done that by shooting to the top of Countdown's Series 59 Leaderboard and kicking five contestants into touch, knocking them out to be man of the match on this week's words and numbers show.
The brainy sportsman is the first professional footballer to compete on the show in its 25-year history and was encouraged to enter by his mother, a Countdown fan.
Associate producer Kate Horton said: "Neil is proving to be a strong contestant and has a broad vocabulary which is essential to do well on this show."
MacKenzie, from Birmingham, will be back on Monday to continue his reign in the Champion's Chair.
He hopes to win the maximum eight games in a row to get "Octochamp" status after joining hosts Carol Vorderman and Des O'Connor at ITV Yorkshire's studios in Leeds.
O'Connor, who is soon to receive a CBE, played for Northampton Town FC before going into showbusiness.
MacKenzie's sixth game can be seen on Countdown on Channel 4 on Monday at 3.25pm.
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