Carrigline Man To Appear On ‘Countdown’ Today
Writes Jack White
Carrigaline man Arun Mathur, will appear on the British television game show, ‘Countdown’ this Friday, February 15th at 2:10pm on Channel4 or 3:10pm on Channel4+1.
Arun, originally from India but living in Carrigaline for the last 22 years, is a big fan of the Channel 4 show which sees contestants race against the clock to pit their wits against vowels, consonants and numbers.
Arun moved to Ireland, from India, after Irish Steel advertised in an Indian newspaper seeking staff. Taking a job with the company, Arun says Irish Steel looked after him and his family exceptionally well. “I think I was the first Indian to come to Carrigaline”, he says, “Irish steel helped us to find a house, sorted our visa and helped us to find schools for the children”. Arun became an Irish citizen in 2002.
Arun, who has watched Countdown for years, applied to be a contestant in June of this year and took part in a telephone audition in August. In October, he received an email from the show’s producers asking him to attend their studio in Manchester in November, to participate in the show.
Speaking after filming in November, Arun told The Carrigdhoun that himself and his wife Anita had a wonderful time in the studio. He said, “The hospitality provided by the Countdown team and the unassuming nature of Nick Hewer, Susie Dent, Rachel Riley and Dave Myers left us flabbergasted. After the show, I was presented with a goodies bag containing the Oxford English Dictionary, the countdown cup, clock, pens and a book “Modern Tribes” by Susie Dent, who sits in the Dictionary corner. The chief guest was the hairy biker Dave Myers.” Arun said it was, “a very enriching experience to meet the other competitors and we learnt a lot from them.”
Arun’s wife Anita works at The Mercy Hospital and his children went to primary and secondary school in Carrigaline before entering third-level education at UCC.
Arun, now 66, is retired but still gives Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate grinds in Physics, Chemistry and maths. In his time in Ireland, Arun also worked in the medical devices industry.
All of us at The Carrigdhoun Newspaper are looking forward to tuning in on Friday, best of luck Arun.
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