“It was unbelievable,” Mayo teacher enjoys memorable run on Countdown

Ethan McNea, a native of Achill and now living in Castlebar, recently appeared on the long-running Channel 4 programme, fulfilling a childhood dream that began many years ago at his nanny’s kitchen table.

“I’ve watched Countdown since I was maybe four or five years old,” he said. “My nanny used to sit with me and try to teach me the letters and the numbers. She was trying to teach me how to multiply and divide before I even started school.”

Despite his long-standing love for the show, it was only last summer that McNea decided to try his luck and apply.

“I couldn’t sleep one night in August and I was just looking at things online,” he explained. “I saw that applications were open to Irish contestants and I thought, sure the worst they can say is no.”

After submitting a written application, McNea received an email a few weeks later inviting him to take part in an online audition.

“You think it’s a joke at first,” he said. “But it was real. They had me play letters rounds, numbers rounds and the conundrum over Zoom, and you had to reach a certain score – but they never tell you what the score is.”

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Two weeks later he received the news he had hoped for – he had been selected to appear on the show and would be travelling to Manchester for filming.

McNea went on to compete in three episodes, winning his first two games before narrowly missing out in the third. Although audiences watched the episodes across several days on television, all three were filmed on the same day in the programme’s Manchester studio.

“It was a great run,” he said. “But what a lot of people don’t realise is that they film all the episodes on the same day. You’d finish one show, leave the studio, get ten minutes to change, get some water and then you’re straight back in again.”

The quick turnaround meant the experience was intense, particularly as new challengers arrived fresh for each episode.

“By the time I got to the third one I was already tired, while the new contestant was coming in for their first game,” McNea laughed.

Still, the experience lived up to everything he had imagined from watching the show growing up.

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“What you see on TV is exactly what it’s like in the studio,” he said. “It’s just as fast-paced. The clock, the music, the ticking – it’s even louder there. Thirty seconds goes much faster in the studio than it does at home.”

For McNea, one of the most meaningful moments came when his grandmother watched his appearance.

“She rang me afterwards to say how proud she was,” he said. “That meant a lot.”

The episodes were filmed in December but did not air until almost three months later, leaving a long wait before friends, family and the wider community could see his performance.

Since then, the response from people in Mayo has been overwhelming.

“When I went home at the weekend people were stopping me in the shop just to say well done,” he said. “Even people I wouldn’t see every day were sending messages. The support has been incredible.”

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While his Countdown journey may have come to an end, McNea says the experience has left him open to future television appearances.

“My motto is that the worst they can say is no,” he said. “So I’d definitely consider doing another quiz show or something like that in the future.”

For now, however, he is simply enjoying the memories – and the famous Countdown teapot that comes with winning an episode.

“Just being there was incredible,” he said. “It's still a big deal whether you win or not, and I have absolutely no regrets.”