Cambridge university lecturer steps in for Rachel Riley on Countdown
He is the show's first ever male arithmetician
A Cambridge university lecturer steps in for Rachel Riley until the end of the month as he makes his debut on TV quiz Countdown this week.
Dr Tom Crawford is also a YouTuber with more than 200,000 subscribers on his account called Tom Rocks Maths, he is also well-known for his 15 maths-themed tattoos and solving equations in his underwear.
"That gave me a good boost of confidence"
He has been hosting the show alongside Colin Murray and Susie Dent and is the first big shake-up of the Countdown presenting team for three years, when Colin Murray took over from Anne Robinson in 2022.
Dr Crawford said: “There were two problems in the very first show where the contestants didn't get it, and so of course then it comes to me, and I'm supposed to be the numbers expert. So, I have to give the answer and fortunately, I did get both of them.
“So, I think that gave me a good boost of confidence to be like, you can do this.”
He added: "Sir Stephen Fry was the guest for this week. So, to be honest, I don't know if that was a good or bad thing. Obviously, Stephen Fry is incredible and then to be on the show with him, almost like being in awe possibly overtook my nerves of trying to do maths live for the first time,
Dr Crawford is lecturer and public engagement lead at the department for continuing education at Oxford, and a lecturer in applied mathematics at Cambridge.
To prepare for his stint on Countdown, he has spent time alongside Rachel Riley in the studio, learning the ropes.
He said: “Rachel's been so lovely throughout this this process. I actually met her about a year and a half ago as we recorded a video together for national numeracy, which is a charity that helps to get more people confident with numbers and with maths.
“So, when I mentioned to her that I had an audition she sent me loads of tips and was like pigging me over all these various websites and blogs.”
Dr Crawford added: “One of the main takeaways from this whole experience has been how incredible she is, to be able to get almost every single one the questions right first time because there’s so much pressure and some of these problems are so difficult.”