Countdown shocked viewers when a rude eight-letter word came up

'Aircraft'. 'Personal'. 'Treasury'. 'Resident'. These are the kind of eight-letter words you expect to see on Countdown.

Viewers were in for a bit of a surprise yesterday when Dictionary Corner's Suzie Dent offered a rather left-field suggestion for an eight-letter word that the two contestants hadn't picked up on. It's in the dictionary, so as far as the rules of Countdown are concerned, it's a completely legitimate answer, but not really the kind of thing you'd expect to hear on daytime telly.  

First, can you work out what it is for yourself?

 

No? Okay, here's Suzie Dent to tell you herself.

https://twitter.com/Channel4/status/827173890581491712   Yep, it's 'shithead'. Naturally Channel 4 had to bleep the word, as we can't have your nan being exposed to such filth on a Thursday afternoon, but nevertheless, a swearword was read out on Countdown. This means that Suzie Dent has won the secret main objective of Countdown, and will receive a lifetime's supply of Countdown teapots and Oxford English Dictionaries. In case you're wondering, here's how it looked on the board.  

Magnificent.