Fourth win for 'Countdown' youngster

One of 'Countdown's youngest contestants won his fourth show in a row today, making it halfway to becoming an 'Octochamp'.

Eleven-year-old Kai Laddiman from Broad Oak, East Sussex, beat Customs and Excise officer Don Walker from Gateshead by 91 points to 68.

He continued his run of conundrum triumphs when he took just 3.5 seconds to solve the anagram puzzle, turning 'CLINKGRIT' into 'TRICKLING'.

Kai needs to win four more shows to become an 'Octochamp'.

Speaking after the show, he said: "I was very happy to win. It wasn't the easiest of games.

"My opponent was good, so I was a bit scared at first."

The schoolboy, who wants to be a footballer or an inventor when he grows up, learnt his letters and numbers from watching 'Countdown' at the age of two.

He has been beating his parents and grandparents at Scrabble from the age of six and has already obtained a B grade in AS level maths.

The Channel 4 word game has attracted a stream of youthful competitors in recent years.

In 1992, eight-year-old James Squires won, and in 2005, Tanmay Dixit won in two shows at the age of eight.

In 2006, 14-year-old Conor Travers became the youngest series champion.