John Cowen Countdown champion allegedly stabs gameshow rival
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John Cowen, the Countdown champion, was accused of stabbing a competitor during a Blackpool event in September.
The winner of the 2017 Channel 4 gameshow with the highest score, a 30-year-old mathematics graduate, was taken into custody for reportedly assaulting his opponent at the Countdown in Blackpool 2024 competition, on September 14.
A twenty-something man was brought to the hospital for medical care, while Cowen was accused of section 18 wounding with intent and possession of a bladed object. While the identity of the supposed victim remains unconfirmed, John Cowen Countdown , residing in Morecambe, Lancashire, will be present in Preston Crown Court on Monday for the beginning of his trial.
A Lancashire Police spokesperson told the Mirror that they received a call about an assault on Hornby Road in Blackpool at 11:35am on 14th September 2024. Police officers responded to the scene and apprehended a male in his thirties for alleged assault under section 18 and for carrying a knife or bladed object.
John Cowen, the Countdown champion, aged 30, was subsequently arrested for section 18 assault – causing intentional injury and having a knife / sharp object in a public area. He was detained and is scheduled to attend Preston Crown Court on 14th October.
Cowen was featured in a total of 12 episodes and came out victorious in eight back-to-back competitions. He took part in the Series 77 finals in December 2017, but was defeated by Bradley Horrocks in the semi-final. He once again suffered a defeat to Horrocks in the quarter-final of the 2019 Championship of Champions XV series.
Previous champions of the competition compete against each other during the Blackpool Countdown competition. In series 77, Cowen came close to reaching the prestigious 800 club by one point, but still scored four centuries and excelled in the numbers round by consistently selecting six small numbers. He emerged victorious in all eight of his heat matches, earning him the title of octochamp. Cowen achieved the third highest score in the entire series by identifying the nine-letter word ‘spreading’.
In the December 2017 series finale, he competed as the third seed, defeated undefeated player Michael Pfeffer by selecting the nine letter word antinodes, and won with a score of 105 – 49. He came up short in the semifinals against Bradley Horrocks. The winner was defeated by providing wrong answers to the last six small selections presented to him.
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