"I'm not sure you're gonna win, but if you don't it's gonna be close."
This article is about ongoing or future Taskmaster. Information shown here may not be accurate and is subject to change.
Susie Dent MBE is an English lexicographer, etymologist and media personality. She has appeared in "Dictionary Corner" on the Channel 4 game show Countdown since 1992. She also appears on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, a post-watershed comedy version of the show, often alongside Joe Wilkinson and Jon Richardson.
She will appear as a contestant in New Year Treat 6. She had previously appeared as a special guest in episode 81 of Taskmaster: The People's Podcast, making her the first contestant to appear on the show after appearing as a guest on The People's Podcast.
Consultancy[]
Before appearing as a contestant, Dent was consulted on three occasions to confirm the outcome of a task by assessing if contestants conformed to the wording:
- In a Series 2 task, Richard Osman interpreted the phrase "on the top of that hill" as clarification of the yoga mat's location rather than further instruction on where to place the yoga balls. Susie deemed this "unusual but not impossible", so Richard's attempt was allowed and he received 5 points.
- In a Series 12 task, Susie was consulted to untangle the series of negatives and determine whether or not ringing the bell was the correct decision. The final verdict was that the bell should have been rung, so Desiree Burch and Victoria Coren Mitchell, who did not ring the bell, both lost five points.
- After a Series 18 task aired, there was controversy over Andy Zaltzman and Jack Dee's uses of the word "one", as many viewers said that this should've been considered a number. Alex reached out to Susie, who defended the decision not to count these as numbers, as they were used as pronouns.
Trivia[]
- Susie Dent and host Colin Murray confirmed her appearance on an episode of Countdown on 29 October 2025. Next to Dent in the episode was Desiree Burch, who Susie asked for help about her upcoming appearance on the show.
- Dent is the second Countdown personality to appear on the show after Carol Vorderman. Both appear in New Year Treat specials.
- She is also the second contestant to appear on a New Year Treat special to have their appearance revealed prior to an official announcement, after Hannah Fry.
- She is one of four contestants overall to appear on a Taskmaster podcast before appearing as a contestant on the show. The other three: Rosie Ramsey, Maisie Adam, and Alice Snedden, all appeared on Taskmaster The Podcast, while Dent appeared on Taskmaster: The People's Podcast. She is one of the few people to appear on the show as a contestant following a previous mention or appearance on the show.
