Countdown’s Susie Dent is bringing her latest live show, Word Perfect, to Darlington Hippodrome on Wednesday, August 20, promising an evening of linguistic curiosity and wit.
The tour explores everything from the origins of collective nouns—such as a ‘murder’ of crows or a ‘parliament’ of owls—to the evolution of Gen-Z slang, the debate over whether dialects are dying out, and the age-old question of whether the fruit or the colour orange came first.
Ms Dent said: “The English language will never stop surprising and delighting me.
“It is as wayward as it is majestic, while the dictionary is as full of magic, drama and adventure as you will find anywhere.
“I can’t wait to walk down some more of its secret alleyways with the Word Perfect audiences, and to hear their own questions about our curious mother tongue.”
The show will feature stories, facts, and audience interaction as Ms Dent shares her favourite discoveries from more than 30 years in Dictionary Corner.
Her love for language, playful approach to etymology, and ability to make words come alive have made her a beloved figure on Channel 4’s Countdown and its comedy spin-off, 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown.
Word Perfect follows her 74-date tour, The Secret Life Of Words, which ran from 2018 to 2024.
In addition to her television career, Ms Dent is a prolific writer.
She was appointed MBE in 2024, the same year she published her debut novel, Guilty by Definition.
She is set to release two new books this autumn: Words For Life and The Roots We Share: 100 Words That Bring Us Together.
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