Rachel Riley is set to be temporarily replaced on Countdown by mathematician Dr Tom Crawford, as she takes a brief hiatus from the show to focus on another project.

Dr Crawford, who is a close friend of Riley's, will join the Countdown team for the next three weeks, appearing alongside the show's lexicographer, Susie Dent, and host, Colin Murray.

Tom has gained popularity through his YouTube videos, amassing over 200,000 subscribers, with some of his content racking up to one million views online.

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In addition to his online presence, he is also an Applied Mathematics lecturer at Cambridge's Robinson College and sports 15 mathematics-themed tattoos. Filming reportedly kicked off in December, with much time spent working alongside Rachel to prepare for Countdown.

Rachel, an Oxford University graduate, told : "Countdown viewers are in great hands with Tom, who is a brilliant Mathematician and a lovely guy. He's also used to people commenting on the clothes he wears (or lack of them) on his show so I am sure he will take to the role like a duck to water."

Dr Tom continued: "All of my work online is about sharing my love of Maths with the whilst trying to make it accessible for everyone.

"Countdown has been doing that for a generation, so it really is a dream come true to be joining this iconic show to cover Rachel. I may even have to get another tattoo to commemorate the event."

Rachel took over from in January 2009, who had held the position from 1982 until December 2008. Her duties on the show include managing the letter boards and verifying calculations.

She was honoured with an MBE for her contributions to Holocaust Education in the New Year Honours List in December 2022.

You can catch up on Countdown on Channel 4