In my endeavours to search for information on all lost episodes, I recently started looking at the two lost 1986 shows:

- June 29th
- August 3rd

I found TV guides for both these dates:



June 29th (Episode 515) was aired that day. However, we haven't any information about the host, guests or bands appearing on the show. Oh well, at least we know there was an episode that week. Hopefully it will surface one day from somewhere.



The August 3 episode, on the other hand, is not there! It does not appear on the TV guide for August 3. Nor is it on Saturday or any other day of the week. And there was no repeat on August 9th either. Which leads me to ask - is there a show 520? Efforts have been made, compiling shows and their show number, to suggest that there was an episode 520, but The Age doesn't have one on their TV guide for that week.

The Commonwealth Games, from Edinburgh, had been on that week. In fact, the previous Sunday was a Commonwealth Games special called 'Countdown At The Commonwealth Games', hosted by Molly.

But I can't find any show for August 3rd, 1986. Can anyone shed light on this?

The Sydney Morning Herald also has no episode aired on 3rd August, 1986.

There was no episode shown on Aug 3 1986 due to the Commonwealth Games. Not sure why a non episode got an episode number though.

I have a feeling that Molly mentioned there was no episode the week after the Commonwealth Games episode from Edinburgh - either when he was doing his Humdrum segment or closing segment with the athletes.

Thanks Armin. I thought it was a little unusual. It seems there was no show 520. Here is the TV Listing for July 27, episode 519, which includes information regarding the Commonwealth Games special 'Countdown At The Commonwealth Games'.



(Source: The Age, 1986)

These tv guides are correct in that a fortnight of Countdown shows were not aired either on July 27 or August 3 due to Commonwealth Games Highlights as have also checked my 1986 Tv Week magazine guides that has NO Countdown shows listed on either of those two Sunday nights. Tv Week guide lists the July 27 Sunday night as just Commonwealth Games Highlights as there is NO mention of a Countdown Commonwealth Games type show either. I wonder what was actually shown that particular night now from memory.

Interviewing Australian athletes on an epsiode of Countdown? Ugh.

Thanks for the information Scott. Show #519 'Countdown At The Commonwealth Games' was actually shown on Rage in 1993 (unfortunately, I don't have it), so it was definitely a real show, as outlined in The Age's TV Guide.