An Oxford graduate has been selected as Carol Vorderman's replacement on the popular daytime TV show Countdown.
22 year old Rachel Riley has been selected as the new co-presenter alongside TV sports presenter Jeff Stelling.
Riley, a graduate from Oriel with a Masters Degree in Mathematics, was selected for the Channel 4 programme from over 1,000 applicants.
For the auditions, she and other applicants had to complete an interview and were examined on their maths expertise.
Riley was shortlisted together with 5 other candidates to attend a screen test in Leeds where candidates had to put up several letters selections and tackle various maths games at the numbers board.
Riley announced that she was ecstatic to have been chosen for the job. She said, "this is the best graduate job in the world. There's only one cool maths job around and I was lucky enough to get it so I'm absolutely thrilled."
Channel 4 said, "Rachel's on-screen presence, easy going nature, coupled with fantastic maths skills meant she excelled in all rounds of the auditions."
Helen Warner, Head of Channel 4 Daytime, said "I'm very excited that Jeff and Rachel will be picking up the Countdown baton from 2009.
"They make a great team and I feel certain that our much-loved words and numbers game will go from strength to strength with them at the helm."
Long-standing Carol Vorderman announced on the 25th July 2008 that she would be quitting the show after failing to agree with Channel 4's terms for a new contract.
Reports have suggested that she was told to take a 90% pay cut of her estimated salary of between £900,000 and £1m a year.
Vorderman recorded her last Countdown show on the 13th November 2008 which will be broadcast on the 12th December this year.
Stelling, who will be the new host for Countdown, is best known for presenting Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports and was awarded Sports Broadcaster of the Year by the Sports Journalists' Association for the third consecutive time earlier this year.
He declared that, "I am delighted to be hosting Countdown and follow in the footsteps of such great broadcasters as Richard Whitely, Des Lynam and Des O'Connor."
Stelling and Riley are set to present the 60th series of Countdown, which will commence in January 2009.
