11-year old leaves Countdown star Carol red-faced over Maths puzzle
With an IQ of 167, Countdown co-host Carol Vorderman is rarely troubled for an answer.
But the tables were turned on the cerebral presenter when she was beaten to a mathematical problem by an 11-year-old schoolboy.
After solving one of the Channel 4's tricky number riddles, Bradley Cates, from Southport, Merseyside, was forced to slowly explain the answer to a red-faced Miss Vorderman.
Having been beaten to the answer, 46-year-old Miss Vorderman presented Bradley with a signed copy of the conundrum in question.
Now, following his TV success, state school educated Bradley is set to undergo rigorous numerical, verbal and comprehensions tests which will reveal his own IQ.
Bradley's mother, Caroline Wood, an assistant pub manager, said: 'Bradley did really, really well - it's absolutely fantastic and I'm incredibly proud of him.
'I was more nervous than he was - he was absolutely fine about it all.
'The film crew and Des and Carol were all absolutely fantastic with him - they thought he was wonderful. The whole day was absolutely great and the whole thing has been a once in a lifetime experience.
'It was really funny when he worked out he sum that Carol couldn't solve. He was made up about it.
'But Carol was brilliant about it and she signed the big sheet with the problem on it and gave it to him.
'Since his success, people have been asking me whether I've had this done or that done to try and work out Bradley's IQ but I haven't. He's done all of this off his own back, I've not pushed him or anything.
'But maybe we should look into it now and get it tested after what he's done although I don't really know how you go about it all.'
Bradley, who first started watching the show two years ago with his grandad, John, prepared for the competition by watching televised re-runs and playing the official Countdown board game.
He applied for the popular teatime show via e-mail last year and successfully completed the programme's rigorous audition process.
Like Miss Vorderman, Bradley is also a keen sudoku fan and keeps his mind active by completing a wide range of puzzles and quizzes.
An Everton fan, he attends his local, all-boys secondary comprehensive, Birkdale High, which was rated 'excellent' on its last Ofsted inspection.
'Both his primary school, Farnborough Road, and Bradley's new school, Birkdale, are absolutely made up for him,' added Miss Wood.
'A lot of his junior school teachers in particular have seen him through and watched him develop, so they're all thrilled.'
Bradley will be given special dispensation from lessons this afternoon when, alongside his classmates, will be allowed to watch his prerecorded winning performance on television.
But his mother will also record the show just in case he is forced to attend lessons as normal.
Miss Wood, 36, who works at The Crown pub in Birkdale, has invited various members of family -including Bradley's Grimsby-based grandfather, John, - to her pub to watch the show.
'He'll probably watch it at school but we'll Sky Plus it for him anyway,' she said.
'I'm at work so I've asked all the regulars, plus various members of family and friends, to come down and watch the show around the pub's plasma TV.'
On the same show, Bradley also embarrasses Countdown's new presenter Des O'Connor, after correcting the 75-year-old host's pronunciation of 'gllideyon', an anagram of yodelling.
He then made O'Connor, who has taken over from previous host Des Lynam, blush when he said he did not want to take home one of the crooner's records as a gift.
A magnanimous Miss Vorderman, a member of Mensa, said: 'Bradley never stops smiling. He looks like an angel.
'Des and I loved him on sight... but when I asked him if he wanted one of Des' records as a present he shouted out 'no'... It was very funny.'
The sum that beat Carol... but not Bradley.
How to turn the numbers 2, 4, 5, 9, 10 and 100 into a figure of 566.
Solution: 5 multiplied by 100 = 500
9 minus 2 = 7
7 multiplied by 10 = 70
500 add 70 = 570
570 minus 4 = 566
