A Countdown contestant from the Isle of Man broke numerous records on Friday in an eight-game winning run.

29-year-old Hazel Drury from Ramsey appeared on the show from October 21 to October 30, becoming an ‘octochamp’ and qualifying for the series finals round.

However, Hazel didn’t stop there, also breaking numerous records in what current host Colin Murray described as an ‘astounding’ victory.

Hazel had already beaten the highest female score for a single game, scoring a maximum of 143 on game two (October 22) with the previous record being 130, scoring 143 again on game three a day later.

She became the first woman to achieve this in the 15 round version of the Channel 4 programme.

While becoming an octochamp on Friday’s (October 30) programme, Hazel also become the highest scoring female octochamp in Countdown history.

Her score of 113 on Friday also ensured that she accumulated 1,001 points across the eight games, becoming part of an elusive club to have hit the milestone.

The victory also guaranteed her place as Countdown’s number one seed.

Hazel was diagnosed with severe dyslexia at 15, followed by autism and Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) at 18.

Numbers expert and co-presenter Rachel Riley, who is known to have previously labelled Hazel as the ‘baby-faced assassin’, commented: ‘If any of the comedians on [spin-off show] 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown complain about having dyslexia again, we can point to Hazel.

‘She’s a national hero!’

Host Colin Murray said he was ‘absolutely buzzing’ for Hazel, and she replied: ‘I can’t believe it!’

Hazel was born in Preston and spent her childhood in County Leitrim, Ireland, first appearing on the programme at the age of 18 when she won four consecutive shows.

Her interest in the long-running quiz began during after-school visits to her grandparents, where the family were encouraged to play along together.

Hazel’s mum, Jane Carmichael, commented: ‘Hazel has noticed both her reading and processing speeds have improved significantly, which she attributes to playing Countdown, particularly the conundrums.

‘She has always been fiercely determined to succeed and constantly challenges herself.’

Countdown, which combines number puzzles, word games and general knowledge, has been a fixture of British television since its launch in 1982. Contestants compete across a series of timed rounds, testing their vocabulary, mental arithmetic and quick thinking.