Countdown maths whizz Rachel Riley has clocked up her 1,000th appearance on the show – and as a surprise she was presented with a bunch of flowers and signed shirt by footballer Ryan Giggs. Riley, a massive Manchester United fan, told the Daily Mirror: "I had no inkling that I had just filmed my 1,000th episode when Nick [Hewer] announced it on the show, and I was touched that the Countdown team had surprised me with the news. As Nick continued, I thought they might have got me a bunch of flowers. But I nearly fell through the floor when Ryan Giggs suddenly appeared with some." Giggs reached a similar milestone in March – his 1,000th Man Utd game. Riley added about the show, which will air on Tuesday on Channel 4: "As a lifelong red, I've watched Giggsy rack up 1,000-plus appearances since I was five so there couldn't have been a more special way to celebrate mine."