Rachel Riley is delighted ‘friendly’ star Colin Murray has been named Countdown host (Picture: Channel 4)

Countdown favourite Rachel Riley couldn’t be happier that Colin Murray is the new host of the Channel 4 letters and numbers game and claims that viewership has multiplied since he joined.

It was confirmed last week that the radio and TV presenter would helm the show on a permanent basis after he stepped up to assume the role when Anne Robinson left in the summer.

While Colin previously described landing the exciting position as a ‘career dream’, co-star Rachel is just as thrilled to have the ‘friendly’ host by her side.

‘Colin is an absolute Countdown geek, he loves it,’ Rachel enthused in an exclusive chat with Metro.co.uk. ‘Sometimes he gets too distracted playing the game to host the show, which is so nice.

‘Just to have someone who enjoys their job and wants to be there and please everybody, never mind me, but Susie Dent in dictionary corner and the crew, it’s a really happy ship.

Colin described his new position on the Channel 4 series as a ‘career dream’ (Picture: PA)

Rachel claims that viewing figures have multiplied since Colin took over in the summer (Picture: Twitter)

She added that Countdown audiences are also loving Colin, which is the ‘most important thing’.

‘The viewing figures have gone multiple times what they were,’ she claimed.

‘We’re in the Champions of Champions series at the moment and the response we’ve had from viewers is that they’re just so happy that he’s there and they’re really enjoying the show. That’s why we make it, isn’t it?’

Rachel has been a big fan of the show for many years and would make sure to switch it on after school. She cherishes the family friend series and recognises that its cult following is one of the reasons it is so special.

Colin replaces Anne Robinson as host of the popular teatime show (Picture: Channel 4)

‘It’s not your typical TV show, people don’t have a personality test to get on, they just pass the basic Countdown test, and they can come on,’ she continued.

‘[The players] are playing to win a teapot, they’re not playing for loads of money. It’s a really friendly show, so to have a really friendly presenter the response just speaks for itself.’

And luckily for us, Rachel has no plans to leave Countdown anytime soon. ‘I love it,’ she said with a smile. ‘It’s great.’

Aside from Countdown, Rachel recently joined forces with Motorway to launch the new Car Value Tracker, a tool that helps users keep tabs on the worth of their car, and ultimately gives them insight on the best time to sell.

‘It’s a really interesting time in the market because used cars are actually increasing in value at certain times,’ she enthused.

‘We actually sold our car, a 10-year-old diesel last year,’ she adds. ‘Motorway’s tracker tells you how much your car is worth over the last 24 months, and you can see when a good time would be to sell it.’

Rachel sold her car and now drives an electric vehicle, which she brands ‘way more convenient’.

‘We just plug it in at home and you can drive as much as you want locally and then just plug it in at home again.

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‘When I travel up to Manchester from London for Countdown, I usually have the baby with me, and when I need to charge, it’s voice-activated so it tells you.’ Sounds totally hassle-free if you ask us.

Rachel Riley MBE is working with used-car marketplace Motorway.co.uk as it launches its new Car Value Tracker tool, helping the nation to track the value of their vehicle and understand the best time to sell.

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‘It’s a really happy ship.’