A MAN who admitted to being in a dark place pushed himself out of his comfort zone to participate in a national and televised quiz show.

A quintessential British quiz show, Countdown has been popular since the 1980s as many viewers try to get involved with the on-screen mathematical and linguistic tasks.

It is a show that shows off the intelligence and quick thinking of contestants, and after becoming engrossed in the episodes, it is something that Paul Johnson wanted to try for himself.

Despite only recently getting into Countdown, and being in a "bad place mentally", the 37-year-old showcased his intelligence and strength of character to film six episodes of the show - and win five of them.

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Paul filmed six episodes with the Countdown team at the end of JunePaul filmed six episodes with the Countdown team at the end of June (Image: Channel 4/ PA)
Paul, who recently joined the ArcOframe windows and doors business, said: "I started watching the show around six weeks ago, when I was in a bad place mentally.

"I didn't really want to be around people and started watching a lot of Countdown, but when I felt a bit better I thought that I should apply for it.

"It was surreal [to be filming the show] after seeing it on telly, and seeing how it works behind the scenes.

"Everyone has been very supportive at ArcOframe and after winning five of the shows, I'm looking forward to seeing the episodes air in August."

Paul won five out of his six episodesPaul won five out of his six episodes (Image: Paul Johnson)