Rachel Riley

Biography:

Rachel Riley is the numbers expert on Channel 4’s long-running quiz show Countdown. She is a regular guest on the hit comedy panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats on Channel 4 and has also competed in the special C4 mash-up shows 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and 8 Out of 10 Cats does Deal or No Deal. She has also appeared on BBC1 primetime shows I Love My Country and Britain's Brainiest.

Rachel is an avid Manchester United fan and presented a special show for MUTV alongside Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand, as well as an exclusive live studio interview with Andy Cole.

Rachel has put her grey matter to the test by appearing on BBC1's Celebrity Mastermind and has also raised substantial funds for the charities she supports by using her brainpower to win on various celebrity editions of quiz shows including Pointless Celebrities (BBC1), The Bank Job (C4), Million Pound Drop (C4) and The Chase (ITV).

Rachel appeared in the Channel 4 Dispatches documentary ‘Kids Don't Count’ which asked how and why we are failing Britain's children when it comes to maths. Rachel visited a primary school in Bristol to help encourage the children to tackle their maths demons.

Rachel has a keen interest in promoting maths and science to young people. She makes frequent school visits and has been involved in a number of national numeracy initiatives.

Brought up in Thorpe Bay, Essex, Rachel graduated from Oriel College Oxford with a degree in Mathematics, covering Quantum Theory, Fluid Mechanics and Applied Maths and was made a scholar in 2006.