After losing spectacularly on one of the country’s longest-running gameshows you could be forgiven for wanting to bury your head in the sand.

East Anglian Daily Times: Retired teacher Ian Toulson, from Walsham-le-Willows, on Countdown.Retired teacher Ian Toulson, from Walsham-le-Willows, on Countdown. (Image: Contributed)

But retired teacher Ian Toulson has chosen to make a song and a dance about his recent defeat on Channel 4’s Countdown.

The 66-year-old, from Walsham-le-Willows, has posted a video detailing his “humiliation” on YouTube, so far attracting about 300 views.

Mr Toulson, already relatively well-known in the area because of his fundraising bike rides, is seen reciting a poem about his loss to Jennifer Steadman, who scored 130 points against his rather hopeless total of 49.

Talking about his light-hearted approach to the defeat on national television on September 4, he said: “If you are going to be embarrassed you had better not go on.”

He added: “I have emailed a number of people telling them about my YouTube video. Actually, if I had done moderately well how could I sell that?”

His opponent – who has won on the show many times – has even posted a response on YouTube: “Excellent work, Ian –? very entertaining!”

Mr Toulson, who used to teach maths at Thurston Community College, had for some time been an avid armchair participant of the popular show, hosted by Nick Hewer and Rachel Riley, but then thought “why not have a go?”

He said he had been afraid to go on while still a teacher as he feared he would humiliate himself in front of his students.

But it was only after he heard a former student had been tweeting about his appearance he thought about maximising the exposure through his tongue-in-cheek ode to defeat by using social media.

“I went back home and got the camera out and made a video and stumbled my way through posting it on YouTube and just notified various people about it and hopefully they might tell other people about it.”

Mr Toulson is also circulating his poem and news of his defeat through village newsletter the Walsham Observer, which he edits.

Never one to miss an opportunity, he even tried to sell some of his books – which are for charity and about his long distance bike rides – on the show, but he admitted this did not make the final cut.

“I had a good time on the show. I would go on again, but I would like to win just once so I can come home with the teapot.”