Gifted Asian teen in Countdown for more TV challenges

AN ASIAN teenager who reached the knock-out finals of Channel 4’s Countdown show has his eyes set on more TV success.

Jasamrit Rahala, 17, from Slough, who was identified as a maths prodigy when he was nine, wants to take part in University Challenge and Mastermind, the Guardian said.

He was the youngest finalist on Child Genius aged 10 and competed in Britain’s Brightest Family. He is now studying double maths, physics and computer science A-levels at Eton College, after winning a scholarship which covers his fees, it added.

Rahala applied to Countdown on his 16th birthday – the age limit for the show – but the pandemic meant that he did not make an appearance on it until he was 17. He was among the series’ top scorers, earning a place in the finals.

“I’ve watched Countdown, since I was six or seven. And I noticed I would get the teatime teasers and decided as soon as I could I would apply,” Rahala said. “I like computer science and maths, and I guess it’s pattern recognition.”

Rahala was identified as a gifted pupil in year 3 and achieved a maximum 162 Mensa IQ score at 11, but his talent has occasionally proved challenging for his parents.

He lives with his father Santokh, mother Sardeep, who is a part-time NHS healthcare assistant, and sister Tania, 12, in a two-up, two-down in Slough. His father said he was embarrassed to admit he didn’t spot his son’s potential early on.

“I was working every hour to make ends meet, long hours, and travelling to and from work,” Santokh, 55, told the newspaper.

He is now a work coach for the Department for Work and Pensions after being made redundant from a 20-year job as a buyer for a food and drink company during the pandemic.

“Parents don’t know what to do when they have a clever child, and nor do schools. We encouraged our children to spend one hour a day on maths and another on English in addition to their school homework. We are just super proud of him,” Santokh was quoted as saying.

Rahala scored top marks in the 11-plus and passed entrance exams for five fee-paying private schools. However, owing to the family’s finances he went to Herschel grammar school, within walking distance of his home. At 13 he was accepted at Eton, and he now hopes to attend a top university to study computer science.

He plays the violin, rows, is a badminton and hockey player, has volunteered at his local Sikh temple and tutors others online.