Hilarious, totally-irreverent, near-slanderous political quiz show, based mainly on news stories from the last week or so, that leaves no party, personality or action unscathed in pursuit ... See full summary »
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A comedy panel game in which being Quite Interesting is more important than being right. Stephen Fry is joined each week by four comedians to share anecdotes and trivia, and maybe answer some questions as well.
A British show in which actors and comedians improvise sketches in various "theatre-sports"-type games, based on audience suggestions. The games might include singing a Hoedown about Tory ... See full summary »
Stars:
Clive Anderson,
Richard Vranch,
Ryan Stiles
Three celebrities are shut in a house for a week with no access to the news, and then appear in a studio and have to guess which of the news stories they are fed are real, and which are fake.
Hilarious, totally-irreverent, near-slanderous political quiz show, based mainly on news stories from the last week or so, that leaves no party, personality or action unscathed in pursuit of laughs. Hosted by Deayton, with team captains Hislop (magazine columnist) and Merton (comedian) joined by, typically, a comedian and a politician, journalist or news figure - although an absent Labour politician was once famously replaced by a tub of lard! Regular rounds of Caption Competition, Odd One Out, What Happened Next and Missing Words are interspersed with running jokes: Deayton's senile mother, Hislop's Jimmy Somerville impersonation, the firm belief that all politicians are crooks... Written by
Cynan Rees <cynanrees@hotmail.com>
Exiled ex-MI5 officer David Shayler appeared as a panelist via satellite link. See more »
Quotes
[on a question about Pokémon]
Ian Hislop:
This is the probably worst and worst-drawn film and craze in history, of badly-conceived little monsters that fight each other, and children trade cards and have a fantastic knowledge of a hundred and fifty monsters. They can't remember five countries and their capital cities, but just about every child in the country can tell you that Charmeleon evolves into Charmander and then turns into Machop and then kills someone or other, it's absolute garbage.
[flippantly]
Ian Hislop:
...
[...] See more »
I felt I should write this as the previous review had no mention of Angus Deayton's departure.
Though this should have been a tragedy for this great show, something good has come out of it, with a guest host every week. 'Have I got News for You' is a dependable British Comic institution. I can be found faithfully on a Friday night in front of my TV set, watching and laughing. The basic formula is: one guest host (expected to make obligatory self-derogatory remarks) two captains (almost without exception the comic geniuses that are Ian Hislop and Paul Merton) and two guests (who are expected to make jokes relevant to their fields, For many people it is a matter of choice, but I prefer Paul Merton's humour to Ian Hislop's.
The animated title scene is perhaps the worst part of this brilliant show- and it is only half a minute! The other problem is that because this is so topical, it cannot survive like Blackadder has, it lacks that timeless element. Generations to come would have to read up on some news reports to understand the jokes.
Sometimes, the guests can be superb, or less so, but the programme is carried solely on Merton and Hislop, and rounds such as the one where a newspaper is taken and a series of words blanked out are guessed.
On a more serious note, this is not a quiz show in the vein of Who wants to be a Millionaire or University Challenge- this is for fun. Some who are not entirely up to speed on current affairs may not enjoy all the jokes.
So if you find life tragic enough and long for a bit of humour, do watch it, because they've got news for you!
(I couldn't resist it)
*****/*****
10 of 12 people found this review helpful.
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I felt I should write this as the previous review had no mention of Angus Deayton's departure.
Though this should have been a tragedy for this great show, something good has come out of it, with a guest host every week. 'Have I got News for You' is a dependable British Comic institution. I can be found faithfully on a Friday night in front of my TV set, watching and laughing. The basic formula is: one guest host (expected to make obligatory self-derogatory remarks) two captains (almost without exception the comic geniuses that are Ian Hislop and Paul Merton) and two guests (who are expected to make jokes relevant to their fields, For many people it is a matter of choice, but I prefer Paul Merton's humour to Ian Hislop's.
The animated title scene is perhaps the worst part of this brilliant show- and it is only half a minute! The other problem is that because this is so topical, it cannot survive like Blackadder has, it lacks that timeless element. Generations to come would have to read up on some news reports to understand the jokes.
Sometimes, the guests can be superb, or less so, but the programme is carried solely on Merton and Hislop, and rounds such as the one where a newspaper is taken and a series of words blanked out are guessed.
On a more serious note, this is not a quiz show in the vein of Who wants to be a Millionaire or University Challenge- this is for fun. Some who are not entirely up to speed on current affairs may not enjoy all the jokes.
So if you find life tragic enough and long for a bit of humour, do watch it, because they've got news for you!
(I couldn't resist it)
*****/*****