 |
| Written by John Teehan |
There are a lot of things the British aren’t known for.
Cuisine, for one. Rap battles are another. But the British know comedy. You have to give them that. It may not be the same as American comedy, but, like American cuisine, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’ve a great love for British comedy, and one of the finest examples of it today are not on the standup stage or almost-but-not-quite-charming Hugh Grant films, but in the panel quiz show format.
Don’t believe me? Fine. End of column. Thanks for reading! I can be reached at– [Editor’s Note: Do NOT end column here. Keep going. – SB]
Fine. Don’t believe me?
Here are four British comedy panel shows you should check out–and they’re all on YouTube. Let’s hear it for loose application of international copyright! Woot!
Do you want to feel smarter when you watch TV?
I know I do.
That’s why I watch Adventure Time, and it’s why I watch QI.
Short for ‘Quite Interesting’, QI is a BBC-produced show hosted by Stephen Fry, and features regular guest Alan Davies and a host of guest panelists. It’s also one of the most brilliant shows ever produced anywhere and has been going strong for 13 seasons. Much of the credit goes to host’s erudite and humorous delivery of information and bon mots. The questions asked as part of the quiz often have obvious answers (mostly due to popular misunderstandings) with points lost for giving the obvious answer, and points awarded for “interesting” (and true) answers. Some tidbits revealed on QI over the years:
- 10% of all photographs in the world were taken in the last twelve months.
- Shostakovich wrote his 8th symphony in a henhouse.
- When the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911, one of the suspects was Picasso.
- Everybody expected the Spanish Inquistion — they were legally obliged to give 30 days notice.
- One in ten of European babies are conceived in IKEA beds.
Over a hundred guests to have appeared at least once on the show, some notable guests include Daniel Radcliffe, Bill Bailey, Brian Blessed, Jonathon Ross, Carrie Fisher, John Hodgman, Sandi Toksvig, Ross Noble, Richard Ayoade, Jo Brand, Sue Perkins, and David Tennant.
There have been attempts to bring the show to the US, but because of copyright issues with some of the images featured on the show, there have been hurdles. Nonetheless, you can find most of the episodes on YouTube, and a few seasons also appear on Hulu.
Here is a full episode of one of the Christmas shows featuring Daniel Radcliffe as a featured guest.
Mock the Week
Mock the Week is a panel show hosted by Irish comedian Dara Ó Briain.
Each week, Ó Briain presents to two teams of comedians questions related to current events in the UK and around the world. Teams are lead by comedians Hugh Dennis and Andy Parsons with guests from Britain’s comedy scene (along with occasional Canadians, Americans, and miscellaneous Europeans). Regular guests include Frankie Boyle, Chris Addison, Russell Howard, Ed Byrne, Milton Jones, Stewart Francis, Greg Proops, Gina Yashere, and Sara Pascoe.
The game is divided into several categories such as “If this is the answer, what is the question” in which a short answer (such as 300) is provided and panelists must come up with the correct question to the answer–after several rounds of joke questions (such as “How many miles did The Proclaimers actually walk before saying ‘sod it’.”). “Scenes we’d like to see” proposes subjects (e.g., Things you wouldn’t hear on a news program) and the players take turns going to a center microphone with their funny answers. There is also a standup challenge in which a few of the panelists go to a center stage and are assigned topics to which they must form a spontaneous standup routine for.
Mock the Week delights in pushing boundaries so much so that there are several special DVDs devoted to segments they could not air. Many of these specials can also be found online. Check them out. You can’t regret it until you do.
Have I Got News For You
This show has been going strong since 1990 and is usually credited as the starter for television comedy panel shows in Britain. Like Mock the Week, it focuses on current event topics, but the show is made up of two teams of two with regular captains Ian Hislop of Private Eye and comedian Paul Merton alongside guest comedians, politicians or journalists. The presenter of the show is also a guest feature with many different celebrities having served over the decades. Such folk incloude: Sir Roger Moore, William Shatner, Stephen Merchant, Jennifer Saunders, Warwick Davis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ann Widdecombe, Dara Ó Briain, John Sergeant, and Joan Collins.
The show is made up of several rounds from a “silent film” round in which panelists must guess the news story from a silent video clip. It’s usually an easy round meant to ease everyone into the show with colorful commentary and banter. Following that would usually be a “tabloid headlines” round in which participants comment and make fun of various tabloid headlines. The “Missing Word” round presents headlines with certain words omitted in which the panelists must guess. As quiz shows go, it doesn’t demand a lot except for humorous insights and cheeky observations.
That said, it’s a show with a long history of controversy through its habit of skating very close to libel and slander –particularly of political figures. Apparently, British Labour Party member Roy Hattersley, upon canceling an appearance on the show at the last minute, was replaced with a bucket of lard labelled. “The Rt. Hon. Tub of Lard MP” as no one thought it would really make a difference. They’ve had some legal challenges, but after 50 series being broadcast in the past quarter century, they seem to be doing fine.
If I had any warning for readers, it would that Have I Got News For You, more than the others I discuss here, is the most British-centric in that if you’re unfamiliar with the current political and social scene in the UK, you may be a bit lost. On the other hand, it’s a great way to get current. I imagine Brits do the same thing for the US when they watch The Daily Show.
Big Fat Quiz of the Year
For me, the Big Fat Quiz of the Year is an event I look forward every year. It is usually broadcast on BBC between Christmas and New Years, and shows up on YouTube the next day.
Hosted by Jimmy Carr, it’s a two-hour long special quiz show featuring three teams of celebrity guest pairs cracking wise and answering questions on events that occurred over the past year. Unlike many other of these comedy panel shows, the scores matter as the teams compete for a trophy at the end. Still, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of silliness going on as well. A real answer is usually preceded by the joke answer. The humor is a bit more gentle than some of the other shows I’ve listed, but still snarky enough to earn its slot in the more late-night TV viewing slow on the BBC.
Over the dozen or so years the show has been on, it’s had great lineups as far as guests go. Jonathan Ross, Jack Whitehall, James Corden, David Mitchell, Claudia Winkleman, Jo Brand, Sue Perkins, Warwick Davis, Sharon Osborne, Miranda Hart, and David Walliams just to name a few. Lately, they’ve been including American guests such as Chelsea Peretti and Kristen Schaal. It’s not unusual for certain teams to act sillier than others. Ratings, you know. Russell Brand and Noel Fielding made great silly teams. When Russell Brand became a bit too big for television, Richard Ayoade stepped in. They alone are often worth the price of admission.
Some guests are swings and misses.
Former Scary Spice, Mel B was an atrocious player who never seemed to quite get on board with the spirit of the show. Sean Lock’s 2008 appearance was short of stellar, and Mel Giedroyc stayed consistent with being the less funny one (as in her part in hosting The Great British Bake-Off)–but it’s by far more hits than misses as far as the guests go.
Questions go topical month by month–usually in a pub quiz style format. Sometimes they’re straight question-and-answer, sometimes there are picture puzzles, special guest presenters, and video-based questions. News presenter Jon Snow often presents fake news stories based on pop song lyrcis, venerable actors such as Ian McKellen will give dramatic readers of celebrity autobiographies that have come out that year, and the children of Mitchell Brook Primary School present dramatic re-enactments of notable news stories.
As a bonus, the show has added additional specials over the years. A week after the Big Fat Quiz of 2015 (broadcast December 26, 2015) came the Big Fat Quiz of Everything (broadcast January 5, 2016). Previous specials have covered various decades as themes, anniversary episodes (one for its own tenth anniversary, another for Channel 4’s 25th anniversary).
The Big Fat Quiz of the Year is a good, fun show. It’s an excuse to prepare a nice pot of tea with some lemon cookies and sit for two hours (well–one and a half as we don’t have to sit through commercials watching it on YouTube). A good time. Highly recommended, and re-watchable.
A closing note to host Jimmy Carr:
Dear Jimmy… Richard and Greg’s “peer pressure” answer should have gotten points. It was a pun, yes, but they answered the question accurately. Need we remind you of the Brand/Fielding fiasco of ’06?
Coming To America
So what about importing some of these shows to the US?
My first reaction when someone first asked me this was…impossible.
American comedy is too timid, too afraid to offend people who might sue them. I’m not just talking timid comedians, but very timid networks. But then again, The Daily Show exists. So does Real Time with Bill Maher. And Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. All of these shows push buttons. I think, however, to make imports work, we’re going to have to bring in some of the Brits to help get them started–kind of like how when Whose Line Is It Anyway? had to bring in some of the British version’s regulars when it came to the US.
There are definite differences in styles of comedy, and I don’t know how well it would work for the average audience here. I like it. You’ll probably like it. Will Aunt Millie in Omaha like it? Maybe not. Comedy Central tried panel comedy with Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil which was very similar to the British show Argumental which was broadcast around the same time. Root of All Evil lasted two seasons. Argumental lasted four. One could argue that The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore is trying the comedy panel format (at least partially) with a little success.
Fact is, I don’t think the format would work on mainstream networks. It would need to have the support of an independent network that was not reliant strictly on advertisers. HBO would be good. I could see this format working, perhaps, on Netflix or even Amazon Prime. Maybe Hulu. I don’t think it could work released all at once for binge viewing, but would benefit more from weekly broadcasts. I’d pay money to see it done right.
In the meantime, however, we have most of the British versions available on YouTube. Go check them out, and also look for 8 Out of 10 Cats hosted by Jimmy Carr, Would I Lie To You? (hosted by Rob Brydon), Argumental with John Sergeant (presented later by Sean Lock), and long-running series, Countdown.
Cheers!
3 Comments