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I recently realised I've been watching Have I Got News For You for over 30 years, and it's as good as it ever was.   Is there any other TV comedy series that has lasted as long, let alone remained funny, for so long?

Not that I can think of. Radio, however, has a few such as I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and The news Quiz.

Just finished the latest News Quiz this morning. If I'm not mistaken,  it's the precursor to HIGNFY, and it's always worth a listen, but I believe the student has long since become the master.

I haven't seen an episode of HIGNFY for donkey's years - it's one of the few BBC things I actually miss.

Just got back into it lately myself, after discovering the episodes move to YouTube very soon after they're broadcast.

Wonder if QI will have that kind of longevity? I expect I'll keep watching it as long as it's shown.

QI is already 20 years old.

I believe the plan has always been to end QI after series Z, assuming it runs that long (and I can't see any reason why it wouldn't, though it would have seemed a lot less certain back when series A was being filmed).

Yeah, but at that point it'll move to the Greek alphabet and rename itself Ϙι.

:lol:

Quote from: Richard on 20 May, 2023, 08:39:45 PMQI is already 20 years old.

Feck! Where does the time go? I didn't watch it at first, believing that the title referred to IQ and it was some kind of highbrow quiz for intellectuals.  Not saying I'm thick or anything, but I'm definitely far thicker than I thought I was when I was a bloody student, and I was pleased to find it was about one of my favourite things: useless trivia. 

Quote from: Definitely Not Mister Pops on 20 May, 2023, 10:29:21 PMYeah, but at that point it'll move to the Greek alphabet and rename itself Ϙι.

Or maybe they'll move production to Spain and call it Que?

Radio seems to be the place for longevity as there's Just a Minute running since 1967, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue since 1972, The News quiz since 1977 and the youngster the Now Show starting in 1998

QI only has U through to Z to run. I imagine they'll probably do some short series for a few of those. Assuming it gets recommissioned at its current rate and everyone is healthy enough to be in the show, the last series would air from autumn 2028 to spring 2029. But that date could be nearer if they, say, did U and V as eight-episode runs vs the usual 16.

I still really rate that show. I actually prefer Toksvig over Fry as chair, and hope she sticks around until the show's conclusion. (She'd be around 70 by that point.)

Elsewhere, I don't really watch panel shows anymore. I'm ageing myself, but I went off HIGNFY during the whole Angus Deayton thing, and although I continued watching for a time, Merton mostly appeared to be bored, and Hislop was quite often rude and up himself. I assume it improved again? (That said, this is also the show that normalised Boris Johnson and Julia Hartley-Brewer, and so it has a lot to answer for.)

I don't see why later series should be any shorter than previous - the title of the episodes are just a bit of a gimmick in general anyway!

True. I just wonder how many jokes they can wring out of the letter X. I just hope it makes it through to Z and then stops. That'd be quite the set of shows, and most of them have been very good.

Qi isn't always successful, but it has way less showboating than other panel shows. It's more of a chat between really sharp, quick-witted people than the scrap to be noticed most of the others turn into. Or Mock the Week's cut-and-paste from everyone's stand-up routines.

Mind you, despite my modern distaste for more panel shows, I'd love to see Whose Line? resurrected in the UK. (Very, very unlikely, from what I've unearthed in the past, mind.)

I really do still enjoy QI, and don't see myself changing on that. The show just clicks, even if there's a duff line up (someone mentioned in another thread how Russel Br*nd came across as a charismatic type, check out his fairly recent appearance on that show between Noel Fielding, Aisling Bea and of course Alan and Sandi and he spends the entire show passive aggressively sniping at Aisling and sulking in  his seat) the core duo in its current incarnation and the rotating plethora of regulars and one-off guests works way more times than the formula fails it.

The Manikin Bird sequence must come into my head at least once a week and it never ceases to make me smile.

After the Z series, they're doing ten series on each of the digits, capped with a Christmas π special. Then they'll move on to punctuation marks.

A definite ending would be cool. Z is, after all, for Zenith.

Then they could wait 20 years and try to resurrect it as Q.J. (Q.K., Q.L., Q.M., etc.), which would be like Mastermind does University Challenge in Clown School with a loveable host and machine-guns. Then people could say, "things were better back then," and Q.I. will have done it's job. Again.

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 12 October, 2023, 03:30:23 PMElsewhere, I don't really watch panel shows anymore. I'm ageing myself, but I went off HIGNFY during the whole Angus Deayton thing, and although I continued watching for a time, Merton mostly appeared to be bored, and Hislop was quite often rude and up himself. I assume it improved again? (That said, this is also the show that normalised Boris Johnson and Julia Hartley-Brewer, and so it has a lot to answer for.)

Hislop's defense against being blamed for Boris is that they've had lots of shithead politicians on the show who haven't become PM. Perhaps not surprisingly, Hislop blames the voters.

HIGNFY has ups and downs, but remains a favorite as one of the few places that truth gets spoken to power.

Quote from: Funt Solo [R] on 12 October, 2023, 06:49:00 PMHIGNFY has ups and downs, but remains a favorite as one of the few places that truth gets spoken to power.

The gleeful willingness with which they pitched into amplifying the 'Labour antisemitism' smear has rather put me off the show, TBH.

QI have already recorded the U series a few months ago so it should be back soon with some interesting new guests, maybe after the Z series they might bring their " No such thing as a Fish" podcast to the screen

For me, HIGNFY ended when Deayton left.

Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 12 October, 2023, 07:17:11 PM

Quote from: Funt Solo [R] on 12 October, 2023, 06:49:00 PMHIGNFY has ups and downs, but remains a favorite as one of the few places that truth gets spoken to power.

The gleeful willingness with which they pitched into amplifying the 'Labour antisemitism' smear has rather put me off the show, TBH.

Ah - I missed that period. I wasn't fond of the general media's preponderance on that. It didn't help that some folk were anti-Semitic, of course. Not many column inches devoted (in comparison) to the Windrush scandal, though.

Quote from: karlos on 12 October, 2023, 08:04:56 PMFor me, HIGNFY ended when Deayton left.

You are Angus Deayton's mum and I claim my five pounds!

Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 12 October, 2023, 07:17:11 PMThe gleeful willingness with which they pitched into amplifying the 'Labour antisemitism' smear has rather put me off the show, TBH.

Yes, you could see a real difference in the jokes about the then prime minister and leader of the opposition. It was "friend of the show Boris Johnson was caught running out of a woman's bedroom, the scamp" vs "Jeremy Corbyn hates Jews". Remind me again, which one was actually in power?

Quote from: Hawkmumbler on 12 October, 2023, 05:45:21 PMRussel Br*nd came across as a charismatic type, check out his fairly recent appearance on that show between Noel Fielding, Aisling Bea and of course Alan and Sandi

I don't remember that episode at all. But a chancer like Brand on a show featuring the lightning-fast wit of Bea and Toksvig and the quiet smart humour of Davies must have been tricky for him and his wordy-birdies, or whatever rubbish he ended up spouting. (I never did get the excitement about that man. His appearances on Question Time was embarrassing. It was like someone had let in a sixth-former who had a good vocabulary and thought they knew all about the world. Only he was way older than 16.)

Quotein its current incarnation and the rotating plethora of regulars and one-off guests works way more times than the formula fails it.

Agreed. It's very rare I get to the end of an episode and think I wasted my time. The format really helps (which only came about by accident – it was supposed to be Fry's 'clever' team vs Davies's 'silly' team). It doesn't do well with blowhards and people trying to dominate. There are issues. The token 'all women' episode is painfully obvious, and female guests should 1) be increased in number, and 2) spread more evenly throughout the series. Still, it's better than nothing. And I also recall Davies rather sweetly offering to resign when Fry quit, in case the team wanted a 'fresh start'. (Naturally, they were all FUCK NO, and I'm glad he stuck around. He and Toksvig work really well together.)

Quote from: Funt Solo [R] on 12 October, 2023, 06:49:00 PMHislop's defense against being blamed for Boris is that they've had lots of shithead politicians on the show who haven't become PM. Perhaps not surprisingly, Hislop blames the voters.

That's a weaselly excuse. It was very obvious what he was for a long, long time. Hislop as a journalist should have been more cautious. The same goes for JHB. They'd probably also no doubt argue 'balance', but these are the worst kinds of people, given repeated airings on a comedy TV show. Even today, you hear people say they'd still vote for Johnson because he's a "bit of a laugh". That's his public persona. All reports suggests he's otherwise a horrible shit, and one who's a worrying combination of smart and extremely lazy – not ideal for someone who for a time was the most senior of politicians.

Naturally, his rise wasn't all HIGNFY's fault. But that show is responsible for a lot of Johnson's mainstream exposure and helping him refine his bumbling posh boy routine. (I assume people here know how staged that is. I read something from a journalist who said the first Johnson talk he witnessed was amazing. He rocked up dishevelled, and proceeded to say he didn't really have something planned. He bumbled on. Got all the laughs. The audience was eating out of his hand. He saw him again some time later. The entire speech was identical.)

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 13 October, 2023, 09:17:30 AMNaturally, his rise wasn't all HIGNFY's fault. But that show is responsible for a lot of Johnson's mainstream exposure and helping him refine his bumbling posh boy routine. (I assume people here know how staged that is. I read something from a journalist who said the first Johnson talk he witnessed was amazing. He rocked up dishevelled, and proceeded to say he didn't really have something planned. He bumbled on. Got all the laughs. The audience was eating out of his hand. He saw him again some time later. The entire speech was identical.)

That piece was by Jeremy Vine, IIRC.

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 13 October, 2023, 09:17:30 AM

QuoteHislop's defense against being blamed for Boris is that they've had lots of shithead politicians on the show who haven't become PM. Perhaps not surprisingly, Hislop blames the voters.

That's a weaselly excuse.

Well, I could just as easily suggest that blaming a game show is the British public's "weaselly excuse" for continually voting in Tory governments, and Brexit - and all the things that Boris represents.

People do like him, and they liked the ideas he espoused. Brexit & Boris, ultimately, are both things that England created. But sure, blame a game show.

People obviously aren't voting hard enough.

Quote from: Funt Solo [R] on 13 October, 2023, 06:50:49 PM

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 13 October, 2023, 09:17:30 AM

QuoteHislop's defense against being blamed for Boris is that they've had lots of shithead politicians on the show who haven't become PM. Perhaps not surprisingly, Hislop blames the voters.

That's a weaselly excuse.

Well, I could just as easily suggest that blaming a game show is the British public's "weaselly excuse" for continually voting in Tory governments, and Brexit - and all the things that Boris represents.

People do like him, and they liked the ideas he espoused. Brexit & Boris, ultimately, are both things that England created. But sure, blame a game show.

No. Just no. It's clearly laid out in the BBC's charter that a Friday night topical news quiz show is the country's only, best defense against populism, demagoguery and fascism. Ian Hislop and Paul Merton failed us all.

Stop defending HIGNFY Funt, it will never have sex with you.

Quote from: Funt Solo [R] on 13 October, 2023, 06:50:49 PMPeople do like him, and they liked the ideas he espoused. Brexit & Boris, ultimately, are both things that England created. But sure, blame a game show.

It's not like I'm solely blaming a gameshow, but there is plenty of research out there that looks into platforming and deplatforming. He already had an audience via his newspaper work, but TV gave him a megaphone.

Quote from: Definitely Not Mister Pops on 13 October, 2023, 08:11:29 PMStop defending HIGNFY Funt, it will never have sex with you.

But you don't *know* that!!!

Quote from: Funt Solo [R] on 13 October, 2023, 10:16:07 PM

Quote from: Definitely Not Mister Pops on 13 October, 2023, 08:11:29 PMStop defending HIGNFY Funt, it will never have sex with you.

But you don't *know* that!!!

Would you even want to after Boris had his wicked way with it?

God knows what you'd catch!

I just think HIGNFY has gotten too comfortable over the years with predictable barbs and a wee bit smug. I've not watched much normal telly in the last few years, but it used to be a show I'd never miss.

Unpopular opinion here - I love most R4 comedies, but I cannot abide Just a minute or I'm sorry I haven't a clue - should have been put out of their misery decades ago.

Quote from: Definitely Not Mister Pops on 13 October, 2023, 10:37:48 PM

Quote from: Funt Solo [R] on 13 October, 2023, 10:16:07 PM

Quote from: Definitely Not Mister Pops on 13 October, 2023, 08:11:29 PMStop defending HIGNFY Funt, it will never have sex with you.

But you don't *know* that!!!

Would you even want to after Boris had his wicked way with it?

God knows what you'd catch!

I won't HIGNFY that with a response.  Anyway, I'm enjoying it now it's back on, and if I just hang round with it pretending to be its friend long enough I'll definitely get the ride off it sooner or later.

You'll catch sycophantilis, HaveIgotorrhoea, or Hislopatitis B - and that's even if you only engage in mutual Mertonurbation. It is, after all, Highly Infectious Viewing.


I'll get me scrubs...

:D

Not to mention the ever-present threat of the post-Hislop-rant clap.

Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 20 October, 2023, 07:49:56 AMget the ride

So long since I've heard that phrase. Dingwall-speak: "Ow, what a ride, mun!" Can also be referencing a car.

Also, 95% of street interactions were:

 - "Fit like?"
 - "No bad, yersel?"
 - "No bad."

They said it was grim up north, but it was "no bad".

I hadn't realised till I read Irvine Welsh's stuff that 'the ride' was a Scottish thing as well as an Irish one.

Though I'd imagine Irvine Welsh probably isn't the best barometer of all things Scottish. I mean, I'm sure not EVERYONE in Scotland is a junkie, a sexual pervert or a psychopath. Heroin doesn't seem to be a problem at all among the pagan folk of Summerisle, for example.

Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 20 October, 2023, 06:01:30 PMI mean, I'm sure not EVERYONE in Scotland is a junkie, a sexual pervert or a psychopath.

:-[

God bless your faith in humanity, is all I can say.

Quote from: Funt Solo [R] on 20 October, 2023, 06:40:41 PM

Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 20 October, 2023, 06:01:30 PMI mean, I'm sure not EVERYONE in Scotland is a junkie, a sexual pervert or a psychopath.

:-[

God bless your faith in humanity, is all I can say.

I was just hoping that not everywhere is the same as Dublin.