The Not at All Definitive Guide to British Panel Shows
Over lockdown, one of my many obsessions has been getting really into British Comedy and with that the fascinating world of British Panel Shows. For some inexplicable reason we love panel shows, we adore them and every week there is a new one that props up, Brits just can't seem to get enough of seeing comedians flex their skills in easily indistinguishable competition. I think British Comedy is suited best for panel shows, often it's all about quick wit and working off other people and that is something I think British comedians do much better than American comedians (for the most part). I thought I would go through some of my favourite panel shows and express my thoughts about them, it's a bit of a loose dive into the excessive world of panel shows and what I personally think works and what doesn't. I obviously can not touch on every single panel show ever made, mostly just the modern ones that I have a lot of thoughts about in whatever capacity. Without further ado, let's go down a rabbit hole of improvisation, awkward celebrity inclusions, questionable jokes and far too much Jimmy Carr.
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Once you get over the incredible 90s/00s atmosphere, its an incredibly silly and energetic show, but my personal favourite era is when Simon Amstell hosted a few series taking over when Lamarr left. Amstell is one of my favourite comedians, his standup is excellent, but he thrived here managing to cut into each and every guest with his signature wit and disarming snarky attitude. You knew straight away that no one was safe of Amstell's cutting remarks, so everyone kind of had fun (except for Preston) with mocking each other. The show lost it's energy when Amstell left and other than a few fun celebrity-hosted episodes it just slowly died out eventually getting cancelled in 2015. If you want a show that really lets comedians breathe this is a personal example of it, Phil Jupitus is owed a lot for his commitment to this as he constantly provided 249 episodes of hilarious chaos, especially doing all those 'Intros' rounds. It's up there as one of my faves due to the commitment to the actual game, people took the rounds seriously and testing your musical knowledge is actually fun and entertaining. A true classic that is worth checking out the bits that have survived on youtube.
Have I Got News For You
The first episode of 'HIGNFY' was broadcasted in 1602 and its now on series 3006 with a strong commitment from Ian Hislop and Paul Merton's cursed souls trapped in the studio with no hope of every dying peacefully. I joke of course, at this point the show has become a weird British institution that I'm not even sure many people downright enjoy, perhaps the people I am close to arent the target audience for this show. I'm fascinated by it, the strict combination of comedy and politics is something I would hypothetically enjoy but there's a weird atmosphere behind the show. I would argue, this may seem controversial, that the show is often too scared to make an actual stance on anything, every guest feels like they are forced to be there but it lacks the bite that other shows have. Boris Johnson has presented the show 7 times and maybe for a show that portrays itself as being a savvy political show, I just expect it to drill into people a bit more. I worry that it is used by so many politicians and journalists to prove that they can be silly and in a comedic atmosphere, which makes it comes off as a bit tone-deaf. It isn't really a comedy show, Merton and Hislop are an acquired taste, Merton especially just seems to be a classic one-liner without much else to keep you going. The most interesting part of the show is seeing the range of people they have on, but everyone is really wary about being too politically outspoken in case of coming under controversy. It does that classic stance of 'we mock all politicians' which I think undermines any engaging satire other than (as Harry Enfield put it) 'total government cock-up!' in response to anything. I think it plays everything far too safe, perhaps I'm asking too much of it but if you are just going to give some politicians this platform maybe use it as aa opportunity to make some interesting points. The show appeals to a more classic audience, like 'Question Time' or 'The X Factor' it is just another show that has to be pumped out without remorse and I've never found it that engaging. Perhaps because the political commentary is just about everywhere, you go on any social media and it is inescapable, it makes the show seem thin and without much of a point in comparison.
QI
Now this is a British Institution that deserves its legendary reputation. it is such a comfy, cosy and delightful show that has remained compelling, hilarious and full of life for 17 years. The show is just such a brilliant combination of elements, a comedic educational exploration into these fun quirky facts hosted by either Stephen Fry or Sandi Toksvig, that is just perfect. It is probably one of my favourite Panel Shows purely due to how committed it is to creating authentic and interesting comedy, the 'game show' element is a soft kind of jumping-off point for the comedians to discuss and have fun. The success is thanks to the incredible work put in by the 'QI Elves' who's commitment to finding these obscure and entertaining facts that are all designed to let these comedians run their havoc. Toksvig had a lot to live up, Fry is a living legend and he is so iconic in the role but she has excelled in taking over and adds this kind of mischievous fun to Fry's wisdom. The guests on 'QI' are usually above and beyond most other panel shows, Bill Bailey, Ross Noble and Phil Jupitus are the one's with the most appearances and all three are perfect at striving madness out of the facts. The atmosphere is what makes 'QI' so appealing, it's always light and whimsical, it never seems to be focused on mocking and you always come out with some good 'ice-breaker' facts. The formula is tight and interesting, Alan Davies is a genius in playing the fool, it has the best opening titles song and is downright a delight. Some may argue it's less accessible than other shows, the 'educational' stance may seem intimidating but in reality, it's all about being a bit stupid and having some fun.
Big Fat Quiz (Of The Year/Everything/Decade etc)
There's something that always makes me a bit uncomfortable about 'Big Fat Quiz'. The earlier stuff is some of the most dated panel show content out there, it is mostly due to how it is the most commercial and straight edge out of all of the shows. A Channel 4 rundown of the year starring the year's most famous comedians and celebrities all hosted by the channel's golden boy of sex jokes Jimmy Carr. The show is weird, I really like some of it, it basically functions in the simplest fashion and relies on the comedians getting silly and causing chaos. The pub quiz is a tenuous link between jokes, most of the success comes from when panellists play with the rules and go against the format of the show. The issue I find is with the guests, there's always one person that I don't like, that saps the energy of the show and it becomes frustrating when you have to sit through two hours of James Corden and Jack Whitehall being exhausting. The earlier stuff runs into that classic British Panel Show trope of 'we have one woman who is just here to look pretty and barely speaks', it becomes uncomfortable and a lot of the earlier stuff is almost unwatchable because of this. The most iconic thing about the show is, of course, Noel Fielding and Russel Brand, I'm not the biggest fan of Brand but the two causing chaos is some of the funniest content on British Television. You are probably best just watching the compilations of comedians you like, the show tends to drag and Jimmy's pre-written jokes are painful but the little moments are well worth checking out.
Mock the Week
Yeesh, this is the one I was least looking forward to writing about, it is a show drenched in controversy and since its run began in 2005 it's quickly become an infamous staple in British Comedy. I can't help but shake the bit of cynniscm from my mind when it comes to this show, it's by far the most repetitive and preplanned show of the lot. Basically, it functions as a way for comedians to test their material out and gain some recognition, whilst the rest of the panel shows seem to be something to aim for, this is more of a kickstart to your career in comedy. For this reason, the show tends to have a lot of unknown and younger comedians and it gives the show this unhealthy amount of competitiveness, its just consistently people trying to one-up the rest of the comedians. The earlier show often had comedians being 'shocking' and 'edgy' to just get their face out there, Frankie Boyle was known for doing this and it left the show in a bit of a rut. The round 'scenes we would like to see' is, in my opinion, one of the most damaging staples of the show, it quickly becomes irritating as comedians read something like 'Something the Queen wouldn't say' and just do some sex jokes not really pushing them as comedians.
Dara O'Brien does an excellent job as a host and Hugh Dennis is a national treasure (his acting roles are all a delight especially Fleabag). It is a well-known fact that the comedians all prepare their material before going out, they get the questions in advance and some rounds literally are just a stand-up routine, it just ruins the flow and authenticity of the whole show. A lot of comedians are so much better at improv than others, lending them really well to panel shows, however, 'Mock The Week' is chopped together and doesn't require a lot from the comedians themselves. A few years back Jo Brand came out and criticised the lack of female comedians on the show, something inherently wrong with the majority of British Comedy and from then I think the show attempted to mature and move on. I'd argue it's managed to find a new life, the panel is much more diverse and interesting these days and I may be biased but I think it is thanks to James Acaster becoming a regular. He is one of, if not my favourite comedian working at the moments and it brought that air of silliness the show desperately needed. He went off the beaten path, encouraged other comedians to let loose and the modern wave of more exciting comedians have made the show much more watchable.
Would I Lie To You
This is the show that I recommend to anyone wanting to get into British Comedy. This is the pinnacle of Panel Shows and one of the most entertaining and reliable things on television, I can't recommend it enough. The most unlikely comedy pairing of David Mitchell, Rob Brydon and Lee Mack is the best constant panellist group of any Panel Show of all time. It's a bold statement but there's something so brilliant about these 3 characters and watching them go against each other, they all compliment and contradict each other and it results in downright perfect television. The simple concept of 'celebrity comes on and tells an anecdote and the opposite team has to determine whether it is a lie or a truth' just lends itself to allowing everyone to have so much fun. It excels when you have performative comedians, ones that are excellent at coming up with absurd stories and improvising their way through a lie in order to fool everyone. I say this because of how excellent Lee Mack and David Mitchell are at this very skill, Mack often gets lies that are so difficult and just require him to showcase his quick wit and desperately cover his tracks through it (the BERMUDA and the key stories are absolute highlights). David Mitchell is one of my favourite people working in comedy, 'Peep Show' and 'Mitchell and Webb' are certified classics and his interrogative and angry logical style works so well for all the guests. Rob Brydon is a classic entertainer, he commands but doesn't smother and obviously finds so much joy out of every situation. There are some excellent feature-length best bit compilations on Youtube that I revisit far too often to the point I genuinely quote along to some moments, Bob Mortimer, Greg Davies, James Acaster and Kevin Bridges are comedians that really excel on this show, especially Mortimer's unpredictable madness. It never disappoints (except for some of the earlier Deayton episodes) and is one of the best things going for British Comedy.
8 out of 10 cats Does Countdown
The original '8 Out of 10 Cats' is a kind of awkward by the books panel show that never really appealed to me, it falls into that 'social commentary panel show that isn't really social commentary and is just pretending to be', its like 'HIGNFY' with even less spine. It's still going but if, like me, you can't stand Jimmy Carr and find the actual format is tired and pointless it kind of pails in comparison to the weird spin-off. For some reason, out of nowhere, they decided to do a one-off special where the cast of 8 Out of 10 Cats... Did Countdown. As a result of this came one of the most surprising successes and genuinely hilarious spin-off where a group of comedians cause chaos in British Establishment: 'Countdown'. I've hinted at it throughout but I absolutely can not stand Jimmy Carr at all, he doesn't write his own jokes and basically just resorts to crude jokes about sex that arent clever and are uncomfortable, he also was done for tax issues and constantly makes jokes about it because we live in a nightmare where people can get away with it. Anyway, I still love this show. I think it works so well because of how much the comedians interact with the Countdown formula, it allows comedians to have their preplanned bits (dictionary corner, the mascots etc) but the spontaneous madness of seeing these people genuinely try to play Countdown is excellent. It has lost its way a bit recently, the actual Countdown part has simmered into the background and it has become a bit gimmicky and less focused. Sean Lock and Jon Richardson do an amazing job at keeping the show alive and every guest featured always gets to excel. One of the best ones out there and a delight to watch.
Taskmaster
And that brings me to the best panel show ever made. You might argue whether or not 'Taskmaster' is a panel show but I just will take any opportunity to gush about Taskmaster. Little Alex Horne on a whim decided to set some of his friends some tasks and make a show out of it at Edinburgh Fringe, as a result of this came the BAFTA award-winning madness of Taskmaster. The show pits 5 comedians weird little inconsequential tasks and is judged by Greg Davies with help from Horne as his assistant. I genuinely think this show is downright perfect, it functions as this weird deconstruction of most Panel Shows, proving how you can utilise comedians perfectly by just making them walk into a room and eat as much watermelon as possible. These pre-recorded tasks are shown at a live show which includes a prize task, where the comedians have to bring in an item to match the theme, and it ends with a live show forcing the comedians to embarrass themselves under pressure. Horne is a genius, the quirky awkwardness of his persona is wonderful at creating this bizarre atmosphere to each task, he is the ultimate comedic accompany, just letting each comedian do whatever they want to succeed at the tasks, It's genuinely competitive, full of memorable moments of tension (Tim Key's consistent cheating, Joe Wilkinson's potato throw and Acaster's outburst to Rhod Gilbert are some highlights), they all get to really work off each other and seeing their genuine reactions to the tasks is beautiful. Davies himself is an imposing and hilarious combatant, his ruthlessness is so funny and some of my favourite moments come from when comedians get picked on to do stupid tasks, I'm sorry Mark Watson and your dirty texts. It is a staple of modern British Comedy if you just want to see Noel Fielding, Bob Mortimer, Aisling Bea, Frank Skinner, Jo Brand, Rhod Gilbert and Richard Osman (to name a few) make fools of themselves this is the show for you.
That's right! This was my roundabout way to just talk about Taskmaster! I love British Comedy, I have a lot of complicated and weird thoughts about it and it became a bit of an obsession of mine over lockdown. This was a lot of fun to go through some of the big names in Panel Shows and go over some of my thoughts! I often favour the ones that lean in on the actual game, the content that is completely unique to that show is so much more compelling than just recycled content. Thanks For Reading!