Have I Got News for You

Have I Got News for You 1990

7.20

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.

1990

Nytt på nytt

Nytt på nytt 1999

6.50

Nytt på nytt is a Norwegian version of the British comedy programme Have I Got News for You, by the production company Hat Trick Productions. The programme is aired weekly on Friday nights. The show is a competition between two panels, where one panelist is permanent, and the other is a guest. The goal is to solve several tasks. The element of competition is largely ignored in favour of the witty remarks and the banter between panelists. The scores are generally overlooked, and have only a brief mention at the end of the show. The host is Jon Almaas, with permanent panelists Knut Nærum and Ingrid Gjessing Linhave. Linhave replaced Linn Skåber from the autumn of 2013. Since the start in the spring of 1999, it has grown to become the most popular weekly show on Norwegian television, with more than a million viewers every week.

1999

Mock the Week

Mock the Week 2005

6.97

Mock the Week is a British topical celebrity panel game hosted by Dara Ó Briain. The game is influenced by improvised topical stand-up comedy, with several rounds requiring players to deliver answers on unexpected subjects on the spur of the moment.

2005

The Last Leg

The Last Leg 2012

5.35

Adam Hills and co-hosts Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker provide some offbeat commentary on the significant moments of the past seven days.

2012

The 11 O'Clock Show

The 11 O'Clock Show 1998

6.50

The 11 O'Clock Show was a satirical late-night British television comedy series on Channel 4, which featured topical sketches and commentary on news items. It ran from 30 September 1998 to 8 December 2000, most notably, while hosted by Iain Lee and Daisy Donovan. The show is noted for launching the careers of Ricky Gervais, Sacha Baron Cohen and Charlie Brooker.

1998

Bremner, Bird and Fortune

Bremner, Bird and Fortune 1999

6.00

Bremner, Bird and Fortune is an award-winning satirical British television programme produced by Vera Productions for Channel Four, uniting the longstanding satirical team of John Bird and John Fortune with the satirical impressionist Rory Bremner, and to date has 16 series.

1999

That Was The Week That Was

That Was The Week That Was 1962

8.00

That Was the Week That Was, informally TWTWTW or TW3, is a satirical television comedy programme on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. It was devised, produced and directed by Ned Sherrin and presented by David Frost. An American version by the same name aired on NBC from 1964 to 1965, also featuring Frost. The programme is considered a significant element of the satire boom in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. It broke ground in comedy through lampooning the establishment and political figures. Its broadcast coincided with coverage of the politically charged Profumo affair and John Profumo, the politician at the centre of the affair, became a target for derision. TW3 was first broadcast on Saturday 24 November 1962.

1962

Parlamentet

Parlamentet 1999

4.80

Parlamentet is a satirical panel gameshow on on TV4, which parodies Swedish political debate. It was first broadcast in 1999 and is currently in its 23rd series. The current presenter is Anders S. Nilsson, who has hosted the show since 2004. Current team members include Babben Larsson, Robin Paulsson, Johan Rheborg and Johan Glans. Kodjo Akolor has also been featured. The program is a Swedish version of the short-run British show If I Ruled the World, which itself was as spin-off from Have I Got News For You - both produced by Hat Trick Productions. The comedians are divided into two teams, red and blue, representing traditional political colours. At the end of the show, the audience vote for the winners based on which team was funniest.

1999

Drop the Dead Donkey

Drop the Dead Donkey 1990

6.91

Drop the Dead Donkey is a situation comedy that first aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom between 1990 and 1998. It is set in the offices of “GlobeLink News”, a fictional TV news company. Recorded close to transmission, it made use of contemporary news events to give the programme a greater sense of realism. It was created by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin. The series had an ensemble cast, making stars of Haydn Gwynne, Stephen Tompkinson and Neil Pearson. The series began with the acquisition of GlobeLink by media mogul Sir Roysten Merchant, an allusion to either Robert Maxwell or Rupert Murdoch. Indeed, Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin note on their DVDs that it was fortunate for their libel lawyers that the two men shared the same initials. The series is mostly based on the on-going battle between the staff of GlobeLink, led by editor George Dent, as they try to maintain the company as a serious news organisation, and Sir Roysten’s right-hand man Gus Hedges, trying to make the show more sensationalist and suppress stories that might harm Sir Roysten’s business empire. The show was awarded the Best Comedy Award at the 1994 BAFTA Awards. At the British Comedy Awards the show won Best New TV Comedy in 1990, Best Channel 4 Comedy in 1991, and Best Channel 4 Sitcom in 1994.

1990

Brass Eye

Brass Eye 1997

7.52

Investigative reporter Chris Morris puts modern Britain under the spotlight, and smacks the issues of the day till they bleed. He tackles weighty issues including animals, drugs, sex and skewered celebrities and politicians alike - and in a later episode in 2001, paedophiles.

1997

Hearts Afire

Hearts Afire 1992

8.00

Frustrations and sparks fly in Washington, D.C. when a strict conservative hires a free spirited journalist as his boss's press secretary. Their mismatched political views lead to arguments... and attraction.

1992

Yes, Prime Minister

Yes, Prime Minister 1986

8.37

James Hacker MP the Government's bumbling minister for Administrative Affairs is propelled along the corridors of power to the very pinnacle of politics - No. 10. Could this have possibly have been managed by his trusted Permanent Private Secretary, the formidably political Sir Humphrey Appleby who must move to the “Top Job” in Downing Street to support him, together with his much put upon PPS Bernard Wolley. What could possibly go wrong?

1986

The Mash Report

The Mash Report 2017

5.30

Satirical and surreal news show. Nish Kumar and a cast of hilarious correspondents keep you up to date with everything that has happened - or not happened - this week.

2017

Yes Minister

Yes Minister 1980

8.28

Satirical sitcom set in the office of a UK Cabinet minister, Jim Hacker MP, who struggles with Civil Service bureaucracy and political machinations as he tries to get on with government business.

1980

No Job for a Lady

No Job for a Lady 1990

5.67

No Job for a Lady is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 7 February 1990 to 10 February 1992. Starring Penelope Keith, it was written by Alex Shearer, and directed and produced by John Howard Davies. It was made by Thames Television for ITV.

1990

Citizen Smith

Citizen Smith 1977

6.25

Classic BBC comedy starring Robert Lindsay as revolutionary leader Wolfie Smith of the Tooting Popular Front. Hoping to emulate his icons, Wolfie forms the Tooting Popular Front with a small group of his friends. However, he soon finds himself struggling to get his ambitious plans off the ground due to his laid back attitude and lack of organisation.

1977

Believe Nothing

Believe Nothing 2002

6.70

Believe Nothing is a British ITV sitcom starring Rik Mayall as Quadruple Professor Adonis Cnut, the cleverest man in Britain, and Oxford's leading moral philosopher. He is paid huge amounts of money for his views consulted by the government but he's bored and wants adventure so he joins the shadowy organization The Council which controls everything going on in the world. Starring alongside Mayall is Michael Maloney as Brian Albumen, Cnut's faithful servant, and Emily Bruni as Dr. Hannah Awkward who becomes professor of pedantics. The series was written by Maurice Gran and Laurence Marks, who give a twist to many of today's global issues. Although much hyped by ITV, who were hoping to repeat the success of Gran and Marks' previous project with Mayall, the successful The New Statesman, the series failed to catch on, and was dropped after one series.

2002

Absolute Power

Absolute Power 2003

7.53

Stephen Fry and John Bird star as spin doctors Charles Prentiss and Martin McCabe as they bring the popular and satirical Radio 4 comedy Absolute Power to BBC Two. Stephen as Prentiss and John as McCabe are an unscrupulous pair who run the blue chip PR agency Prentiss McCabe. Dealing with commercial as well as personal PR, their remit covers everything from political communications to celebrity media relations. Their manipulation skills are tested to the full as they frequently find that their work brings them into conflict with political parties, newspaper editors and celebrities.

2003

Michael Moore Live

Michael Moore Live 1999

7.00

Michael Moore Live, a 1999 television show featuring political advocate Michael Moore, ran for one six-part series. It was shown on Channel 4 and aired in the United Kingdom only, though it was broadcast from New York. The show had a similar format to The Awful Truth but also incorporated phone-ins and a live stunt each week. It was filmed around 7pm local time, which due to the time difference made it a late-night show in the UK. The live phone-ins all featured UK viewers, and questions were mainly about American policy at the time, e.g. gun control and the war in Kosovo. Each week, Moore was joined by guests, and one of the regulars was an illegal UK alien in the USA named Nigel. Throughout the show, he had to wear a rubber Queen Elizabeth II mask to hide his true identity.

1999