Have I Got News For You - With or Without Deayton? Page 5

Ian & Paul had to do it or they would have looked liked idiots. I miss Angus, hopefully he'll return one day.

Quote: Nil Putters @ August 29 2008, 12:55 PM BST

Ian & Paul had to do it or they would have looked liked idiots. I miss Angus, hopefully he'll return one day.

My sentiments exactly.

I think it varies on the host. Some of the guest hosts work well, some are terrible. There's definetly a joy in seeing them tear apart some of the more pompous ones.

At the same time, I do agree that Ian and Paul haven't quite done their best the last few series. Ian often gets in some good quips, but Paul basically now just spouts out any old nonsense and hopes it'll get a laugh. Given he was one of the first comedians I remember watching, it's kind of sad. I do think the show has been on auto-pilot for a while now. I'd say Mock the Week has stolen it's thunder, but they seem to be aiming for different generations.

Have I Got News for You is titty wanking brilliant.

Hislop gave a good "horse's mouth" explanation why Deayton had to go on tonight's BBC Four interview with Mark Lawson. Interesting interview - should be on iPlayer all week and repeated later.

I remember reading that Deayton was always heavily involved in the writing process.

Show was better with Deayton, Merton seems to have lost every piece of his once brilliant wit. Hislop is pretty much the same as he always was but he can't carry a show.

I like it as it is; Deayton was a bit smug for my liking. I think Hislop's justification was spot-on; once you lose the high ground to Christine Hamilton then you're done for. I recall Parkinson asking Paul Merton whether they had stabbed Deayton in the back, to which Merton replied "Well, we stabbed him in the front really..." Interesting to hear Hislop say Merton never liked him much anyway!

As for guest presenters, well I don't mind them as it adds one more person they can embarrass with odd revelations etc from time to time. Plus some of them are very good. Of course some of them are rubbish which isn't much fun but the programme will survive. Maybe they could narrow the list of presenters to a long list of regulars and only have 'new' ones when they have something interesting to bring?

I was sorry to see Deayton go, but if he was still on the show I would probably be as sick of him as I am of Merton. Hislop continues to entertain because he relies solely on wit rather than a comedy schtick.

Quote: sardines @ May 10 2009, 4:24 AM BST

I remember reading that Deayton was always heavily involved in the writing process.

Show was better with Deayton, Merton seems to have lost every piece of his once brilliant wit. Hislop is pretty much the same as he always was but he can't carry a show.

Yes, yes, and yes.

Quote: Maurice Minor @ May 10 2009, 9:03 AM BST

Maybe they could narrow the list of presenters to a long list of regulars and only have 'new' ones when they have something interesting to bring?

That is more or less the case now, is it not? The list may be informal, or at least not public, but there's rarely a new presenter anymore.

Quote: Timbo @ May 10 2009, 9:26 AM BST

Hislop continues to entertain because he relies solely on wit rather than a comedy schtick.

Again, yes.

I'm with Maurice Minor on this one. Deayton was far too smug for my liking. He was due for a fall when it happened and did he fall. I seem to remember Alexander Armstrong being linked for the host's chair a few years ago but that would been replacing one public school, Oxbridge boy with another. I like Paul Merton but he does seem off the boil at the moment. His surreal jokes are getting worse.

True but when the Hamilton's were able to rib him for turpetitude it was getting a tad silly.

Quote: Griff @ May 10 2009, 1:54 PM BST

I've enjoyed a lot of the guest hosts - Jack Dee and Frank Skinner are ace, also the "novelty" ones like Boris Johnson and Bruce Forsyth - but I think Angus was terrific. I don't buy the argument that comedy quiz presenters have to be morally spotless or else the magic doesn't work.

I don't think they do on other comedy quiz shows but I think it was blatantly obvious that Deayton could never have mocked any of the guests again because they had the perfect comeback.

People now romanticize the Deayton years but the early series were very slow and if I had to choose then I would go with Boris, Brian Blessed, Rob Brydon etc. over Deayton every time.

Gordon Brown he's going to be out of work soon.
And where as he may not be particularly quick witted, humerous or even sane.
His famous tantrums should be f**king hilarious.
"Call Gordon imprudent? Gordon Smash!"

Brian Blessed was very good, but it would be extremely tedious extremely quickly if he were to take the chair permanently. (And I don't think that Paul or Ian would accept him as host anyway.)

Quote: Griff @ May 10 2009, 2:43 PM BST

Have they ever had a Labour MP chairing it? I bet they have and I've forgotten someone completely obvious.

Kennedy, Widecombe and Hague are the only MPs to have chaired the show.

Quote: Griff @ May 10 2009, 2:43 PM BST

Have they ever had a Labour MP chairing it? I bet they have and I've forgotten someone completely obvious.

Neil Kinnock. After he was an EU commissioner but not an MP at the time. Apparently he was terrible.