Have I Got News For You. Image shows left to right: Ian Hislop, Paul Merton. Credit: Matt Crockett
Have I Got News For You

Have I Got News For You

  • TV panel show
  • BBC One / BBC Two
  • 1990 - 2024
  • 600 episodes (67 series)

Long-running topical panel game with a strong political slant, featuring team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton. Also features Angus Deayton.

Episode menu

Series 63, Episode 9

Have I Got News For You. Jon Richardson
Jon Richardson hosts for the first time, with Ian and Paul joined by Labour peer and journalist Joan Bakewell, and comedian Phil Wang.

Further details

A busy seven days of news awaited the panels this week, with the long-awaited publication of Sue Gray's report into Downing Street parties during covid, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announcing new measures to help the country through the cost of living crisis, engagements for the Queen's upcoming Platinum Jubilee, and a rather unfortunate incident at the Chelsea Flower Show.

It wasn't long before discussion moved straight to the publication of the Sue Gray report, with Ian Hislop making his feelings on the report's findings very clear.

Paul Merton: "So this is Partygate coming to its end, for the moment... well, this chapter of it."

Jon Richardson: "It is, it's the news that the Sue Gray report has finally been published. And in a shock, it's also apparently time to move on and not talk about the Sue Gray report anymore."

Joan Bakewell: "So let's talk about it!"

Jon Richardson: "What were the main takeaways and revelations?"

Joan Bakewell: "Well, it was more than a party, wasn't? It was several parties. They started drinking at 4pm, and they were told to leave at 4am. Is that a party? I've not been to parties like that."

Ian Hislop: "That's the Tory party...

"The trouble with this report is that we've been told 'you mustn't make any comment on this story until the Sue Gray report appears'. Then it appears and the Prime Minister says, 'it would be quite wrong for me to comment on this report'. Why? It's just endless delaying tactics. If this had come out originally, that the place was full of people vomiting, spilling white wine and being rude to the cleaners, we'd have been shocked. This week, everyone goes 'oh, is that it then?'

"I found the whole thing incredibly embarrassing. I had to remind myself that he is the Prime Minister."

Phil Wang: "We need to move on Ian. The government can't keep focusing on how it's failed in the past... it's busy failing now. They need to focus on that.

"He says he's learning lessons from the Sue Gray report, the main conclusion of which was that there's a failure of leadership. And so he's gone, 'right, message received. I will get rid of everyone...except the leader. I think that should solve the problem.' It's a bit like treating a brain tumour by getting a haircut."

Ian Hislop: "Everyone says it's all about the booze, it's all about the parties, forget about it. But it's the fact that they made the rules, and we stuck by them, and he didn't. That is still the point."

The week's other big story saw Chancellor Rishi Sunak announce a package of new measures intended to ease the impact of the rising cost of living. The measures will be funded by a new levy on oil and gas company profits, which he stopped short of calling a 'windfall tax'; something he had initially rejected the idea of when it was being called for by opposition parties.

Phil Wang: "This is the big windfall tax, that is definitely not a windfall tax. It is a 'targeted temporary energy profits levy'."

Jon Richardson: "I think you can get bogged down in the semantics. It's not a 'windfall tax', it's a 'tax on windfall profits'."

Phil Wang: "Yeah, this is not a U-turn. He's simply turning in a U shape."

Ian Hislop: "I think Rishi Sunak has realised that he was very, very popular as Chancellor when he gave people a huge amount of money during lockdown. And then after lockdown he stopped doing that and they didn't like him very much. And now he's thought 'I know what I can do... I'll give them a great deal of money!'"

Phil Wang: "He's very much got the energy of a divorced dad on the weekend. 'Does Keir Starmer let you have sweets in the bath? I don't think so.'"

Notes

Miles Jupp was originally announced as the host for this episode, but was brought forward by a week to replace Episode 8 host Adil Ray.

The teams drew, 5 points each.

Broadcast details

Date
Friday 27th May 2022
Time
9pm
Channel
BBC One
Length
30 minutes
Recorded
  • Thursday 26th May 2022, 18:10 at Riverside Studios

Repeats

Show past repeats

Date Time Channel
Monday 30th May 2022 10:40pm
45 minute version
BBC1
Monday 30th May 2022 11:40pm
45 minute version
BBC1 Scot
Monday 30th May 2022 11:40pm
45 minute version
BBC1 Wales
Sunday 5th March 2023 9:00pm
60 minute version
Dave
Monday 6th March 2023 2:00am
50 minute version
Dave
Tuesday 4th April 2023 12:40am
45 minute version
BBC1
Tuesday 11th April 2023 9:00pm
60 minute version
Dave
Wednesday 12th April 2023 1:20am
70 minute version
Dave
Monday 8th May 2023 8:40pm
60 minute version
Dave
Monday 29th May 2023 11:00pm
60 minute version
Dave
Tuesday 5th September 2023 10:00pm
60 minute version
Dave
Tuesday 27th February 2024 10:00pm
60 minute version
Dave

Cast & crew

Cast
Ian Hislop Team Captain
Paul Merton Team Captain
Guest cast
Jon Richardson Host / Presenter
Joan Bakewell Guest
Phil Wang Guest
Writing team
Colin Swash Writer (Additional Material)
Ged Parsons Writer (Additional Material)
Dan Gaster Writer (Additional Material)
Shaun Pye Writer (Additional Material)
Christine Rose Writer (Additional Material)
Dan Bowman Writer (Additional Material)
Monica Long Writer (Additional Material)
Katie Storey Writer (Additional Material)
Zoƫ Tomalin Writer (Additional Material)
Ben Hillyar Writer (Additional Material)
David Mayes Writer (Additional Material)
Production team
Paul Wheeler Director
Jo Bunting Series Producer
Jo Maney Producer
Richard Wilson Executive Producer
Ruby Kuraishe Executive Producer
Simon Brook Editor
Jon Ellis Editor
Daniel Keevil Editor
Michael L. Worrall Editor
Jeremy Crichton Editor
Jonathan Paul Green Production Designer
Mikki Rain Production Designer
Hugo Keating Production Designer
Karen Jackson Costume Designer
Peter Raby Lighting Designer
George Webley (as Big George) Composer
Phil Hewson Graphics
David Ward Graphics

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