Mock the Week
Encyclopedia
Mock the Week is a British
topical celebrity panel game
hosted by Dara Ó Briain
that launched in 2005. 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.
It is made by independent production company Angst Productions and made its debut on BBC Two
on 5 June 2005. Episodes regularly attract 3.5 million viewers. Old episodes currently air on Dave, a fact that is frequently mentioned on the show.
It was created by Dan Patterson
and Mark Leveson, the same people responsible for the comedy game show Whose Line Is It Anyway?
The show's theme music is "News of the World
" by The Jam
.
and on the panel are two teams of three. The current panel consists of Hugh Dennis
, Chris Addison
and a guest panellist seated on Ó Briain's right, and Andy Parsons
and two guest panellists on his left. For the first seven series Dennis was joined by Frankie Boyle
, while the other team originally consisted of Rory Bremner
in the first two series; when Bremner left Parsons was made a permanent panellist, and was joined by Russell Howard
the following series. Hugh Dennis has been the only team member to appear in every episode. Howard was absent for some of series 9 as he was concentrating on other projects.
On 2 October 2009, the BBC announced that Frankie Boyle would not be returning to the show "due to other television commitments". After missing the latter portion of series 9 and first half of series 10, Russell Howard
also officially left the show. Chris Addison
then joined as a regular, taking the seat previously occupied by Boyle on Hugh's team.
Next to Dennis's team is the Press Pit, which is a large desk where they play a round called Between the Lines. Next to this is the Performance Area which is a much wider area with a large TV monitor, normally used for stand-up and improvisation
challenges such as Dating Videos and Scenes We'd Like To See.
Although Hugh Dennis is in effect a team captain
(and is sometimes referred to as such in publicity material), such a distinction is never made on the programme itself. For the first two series Rory Bremner
was considered to be the other team captain, however he left the show after series 2 and was replaced by a different guest panelist each week (although Andy Parsons was made a permanent panellist). In effect, Dennis' opposition do not have a team captain.
Although each episode has a winning and losing team, the entire show exists mainly to provide starting points for 'improvised' comedy routines rather than to function as a serious competition. Specific scores are never referred to, and it has been stated by Dara comically that the scoring system is in fact "a load of bollocks". Indeed, after each round, the number of points awarded to a team is never stated; instead Dara just gives "the points" to the team he judges should receive them. In one particular episode, Dara admitted that winners of each round and point allocation was not based on anything specific, and viewers should "stop e-mailing in."
Until series three, Dara would judge whether the audience had laughed enough at the routine, and decide whether or not the person was allowed to sit down. The first team to have all their players sat down would win. If one player from each team was left standing, sudden death would come into effect. A random topic was picked and both players had to talk about it. The team of whoever got the biggest laugh would win. Since series three, this has been removed, and the biggest laugh now decides the winner.
Since series two, Dara has changed the name of this round each episode, sometimes as a reference to a recent event. Examples of this include Dara's Supercasino: Make-a-Joke Roulette
, Four By One Joke Relay
, Don't Stop 'til You Get a Laugh
, Lady Gag Gag
, Colonel Gaggafi
and The Three Mocketeers
as well as the NHS
Revolving Door of Happiness, as a reference to a recent headline that read "NHS Revolving Door of Terror", and the name Mock You, I won't do what you tell me (mocking the lyrics of Killing in the Name
).
In series 7, the game was played differently with one panellist from Hugh's team (Frankie Boyle in the first episode and the guest panellist in the episodes following this) and the entire opposing team playing the game with the exceptions of episodes 11 and 12 where only three people played (as David Mitchell doesn't perform stand-up comedy). Series 8 used four players again, with the exception of episode 4.
In series 9, only three panellists have performed in this round (usually the three guests). This was joked about by Dara in episode three when the title of the round was If Only Three People Do This Round, We Can All Mock Off Early.
book" as well as "Things you didn't hear at the Olympics", and the players must say things that are unlikely to happen. Players participate by taking turns walking to the microphone and making suggestions.
and Boris Johnson
. In this round, a piece of news footage is played with no sound. The players have to act out what each person is saying, although this usually bears no relation to what was actually occurring. The best individual performance wins.
Recently, this round was replaced with one called Royal Commentary with only Dennis playing, where he provides a commentary on a royal event, with Dara not awarding points afterwards.
. Normally two or three players went into the studio audience whilst the others stayed in their seats. Dara acted as the host of the show, with the other players (normally the team captains and one or two other guests) playing politicians. Former team captain Rory Bremner
was normally a famous Labour politician, and Hugh was normally a Conservative spokesman. The players in the audience would question the rest of the panel, and they had to answer the questions given to them in role.
In 2009, a larger controversy arose following another comment made by Boyle regarding Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington
. Boyle stated that she resembled "someone who's looking at themselves in the back of a spoon". Since leaving the show, Boyle has criticised both the show's production team and the BBC Trust. He claims that the show did not cover enough major news stories and was too restrictive on his risque comedy act, as the producers and the BBC Trust was afraid of "frightening the horses".
Mock The Week has also been subject to criticism for its limited rota of guests, in particular its lack of female guests. Indeed, the lack of female guests on the programme has been the subject of complaints in the letters page of the Radio Times
. This has been defended by the host Dara O' Briain in interviews. However female comics remain a minority on the show and established female comic Jo Brand
has refused to appear on the show again. “I don’t do Mock the Week any more,” she said in 2009. “I didn’t like the prospect of having to bite someone’s foot off before they let us say something.”
, Mock the Week: Too Hot For TV was released on 26 November 2007. It contains almost three hours of material, including three extended episodes from series five, containing scenes that were considered too rude for broadcast. The three extended episodes are titled, 'Putin
, Henman
& Konnie Huq
', 'Nuts, Pies and Nim Nim Nim' and 'Money, Sex and The Lib Dems
'.
Mock the Week: Too Hot For TV 2 was released on 9 November 2009. Again, the DVD contains the main 'Too Hot For TV' feature with a compilation of unseen footage, plus three extended episodes from the series archives titled, 'The Anal Lube Show', 'The Leg Show' and 'The Hedgehog Show'. The extended episodes have a total of more than 40 minutes of unseen material. Audio CD versions of both DVDs are available.
Mock the Week: Too Hot For TV 3 was released on 8 November 2010. Like the previous two, this DVD features an hour long smut reel and three extended episodes titled 'The Elves and Testicles Show', 'The Prisons and Other Dodgy Stuff Show', and 'The Johnny Blowjob and Bird Flu Show'.
Boxtree
has published four tie-in books. The first, Mock the Week: Scenes We'd Like to See, was published in August 2008, and the second, Mock the Week: This Year's Book, was published in September 2009. A third book in paperback, Mock the Week: 1001 Scenes We'd Like to See, collected the best of the first two books, and another all-new book, Mock the Week: Next Year's Book was published in September 2010.
special):
20 appearances
12 appearances
11 appearances
10 appearances
8 appearances
7 appearances
6 appearances
5 appearances
4 appearances
3 appearances
2 appearances
1 appearance
a. Appearance made before becoming a regular panellist.
b. Made an appearance in the Comic Relief
24 Hour Panel People special, along with Doc Brown
, Daniel Sloss
and David Walliams
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
topical celebrity panel game
Panel game
A panel game or panel show is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Panelists may compete with each other, such as on The News Quiz; facilitate play by guest contestants, such as on Match Game/Blankety Blank; or do both, such as on Wait Wait.....
hosted by Dara Ó Briain
Dara Ó Briain
Dara Ó Briain is an Irish stand-up comedian and television presenter, noted for hosting topical panel shows such as The Panel and Mock the Week....
that launched in 2005. 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.
It is made by independent production company Angst Productions and made its debut on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
on 5 June 2005. Episodes regularly attract 3.5 million viewers. Old episodes currently air on Dave, a fact that is frequently mentioned on the show.
It was created by Dan Patterson
Dan Patterson
Dan Patterson is a British television producer and writer, responsible for the production of both the British and American incarnations of the improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and the British satirical panel show Mock the Week with writing partner Mark Levenson...
and Mark Leveson, the same people responsible for the comedy game show Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Whose Line Is It Anyway? is a short-form improvisational comedy TV show. Originally a British radio programme, it moved to television in 1988 as a series made for the UK's Channel 4, for a 10 series run...
The show's theme music is "News of the World
News of the World (song)
News of the World was a single by British group The Jam released on 11 March 1978. It reached #27 in the UK Singles Chart. "Aunties And Uncles " and "Innocent Man" appeared as its B-side...
" by The Jam
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
.
Panel
The show is hosted by Dara Ó BriainDara Ó Briain
Dara Ó Briain is an Irish stand-up comedian and television presenter, noted for hosting topical panel shows such as The Panel and Mock the Week....
and on the panel are two teams of three. The current panel consists of Hugh Dennis
Hugh Dennis
Peter Hugh Dennis is an English actor, comedian, writer, impressionist and voice-over artist, best known for his work with comedy partner Steve Punt. He is also known for his position as a permanent panelist on the TV comedy show Mock The Week...
, Chris Addison
Chris Addison
Chris Addison is an English stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He is known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4...
and a guest panellist seated on Ó Briain's right, and Andy Parsons
Andy Parsons
Andy Parsons is an English comedian and writer, who regularly appears on Mock the Week. With comedy partner Henry Naylor, he has written and presented nine seasons of Parsons and Naylor’s Pull-Out Sections for BBC Radio 2.-Early life:...
and two guest panellists on his left. For the first seven series Dennis was joined by Frankie Boyle
Frankie Boyle
Francis Martin Patrick "Frankie" Boyle is a British comedian and writer, well known for his pessimistic, often controversial sense of humour...
, while the other team originally consisted of Rory Bremner
Rory Bremner
Roderick "Rory" Keith Ogilvy Bremner, FKC is a Scottish impressionist, playwright and comedian, noted for his work in political satire...
in the first two series; when Bremner left Parsons was made a permanent panellist, and was joined by Russell Howard
Russell Howard
Russell Joseph Howard is an English comedian best known for his TV show Russell Howard's Good News and his appearances on the topical panel TV show Mock The Week...
the following series. Hugh Dennis has been the only team member to appear in every episode. Howard was absent for some of series 9 as he was concentrating on other projects.
On 2 October 2009, the BBC announced that Frankie Boyle would not be returning to the show "due to other television commitments". After missing the latter portion of series 9 and first half of series 10, Russell Howard
Russell Howard
Russell Joseph Howard is an English comedian best known for his TV show Russell Howard's Good News and his appearances on the topical panel TV show Mock The Week...
also officially left the show. Chris Addison
Chris Addison
Chris Addison is an English stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He is known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4...
then joined as a regular, taking the seat previously occupied by Boyle on Hugh's team.
Next to Dennis's team is the Press Pit, which is a large desk where they play a round called Between the Lines. Next to this is the Performance Area which is a much wider area with a large TV monitor, normally used for stand-up and improvisation
Improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
challenges such as Dating Videos and Scenes We'd Like To See.
Although Hugh Dennis is in effect a team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
(and is sometimes referred to as such in publicity material), such a distinction is never made on the programme itself. For the first two series Rory Bremner
Rory Bremner
Roderick "Rory" Keith Ogilvy Bremner, FKC is a Scottish impressionist, playwright and comedian, noted for his work in political satire...
was considered to be the other team captain, however he left the show after series 2 and was replaced by a different guest panelist each week (although Andy Parsons was made a permanent panellist). In effect, Dennis' opposition do not have a team captain.
Although each episode has a winning and losing team, the entire show exists mainly to provide starting points for 'improvised' comedy routines rather than to function as a serious competition. Specific scores are never referred to, and it has been stated by Dara comically that the scoring system is in fact "a load of bollocks". Indeed, after each round, the number of points awarded to a team is never stated; instead Dara just gives "the points" to the team he judges should receive them. In one particular episode, Dara admitted that winners of each round and point allocation was not based on anything specific, and viewers should "stop e-mailing in."
Headliners
This round is played by all panellists. In this round, a photo of someone famous in the news is given, along with the initial letters of a newspaper headline. The panellists have to eventually guess what the headline is, though they initially come in with comic suggestions until Dara prompts someone to give the correct answer.Spinning the news
This game takes place in the Performance Area. In the first series all six players took part, but from the second series onwards, only four take part. On the screen is a Random News Generator with several topics on it. A topic is picked at random, and one of the players has to perform a stand-up comedy piece about the topic it has landed on.Until series three, Dara would judge whether the audience had laughed enough at the routine, and decide whether or not the person was allowed to sit down. The first team to have all their players sat down would win. If one player from each team was left standing, sudden death would come into effect. A random topic was picked and both players had to talk about it. The team of whoever got the biggest laugh would win. Since series three, this has been removed, and the biggest laugh now decides the winner.
Since series two, Dara has changed the name of this round each episode, sometimes as a reference to a recent event. Examples of this include Dara's Supercasino: Make-a-Joke Roulette
Regional casino
A Regional Casino, more commonly known as a Super Casino , is the term given to the largest category of casino that was to have been permitted under UK law - equivalent in size to the larger casinos in Las Vegas...
, Four By One Joke Relay
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, Don't Stop 'til You Get a Laugh
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" is a single by American recording artist Michael Jackson. Released under Epic Records on July 28, 1979, the song is the first single from Jackson's fifth studio album, entitled Off the Wall. Written by Jackson, it is in the key of B major and in common time...
, Lady Gag Gag
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, Colonel Gaggafi
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
and The Three Mocketeers
The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard...
as well as the NHS
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
Revolving Door of Happiness, as a reference to a recent headline that read "NHS Revolving Door of Terror", and the name Mock You, I won't do what you tell me (mocking the lyrics of Killing in the Name
Killing in the Name
"Killing in the Name" is a song by American rap metal band Rage Against the Machine, featured on their self-titled debut album, and was released as the lead single from the album in November 1992...
).
In series 7, the game was played differently with one panellist from Hugh's team (Frankie Boyle in the first episode and the guest panellist in the episodes following this) and the entire opposing team playing the game with the exceptions of episodes 11 and 12 where only three people played (as David Mitchell doesn't perform stand-up comedy). Series 8 used four players again, with the exception of episode 4.
In series 9, only three panellists have performed in this round (usually the three guests). This was joked about by Dara in episode three when the title of the round was If Only Three People Do This Round, We Can All Mock Off Early.
If this is the answer, what is the question?
This round is played by everyone. A choice of six categories is given to one of the guests, covering topics such as sport, health, home affairs, world news, the environment, and politics. Once they have chosen a topic, an answer is revealed and all players have to guess what the question was, the panellist who chose the category goes first at 'guessing' the question. This alternates being the first round with "Headlines", and similarly to that round they begin by thinking of comical questions before concluding with the real answer.Scenes we'd like to see
This is the final round in the show and takes place in the Performance Area. All players participate in this round. The screen presents an unlikely scenario, for example "Things the Queen didn't say in her Christmas speech" or "Unlikely lines from the final Harry PotterHarry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
book" as well as "Things you didn't hear at the Olympics", and the players must say things that are unlikely to happen. Players participate by taking turns walking to the microphone and making suggestions.
Between the lines
This game takes place in the Press Pit and for the first two series was played by Hugh Dennis, Rory Bremner and Frankie Boyle. In this round, Rory/Frankie impersonates someone in the news that week giving a press conference. The other player (Hugh) tells us what the person is really saying. Points are only awarded if there is at least one player from each team, in which case both teams would get equal points. In more recent series Hugh has been partnered by any other contestant, often a guest.Newsreel
This round is played by two players, one from each side. In a number of cases, it has only been Hugh Dennis playing and acting out many voices, e.g. David CameronDavid Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
and Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
. In this round, a piece of news footage is played with no sound. The players have to act out what each person is saying, although this usually bears no relation to what was actually occurring. The best individual performance wins.
Recently, this round was replaced with one called Royal Commentary with only Dennis playing, where he provides a commentary on a royal event, with Dara not awarding points afterwards.
What on earth
The panel are shown a picture linked to a world news event before trying to figure out what on earth was happening. So far the round has only featured as an out-take during clip shows. It also appeared on the Too Hot For TV DVD. On many occasions, Dara has joked sarcastically about its obscurity, noting that "we never fucking show it".Dating videos
This game takes place in the Performance Area. Normally two rounds are played, with one player from each team performing in the Performance Area. The player is given the name of a famous person and has to record a lonely hearts ad in the style of that person. The other players have to try and guess who they are.Ask the politicians
This was Mock the Week's tribute to the current affairs programme Question TimeQuestion Time
Question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers , which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be cancelled in exceptional circumstances...
. Normally two or three players went into the studio audience whilst the others stayed in their seats. Dara acted as the host of the show, with the other players (normally the team captains and one or two other guests) playing politicians. Former team captain Rory Bremner
Rory Bremner
Roderick "Rory" Keith Ogilvy Bremner, FKC is a Scottish impressionist, playwright and comedian, noted for his work in political satire...
was normally a famous Labour politician, and Hugh was normally a Conservative spokesman. The players in the audience would question the rest of the panel, and they had to answer the questions given to them in role.
Prime Minister's questions
This round was played by all the players. Dara would take the role of the Speaker of the House of Commons, Rory would play the Prime Minister and the rest of his team would be front-bench MPs. Hugh would be Leader of the Opposition team would play the opposition party. Teams were given a rather trivial news story to debate, but would treat it as if it was the heavyweight issue of the day. This game usually evolved into a series of puns, with each team attempting to continue the chain (for example, while referring to farming, "I take it you're an expert in the field", "I have ploughed that furrow" etc.).Bombshell phone calls
This round was played by two players, one from each side. The two players (normally Rory and Frankie) played famous people having a telephone conversation. During the conversation, one of them would drop a bombshell to which the other player had to react.Controversy
On several occasions, Mock The Week has been the source of several complaints, due to some risqué comments made by the panellists (in particular Frankie Boyle). In one episode recorded in 2007, during a segment called "What The Queen Didn't Say in Her Christmas Message," Frankie Boyle made the comment: "I am now so old that my pussy is haunted." This led to the BBC's director general Mark Thompson being challenged about the comments on Newsnight. Boyle later quipped "That was three years ago. If it wasn't haunted then it certainly is now."In 2009, a larger controversy arose following another comment made by Boyle regarding Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington
Rebecca Adlington
Rebecca "Becky" Adlington, OBE, is an English and British freestyle swimmer. She won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in the 400 m and 800 m, breaking the 19 year-old world record of Janet Evans in the 800 m final...
. Boyle stated that she resembled "someone who's looking at themselves in the back of a spoon". Since leaving the show, Boyle has criticised both the show's production team and the BBC Trust. He claims that the show did not cover enough major news stories and was too restrictive on his risque comedy act, as the producers and the BBC Trust was afraid of "frightening the horses".
Mock The Week has also been subject to criticism for its limited rota of guests, in particular its lack of female guests. Indeed, the lack of female guests on the programme has been the subject of complaints in the letters page of the Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
. This has been defended by the host Dara O' Briain in interviews. However female comics remain a minority on the show and established female comic Jo Brand
Jo Brand
Josephine Grace "Jo" Brand is a BAFTA winning British comedian, writer, and actor.- Early life :Jo Brand was born 23 July 1957 in Wandsworth, London. Her mother was a social worker. Brand is the middle of three children, with two brothers...
has refused to appear on the show again. “I don’t do Mock the Week any more,” she said in 2009. “I didn’t like the prospect of having to bite someone’s foot off before they let us say something.”
Official merchandise
A DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, Mock the Week: Too Hot For TV was released on 26 November 2007. It contains almost three hours of material, including three extended episodes from series five, containing scenes that were considered too rude for broadcast. The three extended episodes are titled, 'Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
, Henman
Tim Henman
Timothy Henry "Tim" Henman OBE is a retired English professional tennis player and former British Number One. Henman played a serve-and-volley style of tennis that suited the grass courts of Wimbledon. He was the first player from the United Kingdom since Roger Taylor in the 1970s to reach the...
& Konnie Huq
Konnie Huq
Kanak Asha "Konnie" Huq is a British television presenter, who is best known for being the longest-serving female presenter of Blue Peter, having presented it from 1 December 1997 until 23 January 2008...
', 'Nuts, Pies and Nim Nim Nim' and 'Money, Sex and The Lib Dems
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
'.
Mock the Week: Too Hot For TV 2 was released on 9 November 2009. Again, the DVD contains the main 'Too Hot For TV' feature with a compilation of unseen footage, plus three extended episodes from the series archives titled, 'The Anal Lube Show', 'The Leg Show' and 'The Hedgehog Show'. The extended episodes have a total of more than 40 minutes of unseen material. Audio CD versions of both DVDs are available.
Mock the Week: Too Hot For TV 3 was released on 8 November 2010. Like the previous two, this DVD features an hour long smut reel and three extended episodes titled 'The Elves and Testicles Show', 'The Prisons and Other Dodgy Stuff Show', and 'The Johnny Blowjob and Bird Flu Show'.
Boxtree
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
has published four tie-in books. The first, Mock the Week: Scenes We'd Like to See, was published in August 2008, and the second, Mock the Week: This Year's Book, was published in September 2009. A third book in paperback, Mock the Week: 1001 Scenes We'd Like to See, collected the best of the first two books, and another all-new book, Mock the Week: Next Year's Book was published in September 2010.
Guest appearances
The following have appeared on the show as a guest (up to 13 October 2011, not including the 2011 Comic ReliefComic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
special):
20 appearances
- Ed ByrneEd ByrneEd Byrne is a Perrier Award-nominated, Irish stand-up comedian, voice over artist and actor. He has presented television shows Uncut! Best Unseen Ads and Just for Laughs, and is a regular guest on various television panel games...
12 appearances
- Milton JonesMilton JonesMilton Jones is an English comedian. His style of humour is based on one-liners involving puns delivered in a deadpan and slightly neurotic style. Jones has had various shows on BBC Radio 4 and is a recurring guest panellist on Mock the Week...
11 appearances
- David MitchellDavid Mitchell (actor)David James Stuart Mitchell is a British actor, comedian and writer. He is half of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb, alongside Robert Webb, whom he met at Cambridge University. There they were both part of the Cambridge Footlights, of which Mitchell became President. Together the duo star in the...
10 appearances
- Stewart FrancisStewart FrancisStewart Francis is a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor and writer. In addition to his work in Canada and the USA, he frequently tours in the UK and appears on British television...
8 appearances
- Mark WatsonMark Watson (comedian)Mark Andrew Watson is an English stand-up comedian and novelist.-Early life:Watson was born in Bristol to Welsh parents and attended Henleaze Junior school and then Bristol Grammar School, where he won the prize of 'Gabbler of the year', before going to Queens' College, Cambridge, where he studied...
- Gina YashereGina YashereGina Obedapo Yashere is a British comedian of Nigerian descent.-Early life:Yashere was born in Bethnal Green, London, England. Her mother was an immigrant from Nigeria...
7 appearances
- Micky FlanaganMicky FlanaganMichael "Micky" Flanagan is an English comedian. Flanagan has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe and toured Britain with stand-up shows...
- John OliverJohn Oliver (comedian)John Oliver is a British stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, for which he won an Emmy in 2009. He also plays a recurring character, Professor Ian Duncan, on the television series Community...
6 appearances
- Jo BrandJo BrandJosephine Grace "Jo" Brand is a BAFTA winning British comedian, writer, and actor.- Early life :Jo Brand was born 23 July 1957 in Wandsworth, London. Her mother was a social worker. Brand is the middle of three children, with two brothers...
- Andy ParsonsAndy ParsonsAndy Parsons is an English comedian and writer, who regularly appears on Mock the Week. With comedy partner Henry Naylor, he has written and presented nine seasons of Parsons and Naylor’s Pull-Out Sections for BBC Radio 2.-Early life:...
- Jack WhitehallJack WhitehallJack Peter Benedict Whitehall is an English comedian, television presenter and actor, best known for hosting the E4 show Big Brother's Big Mouth in 2008, Celebrity Big Brother's Big Mouth in January 2009, and the Channel 4 topical entertainment show the TNT Show.-Early life:Whitehall was born in...
5 appearances
- Adam HillsAdam HillsAdam Hills is an Australian comedian and television presenter. He has appeared on Australian and British television and is best known for his role hosting the Australian ABC music trivia show Spicks and Specks...
- Michael McIntyreMichael McIntyreMichael Hazen James McIntyre is an English stand-up comedian. He is well known for appearing at many British stand-up comedy events and for several roles on television stand-up programmes such as Live at the Apollo and his own show, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow...
4 appearances
- Jo CaulfieldJo CaulfieldJosephine Caulfield is a British actress, writer and comedian.-Biography:Born in Wales to Irish parents, she was brought up in Derbyshire and Leicestershire England....
- Greg DaviesGreg DaviesGreg Davies is a British stand-up comedian, actor, and former teacher, best known for his roles as Greg in We Are Klang and Mr. Gilbert in The Inbetweeners. He has performed on the BBC's Live at the Apollo series....
- Russell HowardRussell HowardRussell Joseph Howard is an English comedian best known for his TV show Russell Howard's Good News and his appearances on the topical panel TV show Mock The Week...
- Miles JuppMiles JuppMiles Jupp is a British actor and comedian, probably best known as Archie in the children's television series Balamory....
- Zoe LyonsZoe Lyons-Stand-up Career:Lyons graduated from the University of York in 1992 with a degree in psychology; in 2004 she was crowned winner of the Funny Women Awards. Since then, she has toured the UK stand up circuit, as well as playing regular gigs in London and Brighton...
- Andi OshoAndi OshoAndi Osho is a British comedian and actress.In an interview for BBC Radio 4 Extra's 'MacAuley & Co' in 2011 at the Edinburgh Festival, Broadcast on August 16th 2011; Osho confirmed her age to be 38 on several occasions....
- Seann WalshSeann WalshSeann Walsh is a young English comedian signed to Off the Kerb Management. He is a graduate of Jill Edwards' Comedy workshop and performed his first gig in November 2006. He has won several awards, including Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year and Chortle Best Newcomer . Walsh has supported...
3 appearances
- Alun CochraneAlun CochraneAlun "The Cockerel" Cochrane is a Scottish stand-up comedian. He was born in Glasgow and raised in Mirfield, West Yorkshire.-Stand-up comedy:...
- Rhod GilbertRhod GilbertRhodri "Rhod" Gilbert, is a Welsh comedian who was nominated in 2005 for the Perrier Best Newcomer Award. In 2008, he was nominated for the main if.comedy ....
- Fred MacAulay
- Ben NorrisBen Norris (comedian)Ben Norris is a comedian. He has appeared on a range of different television shows such as Mock the Week and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. He is also the cousin of actor Martin Freeman...
- Lucy PorterLucy PorterLucy Donna Porter is an English actress, writer and comedienne.She has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Brighton Festival and many clubs around Britain. She has also a regular voice on BBC Radio 4 in various panel shows, including Quote.....
- Holly WalshHolly WalshHolly Walsh is an English comedian and comedy writer from Guildford in Surrey, known mainly for her work on TV and radio in the UK.- Early life :...
2 appearances
- Kevin BridgesKevin BridgesKevin Bridges is a Scottish stand-up comedian.-Stand-up:Bridges began performing on the small stage when he left school shortly after his 17th birthday, doing stand-up comedy gigs at The Stand Comedy Club in Glasgow and then throughout the UK. At 18 he reached the final of Channel 5's So you think...
- Jon CulshawJon CulshawJonathan Peter Culshaw is an English impressionist and comedian. He was educated at St Bede's RC High School, Ormskirk and St John Rigby College, in Orrell, Wigan....
- Carl DonnellyCarl DonnellyCarl Donnelly is an English stand-up comedian and writer.-Stand up career:Donnelly began his comedy career in 2004. He has since been a regular on the London comedy circuit...
- Jeremy HardyJeremy HardyJeremy James Hardy is a British alternative comedian who is also known for his socialist politics.-Career:Hardy was born in Farnborough, Hampshire. He attended Farnham College and studied Modern History and Politics at the University of Southampton...
- Patrick KieltyPatrick KieltyPatrick Kielty is an Irish comedian and television personality from Dundrum, Northern Ireland.-Background:He was affected by The Troubles in Northern Ireland. On 25 January 1988 his father, businessman Jack Kielty, was shot dead by the Ulster Defence Association /"Ulster Freedom Fighters" , a...
- Lauren LaverneLauren LaverneLauren Cecilia Fisher , known professionally as Lauren Laverne, is an English radio DJ, television presenter, author and singer...
- Sarah MillicanSarah MillicanSarah Millican is an English stand-up comedian. Millican won the if.comedy award for Best Newcomer at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.-Career:...
- Diane MorganDiane MorganDiane Morgan is an English actress, comedian and writer. Originally from Bolton she studied at East 15 Acting School before getting the role of Dawn in Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights. Her work as a stand up comedian has seen her placed second in the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year Award 2006 and...
- Al MurrayAl MurrayAlastair James Hay "Al" Murray , is a British comedian best known for his stand-up persona, The Pub Landlord, a stereotypical xenophobic public house licensee. In 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy...
- Greg ProopsGreg ProopsGregory Everett "Greg" Proops is an American actor, stand-up comedian and television host. He is widely known for his work as an improvisational comedian on the UK and U.S. versions of Whose Line Is It Anyway?...
- Linda SmithLinda Smith (comedian)Linda Helen Smith was a British stand-up comic and comedy writer. She appeared regularly on Radio 4 panel games, and was voted "Wittiest Living Person" by listeners in 2002...
- Mark SteelMark SteelMark Steel is a British socialist columnist, author and comedian. He was a member of the Socialist Workers Party from his late teens until 2007.-Early life:...
- Ian StoneIan StoneIan Stone is a British stand-up comedian, mainly famous for appearing as a guest on shows such as the comedy panel show Mock the Week. Stone is also a regular guest on BBC Radio 5's Fighting Talk.-Career:...
- Ava VidalAva VidalAva Vidal is a British comedian currently living in London. She became more widely known after taking part in E4's "Kings of Comedy". Her career in comedy began on the BBC's "Urban Sketch Show". She has two children, having had her first aged 18...
1 appearance
- Fiona AllenFiona AllenFiona Allen is an English comedienne and actress.-Career:Allen has appeared in many sketch shows, including Smack the Pony, Goodness Gracious Me and The All Star Comedy Show...
- Stephen K. AmosStephen K. AmosStephen Kehinde Amos is a British stand-up comedian of Nigerian origin. A regular on the international comedy circuit, he is known for including his audience members during his shows...
- Clive AndersonClive AndersonClive Anderson is a British former barrister, best known for being a comedy writer as well as a radio and television presenter in the United Kingdom...
- John BishopJohn Bishop (comedian)John Joseph Bishop is an award-winning comedian.His television debut came on The Panel. As an actor, he has appeared in the E4 teen drama Skins as Mr Fitch, father of twins, Katie and Emily and in the Ken Loach film Route Irish...
- Adam BloomAdam BloomAdam Bloom is a British comedian. He has played the Edinburgh festival for many years, once winning a Punters Award. He appeared at the Melbourne comedy festival in 1999 and 2000, winning a Stella Artois award for the former appearance....
- Nathan Caton
- Jarred ChristmasJarred ChristmasJarred Christmas is a comedian from New Zealand who makes his living in the United Kingdom. He does much work with the BBC, and won the Chortle Comedy Award for Best Compere. He is also known for being in Pot Noodle adverts....
- Simon EvansSimon EvansSimon Evans , is an English comedian, born in Luton and currently living in Hove.-Early life:Simon Evans attended Verulam School in St Albans and then studied law at Southampton University, graduating in 1986.-Stand-up comedy:...
- Robin InceRobin InceRobin Ince is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is best known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage .-Stand-up comedy:...
- Russell KaneRussell KaneRussell Kane is an English writer, comedian, actor and media personality. In June 2006, he became the face of digital station Five US. He has been nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Awards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, winning the main prize in August 2010...
- Shappi Khorsandi
- Andrew MaxwellAndrew MaxwellAndrew Maxwell is an Irish stand-up comedian. Raised in Kilbarrack, Dublin, and now resident in London, he is a father of two. He regularly appears on The Panel.-Early life:...
- Sue PerkinsSue PerkinsSue Perkins is an English comedienne, broadcaster, actress, and writer.-Education:Perkins was educated at Croham Hurst School, an independent school for girls in Croydon in South London, at the same time as the BBC Breakfast News presenter Susanna Reid...
- Nik RabinowitzNik RabinowitzNik Rabinowitz is a South African comedian, who has made guest appearances on several comedy shows, including the British panel show Mock the Week. He currently resides in Cape Town. He is also a presenter on SABC, where he has presented Coca-Cola Megamillions Gameshow...
- Jan RavensJan RavensJanet "Jan" Ravens is an English actress and impressionist, famous for her voices on Spitting Image and Dead Ringers.-Early life:...
- Frank SkinnerFrank SkinnerFrank Skinner is a British writer, comedian and actor. He is best known for his television presenting, often alongside David Baddiel, with whom he also collaborated for the football song "Three Lions."He is a radio presenter on the Saturday morning slot on Absolute Radio.-Youth and early career...
- Tom StadeTom StadeTom Stade is a Canadian comedian, who moved to Edinburgh, UK, with his wife Trudy and their two children in 2003. He is known for his appearances at the Edinburgh Festival, as well as appearing on British TV shows such as The Comedy Store, The Live Floor Show, Stand Up For The Week and The World...
- Jimmy TingleJimmy TingleJimmy Tingle is an American comic and occasional actor.-Life and career:Tingle was the American correspondent for Sir David Frost’s show for PBS and the BBC, The Strategic Humor Initiative. He completed two seasons with 60 Minutes II on CBS as the humorist / commentator in the Andy Rooney spot...
- Sandi ToksvigSandi ToksvigSandra Brigitte “Sandi” Toksvig is a Danish comedian, author and presenter on British radio and television.-Career:...
- Danielle WardDanielle WardDanielle Ward is a British stand-up comedian and writer.-Career:In 2006 Ward won the Time Outs Critic's Choice award for Best Newcomer and wrote Take A Break Tales - exaggerated adaptations of women's magazine stories - in which she appeared with Neil Edmond, Emma Fryer and Isy Suttie at the...
a. Appearance made before becoming a regular panellist.
b. Made an appearance in the Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
24 Hour Panel People special, along with Doc Brown
Doc Brown (rapper)
Doc Brown is a former British rapper, currently an established comedian, actor, screenwriter and voiceover artist.- Early Work :...
, Daniel Sloss
Daniel Sloss
Daniel Sloss is a British comedian, actor and writer, notable for having started standup comedy as a 19-year-old teenager and having become established as a professional live and television performer whilst still in his teens...
and David Walliams
David Walliams
David Edward Walliams is an English comedian, writer and actor, known for his partnership with Matt Lucas on the TV sketch show Little Britain and its predecessor Rock Profile...
.
Original series
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 June 2005 | 3 July 2005 | 5 |
| 2 | 20 January 2006 | 24 February 2006 | 6 |
| 3 | 14 September 2006 | 19 October 2006 | 6 |
| 4 | 11 January 2007 | 8 February 2007 | 5 |
| 5 | 12 July 2007 | 20 September 2007 | 11 |
| 6 | 10 July 2008 | 18 September 2008 | 11 |
| 7 | 9 July 2009 | 24 September 2009 | 11 |
| 8 | 21 January 2010 | 18 February 2010 | 5 |
| 9 | 17 June 2010 | 7 October 2010 | 10 |
| 10 | 9 June 2011 | 13 October 2011 | 12 |
Specials
| Date | Entitle |
|---|---|
| 10 July 2005 | The Best of Series 1 |
| 2 March 2006 | The Best of Series 2 |
| 26 October 2006 | The Best of Series 3 |
| 15 February 2007 | The Best of Series 4 |
| 27 September 2007 | The Best of Series 5 |
| 25 September 2008 | The Best of Series 6 |
| 23 December 2008 | Christmas Special |
| 20 August 2009 | The Best of Series 7 (Part 1) |
| 22 December 2009 | The Best of Series 7 (Part 2) |
| 25 February 2010 | The Best of Series 8 |
| 29 July 2010 | The Best of Series 9 (Part 1) |
| 14 October 2010 | The Best of Series 9 (Part 2) |
| 21 December 2010 | Christmas Special |
| 5 March 2011 | 24 Hour Panel People Comic Relief Special |
| 14 July 2011 | The Best of Series 10 (Part 1) |
| December 2011 | The Best of Series 10 (Part 2) |