Once upon a time, I enjoyed the News Quiz! Barry Took was a decent cove as Chairman and the likes of Alan Coren provided acid wit and intelligence. Fast forward to this edition broadcast today with Sandi Toksvig in the chair and charmers like Jeremy Hardy and Phil Jupitus on the panel. I was really quite surprised to hear Toksvig tell Her Majesty “to get over herself” as concerns the Diamond Jubilee. How pleasant. Lots of anti-Monarchy jokes followed. Harry Redknapp was also speared by the panel despite his recent legal acquittal. I wonder if his lawyers were listening? It seems that the possibility of England having an English man as manager is upsetting to this BBC crew. I gave up listening about half ways through but couldn’t help but reflect on how this once entertaining programme is a hollow sham of what it once was.
SNOOZEQUIZ
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Having been banished by the wife to the kitchen to do the washing up, something about constantly interrupting and correcting the BBC 6pm news presenter, I turned on the radio and News Quiz to see how long I could stand it before I switched off. With Jeremy Hardy I didn’t think it would be long. Imagine my surprise when I actually found some of the humour…genuinely funny, mainly thanks to Rick Astley and the guy whose name I missed.
I agree about Sandy Tossfig and of course Hardy as predictable as ever managed to bring in the Nazis when the subject was page three girls in the Sun! However, I managed to stay with it to the end. I haven’t done that for several years now, on the infrequent times I listen. Is it me, will I be banished from these pages or did the change of panellists actually signal a desire to make this programme enjoyable once more?
Will know when Hardy is given the boot.
I`m with you here a bit Invicta.
It was actually better than usual in my opinion.
I think Rick Wakeman actually comes from planet earth and so the usual tired platitudes and reflex leftie stuff was less of a problem to me.
Not the standard we`re needing, but actually better than its usual dire stuff…so was grateful-pathetically so perhaps?
I was only vaguely listening to it for a while before turning it off and it struck me as a little less annoying than the programme in the 6 30 slot the previous evening, featuring somebody called, I think, Mark Thomas. That was an assault on the ears and a dire excuse for a programme.
I heard it too and was surprisingly unruffled by it. Miles Jupp is very good.
David, I agree with you. It wouldn’t be so bad if the comments were funny. But they’re not; they’re just pointlessly nasty. I really dislike the toksvig character, I wish she’d sod off back to Denmark. As for Mr Hardy, I reckon without the bbc to employ him, he’d be out of a job. And where on earth did Mr Jupitus spring, or rather waddle from? Suddenly a few years ago, now, he just appears on tv; he’s one of those who’s famous because he’s famous. I’m not sure what he’s actually good for.
He was in Red Wedge, which explains quite a lot, really.
Like many other people, I have decided to cease paying for the privelege of hearing chromosomal monstrosities like Tosservig and company uttering their man-hating, Britain-bashing, white-trashing, degenerate remarks under the guise of wit and insight.
It’s the only way.
Unlike many on the BBC at least it is not her own country that she hates.
Absolutely agree and switched over to R3 when Sandy tried to pre-empt any flak over the unfunny, crass anti anything remarks by highlighting the most complaints always come following ‘jokes’ about the Queen and Cliff Richard – another lazily scripted cliche. Sadly Tostvig covers too many unrepresented ‘communities’ and remains amongst the regularily commisioned because they have (no discernible) talent, such as Lenny Henry, Billy Connolly, Hardeep SK (Sex pest but so talented????). Brigstocke, Holmes, et al….
Biggest change needed replace commisioning editors with the guys who book live comedy for customers who pay at the door – keep quality high or die vs hey if they don’t find it’s funny it’s them who are wrong ( And we have a lovely sinecyre for reeducating them anyway)
Billy Connolly plays a mean banjo. That’s a talent.
You missed out Arthur Smith. Does ANYBODY find him even mildly amusing? He is on all the BBC all the time, obviously somebody’s friend.
Arfa Smiff is truly awful. He and other lefties now add to their BBC wages by doing the links on Radio 4 Extra. I had previously retreated to Radio 4 Extra to escape all their crap on Radio 4. No hiding place !
To be honest I have never listened to this program but I have had the misfortune of watching the above mentioned panalists on various ‘nothing’ programs wherein they just find fault with everything and everyone but themselves. The BBC is very good at ‘promoting’ middle class left wing smart arse humour which isn’t funny, a type of comedy that originates from the loud mouth types we all had to endure at university parties whose only talent is being nasty and slagging everything off. The middle/upper class left wing will never be funny because they are too busy trying be clever as opposed to finding out what actually makes people laugh. Also, their politically correct straightjacket limits their repertoire to the same old nonsense week in and week out (slagging of the British way of life, Christians, BNP, politicians etc etc)
“The middle/upper class left wing will never be funny because they are too busy trying be clever as opposed to finding out what actually makes people laugh.”
Hit the nail on the head there.
I’d argue that there were flashes of inspiration back in the days of That was the Week that Was and Monty Python. It was short lived however and, in any case, the best Monty Python wasn’t about personal attacks or current affairs.
yeah agree there Barry mate. There were middle class comedies but as you say they were about the sillyness of life as opposed to slagging someone off. Life of Brian was brilliant! But I don’t Cleese, Palin etc took themselves seriously, they all seemed to be in touch with their silly side whereas many of today’s comics are sooo arrogant and opinionated.
“how this once entertaining programme is a hollow sham of what it once was.”
Just replace programme with the bbc and it discribes the Dear Old Beeb better than a whole paragraph
Off topic but really interesting article from the DM.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099068/Bradford-headmaster-Ray-Honeyford–hounded-warning-perils-multiculturalism–dies-saddened-vindicated-man.html
Deserves a posthumous Knighthood.
Fat chance.
Somewhere, in an alternate mirror-image Universe, there is a comedian who is the absolute opposite of the upper-middle class, PC, lefty, right-on panelists who frequent this type of BBC programme.
Can you imagine…just supposing she was to find her way onto the panel by accident…the outpouring of outrage…the dropped jaws…the gasps…the stunned silence… =-O
Just making trouble. 😉 O:-)
I too used to listen to the News Quiz when Took was Chair.. and My Music .. My Word, Sorry I haven’t a Clue and whatever else used to be on at 6.30 pm weekdays. The gentle humour was a pleasure and to be enjoyed by all whatever the political persuasion. Now I just find 6.30 on Radio 4 a no-go (or no-listen) area for me and just keep the radio switched off or on Classic FM.
Yes, Classic FM is, well, classic.
To defend NewsQuiz .
It keeps Snidey Tostwitch off what the BBC puports to be serious political shows like Any Questions , where she irritates everyone by pronouncing her “witticisms” , then says uhm as she thinks she is riding the applause , thrn makes another fatuous quip , says uhm again and then makes her serious point , not that anyone wants to know .
Claire in the community is quite good on a Thursday at 18:30.
Pokes fun at the “right on” social workers.
Radio 4 extra(previously radio7) were airing Peter Tinniswoods “uncle mort” this week another classic. Ed Readons Diaries are also a clissic non PC piece.
Clare in the Community is especially funny because it is so out odf step with BBC PC.
One of the very few things worth listening too on Radio 4 these days
Have Jeremy Hardy and Phil the size of Jupiter ever been funny? They only seem to appear on panel shows, where acerbic ‘wit’ seems to be the norm. Would they be able to hold an audience for a full hour on their own? I very much doubt it. Hardy is also the star of laugh a minute film ‘Jeremy Hardy Vs The Israeli Army.’ Need I say more?
Good point Nick.
Without getting all mathematical , I am trying to come up with a “Humour Bypass Index”…time on air/laughs ratio.
Russell Brand is 0, Russell Howard is 1….and it`s in this sump of privilged embarrassment that we`d find Hardy, Steel, Thomas and Jupitus etc.
Apparently though, fat Phil does a good cartoon…but that would be silent, and so would not put him on the airwaves.
Maybe there`s mileage in a “Can the Left ever be funny” study here at the University of Wessex-intentionally funny ,that is!
Hardy is also the star of laugh a minute film ‘Jeremy Hardy Vs The Israeli Army.
*****************************
I’d pay good money to see Jeremy Hardy vs the Israeli Army.
Not the film. Just Jeremy Hardy vs the Israeli Army.
ROBERT BROWN; Trouble is, the film would last thirty seconds, just enough time to squash the irritating, mouthy lefty with a Merkava tank. Oh the merriment.
Left wing comedians always rely on politics. they call it topical i say they tread on eggshells. They are frightened of traits (unless it’s WWC) .
They wont go near islam or immigration unless they are criticising opponents of the afformentioned.
Are they radical and agueing against the machine. I think not. They have the social control at the minute. The BBC, the teachers and lectures, the health sevice.
Anyone from the left ctiticised Bob Crow for his demands for pay packages to be upped for the Olympics?
In 1981 the programme started with two regular captains, Richard Ingrams, then editor of Private Eye, and Alan Coren, then editor of Punch, and a regular chairman, the comedy scriptwriter, Barry Took. The BBC’s own history of the programme provides a revealing insight into why changes were introduced:
In 1995, Took was dropped, and Ingrams, Coren and other staples such as Bill Deedes were asked not to be regulars. The effort was made in order for the show to be less stuffy and traditional, to allow it to compete with younger formats with younger presenters and regulars in other quiz shows that were more cutting edge.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/newsquiz/
“Cutting-edge” is of course a well-known media soubriquet for “left-wing”. The date is also significant since with the Major Government on its last legs and an election in the offing the BBC was busily preparing on all fronts for the coming epiphany of The Blair Era (moral: be careful what you wish for, it may come true).
The TV spin-off of TNQ, Have I Got News For You, which began in 1990 has largely stuck to the original NQ formula of two regular captains, including Ingrams’ successor as Editor of Private Eye and the generally apolitical Paul Merton although the regular chairman, Angus Deayton, imploded due to personal scandal and has wisely never been replaced.
There has been a regular stream of Conservatives as guests including the late Bill Deedes and his latter-day successor, Boris Johnson. Whenever BBC in-house “comedians”, such as Marcus Brigstocke, have appeared on the programme they have been strangely mute and their radical cliches have usually fallen flat. I cannot recall Ms Toksvig ever appearing on HIGNFY as a guest or, if so, it must be a very rare occurrence.
As a result, HIGNFY, continues to remain amusing and is certainly far less offensive than TNQ (with of course, a much larger audience). However I notice that every time a General Election is called HIGNFY is dropped from the schedules whilst TNQ continues unmolested. I wonder why?
At the 2010 General Election there was a HIGNFY Election Special. They had Lembit Opik on and absolutely destroyed him, having just lost his seat. You make a good point regarding the general lack of political side-taking though.
I happen to like Jeremy Hardy and Phil Jupitus as comedians, but I agree, Hardy’s constant left-wingery does grate.
Snady Totsvig has to have her lines written for her as mentioned in the closing credits. Leads me to thinking is it all scripted like the rest of the BBC news output?
The participant that I really can’t abide is Jeremy Hardy. He’s absolutely poisonous, effeminately creepy and so self regarding.
The trouble with all these state funded lefty “comedians” is that they’re playing to their home crowd, a bunch of middle class Labour supporting tossers. It’s just too easy for them. Put them in a working man’s club up north and they would be chased off stage by big burly men with tattoos. Though come to think of it Hardy might enjoy that…
I have long thought that “The News Quiz” is the most reliably biased prog’ on all of Radio 4 comedy, though there is some competition! The somewhat less Left-wing “The Now Show” has recently taken its place … but, worry not, you can still get your fix of Jeremy Hardy when he “speaks to the nation” (or, rather, to the influential minority who listen to Radio 4). The constant Tory-bashing, Daily Mail bashing, etc, is seldom balanced by any anti-Left stuff … unless it is attacks on Anthony Blair, Nicholas Clegg and Edward Milliband for being too Right-wing.