Never Mind the Buzzcocks

Following the success of Have I got News For You, this put the panel format to a music quiz. The focus not so much being on winning or even giving the right answer but making as many jokes during the quiz as possible. The show is hosted by Mark Lamarr with two teams captained by Sean Hughes and Phil Jupitus. The rounds include connections (finding the links between two artists), intros (2 members of the team try to do an intro and the third member must guess the song), the line-up (teams must pick a `famous' musician out of a line of 5 people) and last lines (teams complete song lyrics).

The show is consistently very funny - the teams obviously have some time to prepare and are given some notice of what's coming - but it does depend on the 4 guests. Sometimes a comedian will guest and will try too hard, or a musician will not deal with the quick wits around him. But for most of the time Lamarr, Hughes and Jupitus are sharp enough to carry the whole thing themselves. The humour is quite mad - cruel and sharp - so it may not be to everyone's taste.

Overall it may not be the most original format for a show but with a good team and good guests this manages to be consistently funny. Who wins doesn't matter one bit and you do feel that everyone just wants to have a laugh. A very enjoyable 30 minutes week in, week out.

Regardless of how long this show has gone on for it is so consistently hilarious that it's one of the few things on T.V. that I actually look forward to watching. Mark Lamarr is king of mocking people and I love the games they play like "Guess the intro" and others which in all fairness are just prompts for some popular and more amusingly 80's music stars(the show which Pete Burns was on with his hideous - surely joke plastic lips that even Melanie Griffiths would wince at was hilarious!!) to make fools of themselves in an entirely good natured setting. I wasn't entirely convinced that when Sean Hughes left (who was very very funny) that the show would be able to continue but Bill Bailey gave it a new lease of life and the chemistry between him and Lamarr is often responsible for the funniest parts of the show. I hope it goes on for another few years because for as long as it does I will be watching.

OMG r u taking the mickey man this show is hilarious, Simon Amstell is such a witty guy! Also it is mainly a comedy and its 4 people who like good music and a good laugh. How can u say the people "think" they are funny, of course they r funny Noel Fielding is the biggest up and coming comedian in the whole of the UK and his show is quickly becoming a cult classic. I'm not even trying 2 be harsh but u have a screw loose what do u find funny then?! I strongly advise people to ignore the comment written before this, I must say I'm open to people's opinions and perhaps the show is not for him but the reasons for his dislike are terrible! Simon Amstell actually makes me laugh out loud, if you like wit and prefer to steer clear of slapstick comedy then watch this. Granted there are some guests who do continue to dwell at the slapstick end of the scale but in general it is good English comedy with the use of language and avoids broad comedy with which to appeal to the masses.

Mark Lamarr, Bill Bailey and Phil Jupitus are just plain hilarious. Mark Lamarr's unrestrained jokes are at times quite disturbing, but Immensely funny with it. Bill Bailey's general appearance is enough to keep me laughing. And Phil Jupitus is an extremely funny man.

The four guests on the show each week, can only make the show more amusing- I do not think it is possible for a guest to slow down the fast-paced comedy or the host and his team captains.

Just Brilliant.

The only show to literally make me fall on the floor with laughter. I see all these complaints about an OTT laughter track, but I would swear that really is the audience reaction - it's certainly what I'm doing at home. From the early days of Mark Lamarr, Sean Hughes and Phil Jupitus, right through to the current line-up, it has remained one of the sharpest and funniest shows ever.

Of course, Buzzcocks has had its share of problems. It lost its edge a little towards the end of Lamarr's reign; having done the show for 10 years he was getting bored and working on autopilot. Happily, after he left, the show got revitalised with the arrival of Simon Amstell, and bounced back with a very different but equally strong style of hosting.

It's now common knowledge that Buzzcocks is pre-rehearsed, and that Sean Hughes left for frustration with this 'fake' aspect. To me this barely detracts at all. Far better to have a few pre-prepared answers than everybody floundering around in silence. Who wants the intro round ruined by performers muttering "I don't know that one"? Yes, they practice first - let it go. Furthermore, though I love Sean (and his accent), his replacement Bill Bailey is an even better team captain.

Do they take things too far sometimes? It's certainly remarkable how much they get away with - countless celebrity death threats, the punishment of naive guests (amazing that only one has walked off), and of course the infamous Courtney Love joke among many other controversial moments, would be cut from most other programmes. Gentle types will wince at times, but those of us with a cruel streak truly revel in it. The trio say all the things we want to but either don't think of or don't dare to voice.

Best of all, the show is for music lovers and music dunces to enjoy alike. Whether you know exactly what they're talking about, or whether you're completely at sea, Buzzcocks is always hilarious.