Mock the Week

Rarely do you find a topical series in the united kingdom that is this funny. initially there was "have i got news for you", a series with similar ideas yet less improvisation and with fewer "laugh out loud" gags.

This series is not a afraid to push the boundaries and explore taboos that might perhaps be overlooked in other programs - Rory Bremner's impersonations are outstanding and stand out above the rest, and the special guests add an extra ingredient that make this satirical series utterly compelling, i look forward to the next instalment even as the credits roll.

Recommended for those who are and are not interested in politics

Personally, I find Mock the Week to be a very funny, clever show. Some of the comedians are funny all of the time, all of them are funny some of the time. Russel Howard and Frankie Boyle in particular are consistently brilliant. I live in the US and so don't get every one of the cultural references, but I still love the show. They're so talented that I don't even have to be familiar with the politician being lampooned to have a good laugh. The jokes range from insightful wit to sexual pun, but they always keep me laughing.

Be sure to look for the scenes which were not included during the regular season, they often consist of some of the best material of all.

In a mix of Have I Got News For You and Who's Line is it Anyway this topical news quiz is entertaining but is far from being as clever as it thinks it is. In essence it is a quiz with questions relating to the news given to the panel made up of two teams but it also features rounds where individuals step forward to make jokes on a topic given them by host Dara O'Brian. The two aspects work as well as each other although personally my preference is for the panel format more than the "stand-up" format.

And maybe that is why I enjoy the show but am not a massive fan of it. You see, to me, it all does seem very much like everyone has prepared their lines and their routines and at times it does seem like they are delivering their stand up routines in response to questions that they aware of long before the show began. Of course I know that with all panel shows they are aware of the questions and subjects to some degree but here it is consistently more evident as the various panellists seem pretty separate in what they are doing.

The effect of this is to delivery some funny lines but for the show itself to feel a bit disjointed and fragmented. Of course it does depend on the panellists involved but recently they have been stand-up performers who are used to delivering alone rather than jamming off others.

Overall though, a topical news quiz that aims for a lower end of the market but is still enjoyable and entertaining. The stand-up nature of it produces plenty of good laughs in each episode but does have the downside of fragmenting the banter and making it feel like everyone queuing up to deliver their lines rather than genuinely sparking off one another.

I usually like Mock the Week, and think the regular panellists are superbly witty and entertaining. However, I was appalled at how often Shappi Khorsandi was spoken over and ignored as she tried to say something on the show which aired 25 January in the UK. It could have just been the editing, I suppose, but it looked extremely discourteous.

I thought she only really came across properly during the rounds where she was able to take the mic unimpeded by the male panellists. This is a shame as female comedians are a rare breed and those there are should be given the opportunity to do their thing.

NP

This incredible programme that has been aired on the BBC over the past three years combines the hilarious satirical comedy of Have I Got News For You with the witty improvisational skills of Whose Line Is It Anyway? to create what is - in my opinion - the ultimate panel show - Mock the Week.

The regulars are some of the finest comedians in the country at this moment in time; Frankie Boyle is simply a comic master, generating hysterical laughter from his frequently funny cracks at the leaders of the country; Hugh Dennis is a very skilled impressionist who comes up with unbelievably quick improvisations; Andy Parsons is probably the best satirist on TV; and Russell Howard happens to be one of the brightestup-and-coming talents around.

David Mitchell, Ed Byrne and Jo Brand make regular appearances, and Dara O'Brian is the perfect presenter for a show of this quality.

Tune into Mock the Week next time it's on Dave or the BBC to watch the funniest thing you've ever seen. Trust me - you'll be dying with laughter.