MovieChat Forums > Have I Got News for You (1990) Discussion > I was a little disappointed to find out ...

I was a little disappointed to find out that the show was rehearsed.

posted 16 years ago by jimlasiter
6 replies | jump to latest

I used to think that Paul Merton and Ian Hislop were just comedy gods but they actually work out their material beforehand.

I'm sure some people would say "well duh." But I really had no idea.
I've got a friend who used to work on the show who explained that there is just too much money at stake for anyone to take a chance by relying solely on spontaneity because if there are chunks of the show where the audience isn't laughing then the show is going to tank and eventually get cancelled.
So yeah Paul and Ian know what questions are going to be asked and plan their jokes out though they do get suggestions from some behind the scenes writers which they'll then change to suit themselves or discard, they then have a little meeting to work out who gets to use their material for each question, I guess whoever's got the funniest joke gets it. They also plan out their repartee with each other so it doesn't feel staged.

Of course as I found out the guests have to come up with their stuff on the spot and don't get let in on the planning, so if they come up with some funny quips then great but if they don't Paul and Ian can then shoulder the load and keep the show running. Makes sense, no one can be that quick and funny show after show without a bit of help.

And I guess it's the same on all of these sort of shows, the captains on 8 Out Of Ten Cats (Sean and Jason) deliver killer stuff every episode but aren't nearly as funny when they're guests on other peoples shows like QI or Would I Lie To You.
I'm not really complaining though because if it keeps these shows as funny as they are then it's a good thing, and hey a lot of stand up comics hire people to write their stand-up so it's not new or anything.

[–] r-obsessed 16 years ago

I knew that they find out the questions beforehand - having seen it being filmed I can understand why. An audience don't want to sit around while someone has to explain the ins and outs of a story or for a five or ten minute pondering over the odd one out. You can see there are some things that have been thought about before, but I wouldn't say it feels rehearsed - they are all very capable of making jokes out of things as they happen and develop. I think you can see when guests bring stories/jokes/anecdotes onto the show and sometimes they do feel seem a bit hammered in, but I don't think Paul or Ian need to rely too much on pre-planning. Particularly Paul. Paul improvises as one of the Comedy Store Players nearly every week - I don't know why he'd bother to meet gag writers and stage a show when he's perfectly capable of performing songs, scenes, musical stories etc at the drop of a hat at the Comedy Store. But I guess, if a joke doesn't work in that environment (which sometimes they don't), you move on. It's happened, you do something else. TV is another kettle of fish.
What I find worse is that Argumental has 7 gag writers! I love good improv, but I can't stand people pretending stuff is off the cuff and improvised when it's not. Why not admit it or get some good improvisers on the show? And I do think Paul is a very good improviser, whether Have I Got News For You is a bit planned I don't know, but I think Paul is more than capable of doing it off the cuff.

[–] camc_84 16 years ago

If it helps restore your faith at all, I've seen Paul perform with the Comedy Store Players many times and he can improvise with the best of them.

Ian - I can't vouch for!

Also, I knew they saw their questions, but I do think the banter is natural. Mainly because I don't think either of them (or indeed any of the hosts) are that good at acting!

Or maybe I am just being too naive.

The host does get a lot of help, which is why even Ann Widdicombe even got a joke or two in....although the delivery was lacking.

[–] r-obsessed 16 years ago

I agree with you totally! Having seen the Players (inc. Paul) numerous times, I don't think Paul would bother to prepare.
Also, although I find Paul very very funny when he's improvising, he's not a natural actor, or good with a script - watch the Galton & Simpson remakes! We'd be able to tell if he was reading something that was prepared!!
As you said, the host gets a lot of help - they literally go through the script and say what gags they do or don't like etc.

[–] Fork_Q 16 years ago

The way I see it is that "what you see is what you get: it don't matter if most of it is rehearsed". I bet most of Ian's jokes were picked up from work and Paul already came to the show with a list of his own.

I'd rather HIGNFY be consistently funny than a hit-or-miss-affair, I don't seem to remember too many bum episodes the last two seasons. Besides, the best jokes are almost certainly not rehearsed, like the Pot Noodle gag.

$ sudo make CHEEZEBURGER --mayo -off
system made you CHEEZEBURGER but ated it :-(

[–] Krenon 16 years ago

It's not rehearsed. Check the Ian Hislop interview on the BBC iPlayer site.

[–] katsika 15 years ago

Yeah, I've read accounts from people who've been on the show, writers, etc., and the only preparation they do is going over the questions before hand, just so it's not the first time they're seeing it. They think of a few jokes before the show begins, but everything certainly isn't planned out and the writers only write the hosts' script. This is unlike a lot of other shows where the writers DO come up with gags for the guests (i.e. Buzzcocks). QI follows this same format, and along with HIGNFY is probably the most unplanned panel show.