Have I Got News for You accused of sexism

Presenter and broadcaster Mariella Frostrup has attacked satirical panel game Have I Got News for You, claiming it is sexist.

In an interview with Sky to promote her coverage of the Hay Literary Festival, Frostrup claimed it was a 'disgrace' that women were only given a token presence on the comedy, and that they were only there to be ridiculed by 'testosterone-driven' regulars Ian Hislop and Paul Merton. She also bemoaned the fact that she had only appeared twice despite claiming that she was "a very suitable candidate for it."

However, her comments have been attacked by HIGNFY's most frequent female guest and well known feminist Germaine Greer. Greer, who has appeared eight times on the series said: "Mariella might ask herself why they asked her on in the first place. She's not known for being amazingly witty, is she? I thought she was best known for her sexy voice."

This is not the first time Have I Got News for You has been attacked. During the last series Will Self and Ann Widdecombe said they would never appear on the series again (full story).