Ian Hislop

HIGNFY: BBC dismiss complaints over Hislop and Cummings

'No one is exempt from satire,' said the corporation in a statement.

HIGNFY: viewers praise Hislop for ripping into Cummings

Presenter said advisor's press conference was 'utter twoddle'.

Why it's great news that HIGNFY back

Paul and Ian are exactly what we need right now, says Emma Bullimore.

Have I Got News For You, review

Satire institution proves it can actually thrive on the current chaos.

Producers will build virtual set around Hislop & Merton

Ian Hislop and Paul Merton will be in their seats and the satire promises to be as sharp as ever, but movement restrictions and a ban on studio audiences means the team captains, host Steph McGovern and panellists Miles Jupp and Helen Lewis will trade topical quips from the safety of their front rooms, speaking to remotely-controlled cameras.

The re-evaluation game: HIGNFY - 3rd November 1995

It might seem odd to re-evaluate an episode of Have I Got News For You from November 1995 but the reason I've chosen it is because it's the one time I was in the audience for the show. A young, innocent, unsexy twenty one year old at the time, I absolutely loved the experience, partially because a fair amount of material was edited out of the aired version for legal reasons but also because it was a real thrill to see Paul Merton and Angus Deayton perform in the flesh.

Unexploded WW2 bomb threatens Private Eye deadline

Private Eye drew on the Blitz spirit to get the magazine off to print on time after an unexploded Second World War bomb forced staff to evacuate the newsroom and relocate to the pub. Editor Ian Hislop was away while the drama unfolded in Soho, London, yesterday afternoon with Nick Newman standing in to finish off the jokes and cover on the fortnightly print title ahead of its 6pm deadline.

Ian Hislop gets lost in translation

Satire is wasted on Americans. Ian Hislop, editor of Private Eye, was surprised to discover recently that his magazine had been included on a list of fake news outlets compiled by a university in Massachusetts. It was all because of a story he ran at Thanksgiving saying that a turkey had pardoned Donald Trump. Hislop told Delayed Gratification magazine that he had rung the university to explain to them what a joke was. "Some of the other stuff we put in the magazine isn't true either," he told them. "Theresa May doesn't run a school. She actually was the prime minister."

While it might not have personally opened the gates of our current hell, the programme certainly got the keys cut. Paul Merton and Ian Hislop will be looking back on one of the most chaotic years in modern British history in a compilation show that is sure to be dominated by more than one B word.

BBC defends HIGNFY over bias claims

The BBC has defended Have I Got News For You after receiving scores of complaints that it was biased against the Tories and Brexit. A total of 140 viewers contacted the corporation over the November 8 edition of the topical comedy quiz, which was hosted by Adil Ray. A further 183 people complained about swearing in the previous edition on the programme, when host Jo Brand explained why the Queen liked wearing bright colours.