Have I Got News For You
- TV panel show
- BBC One / BBC Two
- 1990 - 2024
- 610 episodes (68 series)
Long-running topical panel game with a strong political slant, featuring team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton. Also features Angus Deayton.
- Continues on Friday on BBC1 at 9pm with Series 68, Episode 6
- Catch-up on Series 68, Episode 5
- Streaming rank this week: 217
Episode menu
Series 62, Episode 10
Further details
The guest panellists joined regular team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton in a week that saw numerous covid blows and gaffes from the Tory Party, Elon Musk winning TIME magazine's 'Person Of The Year' award, a controversial conclusion to the Grand Prix season and public complaints about a missing chocolate from an advent calendar.
First up, the panel's attention was turned to the number of Tory backbenchers who rebelled in this week's vote for the prime minister's new public health measures, with the number of Omicron cases surging across the country.
Meanwhile, further allegations surfaced about new Christmas parties held by the Conservatives in 2020, with former London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey resigning from an official role in the London Assembly, after an image of a party held with his then campaign team was obtained by the Daily Mirror.
Ian Hislop: "The Tory party excelled themselves by rebelling against a public health measure. They didn't bother when it was about corruption or standards, but when it was a sensible measure about this virus they all said, 'No! This is fascism, this is Stalin-ism'.
"Anyway, the backbenchers had a fit and the measures only got through because the Labour Party supported the Conservative Party... it's a new definition of 'opposition'. So that was quite embarrassing for Boris, but not particularly, given the rest of his week."
Armando Iannucci: "Yes, lots of parties are being found that have taken place last year in Number 10. In fact, the data isn't in, but I think they found that the number of parties last year was doubling every two to three days."
Martin Clunes: "According to The Mirror, the party for Conservative activists and campaign workers was described as 'raucous', and a door was broken. So unfortunately they got out.
"One of the excuses for the gathering was that they'd all been working hard for hours on end, so we're probably being a bit hard on them. Aren't they allowed to work together and let off a bit of steam? Right, that's the balance taken care of... let's move on."
Ian Hislop: "That's exactly what Number 10 said, that everyone in Number 10 has been working really hard, so they should have a party... and in the Treasury and the Department of Education. But not in the NHS or in anywhere you work (looking to audience). No, you haven't been working hard, you've been doing b**ger all all year! Look at this lazy lot!"
Martin Clunes: "This is the scandalous party... that held several parties last Christmas. Shaun Bailey was the Head of the London Assembly's Police and Crime Committee, but he's no longer in the chair... as the music stopped and somebody else got there first."
It was also announced this week that Elon Musk has been named TIME magazine's 'Person Of The Year'.
Martin Clunes: "TIME magazine called him a clown, a genius, a visionary, an industrialist and a showman. Who knew there were two of us?
"This is Elon Musk, who's been named TIME magazine's 'Person Of The Year'. Elon Musk is planning to build a futuristic Noah's Ark, to bring the animals and creatures of Earth to Mars. One tip Elon... leave the bats."
Notes
The teams drew, 7 points each.
Broadcast details
- Date
- Friday 17th December 2021
- Time
- 9pm
- Channel
- BBC One
- Length
- 30 minutes
- Recorded
-
- Thursday 16th December 2021, 19:00 at Riverside Studios
Cast & crew
Ian Hislop | Team Captain |
Paul Merton | Team Captain |
Martin Clunes | Host / Presenter |
Armando Iannucci | Guest |
Steph McGovern | Guest |
Colin Swash | Writer (Additional Material) |
Kevin Day | Writer (Additional Material) |
Shaun Pye | Writer (Additional Material) |
Christine Rose | Writer (Additional Material) |
Monica Long | Writer (Additional Material) |
Katie Storey | Writer (Additional Material) |
Laura Claxton | Writer (Additional Material) |
Rhiannon Shaw | Writer (Additional Material) |
Paul Wheeler | Director |
Danny Carr | Series Producer |
Jo Maney | Producer |
Richard Wilson | Executive Producer |
Ruby Kuraishe | Executive Producer |
Simon Brook | Editor |
Nick Pratt | Editor |
Daniel Keevil | Editor |
Balint Szabo | Editor |
Jonathan Paul Green | Production Designer |
Mikki Rain | Production Designer |
Peter Raby | Lighting Designer |
George Webley (as Big George) | Composer |
Phil Hewson | Graphics |
David Ward | Graphics |
Darren Beadle | Production Designer |