Have I Got News For You

Bill Bailey presents Episode 4. Joining him on the panel are comedian Fin Taylor and Labour MP Dawn Butler. Plus a special cameo appearance from Zoom sensation Jackie Weaver of the Handforth Parish Council.

Bill Bailey guest hosts the fourth episode of the show's 62nd series, joined on the panel by comedian Fin Taylor and Labour MP Dawn Butler, who makes her first appearance on the programme.

This show took place in the week that saw Insulate Britain protests happening around the M25, Rishi Sunak delivering the Budget, Facebook's whistle-blower Frances Haugen calling for urgent change, and the Government U-turn on a bill over water firms dumping sewage in the sea and rivers across the UK. The panel also discussed what was being discussed at the climate conference in Glasgow COP 26.

"I'll tell you who's done a lot to reduce their carbon footprint: Prince Andrew; he hasn't left the house for months. Good on him" joked Fin Taylor.

Bill Bailey responded: "Andrew's not going cos the word 'COP' is in the title".

Later on in the programme, the panel's attention turned to Facebook, and how the whistle-blower Frances Haugen has exposed exactly how they operate.

Paul explained: "It promotes hate speech to those who are interested in hate speech points them towards sites which are misogynistic, homophobic etc."

Bill went on to say: "What it does is it takes people who have mainstream interests, and it pushes them to extreme content .... so you could start off looking at Little Mix or something and the next minute you're looking at Slipknot."

Ian added: "Facebook were told to clean up these sites that attracted children and the executives wandered round saying "oh don't do that that doesn't make us any money". Essentially Facebook is doing what everyone assumed it was doing anyway which is basically amplifying toxic dribble."

Facebook have gone on to unveil the Metaverse this week, which Bill defined for the panel: "I know it's difficult to explain but there's is a certain agreed definition which is: VR on acid."

Ian: "So you don't live in the real world anymore, you just live inside the screen"

Paul: waves to the camera, "a bit like us".

On the Odd One Out Round, Jackie Weaver makes a special Zoom cameo appearance, to share the news that the Handforth Parish Council has now changed its name to The Handforth Town Council.