The Mash Report
A satirical news show that evolved from BBC to Dave.
The Mash Report was a British satirical news comedy program that began on BBC Two in 2017, hosted by Nish Kumar. It was a television spin-off of the satirical website *The Daily Mash*. The show used a regular ensemble of comedians to mock the week’s headlines, including Ellie Taylor and Steve N Allen as newsreaders, along with correspondents like Jason Forbes and Greig Johnson. Rachel Parris provided humorous explanations of stories, and Geoff Norcott appeared as a Conservative comedian.
After the BBC cancelled the series in 2021 to free up space for new comedies, the show was picked up by Dave under the title *Late Night Mash*. The main cast returned, and the new series aired from September 2021. Later that year, Kumar stepped down as host, and Rachel Parris took over in 2022. Dave cancelled the show in 2023.
The debut episode drew 800,000 viewers, 20% below the usual timeslot average. Despite modest TV ratings, the show was recommissioned for a third series in 2018 due to stronger performance on BBC iPlayer and viral online clips.
Reviews were mixed. In 2017, Chortle compared it favorably to a UK version of *The Onion*, and *The Daily Telegraph* gave it four stars, calling it the most promising satirical arrival in years. However, BBC political presenter Andrew Neil criticized it in 2018 as “left-wing propaganda” and a weak imitation of *The Daily Show*. In 2021, the *i* newspaper’s Emily Baker argued the show was no more biased than *The News Quiz* or *Have I Got News For You*, rejecting both the accusations of partisanship and the show’s self-image as anti-establishment.
- field
- Satirical television comedy
- nationality
- British
- known_for
- Satirizing weekly news with a cast of comedians
- debut
- 20 July 2017
- cancellation
- 2023
- original network
- BBC Two
- later network
- Dave
Lore & Background
The Mash Report debuted on 20 July 2017 as a spin-off of the satirical website The Daily Mash. The BBC had announced its commission in March 2017, with Nish Kumar as host and a cast including Ellie Taylor, Steve N Allen, Rachel Parris, and Geoff Norcott. The show featured correspondents Nathan Muir (Jason Forbes) and Prof. Henry Brubaker (Greig Johnson).
In March 2021, the BBC cancelled the series 'in order to make room for new comedy shows.' On 28 July 2021, Dave announced an eight-part continuation titled Late-Night Mash, which began airing on 2 September. Nish Kumar stepped down as host on 28 October 2021, and Rachel Parris took over on 20 May 2022. The sixth series premiered on 1 September 2022, and Dave cancelled the series on 10 March 2023.
The first episode attracted 800,000 viewers, 20% less than usual for its timeslot. The British Comedy Guide noted in February 2018 that the show had been recommissioned for a third series after 'modest' television ratings but was more popular on BBC iPlayer, with some clips going viral globally.
Reader's Guide
The Mash Report holds significance as a British attempt at a weekly satirical news program in the tradition of The Daily Show, though it drew both praise and criticism. Chortle in 2017 regarded it as a successful UK version of The Onion. Michael Hogan of The Daily Telegraph gave it four stars, calling it 'the most promising satirical arrival on our screens in a long time.' However, in November 2018, BBC political presenter Andrew Neil described it on Twitter as 'self-satisfied, self-adulatory, unchallenged left-wing propaganda,' calling it a 'pathetic imitation' of The Daily Show. Writing in 2021 after its relaunch, Emily Baker of the i newspaper disagreed with accusations of bias, noting its content was similar to Radio 4's News Quiz and no more left- or right-wing than Have I Got News For You. The show's legacy includes its transition from BBC to Dave and its cancellation in 2023, reflecting the challenges of sustaining satirical programming in a changing media landscape.
Did You Know?
- The Mash Report was a spin-off of the satirical website The Daily Mash.
- The show debuted on BBC Two on 20 July 2017.
- It was cancelled by the BBC in March 2021 and later revived on Dave as Late Night Mash.
- The show was cancelled for the final time in 2023.
More in Dave original programming 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record