Have I Got News for You

Did You Know?

• During the late 1990s, the website haveigotnewsforyou.com, run in association with Freeserve, featured interactive versions of the show's games, including the missing words round and the caption competition.
• Have I Got News for You started broadcasting a video podcast, The Inevitable Internet Spin-off, on 13 April 2007, initially planned for six series from series 33 to 38.
• Shows based on the Have I Got News for You format include the American weekly radio show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, which started in 1998 on NPR.

History

The programme was initially conceived as a pilot for the BBC titled John Lloyd's Newsround. The BBC commissioned Hat Trick Productions to create a show similar to a more topical version of Hat Trick's Whose Line Is It Anyway?, but the format was later aligned more closely with Radio 4's The News Quiz. Hat Trick hired John Lloyd, a producer with radio comedy experience, and filmed a pilot with a title that parodied the long-running children's programme John Craven's Newsround. After the pilot, John Lloyd decided not to serve as chairman, and the role went to comedian Angus Deayton following try-outs with Sandi Toksvig and a pre-fame Chris Evans. The team captains from the pilot, Ian Hislop and Paul Merton, remained. Since its first broadcast on 28 September 1990, the BBC has commissioned two series each year, with a Spring series from April to June and an Autumn series from October to December; the Autumn series takes a week's break for the Children in Need special. For its first ten years, the programme aired on BBC Two. Hislop has been the longest-serving member and has not missed a single episode. Merton took a break during the 11th series in 1996, citing fatigue and a feeling that the show had become "stuck in a rut"; guest team captains filled in, and Merton returned for the following series, stating that his absence had given the programme a "shot in the arm".

Format

Episodes are typically around 30 minutes long, edited from a longer recording session held the day before broadcast. This timing allows the programme to retain topical elements while giving the BBC's legal team time to cut potentially defamatory material. Each episode focuses on four panellists: the two regular team captains and two guests, split into two teams. They answer questions about topical news items from the previous week, though the format often prioritises witty exchanges, jokes, and satirical discussion over the scoring system. Every episode begins with the host delivering satirical fictional news stories, often accompanied by photographs or video clips, followed by introductions of the guest panellists. The main body of the episode consists of four rounds. The first round, called "The Bigger News Stories of the Week," starts after introductions: each team is shown a collection of silent video clips—including news reports, archive footage, and dramatised scenes—and must identify the relevant news story. This item is usually a major news story, avoiding tragic events such as terrorist attacks that would be deemed offensive. The round may include additional questions or a bonus round for comedic purposes, and occasionally deviates, such as presenting audio clips without pictures.

Criticism, controversy and litigation

Throughout its broadcast history, Have I Got News for You has drawn considerable criticism from guests, politicians, and viewers, sometimes resulting in legal action. In 1994, a joke about Ian and Kevin Maxwell, who were awaiting trial, led to a High Court case against the BBC and Hat Trick Productions; both were found guilty of contempt of court and fined £10,000 each. In January 1998, BBC Worldwide and Hat Trick Productions successfully defended a libel case brought by Conservative MP Rupert Allason after a book based on the autumn series, titled Have I Got 1997 for You, contained a remark calling him "a conniving little shit." In November 1998, producers ridiculed a BBC edict restricting reporting about Peter Mandelson by mocking it throughout filming of an episode that was broadcast without any edits; the programme continued to flout the edict until the BBC relaxed it two years later. In April 2003, three-time guest panellist Stephen Fry announced a boycott of the show following the sacking of Angus Deayton, describing it as "greasy, miserable, British and pathetic." In November 2007, Ann Widdecombe criticised the programme for including Jimmy Carr as Hislop's teammate, vowing not to appear again after nearly walking out due to Carr's risqué material. The following week, frequent guest Will Self announced he would not return, criticising the show for becoming "like any other pseudo-panel contest" and objecting to the BBC cutting a joke he made that was well-received by the audience. In April 2013, the programme received over 100 complaints for an episode discussing Scottish independence, with comments by Hislop and guest host Ray Winstone deemed to promote anti-Scottish sentiment.

Home media

The show has been put out on VHS and DVD many times, mostly as straight-to-video collections pulling material from different seasons. Hat Trick handled the releases, working with Video Collection International and later 2Entertain, all under a BBC license. The first of these, Have I Got News for You, Volume 1, came out in 1993 and gathered clips from the initial five series along with the full 1992 election night special; it also appeared on Video CD. In 1995, Have I Got Unbroadcastable News for You offered a specially made straight-to-video episode with Eddie Izzard, Richard Wilson, and a surprise turn by Germaine Greer. Classic Battles & Bust-Ups followed in 1996, presenting three complete episodes that included the Tub of Lard, Paula Yates, and Greer again. The next year, Have I Got News for You: The Official Pirate Video gave another straight-to-video episode, this time with Martin Clunes and Neil Morrissey. A 2002 compilation, The Very Best of Have I Got News for You, covered highlights from the show’s first twelve years, ending with the episode produced after Angus Deayton’s tabloid scandal. Its main feature runs three hours, and the DVD added extras like a running commentary from Paul Merton and Ian Hislop, a clip of Terry Wogan nominating the program on Room 101, and interviews with political figures from the Channel 4 Politics Awards. Finally, Have I Got News for You: The Best of the Guest Presenters, released in 2003, collected episodes hosted by Boris Johnson, Martin Clunes, William Hague, and Bruce Forsyth, plus a clips reel. Its DVD included a bonus disc, “The Full Boris,” with a longer version of Johnson’s episode (just under an hour) and a chat between Merton and Johnson filmed during Johnson’s Room 101 appearance.