Highlights
• A satirical news quiz in the vein of Have I Got News For You, this boasted some appealing veterans of the panel genre, in particular Linda Smith, Hugh Dennis and Rory Bremner.
• The show did its best to differentiate itself from predecessors by introducing improvisational and interactive rounds. Highlights of these included Spin The Wheel (a Whose Line Is It Anyway-esque impression round) and a section where contestants acted out fictitious conversations between famous figures (David Blunkett and Tony Blair was one).
• Linda Smith’s astute observation that “People are always down on ASBOs but these are the only qualifications some kids are going to get”
• Hugh Dennis noting that “MRSA” is probably how very posh people pronounce the name of The Smiths’ lead singer.
• The show was refreshingly un-PC (eg Bremner’s eyeball-rolling impression of the former Home Secretary).
• The round titled Things We’d Love To See: ideas included Beckham’s Thesaurus, Jackson’s Touch & Feel Book and politicians endorsing products (“Were you injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault?” asked Rory a la Bush).
Lowlights • While there were some cracking lines, a lot of the show was dragged down by weak jokes (“Frogs have exploded in Germany, when will the country decide to use this in their porn?”).
• Dara O’Briain as host, frighteningly resembles Baron Greenback in Dangermouse.
The format of the programme means it will be successful with the right panellists but a disaster with the wrong ones (please no-one invite Jon Culshaw or Richard Blackwood).
• The absence of a points scoring system (Dara just pointed at people who made him laugh and gave the round to them).
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