The News Quiz is one of those radio shows that make you not only laugh out loud, but also audibly gasp at the brashness of what the panel are saying.
The show has been running for 88 series and to be fair, if you have that many series under your belt, you must be doing something right. The new host of this season is Miles Jupp, taking over from the highly accredited Sandi Toksvig, who after being on the show for nine years has left to take over from Stephen Fry as host of QI. Now you may recognise Jupp as being the inventor in the groundbreaking show Balamory. However, he is also known for his other attributes in comedy and radio and, interestingly, he is a graduate from our very own university.
Now the show itself is a topical quiz that bases its questions on the past week’s news. The two panels are filled with a mixture of people. From comedians such as Susan Calman – a regular at the Fringe – and Jeremy Hardy, to journalists including Hugo Rifkind – a columnist for The Times – and Francis Wheen.
Now for those new to the show, the panel as you will hear are mainly left wing, and it is this viewpoint that takes this show from a typical quiz show to one that pokes – and sometimes viciously stabs – fun at politics and mainly the Tories, which I am all for. The questions range in topic from immigration, to politicians, and world events. However, due to the nature of the panel, they are merely a stepping-stone for them to unleash their comedic wrath on whatever subject they are handed.
Lastly, the show incorporates a feature of the panel reading out terribly written adverts sent in from the public. This lightens the show up as some of the topics discussed can be quite harsh which in turn can cause quite tongue in cheek humour which may seem cruel to some.
Overall, this show is a perfect summary of the week in hilarious form in a mere 30 minutes.