Television series

Have I Got News for You

Name: Have I Got News for You
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1990
Cast: Ian Hislop, Paul Merton, Angus Deayton

Satire
Light-hearted
Relentless
Dip in and out

A weekly news comedy panel show where two permanent captains and rotating guests riff on the week's headlines with anarchic wit. It's fast, smart, often hilarious, and genuinely topical—assembled so close to air that it comments on stories still unfolding. For people who like their comedy sharp and their news filtered through the irreverent.

TVMaze rating

3.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like topical satire delivered as quick-fire improvised banter, where the jokes arrive faster than the news cycle and the guests are as fair game as the headlines.

Skip it if you want sketches or a plot, or you tire of panel games where in-jokes outrun the audience; the topical references also age quickly.

What it asks of you: Half an hour of brisk, unbroken talk each week, with little slack; you need to keep up with the week's news to get the most from it.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Mock the Week2005

Same energy and format—comedians dismantling the news cycle with speed and style. Dara Ó Briain's hosting is warm where Deayton was dry, and the jokes land with real bite.

But Feels a little more polished and less spontaneous; the anarchic edge is there but slightly sanded down.

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah2015

American cousin with the same mission: skewering the week's absurdities through comedy. Sharper production values, a host with genuine viewpoint, and guests who matter. Funny and genuinely incisive.

But Longer format means less of that rapid-fire joke density. Can feel more like commentary wrapped in comedy rather than pure jokes.

Would I Lie to You?2007

Rob Brydon and Lee Mack as captains, similar guest rotation, same BBC warmth. The format makes space for character and storytelling alongside the laughs—it's gentler but no less clever.

But Not about news or topicality at all; if you want the satirical edge specifically, this trades it for pure absurdist fun.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Have I Got News for You

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Dead Ringers1988

Both are BBC institutions built on the belief that comedy should punch at power and speak to what's happening right now. Same fearlessness, different medium.

Radio comedy show that does the same job—week's news filtered through impersonations and scripted sketches. It's technically sketch, not panel, but the mission is identical: make you think by making you laugh at the powerful.

But Radio, not TV. No faces, just voices. For some that's a dealbreaker; for others it sharpens the writing. Also requires engagement rather than passive watching.

The Mash Report2017

Sharper, younger energy targeting the same news-cycle sweet spot. Sketch format mixed with panel segments. Really smart on politics and media without feeling preachy.

But Shorter-lived and now defunct. Also more obviously politically aligned, which some find refreshing and others find less open.

Never Mind the Buzzcocks1996

Same panel show DNA, same guest-rotation model, but about pop culture instead of news. If you love the format and the fast jokes, this delivers exactly that energy for music obsessives.

But Ended in 2015 and the revival never quite matched the original. And if you don't care about music trivia, the whole thing slides past you.

QI2003

Stephen Fry presiding over genuinely clever people riffing on obscure facts instead of news. Fast-paced, surprising, often hilarious, never mean-spirited. You learn things while laughing.

But Less about current events—it's timeless trivia. Longer format means it's more digressive and less like the machine-gun pace of HIGNFY.

Room 1011994

Frank Skinner and later Paul Merton hosting celebrities complaining about things they hate. Surprisingly warm, genuinely funny, built on character and riffing. Less topical but equally smart.

But Works best when the host chemistry clicks; some iterations felt thinner than others. And it's purely about gripes, not news.

Network1976

Both understand that news and entertainment are now inseparable, and both find comedy in that collision. HIGNFY riffs on the absurdity; Network grieves it.

Sidney Lumet's savage film about a news organization falling apart while chasing ratings and spectacle. Darkly funny, genuinely furious, prescient about how news becomes entertainment. Peter Finch is extraordinary.

But It's a film, not a series. And it's savage in a way that reads as despairing—this is Lumet angry, not comedians riffing. Requires you to sit with the rage.

In the Loop2009

Same director, same sharpness, same belief that the job of comedy is to expose how absurd the people running things actually are. Same mission, way more venom.

Armando Iannucci's feature-length spin-off from The Thick of It—a political satire so foul-mouthed and inventive it feels like someone adapted HIGNFY as a war film. Genuinely brilliant, furiously funny about how power works.

But Brutally sweary and cynical. Not gentle at all. If you like news comedy light and breezy, this is the inverse: comedy as a weapon.