They pay you a lot of money to go on Have I Got News for You? Around £5,000, I think, which is a decent whack if you’re a starving hack. But still I turned it down when they asked me on a couple of years ago and I’ve never felt the slightest flicker of regret. Just in case I’m ever tempted, though, I’m going to keep my recording of this week’s episode as a cruel but salutory reminder that HIGNFY is to political satire what Covid-19 is to economic growth.
Maybe it’s unfair to kick a programme when it’s down: spavined by the ludicrous lockdown rules where instead of appearing in a studio and taking their chances, all the panelists get filmed in their homes (by crews wearing actual PPE suits, apparently) and have to try to be funny when there’s no audience, no atmosphere and no room for quick-fire interjections.
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