News Quiz - October to November

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/comedy/newsquiz.shtml

Managed to see 5 episodes of this series of the News Quiz being recorded at the Drill Hall. Some of the panelists we’ve seen are Jeremy Hardy, Linda Smith, Professor Armando Iannucci, Andy Hamilton, Alan Coren, Francis Wheen, and Marcus Brigstocke.

Some of the highlights, which were more than likely not broadcast, were.

- The South Bank Show coming in to record Armando as they’re doing a show on him following his success with programmes such as The Thick Of It (showing on BBC2 in January.) Just for the ribbing recently “professored” Armando got.

- Jeremy Hardy throwing a bottle of water at someone trying to leave before they’d done the few retakes on lines Simon Hoggart, the host, had fluffed. It only ever takes 5 minutes, boring yes, but polite to stay through. It’s not like they’re adding funnier lines and ruining the effect of the show or anything.

- Alan Coren’s legally can’t go out on air stories, of which there is at least one a show. Like when he went to a party once being thrown by Michael Caine, a friend of his. It was around the time of the story about Richard Gere and the Hamster (non) incident and the subsequent page advertisement in the New York Times denying any impropriety. Alan knew that Caine was neighbours with Gere over in LA, so asked Caine what he thought of the allegations that Gere was gay. Caine’s alledged reply was “put it this way if they were ever short handed he’d help out.” It’s stories like that which will obviously never make it to air, but make us all chuckle in our seats and make the journey worth while. That and…

- Jeremy Hardy’s ranting. Jeremy could fill the half our show all by himself. Once he gets on a subject of the pet hate variety, it’s like winding up a spinning top and then see him go.
I’d recommend getting free tickets next series.