HIGNFY new series=last chance to retain credibility

[olliebean]

Why did Hislop get booed for alluding to the Tory election fraud scandal?

[Quincey]

He also got booed when he had a go at Lord Rothermere. Perhaps the studio audience just want criticism of Corbyn and fat politicians.

[Rocket Surgery]

Jesus. I've defended this show previously but that was fucking agonising.

Maybe[nb]definitely[/nb] I was just in the wrong mood going into it, but that episode pissed me off in a multitude of different ways.

[MattD]

Good to see Hislop questioning the BBC's lack of Tory scrutiny.

Hopefully the paranoid folk on the left will stop slandering him as a Tory now. Although he will now incur the wrath of all paranoid right wingers who will label him a communist now.

[Mr Banlon]

He also got booed when he had a go at Lord Rothermere. Perhaps the studio audience just want criticism of Corbyn and fat politicians.

There was also a moan/groan from some of the audience when he made a comment about Trump not winning the popular vote.

[kidsick5000]

Why did Hislop get booed for alluding to the Tory election fraud scandal?

It's a worldwide issue. Say something that sounds controversial and audiences have been pavlov dogged into making some noise to indicate it's close to the bone.

I doubt half could tell you who Rothermere was. But it sounds edgy.

Stephen Colbert was questioning what his crowd were cheering for the other day.
Bill Maher has been getting visibly pissed off with his audiences reflex responses.

You could even say 'I'm Glad Hitler died' and you'd get an ooh.

Audiences are conditioned to give only so many responses.

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

Going to wait for the extended version as usual (can't be arsed watching it twice) but what I've read elsewhere about last night's episode hasn't been good.

I honestly expected the first episode to be pure shit after reading this thread but it could have been worse. At least the Tory election scandal got mentioned and if Hislop's actually forcing them into the conversation for a second week running then good on him I guess!

[Quincey]

Watched the latest one. So anti Corbyn and anti Labour, let the Tories off so lightly. Quite funny in places though, not sure I liked all the HAHA does she had dementia.

[Quincey]

Also the usual Haha Jacob Rees Mogg is old fashioned joke.

[Stonefish]

What's wrong with the new titles? They seemed pretty much the same type of thing from what I remember.

[Rocket Surgery]

Pretty solid episode this week, in my worthless opinion. Maybe down to particularly low expectations after last time, maybe down to some especially ridiculous news this week, maybe a fortuitous instance of all the guest panelists being on form and Merton being vaguely awake at the same time.

Maybe I'm just in less of a foul mood than I was last week. Point being, I actually laughed a few times and that's all I was really hoping for.

[Quincey]

It was quite good this week as you say and actually had a pop at the Tories a couple of times.

[mobias]

Friday's was the first of this series that I've enjoyed. Josh Widdecombe even made me laugh, for the first time ever I think. Wow.....

[neardark]

Friday's was the first of this series that I've enjoyed. Josh Widdecombe even made me laugh, for the first time ever I think. Wow.....

Yeah I laughed at his Apprentice thing and the thing about putting the corden around the horse thing

[Bronzy]

Josh Widdecombe is living proof that anyone who is even slightly humorous can be on TV, if promoted and pushed enough.

[kidsick5000]

Josh Widdecombe is living proof that anyone who is even slightly humorous can be on TV, if promoted and pushed enough.

Part of the list of people who aren't amazing stand-up comedians, don't really have that killer bit, but they can talk well and know how to exclaim "What's that about!?!" at the right time.

[Bronzy]

Part of the list of people who aren't amazing stand-up comedians, don't really have that killer bit, but they can talk well and know how to exclaim "What's that about!?!" at the right time.

Widdecombe's delivery really grates on me. I actually think his material isn't that shit, if a better comedian such as Frankie Boyle performed similar material, I would probably say it was decent. I just cannot stand his voice and his faux-indignation, it's so poor that it's almost unwatchable for me.

I think that's the difference between an okay comedian and a good or great comedian, good or great comedians can take often average material and make it funny, whereas okay comedians are just... Okay.

[kidsick5000]

Widdecombe's delivery really grates on me. I actually think his material isn't that shit, if a better comedian such as Frankie Boyle performed similar material, I would probably say it was decent. I just cannot stand his voice and his faux-indignation, it's so poor that it's almost unwatchable for me.

I find him similar to comedians like Michael Mcintyre - the ones who build a routine about the supposed stupidity of some device or behaviour of staff - when they're the one's who don't get it.
"...and somehow you're expected to know which way the door opens when it doesn't even have a handle. Gaaah"

[Brundle-Fly]

Wow, anyone else seen this? A clip from the pilot version with John Lloyd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD0DOmrVfZY

Who on earth thought it would be a good idea to have Paul Merton on the left side of the TV screen and Hislop on the right? Thank god sanity prevailed at Hat Trick to rectify this folly before it went to transmission.

[Bronzy]

I find him similar to comedians like Michael Mcintyre - the ones who build a routine about the supposed stupidity of some device or behaviour of staff - when they're the one's who don't get it.
"...and somehow you're expected to know which way the door opens when it doesn't even have a handle. Gaaah"

It must be awful being them, everything they touch seems to break or fuck up or assault them.

Shame.

[kidsick5000]

It must be awful being them, everything they touch seems to break or fuck up or assault them.

Shame.

Well, they seem to get quite good careers out of it. The difficult part must be trying to find things to willfully not understand the basics of.

They're related in some way to the people who get things wrong in infomercials. The ones never able to open a jar without throwing the contents over the kitchen, or slice a tomato with it flying to the wall.
Situations nobody finds themselves in because normal people don't make a fuss of getting things to work for them.

[Bronzy]

Well, they seem to get quite good careers out of it. The difficult part must be trying to find things to willfully not understand the basics of.

They're related in some way to the people who get things wrong in infomercials. The ones never able to open a jar without throwing the contents over the kitchen, or slice a tomato with it flying to the wall.
Situations nobody finds themselves in because normal people don't make a fuss of getting things to work for them.

"Isn't it annoying when you go to grab the remote off the table and you end up knocking over the bowl of wotsits next to it? Eh? Eh?"

[Bingo Fury]

The jokes certainly seemed to have a higher hit-rate than usual. Is Harewood just a really good presenter, or did the HIGNFY gag-writers decide to make more of an effort this week, do you reckon?

[neardark]

That was shit. Always seems to have the atmosphere of a funeral whenever Frankie Boyle hosts it.

[Mini]

I was at the recording. Surprised they even managed to cobble together 30 minutes.

[up_the_hampipe]

That was shit. Always seems to have the atmosphere of a funeral whenever Frankie Boyle hosts it.

Don't understand why he hosts it. They don't like him, he doesn't like them.

[DrGreggles]

Maybe he's trying to bring it down from within.

[JoeyBananaduck]

I was at the recording. Surprised they even managed to cobble together 30 minutes.

Just how overdubbed was the audience reaction then? Every other 'gag' seemed to get about 8 seconds of guffaws with every third or so being followed by rapturous applause.

[kidsick5000]

I think Frankie Boyle has a lovely turn of phrase every so often.
"As if the colour grey didn't care if you lived or died"

The first half wasn't bad but the second felt like the aftermath of an argument that happened while you were out of the room.

[DrGreggles]

I like Frankie Boyle when he's being funny - and he bloody can be.
Less so when he's trying to be Sadowitz.