Late Night on British Television

Late night British television seems to be all a-fever with “game shows.” These are not games shows as North Americans normally think of them. There are no prizes: indeed, winning often consists in losing, with honour of course. The contestants are drawn from a pool of stand-up comedians and other celebrities. Many guests on any one show are often hosts of their own “game show” in a kind of network merry-go-round, not unlike the early days of American television when the likes of Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Lucille Ball and Jack Parr (to mention only a few) would also pop-up on each others’ shows or specials.

So, what is the point? In a refreshing and sometimes even daringly unscripted way, it sets the stage for the possibility of actual wit, a break from the deliberate, bordering on “mannered,” humour of stand-up comedy. That said, many, if not most of the participants on this late-night television circuit are in fact well-known stand-up comedians or comedic actors in their own right.

Some of the more resilient gems in this menagerie of jesters include Stephen Fry’s “QI” (Quite Interesting)--a knowledge trivia show; “Mock the Week” (host: Dara O’Briain) that has comedians riffing on current events; “Would I Lie to You” (host: Rob Brydon among others; regulars David Mitchell and Lee Mack) that has contestants guessing whether the tales they tell are true or false; “Big Fat Quiz of the Year” that pairs comedians in a pub-style quiz on events of the year; and “Never Mind the Buzzcocks” (starring Phil Jupitus and Bill Bailey among others), a panel game show centred on popular music. QI is very much at the top of my list.

Clips of these shows can be easily located on You Tube. You can also narrow your search to retrieve items of 20 minutes or longer--or look for episodes presented in “Parts.”