User Reviews

Mock the week started back in 2005 and gave us a panel show that was more about the comedy and talent of great comedian's like Frankie Boyle and Russell Howard getting together and Mocking the weeks news instead of analysing it and depressing us they made us laugh and relax instead of worry. The show still continues today and if you see it on TV give it a watch a enjoy.

Personally, I find Mock the Week to be a very funny, clever show. Some of the comedians are funny all of the time, all of them are funny some of the time. Russel Howard and Frankie Boyle in particular are consistently brilliant. I live in the US and so don't get every one of the cultural references, but I still love the show. They're so talented that I don't even have to be familiar with the politician being lampooned to have a good laugh. The jokes range from insightful wit to sexual pun, but they always keep me laughing.

Be sure to look for the scenes which were not included during the regular season, they often consist of some of the best material of all.

Panel shows have been a been a stable for British television, mainly because they are cheap to run, popular and can be very funny if the right people are involved. Have I Got News For You has been the gold standard in the UK because it is extremely funny with great captains, and often excellent guests who are sharp about the current events of the day. Many shows have tried and failed to copy their successful formula.

Mock the Week on BBC 2 is the closest show to rival HIGNFY. It has a similar focus to HIGNFY, the news of all things, politics, economics, popular culture, etc... But unlike HIGNFY which is a straight panel show, Mock the Week has elements of Who's Line is it, with comedians testing their stand up skills, very successfully. There are also other fun moments when Hugh Dennis has to play what there are really saying. What also makes Mock the Week work is the fact that it is more willing to make darker, more outrageous jokes compared to HIGNFY. If done right it's a masterclass of comedy, especially from Frankie Boyle.

When Mock the Week started it was weak. Most the comedians didn't have their confidences. Changes were needed, and they were done quickly. Frankie Boyle and Hugh Dennis found their feet, Frankie Boyle was allowed to do what he does best, Dara O'Briain, and Frank Parson (excellent comedian) and Russell Howard were brought in. There are many good guests, the best are the ones who have appeared on HIGNFY, e.g. David Mitchell, Lucy Porter, Ed Byrne.

Mock the Week is not as good as HIGNFY but it is the closest you are going to get to that show. It's worthy entertainment.

Rarely do you find a topical series in the united kingdom that is this funny. initially there was "have i got news for you", a series with similar ideas yet less improvisation and with fewer "laugh out loud" gags.

This series is not a afraid to push the boundaries and explore taboos that might perhaps be overlooked in other programs - Rory Bremner's impersonations are outstanding and stand out above the rest, and the special guests add an extra ingredient that make this satirical series utterly compelling, i look forward to the next instalment even as the credits roll.

Recommended for those who are and are not interested in politics

Mock the week is amazinggg....its so entertaining that through a life that throws so much 'crap' at us this is the little thing that makes my week bearable!!! it never fails to deliver a smile on my lips and each comedian has their own flavour to add to the show making it a unique and superb show! Russell, Andy, Frankie and Hugh are the obvious faves but Gina and Ed are pretty cool too.

This is a show that i desperately want all on DVD and one that i never miss, keeps me smiling, lightens up my week and one i miss when it is between seasons!

The comedians don't get half the praise they should do for the entertainment they provide!!

so sit back, relax and laugh your freaking ass off!!! i certainly do!

This is one of the funniest programmes on TV. It doesn't matter that some parts are scripted, the delivery of the lines is timed perfectly and anyone with a sense of humour will be laughing out loud. The guests have a brilliant banter going on, and the stand-up challenges are hilarious.

The guests aren't the same every week, adding variety and all the panelists have a different type of humour to offer the audience. Dara O'Brain is brilliant, he seems to fit the part of a host excellently, and the panelists who are there every week (Hugh Dennis, Frankie Boyle and Andy Parsons) are amazingly funny, with humour that should cater for everyone's tastes.

This incredible programme that has been aired on the BBC over the past three years combines the hilarious satirical comedy of Have I Got News For You with the witty improvisational skills of Whose Line Is It Anyway? to create what is - in my opinion - the ultimate panel show - Mock the Week.

The regulars are some of the finest comedians in the country at this moment in time; Frankie Boyle is simply a comic master, generating hysterical laughter from his frequently funny cracks at the leaders of the country; Hugh Dennis is a very skilled impressionist who comes up with unbelievably quick improvisations; Andy Parsons is probably the best satirist on TV; and Russell Howard happens to be one of the brightestup-and-coming talents around.

David Mitchell, Ed Byrne and Jo Brand make regular appearances, and Dara O'Brian is the perfect presenter for a show of this quality.

Tune into Mock the Week next time it's on Dave or the BBC to watch the funniest thing you've ever seen. Trust me - you'll be dying with laughter.

i've liked mock the week for ages, and i think its a very good show. people have it totally wrong when they say it's not funny, because it is. they take the week's news and spin it around a bit and make it more funny and lighthearted. it's not intended to be true or factual, but just to make the doom and gloom of the news into something that will make people smile a bit. and i think it works.

Dara o'Brian is a brilliant host and they couldn't have chosen anyone better for the job. Frankie Boyle seems to get more publicity than anyone else on the show, but that's because he's more outspoken, and definitely speaks his mind. Hugh Dennis works well with Frankie, and they manage to keep each other in check perfectly. Russell Howard is my favourite guy on the show, because i find him the funniest. i think he takes Frankie to be like some kind of role model (which isn't necessarily a good thing though.) and they always seem to be such good mates. Andy parsons is probably the one i think is the least funny, but he has his moments. he's still a pretty good comic. they bounce well off each other and can laugh it themselves as well as each other.

so you can have your own opinion of mock the week, but just remember that it's still on the TV for a reason - the public like it.

Like many people reviewing this I agree 100% that this show has gone down hill in humour. The removal of most funny comedians who weren't afraid to just joke about anything.

I would recommend watching series 1 - 12 with Andy Parsons, Frankie Boyle, Hugh Dennis, Milton Jones, Garry Delaney, Zoe Lynes.

It has gone from flowing nicely to forced humour relying on Political Correctness and a corporate hold on what is allowed to be said.

All in all, it went from really funny to cringe worthy.

This used to be hilarious no holds barred comedy, but now I get fed up of the constant political bias and agenda enforcing. Was 10/10, now 6/10.

In a mix of Have I Got News For You and Who's Line is it Anyway this topical news quiz is entertaining but is far from being as clever as it thinks it is. In essence it is a quiz with questions relating to the news given to the panel made up of two teams but it also features rounds where individuals step forward to make jokes on a topic given them by host Dara O'Brian. The two aspects work as well as each other although personally my preference is for the panel format more than the "stand-up" format.

And maybe that is why I enjoy the show but am not a massive fan of it. You see, to me, it all does seem very much like everyone has prepared their lines and their routines and at times it does seem like they are delivering their stand up routines in response to questions that they aware of long before the show began. Of course I know that with all panel shows they are aware of the questions and subjects to some degree but here it is consistently more evident as the various panellists seem pretty separate in what they are doing.

The effect of this is to delivery some funny lines but for the show itself to feel a bit disjointed and fragmented. Of course it does depend on the panellists involved but recently they have been stand-up performers who are used to delivering alone rather than jamming off others.

Overall though, a topical news quiz that aims for a lower end of the market but is still enjoyable and entertaining. The stand-up nature of it produces plenty of good laughs in each episode but does have the downside of fragmenting the banter and making it feel like everyone queuing up to deliver their lines rather than genuinely sparking off one another.

This BBC panel game is mostly based on the week's events and media coverage. It's very funny most of the time.

It varies in quality, depending on who is taking part during that episode. Whilst most are good, there are some episodes which are mediocre.

Freakanomic, what are you talking about? This is one of the best topical comedy shows around! I am always laughing at their jokes. They put different unusual people on to make it more interesting and so you see things from different people's views! Some people just don't appreciate the Shows on TV. Russell Howard MAKES the show! He is , rm, the play maker if you like. He makes the show funny and makes it all run smoothly.(most of the time anyways. LoL) I mean i only watch TV when mock the week is on, that's how good it is! I don't understand how anyone doesn't like this show! It's amazingly fantastic, and It is plain to see that all the people that are on the show are AMAZING!!!!!!!!

I have to say I completely disagree with the previous comment. Mock the Week brings modern humour for adults to our screens in a brilliant manner. All the comedians bar one are fantastic; Andy Parsons does have the most irritating voice and is incredibly predictable with what he is going to say.

Dara O'Briain is a brilliant presenter and ties the show together really well.

Frankie Boyle though unbelievably politically incorrect makes me laugh without fail every time he speaks.

Hugh Dennis and Russell Howard are fantastic as well, a personal favourite of mine was when Hugh voiced over a video clip of the Duke of Edinburgh - definitely a must see! The female guests who appear on the show are not funny in the slightest which is a real shame.

All in all this is show is brilliant with some of today's best comedians finding the funny sides of today's news.

I found mock the week whilst searching for Frankie Boyle on you tube. I was pleasantly surprised when I clicked on "best bits" of mock the week. I assumed mock the week wouldn't be "My cup of tea", because for some reason, i remember that my Dad watched it ha!!, but i loved it. I liked how the show demonstrates creativity, the panelists have to create jokes around certain topics like education, the news etc. I did question if the comedians were able to prepare jokes for the show beforehand. I have read that they are able to this, but it sill requires great skill (in my eyes anyway ha!) to create multiple different jokes about many different subjects and memorize them, then present them in a funny way, without laughing. It highlights "real life issues" and tends to make a joke out of it, which we sometimes need. I'm not sure what is true, but i have read a number of things explaining why Frankie Boyle left the show. One bit of information I read was that he was "asked to leave" because he was deemed a "raciest comedian". The other source of information suggested that him and the other panelists were asked to "tone it down" because of the offense that the show was causing and he "walked out" because he didn't agree with this. Some people who have written reviews bellow say it is not as good as it once was because the panelist, are being "Too careful".To be honest I believe this is silly, The jokes are meant to be a bit offensive that is why they are funny. It is comedy at the end of the day. I don't think a lot of the jokes comedians say are actually what they believe . I cant think of a joke on mock the week I was offended by. However, I have found that some comedians take jokes too far. Amy schumer took things too far on "the roast". I would be offended if a close friend of mine just died, and a comedian, said whilst only standing a few feet away from me, that everyone wishes it was you that was dead!! Too far!! I don't like her personalty anyway and I think that joke proved why. Anyway, we need more shows like mock the week, instead if mind numbing reality shows that seem to be all over our screens these days :)

Mock the week in my opinion is the funniest panel show on TV. As it combines two of the greatest panel shows of all time: Have I Got News For You and Whose Line Is It Anyway. It combines elements of improvisation and political satire and this hybrid creates an extremely entertaining show.Frankie Boyle's offensive yet funny and strangely charming humour drive this show into areas no other stand-up based show has reached.Other comedians like Russel Howard and Andy Parsons give the show a different angle to avoid it being purely "boring" politics.Furthermore Hugh Dennis whom I personally regard as the show's weak link often fails to impress and resorts to cheap "Jimmy Saville" jokes and these DO get old.

Nevertheless, the show remains hilarious. Improv round "Scenes We'd Like To See" secures the shows place as the best panel show on TV. Moreover, the show's choice not to hire childish, unfunny celebrities to raise the shows profile eg. Peter Andre and Ex big brother house mates(unlike 8 out of 10 cats) lets the show concentrate on providing the viewing public with magnificent gut-wrenching comedy.

This is really terrible comedy with mediocre comedians. The comedy is not spontaneous as claimed. The feed lines are given days before the show, so the comedians have time to prepare the gags. All in all, not a good panel show.

I usually like Mock the Week, and think the regular panellists are superbly witty and entertaining. However, I was appalled at how often Shappi Khorsandi was spoken over and ignored as she tried to say something on the show which aired 25 January in the UK. It could have just been the editing, I suppose, but it looked extremely discourteous.

I thought she only really came across properly during the rounds where she was able to take the mic unimpeded by the male panellists. This is a shame as female comedians are a rare breed and those there are should be given the opportunity to do their thing.

NP

Mock The Week Is Brilliant And Hilariously Funny! I Don't Know How No One Can Dislike It, And I Mean No One. The Comedians Picked For The Show Are - To Put It Straight - Geniuses. Hugh Dennis Is My Favourite Because He Is So Clever, But I Also Like Milton Jones,Russell Howard, Chris Addison And Frankie Boyle. Rory Bremner Is Also A FANTASTIC Impersonator.

Now Onto Dara O'Brian, The Iconic Host Of Mock The Week. He Provides The Bit That Holds The Show Together, And It Works SUPERBLY. He Is The Perfect Host For The Show In My Opinion! Mock The Week Has Always Competed For Viewers Against Other Panel Shows Like 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks' And 'Have I Got News For You?'. As Much As I Like These Two Shows Mock The Week Comes Out On Top, Every time! I Rate It 10 Stars Because Of The Utter Genius That Is Put Into This Show!

Enjoy the show. I really love the out takes and holiday specials.