''The News Quiz'' is a British topical panel game broadcast on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...

History

''The News Quiz'' was first broadcast in 1977 with

Barry Norman Barry Leslie Norman (21 August 1933 – 30 June 2017) was a British film critic, television presenter and journalist. He presented the BBC's cinema review programme, '' Film...'', from 1972 to 1998. Early life Born at St Thomas’s Hospital ...

as chairman. Subsequently, it was chaired by Barry Took from 1979 to 1981, Simon Hoggart from 1981 to 1986, Barry Took again from 1986 to 1995, and then again by Simon Hoggart from 1996 until March 2006. Hoggart was replaced by Sandi Toksvig in September 2006, who in turn was replaced by

Miles Jupp Miles Hugh Barrett Jupp (born 8 September 1979) is an English actor, singer, and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian before playing the role of the inventor Archie in the children's television series '' Balamory''. He also played ...

in September 2015 until his departure at the end of 2019. Three different hosts took the chair in 2020, Nish Kumar (series 101),

Angela Barnes Angela Barnes (born 9 November 1976) is an English stand-up comedian, mostly known for her appearances on ''Mock the Week''. Early life Barnes was born in Sidcup, London and brought up in Maidstone, Kent. She went to Invicta Grammar School t ...

(series 102), and Andy Zaltzman (series 103). At the end of series 103 it was announced that Zaltzman would continue as permanent host. The series was created by John Lloyd based on an idea from Nicholas Parsons. Originally '' Private Eye'' editor Richard Ingrams and ''

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pu ...

'' editor Alan Coren acted as team captains. It was adapted for television in 1981 under the title ''Scoop'', running for two series, and later inspired the television programme '' Have I Got News for You''. In 2012 the BBC piloted an American version hosted by

Lewis Black Lewis Niles Black (born August 30, 1948) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy routines often escalate into angry rants about history, politics, religion, or any other cultural trends. He hosted the Comedy Central series '' Lewi ...

. On 28 June 2013, the ''News Quiz'' paid tribute to Radio 4 announcer

Rory Morrison Rory David Morrison (5 August 1964 – 11 June 2013) was a newsreader and continuity announcer for BBC Radio 4. Early life and education Morrison was born in London in 1964, the eldest of Anne and Bob Morrison's three children. He was bro ...

, who used to read the news cuttings on the programme. During series 97, running from August to October 2018, Jupp was absent due to filming commitments overseas, so show regulars Simon Evans,

Susan Calman Susan Grace Calman (born 6 November 1974) is a Scottish comedian, television presenter, writer and panellist on a number of BBC Radio 4 shows including ''The News Quiz'' and ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue''. She has written and starred in two se ...

, Fred MacAulay,

Bridget Christie Bridget Louise Christie (born 17 August 1971) is an English stand-up comedian, actress and writer. She has written and performed 12 Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows and several comedy tours, in addition to radio and television work. She has recei ...

, Jo Brand and

Lucy Porter Lucy Donna Porter (born 27 January 1973) is an English actress, writer and comedian. She has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Brighton Festival and many clubs around Britain. She is also a regular voice on BBC Radio 4 in various panel sh ...

took turns in the host's seat. Jupp himself chaired the first and last episodes of the series. In May 2019 it was announced that Jupp would leave the show at the end of the 99th series at the end of the month. Series 100 had several hosts: Nish Kumar,

, Andy Zaltzman, Phil Wang,

Kiri Pritchard-McLean Kiri Louise Pritchard-McLean (born 1986) is a Welsh comedian and writer. She has performed for several consecutive years at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and won five Chortle Awards. Career Pritchard-McLean is the director and writer for sketc ...

, Zoe Lyons, Patrick Kielty and Andrew Maxwell. The hosts for 2020 were Nish Kumar,

and Andy Zaltzman. Zaltzman was named as the permanent host at the conclusion of series 103.

Transmission

The programme is usually recorded in front of an audience on Thursday evenings at the BBC Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House in

central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...

. It is then edited and broadcast first on Friday evening at 18:30, then repeated at Saturday lunchtime. The final 28 minute show is significantly shorter than the original recording. In 2012 the BBC began making an extended version for

BBC Radio 4 Extra BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station from the BBC, broadcasting archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes nationally, 24 hours a day. It is the sister station of BBC Radio 4 and the ...

. Each week, four panellists appear on the show. They are usually either

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audienc ...

s or

journalists A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

, and sometimes politicians. Journalists predominated in the early years. The ostensible purpose of the show is to test contestants' knowledge of the events of the previous week by asking questions which are usually oblique references to those events. However this has given way to a general free-for-all where panellists chime in with their own humorous and satirical remarks once the question has been answered. The participants frequently wander off topic. The host ends the discussion of each question with a summary of the events it refers to, usually with a scripted comic punchline, before asking the next question. It is not uncommon for the show to get through only two rounds of the panel before the final section is reached. Before the host announces the largely symbolic scores, the panellists read out statements from newspapers and other media which they find amusing.

Personnel

Current host

In 2020, Andy Zaltzman guest hosted series 103 and at the end of the run was announced as the new permanent host.

Former hosts

(1977–1979) * Barry Took (1979–1981 & 1986–1995) * Simon Hoggart (1981–1985 & 1996–2006) * Sandi Toksvig (2006–2015) *

(2015–2019, series 88–99) * Nish Kumar,

, Andy Zaltzman, Phil Wang,

, Zoe Lyons, Patrick Kielty and Andrew Maxwell (September – October 2019, series 100) * Nish Kumar (2020, series 101) *

(2020, series 102)

Current regular panellists

* Simon Evans * Andy Hamilton * Helen Lewis * Zoe Lyons * Fred MacAulay *

* Hugo Rifkind *

Mark Steel Mark Steel (born 4 July 1960) is an English author, broadcaster, stand-up comedian and newspaper columnist. He has made many appearances on radio and television shows as a guest panellist, and has written regular columns in '' The Guardian'', ' ...

* Francis Wheen *

* Andrew Maxwell

Former regular panellists

* Samira Ahmed * Alan Coren * Rebecca Front * Jeremy Hardy * Ian Hislop * Simon Hoggart (also a former host) *

Armando Iannucci Armando Giovanni Iannucci (; born 28 November 1963) is a Scottish satirist, writer, director, producer, performer, and panellist. Born in Glasgow to Italian parents, Iannucci studied at the University of Glasgow followed by the University ...

(also a former producer of the programme) * Richard Ingrams * Jonathan King * Sue Perkins *

Carrie Quinlan Carrie Quinlan is a British actress and comedy writer. She is a cast member of '' John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme'' and the youngest child of Mary and Michael Quinlan. History Quinlan attended Nonsuch High School in Surrey and Cherwell Sc ...

* Linda Smith * Sandi Toksvig (later a host) * Barry Took (also a former host)

BBC newsreaders

The News Quiz also features considerable comedic input from regular BBC newsreaders (or "hacks-neutral", as Alan Coren referred to them). The current regulars are: *

Corrie Corfield Coriona Kear Ware Corfield is a radio broadcaster and producer known especially for her newsreading and continuity announcements on BBC Radio 4. Early life and education She was born 1961 in Oxford. Raised near Stratford-upon-Avon, Corfield wa ...

* Caroline Nicholls * Susan Rae *

Neil Sleat Neil Sleat is a newsreader and continuity announcer on BBC Radio 4. Career After joining the BBC as a trainee engineer, working as a studio manager and then an announcer/newsreader on the BBC World Service, he joined Radio 4 as an announcer/ne ...

Kathy Clugston Kathy Clugston (born 22 August 1969) is a Northern Irish presenter, newsreader and continuity announcer on BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 4 Extra and the BBC World Service. Born in Belfast, Clugston attended Methodist College and then studied French ...

* Alan Smith * Zeb Soanes * Diana Speed And former regulars include: *

Chris Aldridge Chris Aldridge is a continuity announcer and newsreader for BBC Radio 4. Biography He grew up in Horsham, West Sussex. After one term studying medicine at London Hospital Medical College, Aldridge studied mathematics at Bedford College (Unive ...

* Carolyn Brown *

Harriet Cass Harriet R M Cass (born 4 February 1952) is a freelance broadcaster, best known for her work on BBC Radio 4 as a senior announcer, with responsibility for newsreading and continuity. Born in London NW10, at the Central Middlesex Hospital, the four ...

* Peter Donaldson *

Charlotte Green Charlotte Green (born 4 May 1956) is a British radio broadcaster and a former continuity announcer and news reader for BBC Radio 4. After 1988 she specialised in news reading, including reading the news on Radio 4 breakfast ''Today'' programme ...

* Brian Perkins Corrie Corfield appeared as a panellist once when Sandi Toksvig was unable to attend. As a current BBC newsreader she was bound by the BBC's code of practice for newsreaders, which prevented her from making any opinionated comments on-air (When asked, "What do you think of Bush, Corrie?", she responded, "He's an American.") Peter Donaldson also appeared as a guest, in an episode broadcast in September 1999.

Producers

* Gwyn Rhys Davies *Suzy Grant * Victoria Lloyd *Richard Morris * Joe Nunnery *Paul Sheehan * Lyndsay Fenner * Sam Michell * Sam Bryant * Ed Morrish * Katie Tyrrell * Simon Nicholls *

Lucy Armitage Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Luci ...

* Jon Rolph * Aled Evans * Harry Thompson *

* John Lloyd * Louise Coats

Scriptwriters

Each week, the chair's script is written by three main writers, with material contributed by one or two additional writers. Current regular writers include: *

Benjamin Partridge Benjamin Partridge (born 1986) is a Welsh comedy writer, performer and producer. He created the '' Beef And Dairy Network Podcast''. Career Partridge's professional writing career began when he was awarded the BBC Radio Comedy Writers Bursar ...

Alice Fraser Alice Fraser is an Australian comedian, writer, podcaster, and actor. Early life and education Fraser studied law at the University of Sydney before going on to earn a master's degree in English literature (Rhetoric) in Cambridge, England. Fr ...

* Madeleine Brettingham * Laura Major * Mike Shephard * Robin Morgan * Max Davis * Sarah Morgan * Gabby Hutchinson Crouch * Catherine Brinkworth * Kat Sadler * Simon Alcock Former regular writers include: * James Kettle *

Simon Littlefield Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

* Rhodri Crooks * Lucy Clarke * Gareth Gwynn * John-Luke Roberts * Jon Hunter * Andy Wolton * James Sherwood *

Stephen Carlin Stephen Carlin is a Scottish-born stand-up comedian and writer, now living in London. He was named by Stewart Lee as one of the 'Ten Best Comedians In The World Ever'. He has appeared on television and radio including ITV2's ''Comedy Cuts'' and ...

* George Poles * Paul McKenzie * Dave Cohen * Tom Jamieson * Nev Fountain *

Debbie Barham Deborah Ann "Debbie" Barham (20 November 1976 – 20 April 2003) was an English comedy writer who died at the age of 26 of heart failure brought on as a result of anorexia. As well as writing for TV and radio, Barham wrote columns for newspa ...

Iain Pattinson Iain Pattinson (2 January 1953 – 14 February 2021) was a British scriptwriter. His work included writing the chairman's script for the long-running BBC Radio 4 panel game ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue'', delivered by the programme's veteran cha ...

(1990s)

Music

The opening title music is an arrangement of '' The Typewriter'', by Leroy Anderson played by The James Shepherd Versatile Brass. For the programme the original recording (on Decca records SB 314) has been increased in speed and pitch by about 33%.

Cultural references

BBC MindGames Magazine regularly featured several BBC-linked puzzles, including ''The News Quiz'', a series of questions about the last month's more unlikely news. Issue 5 (November 2006) also included an interview with Sandi Toksvig.

Audiobook releases

Entire series from series 87 onwards have been released on audio CD and made available for download. The following compilations have also been released by BBC Audio. * Simon Hoggart's Pick of The News Quiz: Volume 1 (6 Nov 2000) * Simon Hoggart's Pick of The News Quiz: Volume 2 (23 Sep 2002) * The News Quiz: The First 25 Years (1 Jul 2003) * The News Quiz: The Very Best Of 2004 (1 Nov 2004) * The News Quiz: The Best of 2005 (18 Oct 2005) * The News Quiz: Hold The Front Page (2 Oct 2006) * The News Quiz: Stop Press! (1 Oct 2007) * The News Quiz: "Read All About It!" (27 Nov 2008) * The News Quiz: Soundbites (13 Nov 2014) * The News Quiz: The Best Of 2015 (5 Nov 2015) * The News Quiz: A Vintage Collection 1977–2002 (3 Aug 2017) * The News Quiz: The Best Of 2017 (2 Nov 2017) * The News Quiz: The Best Of 2018 (1 Nov 2018) * The News Quiz: Classic Collection (audio download only, 15 Aug 2019) * The News Quiz: The Best Of 2019 (7 Nov 2019)

Podcast

As of 28 September 2007, ''The News Quiz'' became downloadable as part of the "Friday Night Comedy" podcast feed for Radio 4. The podcast switches between ''The News Quiz'' and '' The Now Show'', depending on which show is being transmitted. During Miles Jupp's tenure, an extended version of the show entitled The News Quiz Extra featuring an additional 10–15 minutes of material was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in the week following the standard Radio 4 broadcast. This version was also made available as a podcast.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:News Quiz 1977 radio programme debuts Audio podcasts BBC Radio 4 programmes BBC Radio comedy programmes British panel games British satirical radio programmes Comedy and humor podcasts British radio game shows 1970s British game shows 1980s British game shows 1990s British game shows 2000s British game shows 2010s British game shows BBC panel games Satirical radio programmes 2007 podcast debuts