''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' (commonly shortened to ''22 Minutes'' since 2009) is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics with a combination of

news parody News satire or news comedy is a type of parody presented in a format typical of mainstream journalism, and called a satire because of its content. News satire has been around almost as long as journalism itself, but it is particularly popular on t ...

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...

, and

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

editorials. Originally featuring

Cathy Jones Catherine Frederica "Cathy" Jones (born April 6, 1955) is a Canadian actress, comedian and writer. She is known for her work for 28 years on the Canadian television series '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes''. Jones left the show in 2021. Early life a ...

Rick Mercer Richard Vincent "Rick" Mercer (born October 17, 1969) is a Canadian comedian, television personality, Political satire, political satirist, and author. He is best known for his work on the CBC Television comedy shows ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' ...

Greg Thomey Greg Thomey (born May 8, 1961) is a Canadian comedian, actor and playwright and a founding member of the long-running television program ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes''. He has been a recipient of numerous Gemini Awards. Born in St. John's, Newfou ...

, and Mary Walsh, the series featured satirical sketches of the weekly news and Canadian political events. The show's format is a mock news program, intercut with comic sketches, parody commercials, and humorous interviews of public figures. Its full name is a parody of ''

This Hour Has Seven Days ''This Hour Has Seven Days'' was a CBC Television public affairs program that ran from 1964 to 1966, offering viewers in-depth analysis of the major social and political stories of the previous week. The show, inspired by the BBC and NBC-TV s ...

'', a CBC news magazine from the 1960s; the "22 Minutes" refers to the fact that a half-hour television program in Canada and the US is typically 22 minutes long with eight minutes of

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

s. Jones and Walsh had previously worked together on the sketch comedy series ''

CODCO ''CODCO'' is a Canadian comedy troupe from Newfoundland, best known for a sketch comedy series which aired on CBC Television from 1988 to 1993.Salter Street Films Salter Street Films was a Canadian television and film production company based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. History Salter Street Films was founded by brothers Paul and Michael Donovan in 1983. Paul was trained as a director at the London Film S ...

produced the series until the 2003–2004 season. Salter Street was acquired in 2001 by

Alliance Atlantis Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. (commonly known as Alliance Atlantis) was a Canadian media company that operated primarily as a specialty service operator in Canada. Alliance Atlantis also had offices in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Los ...

, and production of the series was transferred directly to Alliance Atlantis in the twelfth season. In 2005 Halifax Film, a new company formed by Salter co-founder Michael Donovan, took over production of the show. In 2006, Halifax Film merged with Decode Entertainment to form DHX Media (now

WildBrain WildBrain Ltd. is a Canadian media, animation studio, production company, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest independent library of Children's tel ...

), which has produced the show since. In 2019, the rights were sold to IoM Media Ventures, which acquired DHX's Halifax studio the year prior. Recognized with 24

Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in th ...

and 11

Canadian Comedy Awards The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000. Th ...

, ''22 Minutes'' is taped before a live audience within the old World Trade Centre in downtown

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

. Its 28th season was taped at the Light House Arts Centre in Halifax with a smaller audience and crew. The series, which originally aired on Mondays for several seasons and later on Fridays, currently airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on CBC. The series formerly followed the ''

Rick Mercer Report ''Rick Mercer Report'' (also called the ''Mercer Report'' or ''RMR'') is a Canadian television comedy series which aired on CBC Television from 2004 to 2018. Launched as ''Rick Mercer's Monday Report'', or simply ''Monday Report'', by comedian ...

''.

Cast

Although each cast member's real name was always shown at the beginning of each episode, at the end of most episodes prior to 2006, one cast member would sign off using their anchor character's name, which is noted below where known. This has now been discontinued, and anchors now regularly address each other by their real names.

Current members

* Mark Critch (2003–present), as anchor (formerly ''Bas MacLaren'', apparently in homage to two well-known Newfoundland radio announcers, Bas Jamieson and George MacLaren) and various correspondents and sketch characters. * Trent McClellan (2017–present) as anchor and various correspondents and sketch characters. *

Aba Amuquandoh Aba Amuquandoh (born 1994 or 1996) is a Canadian actress and comedian, best known for her work on the sketch comedy series ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes''. She first joined the show in the 2020 season, both as a writer and as a supporting performer in ...

(2021–present) as anchor and various correspondents and sketch characters. *

Stacey McGunnigle Stacey McGunnigle (born 1985-1986) is a Canadian actress and comedian, most noted as a cast member of the sketch comedy series ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' since October 2021. Originally from Alliston, Ontario, Alliston, Ontario,Brad Wheeler"Sec ...

(2021–present) as anchor and various correspondents and sketch characters. * Chris Wilson (2023-present) as anchor and various correspondents and sketch characters. For the 2020 season, the show added

Nik Sexton Nicholas Carlo Herbert Sexton (born March 1980) is a Canada, Canadian film and television director from Newfoundland and Labrador.Conor McCann"Love, death and COVID-19: How a mother and son honoured their family with a new documentary" CBC News ...

, Tom Stanley and Jon Sturge as field reporters covering the

2020 United States elections Elections in the United States, Elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party's nominee, former Vice presidents of the United States, vice president Joe Biden, defeated incu ...

."For the first time, This Hour Has 22 Minutes will cover the U.S. election in the field"

CBC News CBC News is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC ...

, October 1, 2020. In addition to the main cast, some members of the show's writing team, including Heidi Brander, Adam Christie,

Sophie Buddle Sophie Buddle is a Canadian stand-up comedian, originally from Ottawa. She is most noted for her 2019 comedy album ''A Lil Bit of Buddle'', which won the Juno Award for Comedy Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020. She was the first woman ...

, Aisha Brown, Nadine Bhabha,

Isabel Kanaan ''Abroad'' is a Canadian sketch comedy television series, which debuted in 2022 on OMNI Television. Created by Isabel Kanaan, the series presents comedy sketches in both English and Tagalog, inspired by Kanaan's own experience as a Filipino immigr ...

, Brandon Ash-Mohammed, Jordan Foisy,

Travis Lindsay Travis Lindsay is a Canadian stand-up comedian from Halifax, Nova Scotia, most noted as a member of the writing team for ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' since 2021. After performing as a comedian for a number of years, he released his debut comedy a ...

Ajahnis Charley Ajahnis Charley is a Canada, Canadian sketch and stand-up comedian and actor. They are most noted for their work as part of the writing team for ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'', who collectively won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Writing in a Vari ...

Dan Dillabough Daniel Colin Dillabough (born 1992) is a Canadian television writer and comedian, best known for his work as a writer and correspondent on the CBC sketch comedy series ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes''. He was raised in St. John’s, Newfoundland and i ...

and Leonard Chan, have also appeared in sketches as supporting players. Wilson was promoted to a full cast member in the 2023-24 season, after having also been a writer and supporting player since 2021.

Mark McKinney Mark Douglas Brown McKinney (born June 26, 1959) is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known as a member of the sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, which includes starring in the 1989 to 1995 TV series '' The Kids in the Hall'' and ...

joined the show in 2025 to play prime minister

Mark Carney Mark Joseph Carney (born March 16, 1965) is a Canadian politician and economist who has served as the 24th and current Prime Minister of Canada, prime minister of Canada since 2025. He has served as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, lead ...

for the duration of the

2025 Canadian federal election The 2025 Canadian federal election was held on April 28, 2025, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons to the 45th Canadian Parliament. Governor General Mary Simon issued the writs of election on March 23, 2025, afte ...

Former members

(1993–2021) as anchor (formerly ''Sydney Dubizzenchyk'', a reference to former CBC anchor Tina Srebotnjak, who had become the host of ''

Midday Noon (also known as noontime or midday) is 12 o'clock in the daytime. It is written as 12 noon, 12:00 m. (for '' meridiem'', literally 12:00 midday), 12 p.m. (for ''post meridiem'', literally "after midday"), 12 pm, or 12:00 (using a 24-hour cloc ...

'' in 1992) and various correspondents and sketch characters. Jones was the longest running anchor in the show's history, and the last of the show's four original cast members to leave. *

(1993–2001) as anchor ''J. B. Dickson'' and various correspondents and sketch characters. Mercer left the show to devote more time to '' Made in Canada''; after that show ended he launched ''

'', a series similar to ''22 Minutes''. *

Colin Mochrie Colin Andrew Mochrie (; born November 30, 1957) is a Scottish-born Canadian actor, writer, producer and improvisational comedian, best known for his appearances on the British and American versions of the improvisational TV show ''Whose Line ...

(2001–2003) as anchor ''Anthony St. George'' and various correspondents and sketch characters. Mochrie left the show after two seasons to pursue his own projects and other movie roles, returning to guest star on the January 27, 2006 episode. Mochrie was the first change to the original cast, following the departure of Rick Mercer. * Mary Walsh (1993–2004) as anchor ''Molly McGuire'' and various correspondents and sketch characters. Walsh appeared less often in season 11 and left the series to pursue her film career and to host '' Mary Walsh: Open Book'', a CBC series in which she moderated a celebrity panel discussing books and literature. Walsh has returned to the show several times as a guest since her departure, most notably for a 2011 appearance in which Walsh, in character as Marg Delahunty, accosted controversial Toronto mayor

Rob Ford Robert Bruce Ford (May 28, 1969 – March 22, 2016) was a Canadian politician and businessman who served as the 64th mayor of Toronto from 2010 to 2014. Before and after his term as mayor, Ford was a city councillor representing Ward 2 Etobi ...

in his driveway. *

(1993–2005) as anchor ''Frank MacMillan'' and various correspondents and sketch characters. Thomey appeared less often in season 12 and left the show in 2006. In season 22, Thomey has been appearing as a regular guest. * Geri Hall (2007–2011), as anchor and various correspondents and sketch characters. Hall had previously been a fill-in anchor in fall 2004 and March 2007. *

Gavin Crawford Gavin Crawford (born 2 April 1971) is a Canadian comedian and actor, best known for ''The Gavin Crawford Show'' and ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes''. He currently hosts the panel show, ''Because News'', on CBC Radio One. Early life Crawford was bo ...

(2003–2011) as anchor (formerly ''Gavin Cooper'', a possible homage to

Anderson Cooper Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967) is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator who anchors the CNN news broadcast show ''Anderson Cooper 360°''. In addition to his duties at CNN, Cooper serves as a correspondent for ''6 ...

) and various correspondents and sketch characters. *

Shaun Majumder Shaun Majumder is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his role on ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes,'' where he worked from 2003 until 2018. He won a Gemini Award for his work on the series in 2006. Early life Majumder was raised in Bu ...

(2003–2010, 2011–2018) as anchor (formerly ''Tucker T. Bartlett'') and various correspondents and sketch characters. He appeared less often in his last couple of years with the show, and eventually left the series to star on ''

Detroit 1-8-7 ''Detroit 1-8-7'' is an American police procedural drama series about the Detroit Police Department's leading homicide unit, created by Jason Richman for ABC. It featured an ensemble cast of actors including Michael Imperioli and James McDani ...

'', but returned to the show starting in the 19th season. He was fired from the show in June 2018 and made it public in August 2018, citing creative differences with a producer. * Susan Kent (2012–2020) as anchor and various correspondents and sketch characters.

Timeline

Substitute anchors/special correspondents

Substitute news anchors on the series are people who "guest star" on the series for when series regulars are away (from Season 10 onwards). * Mark Farrell (February 1999) *

Jonathan Torrens Jonathan Ormond Torrens (born October 2, 1972) is a Canadian actor and television personality best known for his co-hosting of ''Street Cents'', his talk show ''Jonovision'', and his role as "J-Roc" in the popular Canadian mockumentary ''Trailer ...

(September/October 2002) * Dan Joffre (February 2003) *

Jennifer Robertson Jennifer Robertson (born November 24, 1971) is a Canadian actress, writer, and comedian. She is known for her starring role as Jocelyn Schitt in the CBC sitcom ''Schitt's Creek'' (2015–2020), for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award and ...

(November and December 2003) *

Kathy Greenwood Kathryn Greenwood (born March 21, 1962) is a Canadian actress and comedian. She appeared on the American version of ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' numerous times, and played Grace Bailey on the Canadian television drama series '' Wind at My Back ...

(October and November 2004) * Shauna MacDonald (October 2005 – November 2005) *

Tracy Dawson Tracy Dawson is a Canadian actress, comedian and writer. She is best known for her role as Meghan Fitzpatrick in ''Call Me Fitz'', for which she won the Gemini Award for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series or Program at the 2011 Gemini Awards. Sh ...

(March 10, 2006) *

Rebecca Northan Rebecca Northan is a Canadian actor, improviser, theatre director, and creative artist. She is known for playing the hippie mother Diane Macleod on the CTV & The Comedy Network sitcom '' Alice, I Think'' and for her role as Jane in the independe ...

(November 2006 and March 2007) *

Nathan Fielder Nathan Joseph Fielder (born May 12, 1983) is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, director, producer, and pilot. He is known for his awkward persona and involvement in works blurring reality and perception. His accolades include an Independent S ...

(2007, as special correspondent) *

Alan Thicke Alan Willis Thicke (né Jeffrey; 1 March 1947 13 December 2016) was a Canadian-American actor, songwriter, and game/talk show host. He was the father of singer Robin Thicke. Thicke was best known for playing Dr. Jason Seaver on the 1980s sitco ...

(2011, in a 1980s themed show) *

P. K. Subban Pernell-Karl Sylvester Subban ( ; born May 13, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Between 2009 and 2022, he played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, and ...

(2012 season premiere) *

George Lazenby George Robert Lazenby (; born 5 September 1939) is an Australian retired actor. Lazenby began his professional career as a model and had only acted in commercials when he was cast to replace the original James Bond actor, Sean Connery, playing ...

(November 27, 2012) *

Joel Plaskett William Joel MacDonald Plaskett (born April 18, 1975) is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a member of Halifax alternative rock band Thrush Hermit in the 1990s. Plaskett performs in a number of gen ...

(March 5, 2013) *

Meredith MacNeill Meredith MacNeill (born 1975) is a Canadian actress and comedian.Jennifer Whalen, head writer guested on-screen occasionally * Abdul Butt (2013–2015, as special correspondent) * Ross Rebagliati (February 4, 2014) * Andrew Barber (Vancouver-based comedian and sole performer in "I'm In Love With Steven Harper" sketch, uploaded on April 2, 2015 on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

)

Regular characters and segments

;

Talking to Americans ''Talking to Americans'' was a regular feature presented by Rick Mercer on the Canadian political satire show '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes'', which was later spun off into a one-hour special that aired on April 1, 2001 on CBC Television.Dana Gee, ...

: Rick Mercer tours the United States, talking to Americans as if from a Canadian news program, asking them about "Canadian issues". The object is to see how little some Americans know about their northern neighbours. The piece was so popular that the CBC had Mercer create a one-hour TV special based on the segment. It became the highest rated comedy special in Canadian television history when it aired on

Canada Day Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day, is the national day of Canada. A Public holidays in Canada, federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 1867, with the passing of the B ...

, 2001. Popular bits include Mercer getting Americans to say "Congratulations Canada on legalizing VCRs!" and getting a professor at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

to sign a petition against the re-starting of the Annual Toronto Polar Bear Hunt. In an election 2000 segment, he convinced then-Governor of Texas

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

that Canada's Prime Minister

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a retired Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. He served as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, leader of t ...

was named Jean

Poutine Poutine () is a dish of french fries and cheese curds topped with a hot brown gravy. It emerged in Quebec in the late 1950s in the Centre-du-Québec region, though its exact origins are uncertain, and there are several competing claims regar ...

and that he was supporting Bush's candidacy. The success of the CBC special got Mercer attention on numerous American media outlets, including ABC's ''

Nightline ''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News (United States), ABC News' Late night television in the United States, late-night television news program broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC in the United States with a franchis ...

''. Mercer abandoned the concept after

September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. ; No Pun Intended : A

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...

-ish Indian rapper/politician played by Shaun Majumder who frequently raps about election issues and what he will do if elected. ; Babe Bennett : A ''22 Minutes'' "sexual affairs correspondent" played by Cathy Jones, Babe is a sassy suffragette, 1940s style, who talks about sexual matters. She ends each segment by saying "I'm just goofin' around!" ;

Marg Delahunty Marg or MARG may refer to: People * Elwin Marg (1918–2010), American optometrist and neuroscientist * Harald Marg (born 1954), German canoer * Marg Downey (born 1961), Australian comedian * Marg Helgenberger, American actress * Marg Moll (1884� ...

: Mary Walsh crashes press conferences, hosts a "sleepover" for the nation's leading female (and gay) politicians, and threatens to "smite" the likes of politicians as "''Marg Princess Warrior''" (a loose parody of

Xena Xena is a fictional character from the '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' franchise, portrayed by New Zealand actress Lucy Lawless and co-created by Robert Tapert and John Schulian. She first appeared as a villain in the 1995–1999 television serie ...

). ; Mark Jackson : ''22 Minutes'' teenage correspondent that talks to politicians and who is played by Gavin Crawford. (The character is carried over from ''

The Gavin Crawford Show ''The Gavin Crawford Show'' is a Canadian sketch comedy series, which aired from June 19, 2000, to July 1, 2003, on The Comedy Network.CBC Gem CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

web series '' Broad Appeal: Living with E's''. ; Streeters, aka The Rant. : A weekly commentary on current events and political issues, which quickly became the show's most famous feature, by Rick Mercer in black and white presentations. This segment was later used in colour presentations on the ''

'' series. ;Max Pointy: A spoof of

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

personality

Rex Murphy Robert Rex Rafael Murphy (March 1947 – 9 May 2024) was a Canadian commentator and author, primarily on Canadian political and social matters. He was the regular host of CBC Radio One's '' Cross Country Checkup'', a nationwide call-in show, fo ...

's political commentaries for '' The National'', performed by Colin Mochrie. Max would start off with a legitimate political issue but end up on an unrelated and generally inane point by the end of his rant. Discontinued when Mochrie left the show. ;That Show Sucked!: with Ma and Eddie Reardon (portrayed by Mary Walsh & Greg Thomey) who make fun of TV shows, with Ma saying that whatever show that Eddie watches "Suck" and constantly demanding that he give her "the G. D. clickerbox". Discontinued when Walsh left the show. ;The Quinlan Quints: four quintuplets (the fifth one went missing and has never been found) who live in

Buchans, Newfoundland and Labrador Buchans ( ) is a town located in the central part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on the northwest shore of Beothuk Lake on the Buchans River. The town is located within the statistica ...

– inspired by the fame of the

Dionne quintuplets The Dionne quintuplets (; born May 28, 1934) are the first quintuplets known to have survived their infancy. The identical girls were born just outside Callander, Ontario, near the village of Corbeil. All five survived to adulthood. The Dion ...

; portrayed by Cathy Jones, Rick Mercer, Greg Thomey and Mary Walsh (Colin Mochrie plays Mercer's quint role for seasons 9 and 10). Usually interviewed by Mercer's character J. B. Dickson, the Quints would boast about something outlandish that Dickson has a hard time believing until one of the quints (usually Jones) spills the beans and reveals that what they were promoting was really a scam. Discontinued when Mochrie left the show. ;Inside Media Counter-spin: A satirical talk show with the host, Heather Coulter, portrayed by Cathy Jones. The host makes blatantly

stereotypical In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...

statements about her guests. ;Panic Room with Betty Hope: Host Betty Hope (played by Cathy Jones) parodies

Nancy Grace Nancy Ann Grace (born October 23, 1959) is an American legal pundit, commentator and television journalist. She hosted ''Nancy Grace (TV program), Nancy Grace'', a nightly celebrity news and current affairs (news format), current affairs show ...

in "breaking news" style segments, in which she interviews someone knowledgeable about a given threat and then spins the facts to make them sound more dramatic and dangerous. ;The Right Answer: Two conservative commentators (played by Rick Mercer and Greg Thomey) debate various issues in the news. When one of them makes a point, they hit a chess timer. Discontinued when Mercer left the show. ;The Special Eds: Mercer and Thomey portray two members of the RCMP – Special Constable Ed Cochrane and Special Constable Ed Codner – with questionable ethics. Discontinued when Mercer left the show. ;Nathan Fielder On Your Side: Nathan Fielder plays a

consumer affairs Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent businesse ...

reporter who is socially awkward, speaks in a near-monotone, and tends to make his interview subjects uncomfortable. Fielder went on to utilize the persona on the American TV show, ''

Nathan for You ''Nathan for You'' is an American satirical docu-reality comedy television series starring Canadian comedian Nathan Fielder. The series was created by Fielder and Michael Koman and premiered on February 28, 2013, on the American cable televisi ...

''.

Crawford's characters

;

Stuart McLean Andrew Stuart McLean, (April 19, 1948 – February 15, 2017) was a Canadian radio broadcaster, humorist, monologist, and author, best known as the host of the CBC Radio program '' The Vinyl Cafe''.Natasha Stillwell Natasha Stillwell is an English television reporter and producer, known in Canada for the television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physi ...

: Based on the former co-host of Discovery Channel's show ''

Daily Planet The ''Daily Planet'' is a fictional newspaper appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The newspaper was first mentioned in ''Action Comics'' #9 (November 13, 1939) – Underworld Politics ...

''. ; Mark Jackson : The teen correspondent of the program, has severe acne and is repeatedly picked on, also talks with a basic braces lisp. Retired in late 2010. ; Rob Boberston : An artist that does a segment called ''Art Break'', a parody of the classic art series ''

The Joy of Painting ''The Joy of Painting'' is an American half-hour instructional television show. Created and hosted by painter Bob Ross, it ran from January 11, 1983, to May 17, 1994. In most episodes, Ross taught techniques for landscape oil painting, completin ...

'' and its host

Bob Ross Robert Norman Ross (October 29, 1942 – July 4, 1995) was an American painter and art instructor who created and hosted '' The Joy of Painting'', an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS in the United States, ...

. ;

Chantal Hébert Chantal St-Cyr Hébert (born 1954) is a Canadian journalist and political commentator. Life and career Hébert was born on April 24, 1954, in Ottawa, Ontario, the oldest of five children of Micheline (Forest) and journalist Jean-Raymond St-Cyr ...

: Based on the political journalist and pundit.

Critch's characters

;

: Based on the newspaper columnist and CBC personality. ; Danny Williams : Based on the former premier of

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

. On the October 16, 2007 episode, the real Danny Williams kicked him off and took over his seat in the news desk during the show's first segment. ;

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. He played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins. After concluding a playing career in the A ...

;

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

Hall's characters

; Avery Adams, Single Female Voter : A prospective voter who confronts politicians about potential "relationships". Perhaps best known for her first appearance in October 2008, in which Hall / Adams was apprehended by security during a

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...

press conference, she also later attracted some controversy when Ontario MPP

Peter Kormos Peter Kormos (October 7, 1952 – March 30, 2013) was a politician in Welland, Ontario, Canada. A lawyer by profession, he was first elected as an Ontario New Democratic Party (ONDP) Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) to the Legislative Asse ...

shouted her out of a press conference with Premier

Dalton McGuinty Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nea ...

Jones' characters

; Sandy Campbell : Host of ''The Campbell Files'', a parody of entertainment shows such as ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...

''. ; Joe Crow : An Aboriginal environmental "correspondent" who talks about the environment and the Canadian government's relation with Native peoples. Each segment ends with Crow blowing out his campfire with a single puff. ; Mrs. Enid : An elderly lady with plenty to say about many different issues. ; Betty Hope : A parody of

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

host

. ; Janet Tucker : A rude U.S/Canadian relations worker who usually is against any changes between the two countries and usually insults Canadians with long insults. She also sounds like she has a New York accent.

Majumder's characters

; Raj Binder : a sweaty soft-spoken Indian sports nerd portrayed by Shaun Majumder, who has also been used as a behind-the-scenes interviewer on '' Just for Laughs''. ;

Ian Hanomansing Ian Harvey Hanomansing (born 1962/1963) is a Trinidadian-Canadian television journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)."Hanomansing's future is anchored in star potential: Pacific Rim host could be next Mansbridge". ''Vancouver ...

: Based on the CBC personality. ;Barnibus Pine : Introduced during a 2014 episode as a "lumbersexual", a woodsman who arouses Kent.

Mercer's characters

; Billyatropia "Billy" Smithopolis : An "outstanding" Canadian sports athlete. Billy has a fear of heights and, according to one sketch, is the only Canadian going to the 2008

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

for sure. ; Gus Van Gus : A "financial advisor" who insists the secret to gaining wealth is to send him "all your money".

Mochrie's characters

; Max Pointy : Based on CBC radio personality

;

Peter Mansbridge Peter Mansbridge (born July 6, 1948) is a British-born Canadian retired news anchor. From 1988 to 2017, he was chief correspondent for CBC News and anchor of '' The National,'' CBC Television's flagship nightly newscast. He was also host of CB ...

: Used in '' Mansbridge One on One'' parody sketches, where "Peter" has insightful interviews with himself.

Thomey's characters

; Jerry Boyle : a Newfoundland separatist whose campaign slogan is "If you can mark an X, you're my kind of people!" The character was created as a recurring character on ''

CODCO ''CODCO'' is a Canadian comedy troupe from Newfoundland, best known for a sketch comedy series which aired on CBC Television from 1988 to 1993.Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

?" ause."NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Walsh's characters

; Connie Bloor : A ''22 Minutes'' Prairie correspondent played by Mary Walsh, who reports from a donut shop. Introduced in each segment by the line: "She's flat as the prairies and twice as wide", she wears a

tuque A knit cap, colloquially known as a beanie, is a piece of knitted headwear designed to provide warmth in cold weather. It usually has a simple tapered shape, although more elaborate variants exist. Historically made of wool, it is now often mad ...

and earmuffs, and her speech is punctuated with a series of snorts. One of her recurring gags involves feeding paper printouts of celebrities and politicians through a paper shredder. ; Marg Delahunty : A ''22 Minutes'' correspondent played by Walsh, Marg Delahunty is an interviewer whose specialty is finding suspectible politicians and hounding them with off-the-cuff interviews designed to satirize and even embarrass them. Some of these interviews were conducted in the guise of "Marg, Princess Warrior", a parody of the title character of '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' portrayed by

Lucy Lawless Lucille Frances Lawless (; born 29 March 1968) is a New Zealand actress and director. She is best known for her roles as Xena in the television series ''Xena: Warrior Princess'', as Number Three (Battlestar Galactica), D'Anna Biers on the re-im ...

. ; Dakey Dunn : A ''22 Minutes'' "Male Correspondent" played by Walsh, replete with gold chain, hairy chest, cigarette and beer, who regularly lays out a macho view of economic and cultural matters. This character was earlier used in the ''

CODCO ''CODCO'' is a Canadian comedy troupe from Newfoundland, best known for a sketch comedy series which aired on CBC Television from 1988 to 1993.Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic, and an inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight chi ...

at a book signing, reciting one of her most famous poems over and over again.

Famous stunts

Jean Poutine

1999–2000 – During the 2000 American election, Rick Mercer approached Republican presidential candidate

on a campaign stop in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, asking for comment on the news that Bush had received the endorsement of Canadian

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

"Jean

". The then-prime minister's name was

, and he had not endorsed Bush – it is standard practice for the Canadian government not to endorse anyone in a foreign election. Bush – who had previously stated that "you can't stump me on world leaders" – acknowledged the purported endorsement with a short statement to the ''22 Minutes'' cameras, which aired as part of the show's regular ''

'' feature. The Talking To Americans segments – and eventual one-hour special – were produced and directed by Geoff D'Eon. In his first official state visit to Canada four years later, Bush joked that his "one regret" about the visit was that he'd "hoped to meet Jean Poutine."

Stockwell/Doris petition

2000–01 – Often cited as the show's best joke, the sketch was aired during the 2000 federal election campaign, and consisted of a staged rant by Rick Mercer. During the 2000 federal election, then-

Canadian Alliance The Canadian Alliance (), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed under that name from 2000 to 2003. The Canadian Alliance was the new name of the ...

leader

Stockwell Day Stockwell Burt Day Jr. (born August 16, 1950) is a former Canadian politician who served as leader of the Canadian Alliance from 2000 to 2001 and later as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. A provincial cabinet minister from Alber ...

proposed a mechanism to call for a

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

. A petition on any particular subject which gathered at least 350,000 signatures of voting age citizens ("3% of the electors") would automatically trigger a national referendum. Mercer's "rant" asked viewers to log on to the ''22 Minutes'' website, and sign an

online petition An online petition (or Internet petition, or e-petition) is a form of petition which is signed online, usually through a form on a website. Visitors to the online petition sign the petition by adding their details such as name and email address. T ...

asking the party leader to change his name to

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...

(after the singer/actress). Mercer wanted the petition to involve Day changing his name while the Doris Day reference was suggested by ''22 Minutes'' writer Luciano Casimiri. Producers claim to have obtained in excess of 1,200,000 online votes. This was cheerfully admitted to be a stunt unhampered by the rigours of an Elections Canada-controlled petition. Although the sketch had no effect on Alliance policy, it did obtain international publicity for the show and contributed to the general air of farce surrounding Day's election campaign. Day's response to the petition was, ''" Que será, será".''

Oilers vs Canadiens

2003–04 – Shaun Majumder, in character as "Raj Binder", was sent to report on the 2003 outdoors

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

and

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

old timers game, preceding the night's actual

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

regular season game, which was the first NHL game to be played outdoors (at

Commonwealth Stadium Commonwealth Stadium is an open-air, multi-purpose stadium located in the McCauley, Edmonton, McCauley neighbourhood of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It has a seating capacity of 56,302, making it the largest open-air stadium in Canada. Primarily ...

in Edmonton). Majumder actually snuck into all the team photos, causing uproar from the event's unwitting organizers in the days after, when the photos were released to the press.

Marg ambushes Rob Ford

On October 24, 2011, Walsh reprised the role of "Marg, Princess Warrior", conducting an ambush interview of Toronto Mayor

at his home, which aired on ''22 Minutes'' the following evening. Ford's reaction and alleged verbal abuse directed at a 911 operator made national headlines. Ford claimed that he had never seen nor heard of ''22 Minutes''.

Controversies

left, Typeface used in logo up to 2009 On November 17, 2004, clips of a sketch for ''22 Minutes'' were released, in which Liberal MP

Carolyn Parrish Carolyn Parrish (born Karolina Janozeski; October 3, 1946) is a Canadian politician who has been the 7th and current mayor of Mississauga since June 24, 2024. Parrish previously served as a Member of Parliament (Canada), member of Parliament (MP ...

stomped on a

doll and performed voodoo on its head, where she said "it would do the least damage". The incident sparked significant outrage from the opposition

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

, who argued that it had the potential to damage diplomatic relations between Canada and the United States. As a result of the incident Parrish was expelled from the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

and sat the remainder of her term as an Independent.

Richard Martineau Richard Martineau (born July 23, 1961) is a right-leaning French-Canadian commentator. He is a columnist for ''Le Journal de Montréal'' newspaper. His columns also appear in the ''Infopresse'' and ''Elle Québec'' magazines. He also hosts ''Franch ...

wrote a column in ''

Le Journal de Montréal is a daily French-language tabloid newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Quebec and is also the largest French-language daily newspaper in North America. Established by Pierre Pé ...

'' criticizing a sketch aired October 7, 2007, entitled "Quebec Nation". In the sketch, two characters discussed the state of affairs after a separation from Canada, which left them with "no roads, no towns, not even radio. The only things we take is our racism". Martineau also discussed the fact that ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' is broadcast by the CBC and is funded by funds also coming from Quebec. In May 2015, the American sketch comedy series ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' aired a sketch in which a contestant on a ''

Win, Lose or Draw ''Win, Lose or Draw'' is an American television game show that aired from 1987 to 1990 in syndication and on NBC. It was taped at CBS Television City (one of the few non- CBS game shows to tape there), often in Studios 31, 33, and 43 at vari ...

''–style game show panicked at being asked to draw the Muslim prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

, igniting allegations that ''SNL'' had

plagiarized Plagiarism is the representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of anothe ...

a nearly identical sketch which aired on ''22 Minutes'' in January.

Specials

* ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes' 100th Episode Spectacular'' (1997) * ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes: News Year '98'' (1998) * '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes Direct Hits'' (1999) * ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes: Holiday Special 2000'' (2000) * '' Rick Mercer's Talking to Americans'' (2001) * ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes: New Years '02'' (2002) * ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes: The Best of Cathy Jones and Mark Critch'' (2005) * ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes: 2006 Election Special'' (2006) * ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes: The Best of Rob Ford'' (2013) * ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes: This Hour Has 22 Years'' (2014) * ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes Has 44 Minutes: A U.S. Election Special'' (2024) * Vote Canadian: A 22 Minutes Election Special (2025)

DVD releases

Entertainment One Lionsgate Canada is a Canadian entertainment company and a subsidiary of Lionsgate Studios. Based in Toronto, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition and production of films and television series. The company began on June 1, 1973 ...

has released the first two seasons on DVD in Region 1 (Canada only).

References

External links

* * {{CBC Television Shows (current and upcoming) Canadian news parodies Television series about television CBC Television original programming Cultural depictions of prime ministers of Canada 1993 Canadian television series debuts Television series by Alliance Atlantis Television series by WildBrain Television shows filmed in Halifax, Nova Scotia Gemini and Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy Series winners Canadian English-language television shows 1990s Canadian satirical television series 2000s Canadian satirical television series 2010s Canadian satirical television series 2020s Canadian satirical television series 1990s Canadian sketch comedy television series 2000s Canadian sketch comedy television series 2010s Canadian sketch comedy television series 2020s Canadian sketch comedy television series Canadian political comedy television series Parodies of Donald Trump Political satirical television series