The UK’s unbreakable bond with panel shows explained – and the one problem that needs fixing-Josie Copson-Entertainment – Metro

British panel shows are great, let us explain… (Picture: CHANNEL 4 / BBC)

In the UK there are certain things we believe wholeheartedly as a nation – the rules of queueing must be respected at all times, a good cup of tea can solve most problems, and panel shows make great TV.

Our TV schedule is packed so tightly with the genre of programming that on any given night you can find one to tune into, whether it’s Would I Lie To You?, Have I Got News For You, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, or 8 out of 10 Cats.

The general vibe is a group of comics and a handful of celebrities will combine to compete in some sort of question and answer game. While points are on offer and a winner is declared at the conclusion of the episode, everyone knows that the real prize goes to whoever made us laugh the most throughout the transmission.

It all began in 1938 with Information Please, the earliest example of a panel show. Viewers would write in to ask celebrities, politicians and intellectuals questions and would earn prizes if they could stump the stars. It may have been born in the US, but the UK adopted it in 1951, with What’s My Line? and it became a much bigger deal to us than it ever was on the other side of the pond.

The panel show is so ingrained that we barely notice just how far spread it is… but people from outside of the UK certainly do. Brits’ adoration of the panel shows has been dissected by multiple Reddit threads, with the same question coming up: ‘What’s the deal with panel shows in the UK?’

‘There are SO MANY, all with different premises, but with roughly the same two dozen comedians that circulate through,’ typed one bemused American.

Others wondered, why, when we share so much in common when it comes to TV – for instance, we’re all in agreement that dating shows are the perfect way to spend an evening – does the panel shows divide us?

Well, there are a multitude reasons the panel show is so often churned out by the TV bosses in Britain, and why it hasn’t done so well in America…

They fill a gap

The US values a different format more (Picture: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)

If TV audiences want to know what’s going on in the world while watching the small screen then they can put on the news. However, if it’s been a long day at work, and they’d rather not add to the heaviness, then viewers may seek out something more humorous.

This is where the panel show comes in, with shows such as Have I Got News For You, providing the top lines while splitting your sides. Whereas in America, they have an entirely different type of show filling that gap.

‘Cultural nuisances are so set to each country,’ stated University College Cork Broadcast Historian Finola Doyle-O’Neill. ‘The reason America don’t have panel shows is because they put more importance on chat shows.’

The daily late night talk shows will do the job of the panel show by getting hosts like Jimmy Fallon and Seth Myers to start each episode with a monologue on the world’s events, and to joke about it throughout their airing.

This can make a panel show feel like less an unnecessary addition to their evenings, which could be why Have I Got News For You has been piloted Piloted three times in 2005, 2009, and 2012, by Bravo, NBC, and TBS. It finally premiered in September, and reactions have so far been mixed.

Comedians can shine

Comedians can show off their funny bones (Picture: Tom Dymond)

The panel show is a two-way street that benefits both the producers and talent. Producers get funny shows, and comedians get to showcase their funny bones. Put simply by Dr Ian Goode, Senior Lecturer in Theatre, Film and Television Studies at the University of Glasgow: ‘The TV exposure helps public profile.’

‘It’s a great way of bringing new talent on. You think about lots of your favourite comedians, the first time you saw them was on a panel show,’ Jimmy Carr, the host of 8 out of 10 Cats, previously said. The newbies will be scouted at places such as The Edinburgh Fringe and the Comedy Festival circuit and then put on a panel show to test them out. If they do well, then great. If they don’t, then there are five (or more) people who can pick up the slack.

Once they’re established, the panel show still serves an important function for comedians – it keeps them working and earning money.

Outside of touring, comedians in America may work on sketch shows, such as Saturday Night Live, or new sitcoms. Over here, sketch shows are rare and sitcoms are rarely longer than six episodes compared to the US series which are often over ten episodes. This means that comedians appreciate their existence even more, and are very willing to put their best efforts into making them as entertaining as possible.

It’s all very British

The carrot in a box segment was endlessly funny (Picture: Channel 4)

While some people may find the idea that comedians must rely heavily on this format instead of branching out to individual projects a sad prospect, Dr Goode points out the beauty of panel shows.

He celebrates their ability to give us ‘genuinely funny and surprising moments on a regular basis’. The late Sean Lock tricking Jon Richardson into believing he did have a carrot in his box on 8 out of 10 Cats provided one of the most naturally entertaining TV moments in recent years, and Bob Mortimer’s Would I Lie To You story of losing his teeth on a KitKat Chunky is a perfect four minutes and 57 seconds.

‘Perhaps their success is something to do with British humour and that need to puncture and break down our formality, politeness and reserve,’ Dr Goode hypothesised about their success. ‘Somehow, panel shows give guests permission to do this without hesitation.’

One theory as to why panel shows didn’t become a failsafe option in the US was provided by Jimmy. ‘They do comedy in a different way,’ he stated.

Jimmy added that they are less up for forgetting the competition element, which doesn’t give it the creative space to flourish. ‘The received wisdom was always that it’s got to be a competition, but here, we know it’s not important who wins. It’s just a bit of fun to give it some narrative,’ he explained.

The cost is low

The talent can shine (Picture: BBC/Zeppotron, an Endemol Shine Company/Brian J Ritchie)

With less people watching terrestrial TV, and therefore, not as much money to play around with, having series that don’t cost too much to make is a huge draw.

After they’ve paid the talent to turn up, rented the TV studio, and given the crew their salaries, there is not much else to pay for. There’s no building of giant sets, special effects, or pricey actors to contend with. Plus, they can be repeated countless times bringing their cost per play right down.

‘Money speaks in the end and so panel shows are here to stay. With less money in TV industry taking the risk-free option is always going to be alluring,’ said Doyle-O’Neil. Dr Goode added: ‘They enjoy a long life and are now a crucial element in the TV economy given the volume of channels, platforms and repetition.’

Over in the US, TV stations can often afford to spend more because their programmes generate a lot more revenue. They can make a larger figure on advertising, as they can target more people due to the size of the country – their population is over 330 million, which is considerably larger then the UK’s 68 million.

The glaring problem that needs urgent fixing

Panel shows are becoming a more even gender split but there’s still work to be done (Picture: BBC/Hat Trick)

As fun as they are, panel shows do have one glaring problem that needs to be fixed if they are to maintain their standing – the lack of women.

In 2014, the then-head of BBC vowed to book at least one woman on every comedy show. Not great. Mock The Week, who’d done little to combat the gender imbalance, met its end earlier this year. According to June 2024 research by data scientist Stuart Lowe the BBC’s drive to reduce male-dominant comedy panel show line ups is still at 60:40.

The boys’ club has been slammed by comedians such as Katherine Ryan and Bridget Christie – the latter refused to appear on any if she was the only female in an episode.

Lou Sanders has said hilarious women are often an ‘afterthought’. ‘In TV I still think men are the authority, and women are the sidepieces. So it feels like, “Let’s start with the men, and decorate with the women,”” Lou told Metro.

It’s not just a case of booking them, it is about creating an environment that female comics want to return to. ‘There are panel shows that struggle to get women on, and that’s because the women feel marginalised and stupid, and in the edit are often seen just laughing at the boys and not saying anything at all,’ QI host Sandi Toksvig previously summarised.

It’s not all dismal, with some shows such as Have I Got News For You welcoming female hosts Victoria Coren Mitchell and Kirsty Young, and Loose Women have an all-female panel (although that of course airs in the daytime and they don’t play a game, so it is a little bit of a different vibe).

Sophie Willan has celebrated the progress being made in an interview with Metro, even if it slow: ‘Panel shows are definitely becoming less rigid and male, which is a good thing.

‘I’ve enjoyed doing Buzzcocks, and I loved Taskmaster.

‘The format is more open now you’re not just trying to get your joke in. That whole Mock The Week, aggressive testosterone, who can speak, get their joke in faster, I think it looks really contrived, it’s not enjoyable to watch and it’s not enjoyable to do. It was never interesting to me, that sort of thing.

‘Panel shows I’ve decided to do feel more free, a bit more open and less male dominated.’

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