Axed: Mock the Week
UK panel show hosted by Dara O Briain to end after 17 years and 21 series.
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British satirical panel show Mock The Week, hosted by Dara O Briain, is to end after 17 years and 21 series.
The next eight episodes, due in coming months, are to be the last.
The show launched in 2005.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We are really proud of the show, but after 21 series we have taken the difficult decision in order to create room for new shows.
“We would like to thank Angst Productions, host Dara O Briain, panellist Hugh Dennis and all the guest comedians involved in the show across the 21 series.”
O’Briain said: “That’s it, folks; the UK has finally run out of news. The storylines were getting crazier and crazier; Global pandemics, divorce from Europe, novelty short-term Prime Ministers. It couldn’t go on.
“And so, regretfully, we are closing the doors on Dara and Hugh’s Academy for Baby Comedians. We just couldn’t be more silly than the news was already. Huge thanks to all our guests over the years, so many of whom went on to huge successes of their own, and never write or call. It was a joy!”
A spokesperson for programme-makers Angst Productions said they hoped the show might find a new home.
“We’re naturally hugely disappointed that Mock The Week is coming to an end and hope that we will be able to resurface somewhere some day in the future.
‘”However, the last 17 years on BBC Two have been an absolute blast, it’s been a great privilege to work closely with scores of truly incredible performers and we’d also like to take the opportunity to thank the BBC and all our many fans around the world for their support over the years.”
Mock the Week screens in Australia on ABC TV Plus.
Source: Chortle
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5 Responses
Damn because I didn’t realise that this has been going 17 years as it hasn’t been shown around on Foxtel BBC/UK channels or ABC like other fantastic British comedy panel shows. Hope I’ll get to see all the episodes one day.
It seems very odd for BBC to end the show. There’s something I think in the background that’s not being made aware. It’s not because it’s unpopular. It’s very popular and many people say it’s one of the very few shows they watch on BBC, which is an indicator of popularity when viewers take the effort to watch a show. BBC are wanting to fund new shows while sacrificing one of their best, it makes no sense.
I’m very confident another UK channel will pick this up, either on free-to-air or a channel like Dave. An Australian version would do very well and have a point of difference with its improvisational style, which was why Thank God You’re Here was very successful and had ended not due to ratings, but due to running out of celebrity talent for the improvisation format, as mentioned by the production team.
There is already talk in the UK that it will be picked up by the TV Channel Dave (yes there is a channel called Dave).
Given that that’s what happened not long ago to the much-less-popular The Mash Report, it’s certainly possible. Mock the Week still gets a million viewers a week in the UK – the BBC moving it to Dave (where it would be ad supported) likely makes commercial sense.
‘Mock the Week’ is my favourite show on television, so this news saddens me. In between new seasons (on ABC Plus) I play old episodes on YouTube. No matter how many times I watch them, I still laugh. Dara and the comedic panel members are so witty and clever. These news satire shows are my favourite, which is why ‘Have You Been Paying Attention?’ is my favourite Aus-made show. I look forward to the next, and final, season of ‘Mock the Week’ next month.