APPEARED:
KNOWN AS:
Old-school
comedian with a long history of hosting game shows and variety programmes. Is
almost as famous for his love of golf.
INTRODUCTION:
Angus
mentioned that he used to host "Winner Takes All" as opposed to this
programme, where the winner takes sod all.
BEST QUOTE:
Talking
of Graham Taylor's dismissal as England football coach, Tarbuck said: "I
thought he was a good appointment on paper - but he was just crap on
grass."
ANECDOTES: None. Probably the first time he's been on a TV show and
hasn't told one.
GIVEN A HARD TIME? No.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS:
Tarbuck
laughs a hell of a lot at anything, no matter how weak or tenuous a joke may be,
and he didn't change here. Often corpsed at Paul's jokes.
COMMENTS FROM THE WEBMASTER:
A
reasonable performance but this old school comic clearly struggled to come up
with any lines of relevance and therefore was at his best just sitting back and
laughing. He certainly seemed to enjoy the experience though.
MARKS OUT OF TEN: Six and a half.
SHOULD THEY INVITE HIM BACK?
No.
It didn't really work first time round, so best let him be with his clubs and
mother-in-law gags.
KNOWN AS:
RADA-trained actress who had a successful stage and TV
career before becoming a presenter on Channel 4's flagship show "The Big
Breakfast", though had just announced her intention to quit at the time of
her appearance. Daughter of veteran
Scouse comic Jimmy Tarbuck.
INTRODUCTION:
Angus said she was a performer who was fed up of being
introduced as someone's daughter, so instead, welcome to Johnny Vaughan's
co-presenter.
BEST QUOTE:
When pressed by Angus over her psychic powers, she
snapped: "I'm not wandering down that cul-de-sac, buddy!"
ANECDOTES: None.
GIVEN A HARD TIME?
Presumably, Angus was set to rib her over her psychic
powers, but her biting reply soon put paid to that. Afterwards, she wasn't hassled at all.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Has a beautifully filthy laugh.
COMMENTS FROM THE WEBMASTER:
Tarbuck has managed to claw away from the dreary
"famous daughter” tag which she suffered for many years in her acting
career, so much so that her father even admitted he is now more likely to be
referred to as "Liza's dad.” Her
renowned early-morning breeziness, which hauled back the Vaughan-Van Outen
audience figures on "The Big Breakfast” which had been lost in the doomed
Kelly Brook days came across superbly in a vibrant performance which contributed
hugely to the best show of the series. She got on well with Paul and answered the questions
cleverly, in that she managed that difficult combination of getting information
out for the points and enough wit out of the laughs without ever going
overboard. That is a gift rarely
seen on the show, and as a result, she became a wonderful guest.
Rarely also has anyone cut Angus down to size like she did.
She had clearly learnt from Angela Rippon's masterful technique a
fortnight earlier.
MARKS OUT OF TEN: Eight and a half.
SHOULD THEY INVITE HER BACK? Yes.
APPEARED:
KNOWN AS:
Raucous,
socialist comedian whose risqué material contains important truths. Tries to
establish the facts behind Government closed doors on his Channel 4 series
" The Mark Thomas Comedy Product". Was the original host of BBC Radio
1's comedy debate show "Loose Talk", though left before it went to
BBC2.
INTRODUCTION:
Angus
read through some of his more complimentary reviews before adding that fellow
guest Sir David Steel thought he was a "disgusting individual".
BEST QUOTE:
On
Danish riots following their withdrawal from the EU, Thomas said: "I like
the fact that the police can shoot over protestors' heads and actually hit them
in the stomach. Those handstanding protestors?"
ANECDOTES: None.
GIVEN A HARD TIME?
Not
really, but was told by Paul to quickly move on when Thomas seemed set to talk
about self-abuse.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS:
For
a man renowned for swearing and championing causes, he was very mellow in his
humour which was probably a good idea on his part. Wore a Nirvana T-shirt, which
we're sure would have prompted a question from Ian as to who or what Nirvana
was.
COMMENTS FROM THE WEBMASTER:
A
good performance all told, but noticeably Steel, a politician, was funnier.
Maybe Thomas is another of those comics who struggles with spontaneity, as he is
devastating on stage when he is performing his own, carefully-written material.
MARKS OUT OF TEN: Seven.
SHOULD THEY INVITE HIM BACK?
Definitely.
He will have a few stories to tell since winding up politicians and
international figures on his TV show.
APPEARED:
Series 1, Episode 1 (with Ian Hislop) 1990
KNOWN
AS:
Diminutive comedian and improviser of Danish origin, an early star of Channel
4's"Whose Line Is It Anyway?" and now appearing on more mainstream
shows.
Currently seen as a team captain on long-standing BBC1 word quiz
"Call My Bluff.”
INTRODUCTION:
No details of her first appearance; second time round, Angus said Toksvig had
been seen earlier in the week in a TV documentary about Sindy, but for tonight
for some reason she has put a rather strange wig and sensible clothes on; on her
third appearance, Angus said she was fooling no-one by claiming that her
relationship with enormous American improviser Mike McShane was purely physical.
BEST QUOTE:
When Ian revealed he was once fined £20,000 for contempt of court, Toksvig
replied with typical biting sarcasm: "I can hardly believe it!"
ANECDOTES:
None.
GIVEN A HARD TIME?
No.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS:
As a known Socialist, she was very quick to have a dig at the Conservatives
whenever humanly possible.
COMMENTS FROM THE WEBMASTER:
Toksvig is one of those comics whom you either love or hate, and her displays
depend on which category the viewer falls into.
She is quick, intelligent and doesn't take herself seriously, and that is
always a good ploy for the show.
But is she funny?
It's notable that in her second appearance, journalist David Thomas was
much funnier than her.
That says a lot.
MARKS OUT OF TEN:
Unable to score her first appearance; seven; seven.
SHOULD THEY INVITE HER BACK?
No.
APPEARED:
KNOWN
AS:
Author and actress, best known for her appearances in BBC2 quickfire sketch
series, "The Fast Show".
INTRODUCTION:
Angus said Weir was once sued by an ex-boyfriend for
the return of some presents, which was the only thing Ian HADN'T been sued for.
BEST QUOTE: None.
ANECDOTES:
Told of how she was in a band called the Li-Lets, which
prompted fellow guest Tony Livesey to ask if they only did one gig a month.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None.
COMMENTS FROM THE WEBMASTER:
Weir is in possession of acting, comedy and writing
talent but on her appearance, she was not in possession of much a voice.
You couldn’t blame her wholly, given that the other guest was the
editor of the Sunday Sport and many of the questions were about his paper, but
even so she could and should have got involved so much more.
A poor performance.
MARKS OUT OF TEN: Five.
SHOULD THEY INVITE HER BACK? Nope.
APPEARED:
KNOWN AS:
Actor
with bit parts in a variety of sitcoms and dramas, also the author of the Denis
Thatcher-esque "Dear Bill" letters during a long association with
Private Eye, as well as other satirical achievements. Died in 1998 after a long
battle with cancer.
INTRODUCTION:
On
his first appearance, Angus said that Wells had, for the last ten years,
pretended to be married to Margaret Thatcher, the sign of a seriously sick mind;
second time round, Angus called him a "satirist in the real sense",
apparently because he'd met David Frost.
BEST QUOTE:
Completed
the headline "NEW DPP SEEKS _______ " with "similar".
ANECDOTES: None.
GIVEN A HARD TIME? No.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS:
Good answerer of the questions and had a certain
listlessness with his gag delivery which made excellent listening.
Effortlessly made the audience laugh with some rather eccentric voices
and outbursts, and was found in possession of a terrific Derek Jameson
impression.
COMMENTS FROM THE WEBMASTER:
When he died in 1998, Wells
left behind a remarkable career in which both his acting and satirical skills
were well represented and fulfilled. An
unassuming-looking contestant, he was full of jokes and also had a rather polite
persona which warmed people to him as much as did his idiosyncrasies.
He was a good asset to the show, and may he rest in peace.
MARKS OUT OF TEN: Eight and eight.
APPEARED:
KNOWN AS:
Comic actor who brilliantly portrayed grumpy pensioner Victor Meldrew in
"One Foot In The Grave." Had previously starred in ITV sitcoms
"Only When I Laugh" and "Room At The Bottom."
INTRODUCTION:
First time round, Angus said he was a performer who had made a living out of
playing a balding, grumpy old man forever baffled by the modern world - and with
him was Richard Wilson; second appearance - no details; on his third appearance,
Angus again mentioned Wilson's famous comic role, adding that he played the
rather grumpy neighbour of the central character (Angus's role); fourth time
round used the same gag as his first intro.
BEST QUOTE:
On his days as a lab technician who had to examine bodily fluids, he had already
talked about the problems of taking sperm from men when he added: "I think
what was more difficult was when I said 'could I have a specimen of your stool,
please?" and they looked at you as though you were crazy.
I said 'well, faeces!’. Nothing.
"Can you just go and crap in that?'"
ANECDOTES: See above.
GIVEN A HARD TIME?
As a Scotsman (though his accent is anything but Scottish) he was upset when
constant reference was made to England qualifying for Euro 2000 and said the
question was going on far too long. When
Paul said he would have liked Scotland to have qualified, Angus added:
"Yep, but tough shit!" Ian
also called him the Minister for Luvvies - Wilson is a loyal Labour supporter -
and accused him of pretending to not know the answer to an Odd One Out round
because it meant he would have to admit that Labour were losing
popularity. Looked bemused and slightly embarrassed when a record
sampling his voice was played, and was perturbed when Angus asked him why it
wasn't a hit.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS:
Labour-supporter Wilson had the nerve to accuse fellow guest Michael Brunson,
the recently-retired ITN political editor, of leaning to the right.
Brunson didn't deny it. Wilson
is also fond of habitually moaning about the rules of the game or the answers to
the questions, and stands alongside Griff Rhys-Jones and Jonathan Ross as very
competitive guests. And why does he
only seem to get invited on to the last show of a series?
COMMENTS FROM THE WEBMASTER:
Wilson is best known for playing an angry old man and though it isn't quite
typecasting, it was a persona he used to great effect on the show, with his
exaggerated sourness and angst making him very funny indeed. Were he to lighten up and be himself a little more, he
probably wouldn't be half as effective. He
never dominated the show, and lacks in immediate wit, but more than makes up for
his grisly outlook on life and general pessimism, which surely is all an act.
MARKS OUT OF TEN: Seven, eight and seven.
SHOULD THEY INVITE HIM BACK? Yes.
APPEARED:
KNOWN AS:
Veteran impressionist, who had his own shows in the
1970s and 80s.
INTRODUCTION:
Angus said Yarwood was an ultimate victim of Thatcher's
Britain - a male impressionist.
BEST QUOTE:
On MPs having to declare outside financial interests,
Yarwood said: "It's a lot of fuss. If
MPs want to earn a bob or two outside and it's legal, what the heck? I'll be
perfectly honest with you - if I had been offered a fee to appear on this show,
I would have taken it."
ANECDOTES: None.
GIVEN A HARD TIME?
Ian had a gentle dig at Yarwood's leanings to the
right, after he accused his opposite team captain and fellow guest Melvyn Bragg
of being 'Labour luvvies'.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None.
COMMENTS FROM THE WEBMASTER:
Yarwood could barely fail on this show, as proved at
the outset when he got enormous cheers from the audience after Angus introduced
him. A brilliant impressionist who
stopped being employed after the comedic trend went more towards satire and less
towards gags, he looked grateful to be on television again.
In the specially-designed Impressionometer round, he showed us that he
hadn't lost his touch with his first class take-off of Eddie Waring, while he
also threw in Bob Monkhouse and Edward Heath for good measure.
But he also showed great wit without the aid of mimicry, and was an
enormous success. It's a great injustice that this man is no longer considered
worthy of television employment.
MARKS OUT OF TEN: Eight and a half.
SHOULD THEY INVITE HIM BACK? Yes!
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