All the panel shows are crap now.

[Deleted]

QI, Would I Lie to You?, 8 Out of 10 Cats, etc. All used to be great, now just a load of tosh. I seriously wonder where our entertainment landscape's headed. I watched a recent episode of QI the other day with an all-woman panel. Was one of the direst things I've seen, especially compared to the old episodes with Stephen, where everyone was constantly on top form, razor-quick and hilarious. The same can be said of WILTY in its peak. Nowadays? Cruise ship comedians and Z-list celebrities, as well as the usual crowd of here-today-gone-tomorrow diversity hires (that dreadful Rosie Jones comes to mind). They had such a good thing going. Shame they had to fvck it up.

[iank]

I must admit, I jumped ship on QI the moment Fry left.

[burrunjor]

I'll be honest I've always by and large hated panel shows. To me they have dumbed down entertainment to a greater extent than even reality tv. Not saying they all were this, I mean QI was always fairly harmless and enjoyable with Stephen Fry and once upon a time, in the Angus Deayton years, Have I Got News For You did have a bit of a backbone and edge to it.

Shite like 8 out of 10 cats, Mock the Week, Celebrity Juice etc, to me were always dross. The thing I hated most about panel shows is that they were for the most part jump on the bandwagon shit, that presented itself as edgy.

The comedians would never dare go after a truly unsafe target like say Islam, or a political leader that the media adored like Joe Biden or anything like that. Instead they go after targets the media says are okay to go after, but in order to look edgy they are just ridiculously nasty to them.

As a result this led to the death of satire, which is very harmful in society. That's partly why the SJWs went unopposed and became even more out of control, and why so many people turned to the right too. As we've been over, phoney, upper middle class, conservative spoiled brats playing at being leftists like SJWs is nothing new. Hippies in the 60s, punk poets in the 80s etc. What was different however was back in the day you had left wing comedians and satirists who took the piss out of the phoney leftists too, like Rik Mayall, which provided a clear distinction. The joke about Rick in the Young Ones was never "leftists are stupid" it was "he doesn't know what he is talking about, he is such a poseur, and a future sell out." Now however thanks to the spinelessness of the Frankie Boyle types, the only people taking the piss out of the insane SJWs are the right. As a result a lot of non political people in the middle (not saying they are stupid, but they just don't have as much of an interest in politics) think the right are the reasonable alternative and come to group everyone on the left together. 

On top of that, panel shows were also a useful way for the media to destroy entertainment that they didn't like, which sadly was often anything a bit different or creative. Classic Who fell victim to this. We all know how the show was only cancelled in the late 80s because it was actively sabotaged. Whether you like the McCoy years or not, that is a fact. However the media that was controlled by the likes of Grade and his similar c*nty friends ALWAYS presented it as the show was an utter laughing stock, and so of course our brave and edgy comedians followed suit. They had Grade on to kick the show when it was down, they showed nothing but the worst clips, from the worst stories. (Even then however they often took clips out of context, like making out the Kandyman who was supposed to be a silly, funny villain, was meant to be serious and scary.) 

Even if you're not a Doctor Who fan the way the show was bullied and smeared in the media was a real nasty case of punching down from comedians who are supposed to punch up. Thanks to their treatment of the show, to this day, its fandom still hasn't recovered. It's fandom unlike any other, will take any vandalisation of the show if they think it will win round the young crowd, because the ultimate terror is going back to the wilderness years. eieeeeeeeeeeee.

Similarly I won't dwell long on this, because it's an obvious sore point for me, but the way they treated Amy Winehouse was another example. Yeah okay I'm a fan who probably isn't going to like any criticism, but still, much like with DW it was really punching down. Here we had someone who was clearly unravelling, and who was constantly being attacked by the media, and these panel show c*nts constantly made the most disgusting remarks about her looks, her sexuality, her anorexia, etc. Again it was only because the media hated her, because she was unpredictable, wasn't the usual pop star and had problems. 

Can you imagine comedians in the 70s, dogpilling on a rockstar for being a bad role model like the panel show c*nts did to Amy? FFS that was Mary Whitehouse's job. If that doesn't show how establishment they were, nothing will. 

It makes perfect sense that the Frankie Boyle types who bullied an anorexic woman over her weight and looks, would be the types to shrink in the face of political correctness. Both are symptoms of their spinelessness and jump on the bandwagon crap. As a result of their influence, not only are SJWs seen as the real left, but any imaginative and clever show like true who, has to be watered down so it isn't laughed at for being nerdy, and any unique entertainer like Amy is laughed at for being ugly and worthless. That's a far worse legacy to leave behind than reality tv.

[burrunjor]

Further proof of what toxic, vicious little bullies panel show comedians are, is the way they turned on Angus Deayton. Back in the early 00s, Angus got caught having an affair with a prostitute and Ian Hislop and Paul Merton slagged him off. 

Now that was fair enough slagging him off, but firing him was too much. Jimmy Carr fiddled with his taxes, and he didn't get the boot. That's far more offensive to me. There is nothing more disgusting than a rich c*nt not paying their taxes. I'm with Mott1 on hating the Beatles in that respect LOL. 

Still because Angus' faux paus was a bit too raunchy and they're such uptight little pricks, they were merciless and continued to taunt him week after week, and after he was fired, Paul Merton went on tv and trashed him, comparing him to Zeppo, and later that year when Angus and Paul were both up for an award and Paul won, Paul taunted Angus saying this is what the winners table looks like.

PS Angus Deayton said that he never knew Paul disliked him, that all three got on really well, and that it was quite hurtful and surprising when Paul did this. 

I can believe that. It's the mentality of these c*nts. As soon as one of their own is targeted by the media, and they think might make them look bad, they turn on and destroy him in the most vicious way. 







Here is when they were both up for the award, weeks after Angus had been fired from Have I Got News For You, largely thanks to Paul. 



Remember Paul Merton is the one who put DW into room 101 and kissed Michael Grade's arse. He is a horrible, nasty, shallow, cowardly, two faced, back stabbing bully and if panel shows are on the way out, then f*cking good as hacks like him don't have anything else. 

[Deleted]

Apr 15, 2023 10:25:31 GMT burrunjor said:

Hippies in the 60s, punk poets in the 80s etc. 

Yeah, I do like John Cooper Clarke, but his poetry often comes off as something middle-class people would pretend to enjoy in order to seem edgy.

Although I do think there is some genuine credence to the hippie movement, especially concerning the rejection of organised religion in favour of inner spirituality and oneness with nature (Emerson would be proud). However, that movement was soon hijacked by political activists and the genuine hippies were too drug-addled and "peaceful" to see it coming. That's the danger of pacifism, and the reason why peaceful movements, especially those that practise social benignity, never really last that long.