'Have I Got New For You' (BBC1) has been going since...well, five Prime Ministers (1990) and HIGNFY is still funny. A simple formula (look at the news, satirise it/take the piss with a bit of wit and some invective) has given viewers exactly what they want, i.e. Paul Merton pretending to be dumber than he is and Ian Hislop enjoying being the youngest old fogey in town. The series has had some grave lapses of taste in the past (Stephen Milligan's death funny anyone?) but usually hits most targets in the sweet spot. Guest-hosting, now the norm after Angus Deayton's forced departure (driven out partially by Merton and Hislop's moralising), was awkward at the start but just seems a good fit now. Satire, and 'thetvreviewguy' is a big 'Private Eye' fan/collector (nearly all issues since 1997), is hit-and-miss; it can be unfunny for several reasons, among which being a) too much for those 'in the know' b) needlessly cruel ('thetvreviewguy' prefers the ball, not the man to be played) c) too obvious and d) irrelevant. To be fair to HIGNFY, it usually avoids most of these pit-falls but Merton and Hislop, while both being very funny guys, do stray into unfunny territory now and again, particularly within the paramaters listed above. It is, of course, and this is dangerous territory for a topical new show, an institution. But HIGNIFY is sharp and able to cleave some worthy targets and despite younger, brasher imitators, is still the best in show. Scores highly with 'thetvreviewguy for never underestimating the intelligence of the audience, HIGNFY could well be with us in another 20 years, if, indeed, we all are in our current incorporation...
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