And behind door number 22... a guide to some music of the more traditional kind
Catherine Munn and Jacob Martin list their Top 5 programmes to watch over the festive period.
And behind door number nine... some dazzling musical delights
The complete arts guide, for week 9
Have I Got News for York sticks closely to the universally loved BBC format from the brilliant opening animation to the round order and design.
This is no bad thing as the one round which deviated from the trend (a round where the panelists had to deduce a news story from the lyrics of a popular song) did not work quite as well as the others.
The panel had a perfect balance of personalities, the off the wall absurdity of Will Seaward mixing nicely with Jay Foreman’s dry retort and Philip Oldershaw's energetic, slightly effeminate comedic style.
The visual rounds were the most well executed, in particular the Odd One Out with Jay glibly asserting that the main difference between the Queen, Prince William, Sir Francis Drake and JK Rowling was that JK Rowling was the only one facing west.
Factor in the reoccurring theme of Seaward’s golden bicycle and the tale of a man who fell into a 12ft wheelie bin and you have the right cocktail of news, satire and silliness for a top evening of entertainment.
Factor in the reoccurring theme of Seaward’s golden bicycle and the tale of a man who fell into a 12ft wheelie bin and you have the right cocktail of news, satire and silliness for a top evening of entertainment.
Sami Hussain did an excellent job as host, controlling the guests well and making sure that the tempo was fast paced and lively throughout. He allowed tangents to be followed but prevented their exploration from becoming contrived and silly and his own interjections were among the funniest pieces of dialogue in the whole show.
I must admit that from all the propaganda, I was expecting Grace Fletcher Hackwood to be a bit of an uptight bore but thankfully, I was proven wrong. The fact that she agreed to come on the show after all the kerfuffle of recent weeks was admirable enough but to boot, she was actually very dry and very funny making clever allusions that were sometimes lost on the other members of the panel.
It’s a shame that she didn’t go on this show prior to her vote of no confidence as by the end of the night, I don’t think there was an abstainer or apathetic face left in the room.
‘Have I got News for York’ is the slickly produced, sharply executed slice of satire that will enrich York University’s under-publicised comedy scene immeasurably.
It’s on every other Wednesday (week 8 and 10 of this term will be the next dates) and for £2, it is great value for money. Remember to turn up early though, unless you feel like leaning against the door frame for an hour.
The comedian with the 'energetic, slightly effeminate comedic style' is Phil Oldershaw.
Thanks for the review, it means a lot!... I take it The Yorker don't usually do star-ratings?
-Miranda Thomas (HIGNFY writer)Nah, no star ratings, especially for something as complex as HIGNFY, and comedy and theatre in general. It wouldn't do it justice really.
I think the review speaks for itself though! It doesn't sound like you need any help shifting tickets, but I'll certainly be trying to get one in week 8!
Well done with how successful you've been,
The enthusiastic and marginally effeminate Ben Rackstraw
xxx
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