Mock The Week has been cancelled after 17 years on the BBC.
Presenter and comedian Dara O’Briain confirmed the news today (August 2), joking that 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,” he said in a statement. “It couldn’t go on.
“And so, regretfully, we are closing the doors on Dara and Hugh’s Academy for Baby Comedians.”
He continued: “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!”
Mock The Week has run for 21 series and 235 episodes since its debut on BBC Two in 2005. The panel show has been credited for launching the careers of numerous comedians, including the likes of Frankie Boyle, Katherine Ryan and Russell Howard.
A spokesperson for the BBC said: “The next series of Mock The Week will be the last, 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.”
https://t.co/cZjg9R80ZK pic.twitter.com/grdabIGgKd
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) August 2, 2022
The show’s creator Dan Patterson expressed his disappointment following the announcement, tweeting: “It’s been announced that the next series of Mock The Week will be the last after 17 great years on the BBC. Desperately disappointing but hopefully we will resurface again soon. Huge thanks to Dara and Hugh and all the wonderful performers over the years. It’s been a privilege.”
Angst Productions, the show’s production company added: “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.”
Elsewhere, Channel 4’s Taskmaster recently announced the celebrity lineup for its 14th series.
