SCHOOL OF MOCK

Dara O Briain tells LYNN RUSK about the return of 'finishing school for comedians' Mock the Week

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WHEN the satirical panel show Mock the Week found itself cancelled by the BBC in 2022, host Dara O Briain ensured it had a proper sendoff, with the panel ending the series in tuxedos.

After a 17-year run, the Irish comedian and presenter says he was satisfied with the show’s farewell victory lap.

However, following strong audience demand, Mock the Week is returning with a brand new nine-episode series on the free-to-air channel TLC, with Dara once again at the helm.

The panel show, which features six comedians answering questions about the week’s news, will return in a new 60-minute format, including fresh rounds devised especially for the relaunch.

Old favourites will also make a comeback, including If This Is the Answer, What Is the Question?, Wheel of News, Picture of the Week and Scenes We'd Like to See.

Alongside Dara, rotating guests will include Mock the Week veterans Hugh Dennis, Russell Howard and Ed Byrne, as well as Katherine Ryan, Lou Sanders, Rhys James and Sara Pascoe.

Reflecting on the show, Dara, 53, says the reaction was interesting, as he felt people were angry while it was on air, but then sad when it was cancelled.

“Mock the Week was a strange show, partly because it was on the BBC, and partly because the Conservatives were in government for the entire last 14 years of it,” explains Dara.

“We were on air during a period when people became very angry about things, and they were very angry at us all the time.

“The most vocal people are usually the angriest ones, so that’s all we ever heard.