Like most people, I haven’t tuned in to Have I Got News For You for years. But when I heard of a staggering omission in last Friday night’s edition, I just had to see it – or, rather, not see it – with my own eyes. The biggest news story of the week – the momentous ruling by the Supreme Court on the meaning of sex in the Equality Act 2010 – was not covered at all, even obliquely. You’d think that the absurdity of the highest court in the land being called to adjudicate on one of the most basic facts of observable reality – that there are two sexes, and that the words man and woman mean, er, man and woman – would be a rich source of mirth, the kind of glorious nonsense that’s a satirist’s meat and drink. But no. Not a word. Zilch.
‘We begin with the bigger stories of the week,’ said guest host Katherine Parkinson, as is traditional. These turned out to be steel nationalisation and the bin strike in Birmingham. We also heard about the Blue Origin ‘mission’, gambling on the election date, Liz Truss launching her own app. But the thing everybody was actually talking about? No. That just hung in the air like a vicar’s fart, with everybody pretending it hadn’t happened.
– Gareth Roberts (£)
The BBC, like just about every other bureaucracy – public and private, is dominated by “Critical Theory” doctrines of “intersectionality” – which sees everything in terms of “oppressors” and “oppressed” (yes it is Marxism – but of a weird mutant sort) – and the “Trans” are, supposedly, the most “oppressed”.
So there is no surprise that “I have news for you” stayed away from this matter – like the cowardly trash everyone involved with the show are.
It’s been my experience that the mass of people really aren’t attuned to the Gender Wars topics at all. Plus, the BBC probably hopes that that particular news just fades away.
The subject will be raised soon enough when someone like India willoughby is guest host. Failing that I’m sure Jo (battery acid) Brand could be wheeled out for the umpteenth time with her oh-so-funny one-liners and nauseating smirk.
They’re just waiting until the newest, more powerful, version of this has been installed in the studio.
https://www.semanticpen.com/tools/laughing-sound-effect-generator
Po-faced satire is no satire at all.
This show is well past its sell by date, and ought to be killed off. But by the unique way the BBC is funded, it staggers on.
The saddest thing is that the editor of Private Eye, a supposedly anti-establishment magazine, has become a de facto employee of the BBC, and has thus become beholden to the very establishment his magazine is meant to satirise. The money must be good.
The money must be good.
Back in 2016 it was c£400k or £20k per episode. Undoubtedly a damned sight more nowadays.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3601744/The-stars-milking-millions-TV-licence-including-125-000-episode-Gear-host-Chris-Evans.html
DiscoverJoys – there is a magazine (not even well put together – the paper quality is poor, and it is badly printed) in the United Kingdom that repeats every establishment dogma as truth – and sneers at anyone who dissents. It is called “Private Eye”, it is supposed to be funny – but there is never any humour in it.
Supposedly it is the best selling current affairs magazine in the United Kingdom – which rather indicates that this country is falling apart.
The beeb has a bit of a track record of turning its top shows into unwatchable dross; see also Top Gear and Doctor Who. If it can’t do that it gives them away to its rivals like Bake Off.
I got through two episodes of this year’s Dr Who, mostly with my jaw on the floor. They’re clearly spending all the money on effects and none on writers, but even that fails to help them.