You know how the BBC now have a guideline about there being at least one woman on a comedy panel so?

[HidingBehindTheWallpaper]

Well I’ve just seen a clip of QI with Sandi Toksvig in the chair but no women on the actual panel.

Well I say that but there was Grayson Perry. Now he wear dresses but as I understand it he doesn’t identify as female, I might be wrong though.

So is this it then? To fill a female quota you just need a bloke in a frock?

[rogueantimatter]

Hah. Jo Brand was the quizmaster on HIGNFY last week with an all male panel. It seems the beeb sticks to the minimum requirements. Partky, they claim, because women aren't as keen to do it as men.

[museumum]

They don’t seem to bother if the chair is a woman. Seems that’s enough to them.

[HidingBehindTheWallpaper]

I heard an interview with a male comedian, I can’t remember who, who was saying that all male panels were very confrontational and all about one up man ship. When they started to get women on them the attitude changed.

[sagamartha]

I can’t remember who, who was saying that all male panels were very confrontational and all about one up man ship

I remember one episode of QI - Stephen Fry and Alan Davies were the regulars but the rest of the panel were female. It seemed very different to the normal 'male' panel - and a lot less one upmanship, interrupting and generally different to the typical QI.

[yowerohotesies]

Yep they don't think there's anything wrong with a sole female quizmaster against an all-male panel.

I think all the female comedians should decline to participate unless there will be at least one other woman there.

There are loads of female comedians who would be keen to boost their career by participating in this sort of thing. Subconscious (or conscious) bias among those who select people for these shows makes them more likely to categorise women as C-list/D-list.../Z-list and the A- and B- lists where they focus their invitations are overwhelmingly male but this is a self-perpetuating imbalance. Bring more women into public notice and of course their profile will improve.

[Knusper]

This is a big bugbear of mine. I'm weary of it. Not interested in watching men have fun and further their careers to the exclusion of equally funny women.

[BarbaraofSevillle]

Caitlin Moran has always said that she won't do panel shows because she refuses to be the token woman. The ones on Radio 4 are often better and sometimes there are two women on the show.

[ineedaholidaynow]

If it was last night's episode Jan Ravens was on too

[HidingBehindTheWallpaper]

I didn’t see the program, just a clip.

[tribpot]

Yes, I assume it was last night and Jan Ravens was also a guest. I suppose it could have been a preview of another episode from this series as no doubt they were recorded months ago. I have been watching out for QI to fall into the 'woman in the chair so no need for female guests' trap and I didn't think they had done yet.

I'd quite like it if the Beeb said for one year, every panel show would have a majority of women guests. Given the 70-odd years of broadcasting when the opposite was the case it seems only reasonable.

[sagamartha]

I have been watching out for QI to fall into the 'woman in the chair so no need for female guests' trap and I didn't think they had done yet

Unlike HIGNFY when they were discussing sexual harassment and only had Jo Brand as the host and that was it.

Last night, they had the excellent Victoria Coren-Mitchell and Sarah Pascoe.

Maybe one day, they'll only have Paul Merton and Ian Hislop as the only men on the show?

[FizzyWaterAndElderflower]

I can't find it now, but when this rule first came into effect I read an article by a man who either produces or was somehow in charge of some kind of current affairs show on the radio. He said that all this whinging was ridiculous, because he'd already been making the effort on his show to find a diverse guest list, and really it wasn't that hard. He felt that the people who had a problem were those that were basically lazy, and just took the first name that came to mind, rather than spend a bit of time seeking out new and interesting people.

[HidingBehindTheWallpaper]

One time on radio 4 the News Quiz was hosted by Sandi with Sue Perkins and Susan Calman were guests. I could hear the frothing of the middle England from my kitchen.

[TimFromRuislip]

Hiding Yes on the News quiz recently with Miles Jupp hosting, there were 3 female panellists and I was

Also this series of Mock the Week has had 2 women on at the same time. There is a supposedly the "female chair" so I don't know where they sat the other female.

[bambambini]

Could always use Eddie Izzard or the lovely Shon Faye who’s trying to build a career in comedy or Paris Lees, India Wlloughby, Juno Dawson etc.

[OneMoStep]

It's not just women who should refuse to appear as the single token woman; men should refuse to appear on these shows too.

[sagamartha]

t's not just women who should refuse to appear as the single token woman; men should refuse to appear on these shows too

The sames been suggested for other events which have little representation of women on a panel.

[rogueantimatter]

Men don't watch film or tv unless the protagonists are predominantly male. It's the same with novels. Depressing.

[Rufustherenegadereindeer1]

rogue

Its funny you should say that...

Ds2 (14) has started reading ds1 (18)books...dystopian future type stuff

Massive pile of books but ds2 discarded everything with a female lead..

[rogueantimatter]

There have been studies Rufus..

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Men don't watch film or tv unless the protagonists are predominantly male. It's the same with novels. Depressing.

They'd get used to it over time if we let them