One woman on all BBC comedy panel shows - I'm not sure what I think

I am watching QI. There is one woman on the panel. She has totally let the side down by joking that - at the sinking of Titanic - women who found themselves in a lifeboat without a man at the helm would be useless because they would be ''pointing at little fishies going 'oooh let's go over there!', to which that smug twat Stephen Fry chuckled and said 'yes well I didn't want to say, but exactly...'.

I mean WHAT?

I'm not sure if it is a male comic deliberately talking over a female comic. They prep the questions and want to get there joke out first, incase another comic has a similar one. Rendering theirs worthless.
In the comedy world, panel shows are a good living and a spot on one is something to fight for.
Each recording for a 30 min show, is about 3 hours. It would be more interesting to know what gender the people are that deal with the post production. Are men more likely to edit it in favour of the male comics.

nina conti is fab! more ventriloquists on telly. or didn't she run over her monkey

Smack the Pony, comedy series by three women, was superb. I have yet to see it repeated.

I'm guessing racial goes lower....

all tv panel shows are full of cambridge footlights graduates. the bbc don't really know what to do with them so shove them on these shite tv shows

women probably best out of it!

Hi MamaPingu I entirely agree with you in general, I refuse to fill in sex / race / religion surveys at work as recruitment should be on merit.

But in comedy it just isn't. I am not remotely a feminist but I see talented female comics who get nowhere and give up whilst talented male comics always succeed. Even useless male comics (John Bishop,.Marcus Brigstock, David Baddiel, Hugh Dennis) have successful careers.

And Andy Parsons is a very funny guy IMO. As.is Milton Jones.

I find it hard because I can't stand the thought of a woman getting a place purely because she's a woman.

There are some very funny female comedians, but if they aren't available for example a funny male comedian should stand in rather than an unfunny female comedian.

I realise this can never happen, but I wish things were given on how good they are not their sex. It's a shame! There are good female comedians out there and it's a shame they have to be given a position as they are unable to earn it because they are women

In Tina feys book, she discusses how if a skit is female dominated or even with men the producers will say "people" dont want to see it and add men

So you really dont believe on a 4 person panel show that they can find 2 women that are as funny as the other 2 men on the show? As funny as andy parsons?

Those men are already benefiting from quota filling the unspoken quota that Tv should be doninated by men.

I'm sorry MamaPingu but whilst that's a lovely theory I am a bloke and I went to public school and Cambridge so I recognise a boys club when I see it.

No woman will get to be a regular on QI, I'm Sorry I haven't a Clue etc. on merit alone. And I think they should be. Because some seriously funny women (see my previous post) have had second-rate careers purely because they are women.

That said I find the ones who do get on (Perkins, Brand, Toksvig) second rate. There are many better out there, French & Saunders for two.

There should be no set limit for however many black, white, female, male members on ANYTHING.

This takes away any achievement of female comedians, they aren't on these shows cause they're funny anymore it's because they have to be!

It's ridiculous

Oh lay off Milton Jones, I think he's v funny, though I grant you not great at spontaneous topical quips. But I will eat my Radio Times if anyone has ever turned on a comedy panel show and said "Oh good! Andy Parsons is on".

hootloop yes they should..but as women make up 50% of the population that should mean that 50% of women are in the panel. Unless people women aren't as funny as men.

Anyway they obviously haven't been choosing the best person for the job. They have been choosing the best white man for the job or we wouldn't be in this situation.

I mean Andy Parsons isn't funnier than ANYONE. And MIlton Jones should be shot not on the telly

Susan Calman should be in everything and Nina Conti should be in nothing.

There have been 2 shows with all female guests: 'Jam, Jelly' and Juice' and 'Kaleidoscope'. The gender of the panellists weren't mentioned in the introduction.

There was an episode called 'Girls and Boys' with Ronni Ancona, Sandi Toksvig and Jack Dee. It's the one where they talk about women in comedy.

Tiggy there was a 'special women's one' I saw it. Maybe you didn't. They banged on about it all the way through and it was mentioned in the info bit on sky that it was a 'special' edition featuring women and Alan fecking Davies My enragement made it stick in my mind.

IIRC the first two episodes of QI in which 2 of the 5 participant were female were indeed "special women's edition" of QI; one was D for domesticity and one was G for girls and boys. There have subsequently been non-special editions with two or three women, but it's staggering that having women as 40% of the participants was an exception that was only justified by the fact that it was an episode about housework.

I agree that more Ronni Ancona is always a good thing.

Ronni Ancona is brilliant, Me and the DDs really enjoy QI when she's on.

I am unsure about this because surely they should book the best people for the show regardless of whether those people are men or women.
Although anything that means I see less of Milton Jones is a good thing.
I think Sue Perkins should be given a regular spot on QI she is brilliant.

Well I'm all for it and I'm a non-PC bloke.

One of the funniest comics of the 70s and 80s was Denise Coffey, she should be up there with the legends but most people haven't heard of her. Jo Kendal was equally good, and Lisa Tarbuck is usually the funniest and best panellist on any show she's on.

IMO it would improve the shows no end, laddish shows like Mock the Week.just aren't funny.

There wasn't a "special women's one". There was a show with mostly women. Kind of what people want.

I remember that Ronni Ancona QI. The only QI I've seen with a majority of women was a 'special' women's one.
It pisses me off that most panel shows have exclusively male regulars (HIGNFY, WILTY, QI) so even with an equal split in guests the men end up dominating. I love Rob Brydon, David Mitchell and Lee Mack so I'm more forgiving there but Alan Davies is shit and Stephen Fry is only OK. I only watch QI if there happens to be someone to make up for how dire Alan Davies is.

My favourite ever QI was the one where Ronni Ancona did her upper class explorer. She didn't appear on the show again for ages, despite being the best thing on it.

I agree a series average would be better than a token woman on each show. And quite liking the 50% idea, the talent scouts would actually have to go out and look for new comedians. TBH if you look at the list of QI contestants there are a few regulars and then a very long tail with single appearances. I'm sure they could easily increase the percentage of women on the single appearances list and from that they could boost up the regulars with a few more women who have proved themselves.

Also, some of the best panelist aren't even comics.. I always watch QI when sandy Totvig is on