Celebrity Mastermind - John Humphreys is SO irritating...

[extremelychocolateymilkroll]

or is it just me? Those cringeworthy chats before the general knowledge round. Awful, inappropriate questions - flirting with Summer Strallen - he's old enough to be her great grandfather ffs, Toyah Wilcox - saying she was famous for one record and other equally unnecessary comments which I can't remember now but at the time cause dh and I just to look at each other.

It would be great to have a round where the high scorers competed against each other.

They did that the first time they did Celeb MM. (In 2006?) 4 rounds and a final. Not done it since.

God, yes. I would never tire of slapping JH on (any) Mastermind.

I think the whole R4/BBC News team have been told to be more matey and engage in banter (that's why Ed Stourton was sacked from Today apparently, he wasn't jovial enough) So JH is trying to be friendly but he just isn't used to it.

It's grim, isn't it, Winehouse? I was at the sacking of Posh Ed. I want news in the morning, not mindless chit chat about cultural non-entities, etc.

God, did you hear the article on Guns N' Roses new album? Good. Grief. I could've cried.

IT'S NOT NEWS!!

And breathe...

Isn't there a case for equality here? If they're so keen to get rid of older females on TV SURELY it's time for JH to be thrown overboard? I think that Andrew Neil is a much better informed interviewer.

How would Andrew Neil aid gender equality?

Unless this is an ironic illusion to the constant parodying (and reprinting of dodgy photo) of AN in Private Eye?...

I didn't mean on Mastermind. I meant as a political interviewer in general on the Daily Politics.

Not an original thought I know but I do feel that TV is dominated by men - of all ages - who often make unpleasant, sexist remarks and get away with it without much comment. Jonathan Ross, Have I Got News, Mock the Week. It seems as if comedy has by and large got rid of racist jokes and those with disabilities etc but has a long way to go with regard to sexism.

True, ecmr.

I heard someone on Woman's Hour recently talking about the very few female participants in comedy panel shows and even most of them are not female comedians, but politicians, actors or successfulin some other field than comedy. They are there to smile winsomely in the main.