Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6478 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-10-27
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 168 minutes

DVD Description
More than 160 minutes of the best moments from the top TV comedy news quiz, with a different guest presenter in the chair each week. Includes the uproarious episode hosted by Boris Johnson, together with specially extended version of the shows presented By Martin Clunes, William Hague and Bruce Forsyth. Plus a compilation of the highlights from other shows in the series with guest presenters Paul Merton, Anne Robinson, John Sergeant, Charles Kennedy, Jeremy Clarkson, Charlotte Church, Alexander Armstrong, Hugh Dennis and Sanjeev Bhaskar, including out-takes.

Ever wondered what it's like to be in the Have I Got News For You studio during a recording? Now you can share in the experience - the bonus disc features a double-length version of the Boris Johnson show.

Special Features
DVD Bonus disc - The Full Boris

• Boris Johnson chats to Paul Merton - a previously unbroadcast off-the-cuff discussion on the set of Room 101.
  
• William Hague and Bruce Forsyth - specially recorded interviews in which both talk frankly about their experiences as host of HIGNFY.
  
• Ian Hislop and Paul Merton - in conversation, discussing how the programme has moved on since the arrival of the guest presenters, and reflecting on the performance of those who've taken their turn in the HIGNFY hot-seat of the guest presenters.

  DVD Technical Information:
  

  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic
    
  • Main Soundtrack: English Stereo
    
  • PAL
    
  • Subtitles: English for the Hard of Hearing
    
  • Running Time: 168 minutes (main programme), 88 minutes (extras)
    
  • Region Code: 2

Synopsis
With the loss of iconic anchorman Angus Deayton, the witty and caustic topical news quiz tries out guest presenters. What a motley crew they turn out to be. From politician Charles Kennedy and THE WEAKEST LINK's hard woman Anne Robinson to comedians Hugh Dennis and Sanjeev Bhaskar. They cope with varying degrees of comedic success. Particularly fine at fielding sarcasm and witty retorts from the resident team captains Paul Merton and Ian Hislop were Bruce Forsyth, Boris Johnson, Martin Clunes and one-time Conservative Party leader William Hague.

Customer Reviews

Hilarity at it's very best
This DVD is better than the first DVD release, as it includes 4 complete shows as well as the traditional section of clips.

The first- Martin Clunes is a very good show with Clunes considered the best guest presenter so far. Ruby Wax and Glenda Jackson are hardly the best guests especially as neither of them seems familiar with the concept of the caption competition. It's a very funny show which includes the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 'scandal'

William Hague I considered an odd choice, surely Paul Merton's show would have been better. But it's interesting seeing Hague in the chair- although it's quite funny

Bruce Forsyth offers a warped version of HIGNFY, but another hilarious episode none the less

And then there's Boris. Two versions of the show are contained- The televised half-hour episode on the first disc sees Boris Johnson fronting complete anarchy, and on the second disc- The Full Boris an hour length uncut version. But this isn't your 'Uncut' as in Bleeps taken out- but rather those bits too long to be shown on TV. The Full Boris needs to be seen to be believed- What you see on TV is less than half of the story

The final piece is a 40 minute highlights of the other shows, which is a good as the last DVD collection. It is better to see the four complete episodes, but this is nevertheless good entertainment- some great clips (Including the excellent Guide-Ponies). Right at the end, all the mistakes made by the hosts are put on- with some helpful comments from Ian and Paul
The Extras aren't bad either- Interviews with Bruce Forsyth, William Hague as well as a chat between Paul Merton and Boris Johnson on the Room 101 set are interesting to say the least. The main Extra feature however is a conversation between Ian Hislop and Paul Merton, which they maintain "Nobody's going to watch". It shows them discussing each of the Guest Presenters in turn and ideas for the future, on a minimalistic version of the Hignfy set.

Give those producers a coconut!
This is possibly the best satire television programme in the world, and now it is here on DVD. When Angus Deayton was infamously fired from the hosting of this show, I was deeply saddened along with many other HIGNFY fans. However, the post Deayton episodes are as good as ever, with the added fresh qualities that other comedic quiz shows fail to achieve. The only quarrel that I do have is that the (side splitting) Boris Johnson episode is shown here twice: Once as the version that went out on television, and again as the full, unedited version. It would make more sense to me to just put the unedited version in and perhaps show an alternative episode it its place. The content of the show is fantastic, and the guests shown are excellent, ranging from Charles Kennedy to Martin Clunes, to Charlotte Church. The diversity of each presenter brings an unexpected angle to each episode and makes the post-Deayton HIGNFY as good as, if not better, than before.

Something to watch out for
There's little else to be said about this great DVD that hasn't already been covered in earleir reviews, except to advise you to listen carefully during Bruce Forsyth's show, (the funniest of the lot and I don't care what anyone else says,) and specifically during the Iraqi most-wanted cards section, for the member of the audience so conversant in the rules of 'Play Your Cards Right' that he advises Paul Merton to "Freeze!" when the cards land him in a particulatly tricky position.