Comedian and TV legend Harry Hill hosts HIGNFY for the first time tonight – his first ever appearance on the programme.
Ian Hislop on Prince Harry: “This is a court of law and you’ve got to go in with evidence and he really didn't have any. That's just not good enough.”
'Have I Got News For You' continues on BBC One tonight, Friday 9th June, at 9.00pm, with guest host Harry Hill joined by panellists Jack Dee and Zing Tsjeng.
Ahead of his first time in the host’s chair, Hill said: “I’ve loved watching Have I Got News For You ever since I was a boy, the only episode I missed was when I was on a mini break in Papua New Guinea with Lady Susan Hussey. It’s the only desk job in TV worth having. Watch out power – here comes the truth!”
Hill will be joined on the panels by comedian Jack Dee and editor-in-chief of VICE UK Zing Tsjeng, alongside regular team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton.
Before the HIGNFY titles had even rolled, Harry Hill playfully referenced Holly Willoughby’s speech to the nation on her return to This Morning on Monday, following Phillip Schofield’s departure from ITV.
Playing out a clip of Willoughby’s speech in which she said to the audience ‘Right, deep breath… firstly, are you OK?’, Hill then gave one of his trademark side-glances to camera, puffed his cheeks out to hold a deep breath, before joking, “I’ve got a bit of a bunged up nose, otherwise I’m fine…”
But it wasn’t long before Hill and the panel moved on to the biggest political and royal stories of the week, with Rishi Sunak taking a trip to the United States, and Prince Harry travelling to London for a court case looking into alleged phone hacking by the Daily Mirror Group.
Sunak’s trip to the States saw him meet with President Joe Biden, but he also attended a baseball match, took a photo with the team’s eagle mascot, but then decline the invitation to throw the ceremonial first pitch to the batter.
“Joe Biden has got to fit him in, he's got an incredibly tight schedule. You have to go before the afternoon nap, the mid afternoon nap, and then by the evening it's all gone,” joked Ian Hislop.
“The eagle is the baseball mascot of the team that people get invited to ceremonially throw the first pitch at a baseball match, if you're a visiting president or Prime Minister. Unfortunately Rishi Sunak literally chickened out,” joked VICE UK’s editor-in-chief Zing Tsjeng.
“What, he couldn't even throw a ball? Well, it's all over isn’t it?” asked Hislop incredulously.
“He declined the invitation to throw the ceremonial first pitch at the baseball. According to The Guardian, this is because Conservative MPs were keen for the Prime Minister to appear ‘broadly competent’,” laughed Hill.
“Mariah Carey did it wearing 4 inch heels and yet, Rishi Sunak is asked to do it, he says ‘no, I don't feel I'm really up to the job’… I mean, we all know that,” quipped Jack Dee.
“According to the Sunday Express it will be the fourth time Biden has met Sunak in as many months… honestly Joe, you have… you have met him,” joked Hill.
The panel watched a recent clip of President Biden, who tripped and fell over a sandbag at a graduation ceremony in Colorado. Harry Hill likened the clip to something you might have seen on ‘You’ve Been Framed’.
“He blamed the sandbag, didn't he?” asked Hislop.
“Well, I think I’d blame the sandbag as well, it was right there next to him, he doesn’t know what’s going on. He’s got all these bodyguards looking out for snipers, but he's got no one there looking out for trip hazards. You're not scared of being shot at that age, you’re just scared about falling over,” quipped Dee.
“He’d be difficult to shoot anyway 'cause he keeps falling over,” joked Paul Merton.
“Mrs Biden is looking forward to receiving the £250 from ‘You've Been Framed’” laughed Hill.
Later in the episode, the panel discussed the news that Prince Harry has been appearing in court in London this week, as he brings a case against the Daily Mirror Group for allegations of phone hacking. Team captain Ian Hislop wasn’t impressed with the lack of evidence presented by Prince Harry at the case.
“He spent eight hours answering questions, many of them which he didn't know the answer to,” said Hislop, continuing, “This is a court of law and you’ve got to go in with evidence and he really didn't have any. Throughout the eight hours, there's this feeling that Harry just thinks, if he says it, it's true. And that's just not good enough.”
“He’s never been gainsaid in his life. You get that sense that nobody has said, ‘actually sir, that’s b****cks’. He could have done with someone telling him that. I mean, if he’d rung me I would have told him,” replied Dee.
“This is Prince Harry’s court case to stop him being followed by the paparazzi. According to Prince Harry, ‘press intrusion caused my break-up with Chelsy Davy’. So even he’s a bit cheesed off he’s ended up with Meghan,” joked Hill.
Have I Got News For You continues on BBC One tonight at 9.00pm, guest hosted by Harry Hill.
Photographer Credits: Hat Trick Productions
