Mock the Week will return to BBC Two at 10pm on Thursday 22nd October 2020.
The series will run until February 2nd 2021, with a short break in December between episodes airing on 10th December 2020 and January 14th 2021.
Below Hugh Dennis reveals his thoughts on the long-running comedy show.
Read an interview with the show's host Dara O Briain here.
We know and love Mock the Week for its satirical swipes and topical one liners. What can we expect from the new series?
Well, I suppose exactly the same really but in a completely new world. It’s all going to be really odd for us, I think. What I’m most looking forward to is my new Mock The Week mask which I just found out about; they’ve had branded masks made. And I’m interested to know what’s on the front of it, whether it’s the Mock The Week logo or whether we’ve all got a picture of Dara or something covering our mouths. It’s the thing I’m most looking forward to!
Are there any new guests you are most excited to have on the show? Any old favourites returning?
Well, I imagine there will be lots of old favourites returning and I know Tom Allen is doing show one, who I love. I don’t know who is coming in, its going to be a delight to see who will be sitting next to me through a perspex screen. I mean I could ask but I like the surprise!
When you return to Mock the Week after a break in filming, does it take you a while to get back into the swing of things or is it second nature, like riding a bike?
It’s always a bit scary actually, if I’m honest. I often get asked this question of whether I get nervous before I do a show whether its live or TV and I kind of think you’d be insane not to feel a bit nervous, because it’s quite nerve wracking isn’t it? But you do pretty much get straight back into the swing of it. A live show has a different sort of energy, while you can be saved by the edit in Mock The Week, or that’s what I’m hoping!
What do you think it is that makes Mock the Week such a firm favourite with audiences after being on air for 15 years?
I think it’s because there is a never ending turnover of comics and it’s bringing through great comic talent and it also has a balance between doing serious stuff and other times drifting off into a tirade of different types of jam. It covers all the bases, I think!
Do you ever watch reruns of Mock the Week - what is it like watching these episodes back?
It’s quite difficult to miss them! But I tend not to watch them, I don’t really like watching myself at all.
What are your hopes for the new series when it returns to our screens this October?
As always, I hope people find it funny! When we did Brexit, which is still going on of course, I remember saying to Dara after the referendum that this is like tantric satire now, we’ve got to make it go on two years so don’t waste it all now, remember to hold stuff back. We never know what’s going to come around the corner and that’s why we need a weekly show like Mock the Week.
Interview supplied by publicists
