UK's Best Panel-Shows

This is just a short list of the best English panel-shows, on TV today! Many have been running for years on end and are still going - most with the original panel.

This panel-show has been running for 11 Seasons now. Hosted by Jimmy Carr, the comedians and celebrities quiz on the hot topics weekly, with polls and statistics to help them along the road.

The panel-shows teams captains are Sean Lock and Joe Richardson, although Joe has just joined this season. Other team captains have included Jason Manford and Dave Spikey.

The show goes on for roughly 25 minutes each episode and is filled with humorous comedians and glamorous celebrities - even with some politicians! Guest appearances include: David Mitchell, Lorraine Kelly, Jack Whitehall, Fern Britton, Vic Reeves and many, many more.

It airs on Channel 4 and is on about 10:00 every Friday. Usually after some of Channel 4's tedious "comedy" shows. Normally it covers 5 main stories in the news that week, giving some rash, but needed comments, then finishing on what the topic really is. After, the cast play a round called 'pick-of-the-polls' where they choose one of four pictures which have headlined the news this week; normally coming with a clip. The last round is 'the winner is' which is quick-fire, with a slow pace (don't know how that works), only goes on for about 3 minutes and there is two questions in the round.

With 10 seasons so far, Mock the Week has been going strong for seven years now. With Dara O'briain hosting the political and latest news panel-show since the first series, alongside Hugh Dennis - the team-captain. Other team-captains on Mock the Week include: Rory Bremner. After Rory left on season two Mock the Week brought a new team captain in, every few shows.

Other regulars include: Frankie Boyle, who left at season 7 after being asked to be more "subtle" with his rants. Russel Howard, who left at season 9 after bringing out his new show "Russel Howard's Good News". Andy Parsons, who is still there and has been since season 3. There is also a new panel-regular, Chris Addison.

Broadcast on BBC2 at 10:00pm on Thursday's and regularly broadcast on Dave, with repeats of all seasons. The panel-show goes on for around half-an-hour, finishing at 10:30. The show goes over four rounds: headliners: where the group are faced with four letters of a news story and have to unravel the words; spinning the news: in which four comedians stand-up and each have a turn at making us laugh at a designated category; if this is the answer what is the question: where the teams are given an answer to a news headline and have to figure out the question; scenes we'd like to see: in which all comics stand up and try against the buzzer to make us laugh at a particular topic.

A fairly new batch of comedy, Would I Lie to you? is fast becoming TV's most favourite panel-show. With Rob Brydon now hosting the show, after taking over from Angus Deayton on the second series. The two team-captains are Lee Mack and David Mitchell, who have proved a classic pair, with David's sharp-edge-posh humour and Lee Mack's rough-funny-northern humour, they are like chalk and cheese - but somehow mix!

Since 2007, Would I Lie to You has had many unique guests, more comedians than celebrities which I'm thankful for (celebs ruin comedy) - these include Hugh Dennis (right); Robert Webb; Russel Howard; Frankie Boyle; John Barrowman; (celeb, but he's pretty funny) Jack Whitehall; Jimmy Carr and Miranda Hart.

The show has always been broadcast at 22:30 - but is now going to be on at 21:30, on the 9th of September. This, if anything, shows that the BBC believe this is a good panel-show that'll last - unlike some of BBC's rubbish that was thrown into the bin before it started!

Rounds are all about lies/truth and the other team have to try and find out if the player is lying, or telling the truth. The three games are called:

• Home truths: one panellist will read out a statement from their past or present or belief. The other team must decipher if this statement is a truth, or a lie. Four panellists do a statement before moving onto the next round.
• This is my..: A guest will come on and each individual from one team must tell them why they know the guest. Only one of the players are telling the truth. The other team must then ask questions to find out who is telling the truth and who is lying.
• Quick-fire lies: Like home truths, but with a time limit.