It’s getting old, this 8 out of 10 cats, mock the week, even have I Got news and dare I say it QI.
I don’t really find any of then funny any more a combination of me and them getting far to long in the tooth.
Its not so much getting old as thin. The reason this kind of panel show format took off is its a way of getting stand up comedians on telly without them wasting their act. If you do your act on telly then its wasted as everyone then knows the punchlines to your jokes. Panel shows create sit-down comedy instead where you can be funny in response to something rather than tell self-contained jokes and that allows you to keep your live material for live gigs. (unless your Jason Mansford and you shoehorn your live gags into panelshow quiz answers)
They’re successful in that respect – in that they allow you to see more comedy on telly instead of just sketch comedy and Micheal Macintyre reminding you that you’ve noticed things and agreeing with you that, yes, revolving doors are funny (he never has to worry about people knowing the punchline). But because they’re easy and they’re cheap (in relation to sketch shows) theres just too many of them – too many shows and too many episodes of those shows- which means theres are more seats at panel show desks than there are funny people to sit in them.
