Mock The Week ends 17-year run with daft gift and greeting card presented on air
After nearly two decades of taking the mickey out of the news, BBC’s Mock The Week series hung up its comic capers at the weekend – with a little help from the greeting card industry.
Over the five episodes in the final series there have been plenty of jibes at host Dara ó Briain’s impending unemployment status and it was capped in the last outing on Friday, 21 October, when panellist Rhys James presented him with a leaving card and gift.
With two million viewers watching, Dara opened the envelope to reveal a Claire Giles’ Enjoy Your Retirement card from the Sherbet Sundaes range – complete with £5 note stuck inside and note requesting the contact details for Channel 4’s comedy game show Taskmaster bookers, where the Irish comedian, TV presenter, and space enthusiast sometimes appears.
“That’s so funny, I can’t believe it!” Claire told PG Buzz from her North Shields base. “I normally watch it but haven’t seen the last one yet – Sherbet Sundaes is such an old range for us, we sell it mainly through Amazon now, but I might have to put it back online after this!
“We do a blue one and a pink one of this retirement card. That’s hilarious, that’s really made my day. It’s fantastic, so funny I can’t believe it, fame at last – but I think I need to put out a statement that, sadly, our cards do not come with fivers inside.
“I’m absolutely delighted because I love Dara ó Briain, he’s very, very funny. I shall have to go and watch it now.”
Produced by Angst Productions, the topical, satirical, celebrity panel show has been running on BBC2 for 17 years with one section of the final If This is The Answer What is The Question round dedicated to that number – and the question was, of course, how long has Mock The Week been running.
The BBC announced in August that the 21st would be the final series, despite fans’ protests, and there have been 232 episodes since Mock The Week first aired in June 2005, starring Dara with Hugh Dennis as one team captain throughout and 130 other comedians joining the panel, and the host ended the show by saying: “It’s been an absolute joy to talk to you and an honour.”
There are two compilation episodes, on the next two Fridays, to wrap up the final series, with the show seeing out six British Prime Ministers, four US presidents, and seven England football managers – but the last recording took place before Liz Truss resigned to become the country’s shortest-serving PM.
Dara quipped: “At the time of recording Hunt is still the Chancellor and Truss is still the Prime Minister – of course, just after we recorded this Liz Truss was mounted into a catapult and fired at the Sun.”
Appearing with Angela Barnes, Alasdair Beckett-King, Zoe Lyons, and Ahir Shah, Rhys also gave Dara a leaving present in a star-patterned gold gift bag, which turned out to be a Bus Simulator 16 video game, leading on from the long-running Mock The Week gag that the Irishman is a ringer for the Megabus coach character.
Top: Dara ó Briain opens his retirement card on air
