h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Has Ms Church struck everyone dumb?

I'll open the bidding.
She was pleasant and chatty and cheeky and cute. The character of the show was completely changed, possibly due in part to the fluffy Jenny Bond and Jimmy Thing being more restrained than he can be. It might have been different with a harder crew but I fancy anyone would have had the best brought out of them by the little Welsh charmer.
Worth a try and perhaps an occasional visit, but on the whole, as Snoopy would say: "Bleaaghh!".

C.C. was OK considering, but probabbly not up to the general cut-and-trhrust standards of the show.
Jenny Bond was predictably useless as a guest (has she been on many times before? - it certainly *felt* like it, though even once is one time tooo many.)

Who is that Jimmy whatsisname - I don't recall seeing him anywhere else, but feel I should have done. He seemed very quick and funny, and also very relaxed. He also reminded me of a few diferent people at the same time. At a glance, there was a hint of a thinner Paul Merton about him, and also a resemblance of David Bryne.
From what I saw, I'd be interested to see him trying his hand at host.

I didn't rate CC very highly. Lacked punch. Hague was very good. For a politician he genuinely has a good sense of humour.

I thought that guest was like Jonny Vaughn's brother. He was quick and funny.

You ever notice how peed off Paul Merton looks when someone gets a bigger laugh than him?

CC was better than I expected. I thought she was going to be very, very, very, very bad, and she was just very, very bad.

She kinda gave me the impression she's been experimenting with 'substances'.

When the show started I wondered, "Who the hell is that". You see I don't spend much time reading the tabloid press and so had no idea that Charlotte was no longer a bright faced little 12 year old with an angelic voice. The performance was better than it could have been, but overall lacked any real sparkle.

Incidentally does anyone know how the viewing figures for the show have been affected by having this rolling presenter policy. I'm finding that having a different person eash week knocks any kind of consistency out of the show, and it is becoming something of a trial to tune in each week. I can't be the only one who feels that way, so is the show in long term difficulties now?

You ever notice how peed off Paul Merton looks when someone gets a bigger laugh than him?
Oh yes.

It's also nice to see him break out in a grin, which he did in the out-take at the end of Hague's show.


I thought that comedian was good, he also compered the "100 worst Britons" and he was very funny and droll in that.

CC

As has been said, no spark.

I have to disagree with you, GreyDesk, the rotating presenter thing has been going on for so long now, it's unmissable, just for the "How bad can it be this week" element.

And Angus is to HIGNFY as Cilla Black is to Blind Date I guess has been proved.

I read a bit of gossip in my local paper that Lord Lamont was offered £1,000 to do it.
He turned it down.
They came back with an offer of £2K, then 3, then 4, then 5, finally £6K.
He said if they'd added a nought.....

Boris Johnson apparently got paid £1,000

I think they should give Christine Hamilton a go.

I'd definitely watch that one. She'd try and be really bossy but fail. Not many quesitons would get asked - lots of banter though !

As a one of perhaps but there's a risk she'd suffer for the same reason Angus was 'asked to leave' - the show would just be the contestants taking the out of her and her husband

True but the difference would be that Angus just used to smile and not know how to respond (not the man for off the cuff) whereas Christine would have an answer.
The plot would be completely lost but what fun for a one-off.

I thought the chubby-faced Welsh brat was wooden and unconvincing as host, as well as being far less fanciable tha I previously thought. It was also squirm-worthy watching the regulars being pleasant and considerate to her.

So .... ?
Did you like her, or not?

I thought that Charlotte Church was OK, but made too much out of the fact that the only things she was qualified to talk about were fashion and gossip. It IS a news quiz after all! and as I remarked way back in the backlog during the last series, HIGNFY is a bit of a boy's club and always has been and I think it's an important part of its charm, women do appear from time to time, but I think a woman chairman would disrupt that kind of relationship that they have. It's dreadfully sexist I know, but it's the way it is and the way that it works best in my opinion.

Absolutely no opinions on Alexander Armstrong then?

I thought he was the most professional of the guest hosts so far, dare I even say the most Deayton-esque... And because he doesn't have the same level of celebrity as the previous guests, the whole thing became a topical news-based quiz for once, rather than 30 minutes of hurling abuse at the host.

"I thought he was the most professional of the guest hosts so far, dare I even say the most Deayton-esque."

Agreed.

As they say in football, you don't notice the referee when (s)he's had a good game.

I thought he did well - he's a funny bloke, can read an autocue, has screen presence and is a strong enough character to stand up to Paul, Ian and the guests. He's top of my list so far, by some distance.

Otto

...and I missed it! Damn!

Dare I say I thought he was a little dull? I think his Canadian, PhD Physicist sidecick Milller would have been far better suited...

Ok, Armstrong is almost a dead ringer for Angus in every respect but Angus is gone, we need something new now.

Aha! Good to know I'm not alone in seeing Armstrong's Angusesqueness then.

He may have some similarities, but Angus often gave the feel of someone reading a script even when he wasn't. I think even when reading lines, Armstrong gave the impression of a comedian rather than a straighter presenter.