Top class comedy came to the Ipswich Corn Exchange last night - and you can hear it all on BBC Radio 4 tonight.
Presenter Mile Jupp and the panelists were in Ipswich to record programme five of series 90 - which goes out tonight at 6.30.pm on the “wireless”.
And David Vincent was there to hear it live and uncut.
The comedy team arrived in Ipswich a bit like a stealth bomber - not wanting the venue to be swamped by fans.
There wasn’t even a BBC outside broadcast van to be seen.
You had to apply online for “free” tickets, be allocated them in a ballot, and then exchange the printed emails for lapel stickers to get into the hall.
Even so there were long queues outside in King Street.
The BBC does comedy panel shows very well and the Corn Exchange was packed, and very hot, for this week’s topical treatment of the big news stories, from political gaffes from the likes of the PM to Her Majesty the Queen, to sport and entertainment.
News from across the country, around the world.... and Norfolk.
Miles warned the audience it would be smutty, and it was - but that is no bad thing.
What’s wrong with a bit of innuendo between friends? It was also very funny.
Somebody had cleary been reading the Ipswich Star and the East Anglian Daily Times.
The panel of Susan Calman, Hugo Rifkind, Zoe Lyons and Jeremy Hardy were all very clever and funny. Susan, in particular had the audience in fits of laughter.
I will never think of parachutes in the same way again.
Sometimes the comments and quips were near the knuckle, but it all has to be passed by the legal eagles and edited before broadcast.
It will be interesting to see what ends up on the cutting room floor.
The F word will have to go, of course.
Miles warned us they were all typical `BBC Communists’ and there is a kind of cosy lefty-ness to these sort of shows, but without the cruel edge of Mock The Week.
Anything `Tory’ - Dave and Boris, UKIP and Nigel and that bloke Donald Trump across the water is always fair game.
Yet the government has failed to tackle the excesses of the Beeb again with its new White Paper.
These panelists probably don’t receive £450,000 a year from our public broadcaster.
Why should anybody?
Clearly the BBC is strapped for cash.
I should be happy to pay a bigger licence fee. How else would they pay for shows like The News Quiz and the Archers?
Perhaps they could forget the secrecy and sell tickets instead?
Profit - now there’s a dirty word.
David Vincent
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