Paul Merton: ‘It still baffles me that Paul McCartney knows who I am’
The comedian, 66, tells Michael Segalov about clumsiness, council flats and comedy, and how it all went wrong at Whispering Gallery
January 2023
Comedy Q&A
Jack Dee: ‘I’m a positive energy kind of guy’
The comedian on doing standup in prison, his first open mic with Paul Merton and taking I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue on tour
January 2022
‘The godfather of alternative comedy’: Eddie Izzard, Paul Merton and more on Spike Milligan
He was the shellshocked genius who channelled his anarchic brilliance into The Goon Show. Ian Hislop and Nick Newman explain why they’ve written a play about Spike Milligan – while comedians remember a legend
August 2021
‘Constantly stunning and invigorating’ – Paul Merton and Suki Webster on campervan touring
The married comedians on the great views, friendly folk – and friendlier sheep – encountered on their tour of England and Wales for a new TV series
December 2019
In brief: Funny Ha Ha; Under Occupation; Jog On – review
Paul Merton’s favourite funny stories, Alan Furst’s gripping second world war thriller, and Bella Mackie on how jogging saved her life
September 2019
Hancock film fracas tale is a work of fiction
Paul Merton on Hancock's Hollywood half-hour – and his own movie dreams
December 2018
Aladdin review – deadpan dame Paul Merton leads panto supergroup
Magician Pete Firman conjures up laughs, while Blue singer Lee Ryan joins the fun in this uplifting 3D panto
April 2018
Have I got news for women? Not really. We already know men make the best clowns
Catherine Bennett
Ian Hislop and Paul Merton under fire for female host remarks
Shortcuts
So female politicians don’t want to host HIGNFY? There’s a very good reason
Women too modest to host Have I Got News For You, Hislop claims
July 2017
Jump the shark
When good TV goes bad: how Have I Got News for You shot itself in the foot
Hislop, Merton and Deayton made a formidable trio – but the bond was broken when the captains turned on their host. The show hasn’t been the same since
August 2016
'Booed off in 17 seconds' – comedians recall their first gigs
Shappi Khorsandi felt as if she’d walked on the moon. Isy Suttie watched a man change a dressing on a wound as she spoke. Omid Djalili fell off the stage. So how did the first gigs of Paul Merton, Susan Calman and other top comics go?
May 2016
TV review
Paul Merton’s Secret Stations review – a gentle, absurd travelogue
The comedian drinks magic water and wears rubber gloves as he pootles around on the railways. Plus, retracing The Silk Road – the internet of its day
February 2016
Paul Merton on Just a Minute: 'Our worst contestant? Esther Rantzen'
As Paul Merton beats Kenneth Williams’ record on Just a Minute, he talks about the panel show’s best and worst guests – and why everyone was scared the day he arrived
September 2015
Have I got a news quiz for you
To celebrate Have I Got News for You's 25th birthday, test your knowledge of the long-running satirical contest
June 2015
Sandi Toksvig: BBC denied me host role because I'm a woman
Outgoing News Quiz presenter says her gender was the reason the corporation didn’t choose her for Have I Got News For You 25 years ago
May 2015
Paul Merton’s Impro Chums review – this stuff couldn’t be written
It follows a well-worn format, but what the show lacks in jeopardy it gains in camaraderie and offers the audience, and improvisers, a unique brand of fun
October 2014
My family values
Paul Merton: My family values
The comedian on trying to understand and please his father and the love of the three women he married
