Have I Got News for You season 70 is back for an impressive landmark outing.
There’s something about a new series of HIGNFY that makes us feel everything is going to be okay with the world — or, at least, it will seem more amusing for 30 minutes.
With this new 10-part season the satirical show celebrates its 35th anniversary and 70th series in its traditional manner: guest hosts and panellists join (the true stars of the series) team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton.
Have I Got News for You Season 70 — release date
Have I Got News for You season 70 airs on Friday, October 3 2025, at 9 pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
The slightly longer version, Have I Got a Bit More News For You will air weekly on Monday nights (times vary - see our TV guide for details) and also be available on BBC iPlayer.
Here, Ian Hislop and comedian Paul Merton share their highlights and favourite memories from 35 years of filming…
What makes for a good guest?
Hislop: “I think the main quality of a great guest host is just to say, ‘Ian, what do you think?’ and then be quiet for about 45 minutes! I really enjoyed William Shatner [in 2012]. He managed to libel Ilfracombe, for which he had to apologise.”
Merton: “He didn't apologise…!”
Hislop: “We apologised! But he was a brilliant host and he's the only other person apart from Alexander Armstrong [who holds the record for most appearances at 42 guest stints] who sang during the show.”
Merton: “He did a very good job considering he had no idea who we or the people in the news were! You find that generally actors are great at doing it because they are used to sharing the stage with other people. David Tennant is superb.”
Hislop: “Mel Giedroyc is also really good. She kept saying, ‘Hello gang’, which was great because Paul and I really don't like gangs…”
Merton: “Can you imagine the gang that would feature the two of us?”
What are your standout moments from the show?
Merton: “Ian once told a joke in Latin and I thought that was great. There’s no other show on the BBC that masquerades as a prime-time show that would feature somebody telling a joke in Latin!”
Hislop: “My favourite was when US comedian Jackie Mason thought I was a runner. He clearly had no idea who anybody was and I was walking around the studio with a cup of tea when he came up and took it. When we appeared on the set later, he looked at me and said, ‘Why are you on?’ That puts you in your place!”
Who is the one guest that thrilled you both?
Merton: “Peter Cook. When you have a comic hero of yours from when you're young or in your early teens, and you then meet them, nothing quite beats that thrill…”
Hislop: “Yes it was incredibly exciting having him on. He’s like Paul in that he answered no questions about the news. It was just brilliant and reminded me why some people are geniuses.”
Apparently Sir Paul McCartney is a huge fan of the show…
Merton: “That’s great. I mean, Paul McCartney has given me a great deal of personal pleasure over the years… and I like his music as well! I’ve met him five times and it was only on the fifth time that I was able to talk like a normal person. For Ian, it would be like meeting [Tory MP and newspaper editor] William Deedes who was on the show.”
Hislop: “I was incredibly excited.”
Merton: “He didn’t take a selfie, he had a brass rubbing done.”
What feedback do you get from HIGNFY fans?
Hislop: “Once I was wandering along and a young bloke filling up his van turned around, stopped working, ran up to me and said, ‘Your show is brilliant, don’t stop doing it’ and, do you know, that seems to me like reasonable advice.”
Merton: “Yes, as Ian says, it’s about the people who come up to you and say it's great. When we both walk on at the top of the show, it’s all about the enthusiasm and the big round of applause from the audience. What I do now is I think to myself, ‘Okay, my only chance of doing this show is tonight. It's this recording, I’ve got to do the best I can do.’”
Are there any behind the scenes secrets that you think would surprise readers?
Merton: “The cardboard panels on the set revolve using a contraption made with a bicycle chain, but we’ve never had a go at turning them ourselves. Does Ian look like he’s ever done manual labour? Also, the person that's responsible for the scores, the producers don't physically know who’s doing it or where they are in the studio.”
Hislop: “When Clive Myrie presents he often has to leave the show to read the news in the middle. He takes his scarf off and runs away to the next studio!”
Do you wind down together after filming?
Merton: “Yes, I drink Guinness or Irish stout.”
Hislop: “And I’ll have a glass of sherry. We once went out for a drink with Carol Vorderman and Steph McGovern after a recording and because the paparazzi go wherever Carol goes, I made it into the online tabloids: ‘Hislop worse for wear!’”
Merton: [Laughing] “I think it was 'Ian Hislop propped up by…’ It was very funny.”
Have I Got News for You season 70 — episodes
HIGNFY season 70 — episode 1
Airdate: Friday 03 October 2025, BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Guest presenter: Victoria Coren Mitchell
Guest panellists: Sheila Hancock and Miles Jupp
With its cartoon newspaper style opening credits, theme tune by Big George and revolving set panels - powered by a contraption involving of bicycle chains, apparently - Have I Got News for You has become a Friday night staple since its inaugural episode on 28th September 1990, featuring then-presenter Angus Deayton, team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton and the show’s first guest panellists, comedian Sandi Toksvig and journalist Kate Saunders.
After Deayton’s dismissal in 2002, the series employed a revolving door of high calibre star hosts, while Private Eye editor Hislop and comedian Merton cemented themselves as a rock solid double act with each passing biannual seasonal broadcast.
This week, the satirical current affairs show celebrates a double anniversary, as it reaches its 35th anniversary and launches its 70th series with Only Connect’s Victoria Coren Mitchell in the presenting hot seat - making this her 30th appearance on the programme and 22nd time in the host’s chair.
Future episodes
Keep an eye on BBC's HIGNFY page for information on upcoming shows and guest stars.
Many happy returns HIGNFY!
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