Comedians joke about the timing of Boris Johnson’s resignation after Thursday recording of the show

The topical news comedy show Have I Got News For You has joked that it may need to start recording episodes on Fridays, following Boris Johnson’s surprise resignation as an MP. The former Prime Minister made his announcement on Friday evening, just hours after the show was recorded on Thursday, causing a swift reaction on social media.

Johnson’s resignation came after he accused a Parliamentary investigation into his involvement in the Partygate scandal of attempting to “drive me out.” The news broke shortly after 8 pm, with Have I Got News For You scheduled to air at 9 pm. In response, the show’s Twitter account cheekily suggested, “Perhaps we need to start recording the show on a Friday…”

Comedian Richard Osman, a former guest host, expressed sympathy for those involved in Thursday’s recording, saying, “My thoughts and prayers with everyone who had to record ‘Have I Got News For You’ last night.”

Johnson has appeared on the show several times, both as a guest panellist and as a host. His political antics, posh accent, and controversial moments were frequently the subject of mockery by team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton.

The episode, which aired on Friday, featured Harry Hill as the guest host, marking his first time hosting the show. Hill was joined by comedian Jack Dee, Vice UK editor Zing Tsjeng, and the regular team captains, Hislop and Merton. The show covered a week of significant news, including the fallout from Phillip Schofield’s secret, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s trip to the US, and the Duke of Sussex’s ongoing legal battles.

This isn’t the first time a major political event has impacted a topical news programme. Last year, Mock The Week aired its final episode amid political chaos in the UK, and despite Liz Truss’s resignation as Prime Minister, the episode was not re-recorded. The show’s Twitter account even tweeted, “I know there are bigger ramifications to the Prime Minister resigning, but that has really messed up Mock The Week this week.” Comedian Angela Barnes joked, “Liz Truss has done some terrible things, but resigning the day after we record the last ever episode of Mock The Week is up there.”

Meanwhile, on Friday, members of the studio audience of the BBC’s Any Questions programme cheered when the news of Johnson’s resignation was read aloud during the live recording in Pembrokeshire.