Never Mind the Buzzcocks as they are now impotent

Sod all the controversy over Nick Griffin appearing on Question Time as the BBC have more important matters to sort out. One huge problem they have at present is this: Never Mind the Buzzcocks is as dead as a doe-doe and anyone that still finds it funny needs a freakin lobotomy. Has it gone past its sell-by date? A unanimous HELL YEAH! So what happened? So what happened, why has it run outta juice?

Any and I mean ANY panel comedy quiz show has to have a strong line –up as in the host and team captains. Take all the good comedy quiz show at the moment: - Mock the Week, Have I Got News for You, QI, all have the right people in the right places.

NMTB success I’d argue started from Mark Lamarr’s sneering, abrasive style of hosting, holding the show together. Two good stand-up comedians, Phill Jupitus and Sean Hughes could adlib competently so the show had solid foundations. Between the three there was a mocking kind of cynical chemistry regarding attitude towards the music industry which was important. That and a shite load of silliness and absurdity which always helps. Sean left but replaced by Bill Bailey and as much as I liked Sean, Bill slotted in perfectly and the show grew stronger, all good things must come to an end. Lamarr left and I feel that NMTB struggled to find its feet. Enter Simon Amstell.

You all know the cliché ‘a change is as good as a rest’ but not in the case of NMTB. When Amstell took over it took me a while to warm to him. Lamarr was the kind of blokey-bloke you could imagine meeting down the pub and chatting about footie, Amstell more likely to be down the under 18’s disco chatting about The Sugar Babes. To be fair to fuzzy-chops he did have some sublime moments, Amy Winehouse episode was funny yet painful to watch at the same time and let’s not forget the endlessly untalented numpty Preston when he walked out. The Ordinary Boys, piss off calling yourselves Ordinary as that would be an exaggeration and then some! Anyway, death knell was sounding when Amstell decided to quit.

What have the BBC done to plug the gapping holes left by Baily and Amstell? Brought in Noel Fielding as a team captain and a guest host every week. Christ it ain’t working. Fielding’s surreal sense of humour may amuse the pasty-faced, leather clad, Goth/indie Camden crowd but he is well and truly ‘out of sorts’ on NMTB. Have I got News for You has a guest presenter every week and the show still works BECAUSE it still has a strong line-up of Hislop and Merton, poor old Phil Jupitus can’t hold the show on his shoulders. NMTB needs someone to steer the ship a strong comedic leader if it is to survive but whom?

Brain Blessed. After his stint on Have I Got News For You I think it would be an unconventional choice but the man is a raving lunatic making him a strong candidate. Also, Phil would have someone to bounce off of as Blessed is such a colourful character that never stops shouting and shouting first class bollocks with an opinion on everything.



At least give him a crack at guest hosting for one show. Get rid of Fielding. More suited to team captaincy would be someone like Russell Howard. Quick with quips and has shown he can handle himself verbally on Mock The Week, Howard is more suited to that role.

Reality is the show needs Lamarr and Bailey back. The show is broken and the BBC ain’t got a clue how to fix it. A shit load of Viagra could not raise The Buzzcocks, never mind.