Just a Minute appeared on the panel, and others have acted as chairman including Sir Clement Freud, Geraldine Jones, Andrée Melly "as our contribution to the women's liberation movement", and Kenneth Williams. Ian Messiter was chairman on one occasion in 1977, when Freud arrived late and Nicholas Parsons took his place on the panel. Parsons had appeared on every show, either as chairman or panelist, until Series 81 Episode 4 when he was absent for the first time in the show's 51 year history. That show, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 18:30hrs on the 4th June 2018, was hosted by Gyles Brandreth
Panel show the charades show "Give Us a Clue" ran from 1979 to 1992, and the improv game "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" aired from 1988 to 1998. Current British panel shows have become showcases for the nation's top stand-up and improv comedians, as well as career-making opportunities for new comedians. Regular comics on panel shows often go on to star in sitcoms and other TV shows. The modern British panel show format of TV comedy quizzes started with "Have I Got News for You", a loose adaptation of BBC Radio 4's "The News Quiz". "HIGNFY", as the show is sometimes known,