Have I Got News for You specials. "List complete up to 14 December 2018" In 1993, in the final episode of series 5, The Rt Hon. Roy Hattersley (then an MP, having recently stepped down as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party) cancelled his appearance on the show at the last minute; the third time he had done so. Unable to find a suitable replacement at such short notice, they decided that Paul's guest would be a tub of lard instead, billed as 'The Right Honourable Tub of Lard MP'. In a 1994 episode, Deayton read out the following: "The BBC are cracking down on references
Have I Got News for You "Radio Times" that female politicians were "too modest" to present the show. Merton said, "The producers always ask more women than men. More women say no... right from the early days, that’s been the case", while Hislop added, "And everyone you think should have been asked has been. Really, they really have... On the whole, women are slightly more reticent and think, maybe modestly, 'I can’t do that'." The quotes triggered a backlash with several female comedians challenging the show's producers to embrace gender equality, while Conservative MP Anna Soubry volunteered to appear as host. Four VHS videos were released,