Have I Got News for You Angus Deayton as chairman, with Ian Hislop, the editor of "Private Eye", and comedian Paul Merton as team captains. Each captain was accompanied by a guest, usually a politician, journalist or comedian, or somebody particularly relevant to recent news. Merton took a break from "Have I Got News for You" during the 11th series in 1996, making only one appearance as a guest on Hislop's team. He was variously replaced as opposing team captain by Clive Anderson, Alan Davies and Eddie Izzard (with another two episodes featuring an equal-billing double act as the opponents of Hislop's team). Merton later explained
Have I Got News for You stints on the writing team. Alexander Armstrong holds the record for both most appearances as guest presenter, as well as most guest appearances in total, having appeared 32 times in the central chair. He has never appeared in any other role. Andy Hamilton holds the record for appearances as a guest panellist, with 22. Many guests have appeared on the programme multiple times. The list below includes guests who have appeared as presenter or panellist, and does not include the two video-exclusive releases, "Have I Got Unbroadcastable News for You" and "The Official Pirate Video", nor the various Comic Relief