Have I Got News for You the BBC two years later. In April 2003, three-time guest panellist Stephen Fry announced that he was boycotting the show following the sacking of Angus Deayton. Fry described Deayton's disposal as "greasy, miserable, British and pathetic". On 23 November 2007, Ann Widdecombe appeared as a guest host for the second time, with Jimmy Carr as Hislop's teammate. Due to Carr's risqué material, Widdecombe vowed she would never appear on "Have I Got News for You" again. She said, "His idea of wit is a barrage of filth and the sort of humour most men grow out of in their teens.
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,