If I Ruled the World...
Contents |
Host
Co-hosts
Team captains: Graeme Garden and Jeremy Hardy
Broadcast
Hat Trick for BBC Two, 27 February 1998 to 29 March 1999 (16 episodes in 2 series)
Synopsis
Curious political spin-off from the Have I Got News for You team that very nearly worked. Two 'parties', the Reds (led by Jeremy Hardy) and the Blues (led by Graeme Garden), are joined by a guest each week and are led through a series of debate-style rounds.
Tasks included having the defend indefensible policies, answering questions without giving a straight Yes or No, and a final indignified grab for votes by shouting out a lot of populist policies.
Straw polls would be taken by push-button voting from the studio audience, and the final winner was the one who got the majority vote at the very end.
Some of the humour was a little forced, but there were plenty of tour de force moments from Garden that made the entry fee worthwhile.
Inventor
Devised by Richard Osman.
Trivia
The Swedish version of If I Ruled the World, called Parlamentet, is a great success and is now in its 17th season.