8 out of 10 Cats

8 out of 10 cats prefer Whiskas. The first five words of that sentence is the title to the next British TV I will be talking about.  I found this show purely on accident one rainy day last summer and I promptly watched about four episodes in that single sitting.  Was my mom pleased with what I had spent the day doing?  Not particularly especially considering the massive amounts of my clothes that needed folding.  But in my defense, the show was incredibly funny and there was never a boring moment.

8 out of 10 Cats first started its run in June 2005.  Jimmy Carr is the presenter of this lovely comedy panel game show and he is never one to shy away from an opportunity to put his sarcastic sense of humor into the mix.  Carr is joined by two teams on either side, one captained by Sean Lock and the other team is lead by Jon Richardson, who recently replaced former captain Jason Manford.  Four guest celebrities from all different spheres of the entertainment industry are on the show each week.  They range from ditzy reality stars, comedians, and athletes and to actors.  There are some pretty interesting mixes and the show is always bound to become a bit more severe in their verbal comedic sparring when Jedward* is on. 

The show begins with "What Are You Talking About?".  The public are asked their opinions on what they were talking about the most this week and then the teams try to pick the top five.  It is surprisingly educational in that way.  I have learned quite a bit about British news from this show.  Granted, I watch the episodes about 5 months after they air so I'm never informed at the proper time. Another bit is "Pick of the Polls" where four pictures are presented and the team captains pick one. Related to the picture is a poll based on it.

Here is a full episode. Start around 4 minutes for "What Are You Talking About?" where they discuss not only the world's economy but also the ever important question from a few months ago of whether or not JBiebs fathered a child.

Jimmy Carr is a stand up comedian and writer. His jokes have been known to be controversial at times and very dark. Nothing seems off limits. The shortest joke he knows is "Venison's dear isn't it?". He is a native of Limerick, Ireland and went to university at Cambridge. Connecting this with last week's entry: He has appeared on Top Gear twice. The Stig has said that he was the worst driver they had had on the show but he did set a new track record for the show. He also hosts Big Fat Quiz Show of the Year.

Sean Lock is also a stand up comedian. Before breaking out onto the comedy circuit, he was a construction worker. He has been active since 1993, after appearing in a few television roles. He was on The Big Fat Quiz Show of the Year with James Corden in 2008 and lost by four points.





Jon Richardson is another British comedian. He often jokes about and is made fun of for his obsessive compulsive disorder. He wrote a book entitled It's Not Me, It's You in 2011 about his trouble having relationships because of his condition. He was originally studying Hispanic Studies at Bristol University until he dropped out and pursued comedy. Good decision on his part I do believe.


Essentially, the guests and captains just banter with each other about current events or the polls they are asked. I can't think of a single show in the States where this set up is even remotely similar. And we are sorely missing out on some great opportunities for comedy because of it. I would give this show 10 out of 10 cats.

*Jedward – twin boys , John and Edward, from Ireland who were on the 2009 X Factor. They are famous for being annoying. Example: