Fighting Talk

Current revision as of 19:04, 22 July 2024

Host

Regular radio hosts

Johnny Vaughan (Radio: 2003-4; TV pilot: 2004; Any Other Business: 8 July - 5 August 2007)

Christian O'Connell (2004-5)

Colin Murray (2005-13, 2016-23)

Christian O'Connell, Jonathan Pearce, Matt Johnson (rotating hosts, 2013-4)

Georgie Thompson [as Georgie Ainslie from early 2015], Josh Widdicombe (rotating hosts, 2014-2016)

Rick Edwards (2023-)

Guest radio hosts

Terry Wogan (9 April 2005)

Gabby Logan (29 October 2005, 13 May 2006, 2 July 2011)

Dickie Davies (11 March 2006)

Richard Bacon (Any Other Business: 24 December 2006; Election Special: 3 May 2010)

Johnny Vaughan (10 March 2007, filling in for Colin Murray who was singing on Fame Academy, also 15 September 2007 and 2 February 2008)

Phil Williams (5 April 2008)

Kelly Dalglish (22 November 2008, and as Kelly Cates on 18 April 2009)

Jimmy Tarbuck (29 November 2008)

Chris Hollins (2 January 2010)

Alan Davies (9 January 2010)

Barry Davies (28 August 2010)

Nick Hancock (23 October 2010, 18 June 2011, 14 January 2012, 5 January 2013)

Jake Humphrey (9 July 2011)

Freddie Flintoff (23 November 2013, 1 March 2014, 5 April 2014)

Jim Rosenthal (31 May 2014)

Justin Moorhouse (13 September 2015, 23 July 2016)

Jason Mohammad (9 January 2016)

Sam Quek (13 November 2021)

Broadcast

World's End for Five Live, 11 October 2003 to present

World's End for BBC Two, 2004 (Pilot)

Synopsis

TV version of The Vaughan's BBC Radio Five Live sporting debates show. Four people who write about, broadcast on and participate in sport (and Graham Taylor) compete for points doled out by Johnny for saying something aggressive, interesting or patriotic about a given sporting topic. Points are deducted for being dull, repetitive, unopinionated or plain wrong.

Various buttons are used by Vaughan to cue in sound effects and video stings (Land of Hope and Glory, a dripping tap, a crying baby) to signify his opinion on what the panellists are saying.

In the final round, Defend the Indefensible, the two top scorers have 20 seconds to put forward a positive argument for a ridiculous proposition, such as "Robert Mugabe should win Sports Personality of the Year".

All in all, quite a fresh take on the panel game genre but it could dearly do with an audience to provide some laffs.

In 2006, the original radio show branched out into Fighting Talk: Any Other Business where the topics were news-based rather than sports.

Inventor

Based on a BBC Radio Five Live format, itself similar to ESPN's Around the Horn.

Champions

A "Champions' League" final was inaugrated in May 2010, held before an audience on the morning of the final of the UEFA men's club competition. It's contested by four of the best performers in the prior nine months of competition.

2010 Bob Mills
2011 Tom Watt
2012 Steve Bunce
2013 Martin Kelner
2014 Justin Moorhouse
2015 Paul Sinha
2016 Paul Sinha
2017 Richard Osman
2018 Richard Osman
2019 Steve Bunce
2020 Elis James
2021 Natalie Pike
2022 Neil Delamere
2023 Bob Mills
2024 Paul McNamee

Web links

BBC programme page

Wikipedia entry

British Comedy Guide entry

Feedback

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 <div class="box">
 == Host ==
-[[Johnny Vaughan]] (TV broadcast pilot, radio: 2003-4; ''Any Other Business'' 8 July - 5 August 2007)
+'''Regular radio hosts'''
+[[Johnny Vaughan]] (Radio: 2003-4; TV pilot: 2004; ''Any Other Business'': 8 July - 5 August 2007)
 Christian O'Connell (2004-5)
-[[Terry Wogan]] (9 April 2005)
+[[Colin Murray]] (2005-13, 2016-23)
-[[Colin Murray]] (2005-present)
+Christian O'Connell, Jonathan Pearce, Matt Johnson (rotating hosts, 2013-4)
+Georgie Thompson [as Georgie Ainslie from early 2015], [[Josh Widdicombe]] (rotating hosts, 2014-2016)
+[[Rick Edwards]] (2023-)
+'''Guest radio hosts'''
+[[Terry Wogan]] (9 April 2005)
 [[Gabby Logan]] (29 October 2005, 13 May 2006, 2 July 2011)
@@ Line 14: / Line 25: @@
 [[Dickie Davies]] (11 March 2006)
-[[Richard Bacon]] (''Any Other Business'', 16 - 23 December 2006; election special 3 May 2010)
+[[Richard Bacon]] (''Any Other Business'': 24 December 2006; Election Special: 3 May 2010)
 [[Johnny Vaughan]] (10 March 2007, filling in for Colin Murray who was singing on [[Fame Academy]], also 15 September 2007 and 2 February 2008)
@@ Line 20: / Line 31: @@
 Phil Williams (5 April 2008)
-Kelly Dalglish (22 November 2008)
+Kelly Dalglish (22 November 2008, and as Kelly Cates on 18 April 2009)
 [[Jimmy Tarbuck]] (29 November 2008)
-Kelly Cates (18 April 2009)
 Chris Hollins (2 January 2010)
@@ Line 32: / Line 41: @@
 Barry Davies (28 August 2010)
-[[Nick Hancock]] (23 October 2010, 18 June 2011, 14 January 2012)
+[[Nick Hancock]] (23 October 2010, 18 June 2011, 14 January 2012, 5 January 2013)
 [[Jake Humphrey]] (9 July 2011)
+[[Freddie Flintoff]] (23 November 2013, 1 March 2014, 5 April 2014)
+[[Jim Rosenthal]] (31 May 2014)
+Justin Moorhouse (13 September 2015, 23 July 2016)
+Jason Mohammad (9 January 2016)
+[[Sam Quek]] (13 November 2021)
 == Broadcast ==
-World's End for Five Live, 4 October 2003 - present
+World's End for Five Live, 11 October 2003 to present
-World's End for BBC2, 2004
+World's End for BBC Two, 2004 (Pilot)
 </div>
@@ Line 67: / Line 86: @@
 * ''2011'' Tom Watt
 * ''2012'' Steve Bunce
+* ''2013'' Martin Kelner
+* ''2014'' Justin Moorhouse
+* ''2015'' [[Paul Sinha]]
+* ''2016'' Paul Sinha
+* ''2017'' [[Richard Osman]]
+* ''2018'' Richard Osman
+* ''2019'' Steve Bunce
+* ''2020'' Elis James
+* ''2021'' Natalie Pike
+* ''2022'' Neil Delamere
+* ''2023'' Bob Mills
+* ''2024'' Paul McNamee
 == Web links ==
-[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0070hvs Official site]
+[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0070hvs BBC programme page]
 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_Talk Wikipedia entry]
@@ Line 87: / Line 118: @@
 [[Category:Panel Game]]
 [[Category:Debating]]
+[[Category:Returning Host]]
+[[Category:Long-Running]]
 [[Category:Current]]