# How much do celebs know/get told about a Gameshow/Panel Show when they are booked for it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-celebs-know-get-told-about-a-gameshow-panel-show-when-they-are-booked-for-it/556697 "2010-10-10T17:26:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-celebs-know-get-told-about-a-gameshow-panel-show-when-they-are-booked-for-it/556697/1 "2010-10-10T17:26:52Z")
I often wonder why certain celebrities (the type that are targets of ridicule) go on comedy panel shows. And when they do I wonder if they’ve been prepared for the show, or know much about it. I wonder if it’s a UK thing. Our biggest Comedy Panel shows are QI, 8 out of 10 cats, Mock the Week, Would I Lie to You, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Shooting Stars Etc. All these shows have regulars who are comedians. Nearly all these comedians are not afraid to take the mickey out of a certain type of Celebrity. Often they’ll have a guest star who’s famous for some slightly embarrassing or ridicule-worthy reason. Inevitably they’ll get some ridicule from the show. Usually they take it in their stride (I suspect through a survival instinct - they are in front of a camera. The best thing to do in this situation is to go along with it) The latest 8 out of 10 cats had Uri Geller on it. He is being ridiculed quite strongly. He’s also taking it quite well. But I can’t help wondering if he knew what he was getting himself into. ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-celebs-know-get-told-about-a-gameshow-panel-show-when-they-are-booked-for-it/556697/2 "2010-10-11T04:47:32Z")
According to Wikipedia (yeah, I know, Wikipedia), QI contentants are briefed on the questions before the show starts, but not on the answers. This presumably gives them some time to think of interesting things to say. Never mind, I love the series anyway. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-celebs-know-get-told-about-a-gameshow-panel-show-when-they-are-booked-for-it/556697/3 "2010-10-11T08:59:32Z")
Stephen Fry recently said that only one guest who is regular on QI insists on seeing the questions beforehand… [http://www.thedailydust.co.uk/2010/09/07/stephen-fry-wont-say-whos-cheating-at-qi/](http://www.thedailydust.co.uk/2010/09/07/stephen-fry-wont-say-whos-cheating-at-qi/) ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-celebs-know-get-told-about-a-gameshow-panel-show-when-they-are-booked-for-it/556697/4 "2010-10-11T12:38:46Z")
Must be a UK thing. Over here, we really haven’t had much in the ways of celeb “panel” shows since _The Match Game_ of the 1970s. Thre have been occasional attempts to retool and revive the concept, but they’ve not survived. ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-celebs-know-get-told-about-a-gameshow-panel-show-when-they-are-booked-for-it/556697/5 "2010-10-11T13:46:27Z")
I think its very much a UK thing, but considering how popular and amusing they are over here, its amazing that there aren’t any American equivalents. Seems that lots of US dopers are fans too, presumably via the internet ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-celebs-know-get-told-about-a-gameshow-panel-show-when-they-are-booked-for-it/556697/6 "2010-10-11T14:31:00Z")
We used to have stuff like _Hollywood Squares_ - the thing is, I don’t know if I really want to see our modern “celebrities” trying to be funny. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-celebs-know-get-told-about-a-gameshow-panel-show-when-they-are-booked-for-it/556697/7 "2010-10-11T14:43:54Z")
I’m racking my brain trying to think who it is that I am about to write about, but I can’t for the life of me remember. All I can say is that I read an interview with someone once that was a pop star going on Never Mind the Buzzcocks. They said that they were offered a chance to chat with a writer before the show, to chat about what might be funny things to talk about, set up a few emergency one-liners and stuff like that. The person didn’t and subsequently regretted it massively. Damn. Who was it?!?! ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-celebs-know-get-told-about-a-gameshow-panel-show-when-they-are-booked-for-it/556697/8 "2010-10-11T14:53:15Z")
We had US-style panel games too (that one was called Celebrity Squares here), but the modern type of panel game is a bit different - the emphasis is heavily on ironic/satirical humour rather than the actual game, and there are no members of the public involved. The panelists are mostly well-known comedians. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-celebs-know-get-told-about-a-gameshow-panel-show-when-they-are-booked-for-it/556697/9 "2010-10-11T21:41:22Z")
The only show on over here that I can think of the even resembles that is “Chelsea Lately”, but that is just a panel of comedians mocking the day’s top celebrity stories, without the actually topics of the jokes being present. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-celebs-know-get-told-about-a-gameshow-panel-show-when-they-are-booked-for-it/556697/10 "2010-10-12T04:45:52Z")
Are people on shows like Meet the Press, Real Time with Bill Maher, or The View told about what will be discussed beforehand?