I'm a fan of topical comedy shows like Mock the Week and Have I got news for you, so I was interested to see this article in the Guardian, examining the conspicuous lack of women panellists and hosts in the genre.
Almost every show you can think of has a male host and male regulars, leaving women's only chance to appear at all in the 'guest' spots. As the article points out, this might not be such a problem if female guests were frequently booked, but again, they tend to be notable because of their scarcity.
Does this really all go back to the prevailing cliche that women can't be funny? It's massively depressing if it does. And despite my enjoyment of Mock the Week and its kind, it does have moments of jaw dropping sexism, that might not remain so unchallenged if a few more women were involved.
