...as is Michael Gove

Comedian John Tothill – and former Cabinet Minister Michael Gove – will both make their debuts on Have I Got News For You in the coming weeks.

Tothill, who was nominated for best show at last year’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards, will be appearing on the May 29 episode of the long-running topical show. 

The episode will be hosted by Katherine Ryan – her fifth time in the job – with journalist and broadcaster Jo Coburn on the opposing team.

Meanwhile Gove, now editor of The Spectator magazine, will be appearing in the last episode of the current, 71st, series on June 4.

The former politician has often been on the receiving end of jibes from show regular Ian Hislop, both in the pages of Private Eye and beyond.

In 2016, Hislop told a Commons committee that Gove’s relationship with media mogul Rupert Murdoch should be investigated after he returned to work at The Times after Theresa May sacked him as Justice Secretary.

He subsequently returned to the Cabinet as her Environment Secretary, and served as Cabinet Office Secretary and Housing Secretary, among other roles, under Boris Johnson before being sacked for disloyalty. He returned as Housing Secretary under Rishi Sunak before leaving the Commons in 2024, and was later made a life peer. 

His episode will be hosted by David Tennant with Chloe Petts on the panel.

Published: 11 May 2026