Britain picks its favourite panel show moments...

And of course Bob Mortimer is top

comedy Bob Mortimer’s surreal stories on Would I Lie To You? are Britain’s favourite panel show moments, a new survey has found.

Yarns such as Chris Rea teaching him to crack an egg into a bath or finding a horse in the local witch's house topped a poll of more than 1,000 responses.

The full top five is:

Any of Bob Mortimer’s stories on Would I Lie To You?
Sean Lock playing Carrot In A Box with John Richardson on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Boris Johnson hosting Have I Got News For You in 1998 and 2003
Gemma Collins’ ‘GC’ meltdown on Celebrity Juice
Kevin Bridges’ ‘I bought a horse’ story on Would I Lie To You?

Edinburgh Fringe show The Comedy Arcade commissioned the poll from Censuswide, giving respondents a choice of 20 moments, or to pick their own.

Mortimer topped the list across all age groups with both 18-24s and over-55s picking him as their favourite, but the Gemma Collins meltdown resonated most with younger women - especially among 18- to 24-year-olds.

Comedian Vix Leyton, who hosts The Comedy Arcade, said: ‘This list is chaos in the best way, but it’s a shame to see that not one of these moments is from the last five years.

‘Panel shows used to be the thing you had to watch as they were broads because everyone would be talking about it the next day, and it is something British comedians do incredibly well. Now, with so much choice – TikTok, streaming, YouTube – they’ve got to work harder to earn that space.

‘People want to see more than just a slightly different line-up of the same old faces interacting in the same old way. Shows likeTaskmaster have proven how powerful it is to keep things current, book a real mix of voices, and create unexpected moments people can’t stop sharing. Panel TV can still do that – but only if it evolves.’

‘What this data brilliant shows is that comedy is ageless. Bob Mortimer was my hero growing up watching things like Shooting Stars, and the fact that 18 year olds are still voting him top of the list proves it’s not a young person’s game – it’s a funny person’s game. The audience is wide open, you just have to meet them where they are.’

The Comedy Arcade, which involves four guests pitching stories and anecdotes competitively, is on at Gilded Balloon Appleton Tower at 10.15pm until the 16th, with no shows on August 11 or 12.

Published: 7 Aug 2025