About ISIHAC

A backstage guide to the people and games.

Games

Over the years I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue has featured many different games, from one off visual spectaculars to firm favorites, returning series after series.
These include:

84 Chicken Cross Road: the teams construct a lively correspondence between two famous characters, word by word.

Alien Theatre: famous dramatic moments interpreted by Extra Terrestrials.

Celebrity Misquotes: what the Famous never said.

Censored Songs: cleaned up versions of popular favourites.

Chat Up Lines: how to make special friends.

Comple Song To The Tune Of Another: a complicated concept that requires
some explanation.

Pick-up Song: the players sing along to tracks they can’t hear.

Quiz of Quizzes: the teams take the best elements of all the popular Quiz Shows and discard them.

Sound Charades: charades without the benefit of mime.

Sound Effects storytime: one team tells a story while the other team bring it to life with sound effects.

Spot the Ostrich: a new old game.

Stars In Their Ears: the players impersonate Stars as they sing
unsuitable melodies.

Swanee Kazoo: the ever popular musical duet.

Swankers: the teams attempt to out-do each other’s boasts.

Topical Nursery Rhymes: in which the teams adjust old Nursery Rhymes to fit our less innocent day and age.

Uxbridge English Dictionary: new meanings for old words.

Waiters: players assume the role of over-attentive waiters.

Word For Word: in which one team exchanges a series of words while the opposing team challenges if they detect a connection between any of these words.

For a comprehensive round list, please visit
http://www.g0akh.f2s.com/isihac/default.php

Panellists

The regular panellists for the show were Graeme Garden Barry Cryer and the late Willie Rushton and Tim Brooke Taylor. They have been joined over the years by numerous guest panellists, including:

Bill Bailey
Max Boyce
Jo Brand
Marcus Brigstocke
Rob Brydon
John Cleese
Denise Coffey
Jack Dee
Kenny Everett
Stephen Fry
Rory Bremner
Omid Djaili

Andy Hamilton
Mike Harding
Jeremy Hardy
Tony Hawks
Harry Hill
John Junkin
Phill Jupitus
Jo Kendall
Jonathan Lynn
Fred MacAulay
Miles Jupp
Pippa Evans

Paul Merton
David Mitchell
Neil Mullarkey
Ross Noble
Bill Oddie
Linda Smith
Bill Tidy
Sandi Toksvig
Victoria Wood
Susan Calman
Richard Osman

In addition to guest panelists, the show has featured appearances from Dame Judi Dench, Sir Michael Gambon and Alan Titchmarsh, as well as the late Raymond Baxter as a one-time commentator on a round of Mornington Crescent.

Over the years the show has also benefited from contributions by a prolific letter writer, Mrs Trellis of North Wales.

Behind the scenes, the show has involved a number of different producers:

David Hatch (Produced only the pilot episode in 1972)
John Cassels (1972–1974)
Simon Brett (1975–1977)
Geoffrey Perkins (1978–1981)
Paul Mayhew-Archer (1982–1986)
Paul Spencer (1987–1989)
Jon Magnusson (1990–1991)
Jon Naismith (1991–present)

Iain Pattinson was the programme consultant from 1991 to 2020, and the show has featured written contributions from Peter Bradshaw, Debbie Barham and Steve Punt. Since Iain’s death in 2021 Robert Fraser Steele has been programme consultant, providing the chairman’s script.

Musical accompaniment is the backbone of many of the games. Before Colin Sell took over the role early episodes were accompanied by I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again pianist Dave Lee. Other pianists to have performed on the show include Neil Innes, Denis King, David Firman and Matthew Scott.

The lovely Samantha has been the show’s favourite scorer since 1985, aided at times by Sven, from Sweden and the lovely Monica.