The BBC announced this week that it was set to call time on Mock the Week after 21 seasons and 17 years – but it seems fans of the long-running comedy panel show aren’t going down without a fight.
A petition has been launched by fans desperate to save the show, and it’s already attracted more than 6,000 signatures at the time of writing.
Started by fan Bob Fleming on the popular website change.org, the petition described the decision to axe the show as a “travesty” and urges fans to express their support.
“Unfortunately it was announced that this year’s series of beloved comedy show Mock the Week will be the last, as the BBC decided to cancel it,” it reads.
“I hope you agree that this is a travesty and that Dara, Hugh and co deserve to continue for a long time yet! For many of us, Mock the Week was where we got our news and where we discovered our favourite comics. Romesh Ranganathan, James Acaster, Rob Beckett and Michael McIntyre are just a few who got their break on Mock!
“So please, sign and share this petition and let’s save Mock the Week!”
While a petition like this seems extremely unlikely to force the BBC into a change of plans, it does speak to the continued interest in the show even as it prepares to wind up for good.
And indeed series co-creator Dan Patterson has kept hopes alive that the show might have a life beyond the BBC, explaining in an interview with Metro.co.uk that “There have been some conversations” but “nothing concrete” about the future.
RadioTimes.com has reached out to the BBC for comment.
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Long-time host Dara Ó Briain – who has fronted the show throughout its run – originally broke the news of the show’s cancellation to The Mirror, joking “That’s it folks, the UK has finally run out of news.”
He added: “The storylines were getting crazier and crazier; global pandemics, divorce from Europe, novelty short-term Prime Ministers. It couldn’t go on. We just couldn’t be more silly than the news was already.”
The BBC added that it is “really proud” of the show, but after 21 seasons, “we have taken the difficult decision in order to create room for new shows”.
“We would like to thank Angst Productions, host Dara Ó Briain, panellist Hugh Dennis and all the guest comedians involved in the show across the 21 series,” the broadcaster added.
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