I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue

Image: Graeme Garden, Barry Cryer, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Willie Rushton and Humphrey Lyttelton contemplate the rules for 'Mornington Crescent' in June 1996. 

I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue was first broadcast on 11 April 1972. Billed as "the antidote to panel games", the programme was conceived as a spin off from popular comedy I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again. The first episode featured ISIRTA regulars Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie and Jo Kendall. Jazz trumpeter Humphrey Lyttelton was appointed chairman, and with the panellists established a pattern of daft humour and bad puns that won a cult following and several major radio awards.

The early shows sometimes referenced ISIRTA, but when Barry Cryer and Willie Rushton joined Garden and Brooke-Taylor as regulars, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue developed its own distinct identity. Lyttelton's deadpan style provided a brilliant contrast to the idiocy of the panellists. The teams played games such as singing the words of one song to the tune of another, and Mornington Crescent - whose rules were only known by the participants.

Rushton died in 1996 and his place was taken by a succession of guests. When Humphrey Lyttelton died in 2008 the show took a break. I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue returned the following year with Stephen Fry, Rob Brydon and Jack Dee hosting. Since then Dee has become the regular chairman, and the programme has continued to thrive, remaining fresh even as it has remained essentially unchanged.