History Series / HaveIGotNewsForYou

** In Series 55, a episode hosted by Creator/LeeMack had a round titled "Would He Lie to Us?" (it was about politicians, and the answer to every question was "yes").

** An episode hosted by Creator/LeeMack had a round titled "Would He Lie to Us?" (it was about politicians, and the answer to every question was "yes").

An episode hosted by Creator/LeeMack had a round titled "Would He Lie to Us?" (it was about politicians, and the answer to every question was "yes").

*** Damien Lewis made a quip about an elderly Italian scientist "...or if you're watching this on Dave, dead." When this episode was repeated on Dave, Dave's continuity announcer proceed to state that she was alive and well.

* TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: Often done with the Odd One Out and Tabloid Headlines rounds.

The show began with Angus Deayton as host, but he was [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor fired]] after being caught taking cocaine. Twice. With a lady who was definitely not his partner at the time, who later turned out to be a [[HoneyTrap prostitute in disguise,]] who was working for the papers. AndThatsTerrible. On the episode after this came to light, Hislop brought out the paper and liberally quoted from the article; Merton went one better and wore a T-shirt with the front page of the newspaper printed on it. Beginning with the third episode of the following series, the show began using [[GuestHost guest presenters]]; some, like Creator/AlexanderArmstrong, Jo Brand, Victoria Coren Mitchell and Creator/{{David Mitchell|Actor}} have hosted many times, but the list of one-off hosts includes Jerry Springer, Brian Blessed and ''William Shatner''. The show has subsequently also attracted a fair amount of infamy for its role in [[OldShame propelling Boris Johnson into the spotlight through his appearances as a panellist and host]].

* BaitAndSwitchComment: Angus Deayton introducing the teams in the first ever episode: "Two teams of witty and politically astute celebrities... couldn't make it, so we've got this lot here instead."

** For UsefulNotes/ComicRelief in both 1999 and 2001, ''Have I Got News for You'' crossed over with ''Series/NeverMindTheBuzzcocks'' and ''Series/TheyThinkItsAllOver''. The product was titled ''Have I Got Buzzcocks All Over''. Both specials were presented by Angus Deayton and included an "Odd One Out" round, while the 1999 special also included a "Missing Words" round (with headlines referencing politics, sport, and pop music).

** One episode featured an Odd One Out round in which Mother Theresa was surrounded by various dictators. Angus Deayton mockingly referred to Mother Theresa as winner of "the all-Calcutta shrivelled-walnut-lookalike competition". Ian Hislop called him out on this.

* FakeBand: Angus Deayton was formerly in the [=HeeBeeGeeBees=], a parody of Music/TheBeeGees, which was sometimes referenced.
* FascinatingEyebrow: Angus Deayton.

* GuestHost: After Angus Deayton's scandal, he left the show and they have been doing it ever since.

* KickTheDog: The initial ribbing of Angus after his scandal came to light was seen as hilarious. The vicious attacks in the following episodes that may have played a role in Deayton being sacked, along with Paul Merton subsequently describing him as "a dull man" and his firing as "not a big deal", were so nasty that Creator/StephenFry has boycotted ''HIGNFY'' ever since.

** A variant was used when he came close to giving the correct answer but not close enough. The then host, Angus Deayton, said "More precisely?" Paul Merton repeated exactly what he had just said but slower and with much more careful diction.

** When Angus Deayton was host, he would sometimes explain who a modern pop group was to Hislop by describing them as a "popular beat combo", a reference to a possibly-apocryphal but well-known story about a judge in the 1960s who was informed about Music/TheBeatles in this manner.

-->'''Angus Deayton:''' ''[introducing the 100th show]'' And if you've seen all 100 episodes... the nurse will be along to sedate you again soon.

* TiebreakerRound: In the early series, if the scores were tied at the end of the show there would be some sort of tiebreaker, which included using the caption competition (with the panellist who got the biggest laugh getting the point), the team captains playing RockPaperScissors, and an arbitrary general knowledge question being made up on the spot. The Angus scandal episode ended in a tie, but perhaps due to Deayton having other things on his mind no tiebreaker was played and it was the first ever episode to end in a draw. Only one episode since then has had a tiebreaker round: earlier in the show the Louis Tussaud wax museum in Great Yarmouth had featured as a news item as it was facing closure. Since the museum is infamous for the very poor quality of its waxworks, a quickfire buzzer round was played where the panellists had to guess who the waxworks were meant to be of.

--->'''Tom Baker:''' Good evening, and welcome to ''Have I Got News For You''. [[TheNthDoctor I used to be]] Creator/Jon Pertwee.

--->'''Tom Baker:''' Good evening, and welcome to ''Have I Got News For You''. [[TheNthDoctor I used to be Jon Pertwee.]]