I Guess That's Why They Call It The News is a BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...

 satirical

Satire

Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...

 panel game

Panel game

A panel game or panel show is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Panelists may compete with each other, such as on The News Quiz; facilitate play by guest contestants, such as on Match Game/Blankety Blank; or do both, such as on Wait Wait.....

 hosted by Fred MacAulay and created by James Sherwood

James Sherwood (comedian)

James Sherwood is a stand-up comedian, comedy writer, singer, pianist, and composer. He lives in Peckham, south London....

. The only series began broadcasting on 21 August 2009 and lasted for five episodes.

What's the Story?

In What's The Story?, the host reads actual headlines from the week's newspapers, and the panelists ring in and try to establish a story for the headline. The twist is that the panelists are not trying to guess the actual story (according to the host, points are deducted for this) but trying to construct a plausible story that did not actually happen. Up to three responses are accepted for each headline.

For example, the first headline from the 21 August 2009 transmission, "We Deserve To Know About Prince's Meddling, Say Critics", evoked the response, "Is this Princess Beatrice

Princess Beatrice of York

Princess Beatrice of York is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York...

 and Princess Eugenie

Princess Eugenie of York

Princess Eugenie of York Eugenie Victoria Helena; born 23 March 1990) is the younger daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York...

 demand to know who 'Princess Meddling' is?" The actual story was Prince Charles

Charles, Prince of Wales

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...

 attempting to veto a new National Trust building.

Good News, Bad News

Each panelist is given a current topic, and must argue whether the topic is good news or bad news. Usually, the panelist must argue the opposite; for example, "Why is it good news that British students' test scores are going down?"

The panelist is given one "MacAulay minute" to make the argument; the actual length of a MacAulay minute is at the discretion of host Fred MacAulay.

Focus Group

The panelists pretend that they are a focus group, brainstorming solutions to a current topic. For example, the 21 August 2009 transmission discussed how to convince Americans that they should reform their health-care system

Health care reform in the United States

Health care reform in the United States has a long history, of which the most recent results were two federal statutes enacted in 2010: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , signed March 23, 2010, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 , which amended the PPACA and...

 to be like the NHS.

National Health Service (England)

The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...

This round is a free-for-all, and suggestions are generally comedic and occasionally tongue in cheek. For example, from the 21 August 2009 transmission, one of Milton Jones's suggestions was to point out that the Queen

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...

 must be a fan of American medicine because "she's got ER on everything." This confuses the Latin phrase Elizabeth Regina

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...

 with The American television series ER.

ER (TV series)

ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...

At the start of Focus Group, a plate of biscuits is given to the panelists, and a point is awarded for eating a biscuit.

Who's the New Who?

Panelists try to come up with as many examples of who is the new who, in the sense of some trend being the new black

The new black

"_____ is the new black" is a snowclone used to indicate the sudden popularity or versatility of an idea at the expense of the popularity of a second idea. It is the originator of the phrasal template "X is the new Y". The phrase seemed to have started in the 1950s or 1960s and became very popular...

. For example, Chris Neill

Chris Neill

Chris Neill is a British comedian, producer and writer who features regularly on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio Scotland. Performing also as a stand-up comedian on the UK circuit, he has presented five solo shows on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 2002.-Early career:Chris Neill began his career...

 asked on the 28 August 2009 transmission:

Is Big Brother

Big Brother (UK)

Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...

 the new pot plant (sic) that my mother gave me last year? Because, like that gift, it's nearly dead and won't be on my telly

Television set

A television set is a device that combines a tuner, display, and speakers for the purpose of viewing television. Television sets became a popular consumer product after the Second World War, using vacuum tubes and cathode ray tube displays...

 this time next year.

Apathy Attack

The audience is canvassed on a certain issue (for example, should Earthlings welcome aliens from other planets?) and an audience member who declares himself or herself undecided is selected. The audience member must listen to the panelists' arguments on the issue (one pair arguing "for" and the other arguing "against"). The audience member must then make up his or her mind; two points are awarded to the team that argued for the audience member's decision.

Episode list

Episode	Broadcast	Team One (On The Right)	Team Two (On The Left)
01x01	21 August 2009	Laurence Howarth Laurence Howarth Laurence Howarth is an English comic actor and writer. He has appeared in one episode each of the TV series After You've Gone , Hyperdrive , Blessed , The Robinsons , My Hero and Dark Ages...  and Sarah Kendall Sarah Kendall Sarah Kendall is an Australian comedian from Newcastle, New South Wales, now based in London, England. She attained much success on the Australian comedy circuit since winning the Raw Comedy competition in 1998, regularly appearing on Australian television, before moving to the United Kingdom in...	Gordon Southern Gordon Southern Gordon Southern is a British comedian with over 16 years experience in the comedy scene. He regularly performs headlining gigs in England and all over the world, especially in Australia where he spends several months every year...  and Milton Jones Milton Jones Milton Jones is an English comedian. His style of humour is based on one-liners involving puns delivered in a deadpan and slightly neurotic style. Jones has had various shows on BBC Radio 4 and is a recurring guest panellist on Mock the Week...
01x02	28 August 2009	Andy Parsons Andy Parsons Andy Parsons is an English comedian and writer, who regularly appears on Mock the Week. With comedy partner Henry Naylor, he has written and presented nine seasons of Parsons and Naylor’s Pull-Out Sections for BBC Radio 2.-Early life:...  and Chris Neill Chris Neill Chris Neill is a British comedian, producer and writer who features regularly on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio Scotland. Performing also as a stand-up comedian on the UK circuit, he has presented five solo shows on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 2002.-Early career:Chris Neill began his career...	Jo Enright Jo Enright Jo Enright is an English stand-up comedian and actress who has appeared in a number of television and radio comedy programmes.-Biography:...  and Justin Edwards Justin Edwards Justin Edwards is an English actor and writer.Born in Hampshire, Justin studied at Manchester University, before training at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. He was a member of sketch trio The Consultants, alongside Neil Edmond and James Rawlings...
01x03	4 September 2009	Justin Edwards Justin Edwards Justin Edwards is an English actor and writer.Born in Hampshire, Justin studied at Manchester University, before training at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. He was a member of sketch trio The Consultants, alongside Neil Edmond and James Rawlings...  and Susan Calman Susan Calman Susan Calman is a Scottish comedian. She is a frequent panellist on BBC Radio 4 topical shows The News Quiz and I Guess That's Why They Call It The News, has appeared in Channel 4 sketch shows and covers for Fred MacAulay on his BBC Radio Scotland show. She has also appeared in Rab C. Nesbitt...	Russell Kane Russell Kane Russell Kane is an English writer, comedian, actor and media personality. In June 2006, he became the face of digital station Five US. He has been nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Awards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, winning the main prize in August 2010...  and Will Smith Will Smith (comedian) Will Smith is a British comedian, actor and writer. He was born and grew up in Jersey and is known for his love and encyclopaedic knowledge of Bergerac, as well as his posh boy persona. He was educated at Victoria College, Jersey and Charterhouse School. He now lives in London...
01x04	11 September 2009	Will Smith Will Smith (comedian) Will Smith is a British comedian, actor and writer. He was born and grew up in Jersey and is known for his love and encyclopaedic knowledge of Bergerac, as well as his posh boy persona. He was educated at Victoria College, Jersey and Charterhouse School. He now lives in London...  and Paul Sinha Paul Sinha Paul Sinha is a British stand-up comedian and broadcaster. Sinha is openly gay, a subject he has discussed on stage.-Education:Sinha was educated at Dulwich College and St George's Hospital Medical School...	Justin Moorhouse and Justin Edwards Justin Edwards Justin Edwards is an English actor and writer.Born in Hampshire, Justin studied at Manchester University, before training at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. He was a member of sketch trio The Consultants, alongside Neil Edmond and James Rawlings...
01x05	18 September 2009	Paul Sinha Paul Sinha Paul Sinha is a British stand-up comedian and broadcaster. Sinha is openly gay, a subject he has discussed on stage.-Education:Sinha was educated at Dulwich College and St George's Hospital Medical School...  and Andy Zaltzman Andy Zaltzman Andrew "Andy" Zaltzman is a British comedian and author who largely focuses on political material. He has worked extensively with John Oliver; their work together includes Political Animal, The Department and The Bugle.-Early life:...	Sarah Millican Sarah Millican Sarah Millican is an English stand-up comedian. Millican won the if.comedy award for Best Newcomer at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.-Career:...  and Stephen Carlin Stephen Carlin Stephen Carlin is a Scottish-born stand-up comedian, now living in London. Carlin is popular on the UK comedy scene for his intricate knowledge of international snooker and accomplished writing and performance. He was named by Stewart Lee as one of the 'Ten Best Comedians In The World Ever'...