Why 'Not The Nine O'Clock News' deserves a revival according to original writer

The Eighties satirical show, Not The Nine O'Clock News should be "revived", says one of the original writers, so it could take on, or even replace the Have I Got News for You.

Hollywood-based Richard Sparks, 72, who wrote the famous Schoolmaster sketch for Rowan Atkinson, said: "Nothing lasts forever."

Have I Got News for You began in 1990 and is now in its 67th series.

Not The Nine O'clock News, which went opposite the main news on BBC1, was created and produced by John Lloyd, and featured up and coming stars, the late Mel Smith, Pamela Stephenson, Rowan Atkinson, and Griff Rhys Jones.

It ran from 1979 to 1982.

Asked if Have I Got News for You had lost its way, he replied: "Paul Merton is still funny and I haven't seen every episode to know if it's lost its step, but nothing lasts forever.

"You could get a room full of half a dozen writers and throw them at the newspapers and the TV, and they would come up with hours' worth of material every week."

Keir Starmer, and the scandal over gifts, could be a plum target, he said.

"All that stuff is just going to waste as material, isn't it?

"Absolutely it's going to waste. What a wonderful sketch you could have about that. I mean, I could write it in 10 seconds and it's just it writes itself.

"I think politicians, when they get to Westminster, they are given a loaded gun and immediately proceed to shoot themselves in the foot before they're allowed in the place."

He added: "People love to see their overlords mocked.

"You know, we're paying for these guys. They're working for us. They're public servants, and yet they get so full of themselves and go off and have their meetings."

Asked about casting a new show, he said: "I know Rowan Atkinson is a once in a generation talent. But just because that show was built around Rowan doesn't mean to say you can't now find four people who are equally good. And you could cast across the generations.

"David Mitchell would be great.

"As for subjects, the news is pretty silly anyway. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel to skewer the current politicians and celebrities. There are certain politicians, we mustn't mention, on either side of the Atlantic, who are just clowns."

A showbiz insider, close to the comedy circuit, said: "Have I Got News for You is just not landing any punches on this new government.

"There are right-leaning comedians that they could book but you never hear from any of them people like Dominic Frisby, Mark Dolan or Andrew Lawrence. Why don't they ring them?

"The only true Tory comedian who appeared on there was Bob Monkhouse, who trounced them, I recall."

Richard Spark's illustrious writing career has now morphed into penning successful fantasy novels based on the gaming world.

His debut novel, New Rock New Role, was published last year to critical acclaim, with its follow-up New Rock New Realm, pubished this month.

"The books came out of my love of role-playing games. I spent a lot of time playing either multiplayer games, where I've got 24 people in my ear in one of those wonderful online games, or solo games.

"I just had the idea what if this game was all for real."

New Rock New Role and New Rock New Realm are available at