This is when Hugh Dennis will return to the new Mock the Week
Mock the Week is back but Hugh Dennis is nowhere to be seen
Mock the Week has finally returned, but the panel show’s TLC revival is missing one of its most beloved comics: Hugh Dennis. So, where is he?
The Outnumbered star appeared on every episode of Mock the Week’s original run on BBC Two. That’s almost 230 episodes of television, quipping and vying for the biggest laughs alongside the likes of Russell Howard and Andy Parsons.
Three years after the BBC axed the series, Dara Ó Briain has returned to helm its revival on TLC.
The longtime host has enlisted the comedic talents of familiar and fresher faces – but, so far, Dennis isn’t anywhere to be seen.
Why isn’t Hugh Dennis on Mock the Week yet?
Hugh Dennis will appear on the new Mock the Week from episode 3 onwards, as confirmed by the show’s social media accounts.
In response to one fan (of several) asking why Dennis wasn’t part of the premiere’s line-up, the series’ X account replied: “He’ll be on episode 3.”
Ó Briain also addressed Dennis’ absence in an interview with Chris Evans on Virgin Radio.
“He’s not in the first couple of these because he was working,” he explained.
“He was like, ‘Nah, I’m on something else.’ Hugh never stopped working… so he’s back in week three.”
It’s unclear exactly what Dennis has been working on, but rest assured, he’ll be back as a regular guest in the coming weeks. Specifically, episode 3 will air on Sunday, February 13.
What about Frankie Boyle, is he coming back?
While strictly unconfirmed, it doesn’t look like Frankie Boyle is returning for the first series of the Mock the Week revival.
The Scottish comedian was a fan favourite on the original series, delivering some of its most notorious gags. For example, an especially crude joke about the Queen sparked backlash, he made a particularly savage gag about Richard Hammond after he nearly died in a car crash.
Boyle left the series in 2009. However, despite claims that the BBC sacked him, former production editor Suzanne Gilfillan confirmed it was his decision to quit.
The comic went on to host his own show on the BBC: Frankie Boyle’s New World Order.
It ran for six series between 2017 and 2022. Upon its cancellation, Boyle said it wasn’t “surprising in the current climate”.
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