UK Panel Show Gender Breakdown

Key: male female other/diverse

By @astronomyblog & @LoveGraphs. Stats last updated 14 January 2020

Generally, panel shows on UK television include few female guests. Most have male hosts and male captains/regulars. Even omitting the regulars, the guests are mostly men too. It is a problem that half the population are under-represented in these long-running TV and radio shows.

Is the situation really that bad? In short, yes (but slowly improving). I've compiled some statistics for current, long-running, shows from comedy.co.uk, Love Graphs (thanks Richard!), just-a-minute.info, IMdB, iPlayer, BBC Genome, Wikipedia and broadcasts to illustrate the point. The table below is split into comedy panel shows and others^*. Many of them are comedy panel shows so I've made a non-exhaustive list of funny women to provide inspiration for the show makers.

Comedy panel shows	All appearances	Guest appearances	Total appearances	Episodes	Score /10	Updated
I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (BBC Radio 4)	96.0% 4.0%	76.8% 23.2%	2471	494	3	2019-12-28
Argumental (Dave)	94.5% 5.5%	86.4% 13.6%	220	44	2	2016-07-28
They Think It's All Over (BBC One)	94.4% 5.6%	83.9% 16.1%	1036	148	2	2016-02-16
The Blame Game (BBC Northern Ireland)	91.0% 9.0%	56.0% 44.0%	422	89	5	2019-12-28
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (BBC Radio 4)	90.0% 10.0%	87.5% 12.5%	30	6	2	2016-02-07
Alexander Armstrong's Big Ask (Dave)	87.7% 12.3%	82.2% 17.8%	65	13	3	2016-04-15
Mock The Week (BBC Two)	86.3% 13.7%	70.3% 29.7%	1264	173	4	2019-12-28
Have I Got News For You (BBC One)	85.1% 14.9%	71.7% 0.2% 28.1%	2497	499	4	2019-12-28
Just A Minute (BBC Radio 4)	84.4% 15.6%	66.0% 34.0%	4683	930	5	2020-01-14
A League Of Their Own (Sky 1)	83.6% 16.4%	63.3% 36.7%	823	117	5	2020-01-14
Never Mind The Buzzcocks (BBC Two)	81.2% 18.8%	68.3% 31.7%	1886	268	5	2016-02-14
Play To The Whistle (ITV)	81.1% 18.9%	80.7% 19.3%	159	19	4	2017-12-28
Would I Lie To You? (BBC One)	80.2% 19.8%	65.3% 34.7%	686	98	5	2019-01-04
QI (BBC One/Two/Four)	80.2% 19.8%	73.1% 26.9%	1147	229	5	2019-01-04
Does The Team Think... (BBC Radio 2)	80.0% 20.0%	75.0% 25.0%	80	16	5	2016-08-21
The Unbelievable Truth (BBC Radio 4)	79.6% 20.4%	74.4% 25.6%	670	134	5	2020-01-14
The Big Fat Quiz (Channel 4)	78.6% 21.4%	62.5% 37.5%	182	26	6	2018-12-30
Virtually Famous (E4)	78.5% 21.5%	68.4% 31.6%	260	36	5	2017-12-28
The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4)	78.4% 21.6%	71.4% 28.6%	4407	923	5	2019-02-11
Taskmaster (Dave)	78.3% 21.7%	69.2% 30.8%	368	54	5	2019-01-04
The 99p Challenge (BBC Radio 4)	78.0% 22.0%	85.9% 14.1%	150	30	4	2017-02-18
8 Out of 10 Cats (Channel 4)	77.5% 22.5%	64.1% 35.9%	1334	190	6	2019-12-10
It's Only TV But I Like It (BBC1)	76.6% 23.4%	59.7% 40.3%	222	31	6	2017-03-21
It's Only A Theory (BBC Four)	75.0% 25.0%	40.0% 60.0%	24	8	9	2016-02-07
The Fake News Show (Channel 4)	74.1% 25.9%	83.3% 16.7%	27	5	4	2017-12-28
You Have Been Watching (Channel 4)	73.9% 26.1%	65.4% 34.6%	69	17	6	2017-01-28
The Christian O'Connell Solution (BBC Radio 5 Live)	73.8% 26.2%	55.6% 44.4%	65	16	7	2017-03-16
Bad Language (BBC Northern Ireland)	73.3% 26.7%	83.3% 16.7%	30	6	4	2016-02-23
The Brain Drain (BBC2)	73.0% 27.0%	72.4% 27.6%	74	14	5	2017-03-23
It's Not What You Know (BBC Radio 4)	72.3% 27.7%	63.5% 36.5%	83	20	6	2017-12-28
Shooting Stars (BBC Two)	72.3% 27.7%	62.0% 38.0%	650	72	7	2016-03-14
Duck Quacks Don't Echo (Sky 1)	72.0% 28.0%	62.6% 37.4%	164	41	7	2017-12-28
Ask Rhod Gilbert (BBC One)	70.4% 29.6%	42.0% 58.0%	98	16	9	2016-04-15
Safe Word (ITV2)	70.3% 29.7%	73.1% 26.9%	91	13	6	2016-06-16
Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled (Dave)	68.6% 31.4%	60.8% 39.2%	220	44	7	2017-12-28
Sweat the Small Stuff (BBC Three)	67.4% 32.6%	62.3% 37.7%	242	32	7	2016-02-16
Go 8 Bit (Dave)	67.3% 32.7%	51.9% 48.1%	156	26	8	2019-01-03
Reality Bites (ITV2)	65.7% 34.3%	65.3% 34.7%	67	6	7	2017-03-20
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (Channel 4)	64.8% 35.2%	72.0% 28.0%	900	105	6	2018-12-30
Heresy (BBC Radio 4)	64.4% 35.6%	73.0% 27.0%	236	58	6	2016-12-11
Don't Ask Me Ask Britain (ITV 1)	63.3% 36.7%	8.3% 91.7%	30	6	7	2017-12-05
Fake Reaction (ITV2)	61.9% 38.1%	58.3% 41.7%	126	18	8	2017-02-18
Breaking The News (BBC Radio Scotland)	60.8% 39.2%	51.7% 48.3%	711	142	9	2019-12-28
Celebrity Juice (ITV2)	58.7% 41.3%	70.2% 29.8%	1740	224	7	2019-01-03
Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule (ITV)	57.6% 42.4%	47.2% 52.8%	66	13	10	2019-01-03
Sorry, I Didn't Know (ITV2)	57.1% 42.9%	50.0% 50.0%	7	1	9	2017-03-20
What The Dickens? (Sky Arts 1)	56.4% 43.6%	77.3% 22.7%	110	22	7	2017-12-28
Insert Name Here (BBC Two)	54.7% 45.3%	45.7% 54.3%	161	23	10	2019-01-04
Frankie Boyle's New World Order (BBC Two)	49.0% 51.0%	43.5% 56.5%	100	19	9	2020-01-14
Do The Right Thing (Comedy.co.uk)	48.2% 51.8%	67.4% 32.6%	199	37	8	2019-01-03
Global Pillage (The Spontaneity Shop)	47.5% 0.3% 52.2%	35.0% 0.5% 64.5%	383	55	8	2019-01-03
It's Not Me, It's You (Channel 5)	47.6% 52.4%	58.3% 41.7%	42	6	9	2016-08-05
Best Behaviour (BBC Radio 4)	45.8% 54.2%	61.1% 38.9%	24	6	9	2016-02-07
Dilemma (BBC Radio 4)	41.6% 58.4%	52.0% 48.0%	125	25	9	2016-02-07
Listomania (BBC Radio 2)	40.0% 60.0%	50.0% 50.0%	30	6	9	2016-02-14
Comedy total	79.0% 21.0%	67.8% 32.2%	32112	5669
Other panel shows
Out Of Order (BBC Radio 4)	96.7% 3.3%	87.8% 12.2%	521	127	2	2016-02-08
Petrolheads (BBC Two)	93.3% 6.7%	91.7% 8.3%	30	6	2	2016-02-07
Fighting Talk (BBC Radio 5 Live)	90.3% 9.7%	89.8% 10.2%	2615	526	2	2019-12-03
The Last Leg (Channel 4)	87.7% 12.3%	66.2% 33.8%	560	119	5	2017-05-19
The Infinite Monkey Cage (BBC Radio 4)	83.3% 16.7%	72.9% 27.1%	426	82	4	2017-01-28
A Question of Sport (BBC One)	77.3% 22.7%	83.5% 16.5%	2963	1128	4	2017-03-03
Question Time (BBC One)	70.1% 29.9%	64.0% 36.0%	7717	1423	7	2019-12-10
In Our Time (BBC Radio 4)	69.2% 30.8%	58.6% 41.4%	2756	706	7	2019-12-10
Call My Bluff (BBC One)	67.4% 32.6%	52.3% 47.7%	5421	1045	8	2016-12-29
Gardener's Question Time (BBC Radio 4)	65.2% 34.8%	54.3% 45.7%	1919	465	8	2016-05-01
Loose Women (ITV)	19.4% 0.1% 80.5%	51.2% 0.2% 48.6%	15786	2485	7	2016-06-15
Petticoat Line (BBC Home Service/BBC Radio 4)	0.0% 100.0%	0.0% 100.0%	573	116	0	2017-01-08
Other total	51.7% 48.3%	61.6% 38.4%	41287	8228

Discussion

Nearly all these long-running shows under-represent women even if you ignore the regulars. Few shows have equal representation amongst guests. I contend that some shows even under-represent the number of women on the comedy circuit (which, from various evidence, is around 17-24%).

Funny women

If you are looking for some funny women, here is a non-exhaustive list of suggestions (feel free to tweet me more suggestions)

Update 8 February 2014: The BBC's director of TV has said that "panel shows such as QI and Mock the Week will no longer have all-male line-ups". It is good to know the issue is being tackled. Hopefully it doesn't result in women being limited to one per episode.

Update October 2015: As I worried, Mock The Week seem to have used the 2014 ruling to limit women to one per episode. I agree with the departing Andy Parsons that they could take the opportunity to have a woman regular.

Update December 2016: This research got written up by Chortle and the Guardian. The Guardian article included some good quotes from comedians. Robert Lawson and Ursula Lutzky have an article about language splits on a season of Mock the Week (Discourse, Context & Media, Volume 13, Part B, September 2016, Pages 143–153).

Update December 2017: Tiff Stevenson wrote about the BBC moving away from comedy panel shows back in August.

Please TV-land people: sort this all out.