Jacqueline MacKenzie
JAM Appearances: Two as a panellist on radio in 1970.
How she did: Not great, another of the string of women guests that were intimidated in the hot-house atmosphere of the late 60s and early 70s.
Who is she: Jacqueline was a comic actress who specialised in an elastic face and vocal mimickry. Her talents were well used on the stage when revue was at its peak. Her one TV venture Trouble For Two died an early death though. She also worked as a TV journalist. But she achieved greater fame perhaps as a campaigner for lesbian rights, and she founded the lesbian community magazine Sappho. She is perhaps better known as Jackie Forster. She died in 1998 and in Glasgow, the LGBT Centre has a room named after her.
Links to transcripts: 1 2
Jason Manford
JAM Appearances: Four including two as a panellist on Television in 2012 and two on radio in 2013.
How he did: Pretty good for a first-timer, Jason was funny, fluent and enthusiastic and definitely deserves another run.
Who is he: Jason is a stand-up comic and TV presenter.
Links to transcripts: 1 2
Stephen Mangan
JAM Appearances: Three, including one as a panellist on Television in 2012 and two on radio in 2013.
How he did: Stephen fared well on hbis first appearance, proving to be fluent, funny and competitive. Deserves at least one more run.
Who is he: Stephen is an English actor, best known for his roles in the television series Green Wing, I'm Alan Partridge, Episodes and Dirk Gently.
Links to transcripts: 1
Miriam Margolyes
JAM Appearances: One as a panellist on Radio in 1979.
How she did: Miriam was a stunner in her only appearance, flirting outrageously with Nicholas, standing up to Kenneth and being very funny in a self-deprecating way. They should have been begging her to return as she seemed to have lots of fun too.
Who is she: Miriam has had a long stage and cinema career and was a close friend of Kenneth Williams. She has played on a good voice and her large figure to specialise in comic parts but has also won the Bafta for dramatic acting. More recently that voice has seen her heavily in demand for voice work on animated features. She currently appears in the Harry Potter movies.
Links to transcripts: 1
Alfred Marks
JAM Appearances: 15, including 14 as a panellist on radio in 1973-1974-1975-1976-1977-1987, and one in the 40th anniversary special in 2007.
How he did: Alfred was a special part of what were arguably JAM's best days in the mid 70s where he was a regular guest whose style seemed to fit in remarkably well with Kenneth Williams and Peter Jones in particular. Pretty much all of the shows he appeared in were very very funny shows with Alfred's store of shaggy dog stories, and willingness to argue with the others making him a great hit.
Who is he: A fine and popular comedian in the 50s, 60s and 70s, specialising in radio but also being a regular on stage and TV. Also appeared in films. His TV show Alfred Marks Time had a six year run. He died in 1996.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Betty Marsden
JAM Appearances: Four as a panellist on Radio in 1968-1969.
How she did: Very well, her comic timing and ability to keep talking made her a good guest for the show. Had a demeanour that made it seem like royalty had descended on the show.
Who is she: Betty was a comic actress with a long career but was probably best known for her appearances on Round the Horne and Beyond Our Ken where she appeared with Kenneth Williams. But Betty was also seen often on TV and the stage, and had a sunny attitude which made her popular everywhere. She died in 1998 having a drink with friends - if only we could all go that way!
Links to transcripts: 1 2
Jean Marsh
JAM Appearances: Six as a panellist on Radio in 1973-1974.
How she did: Okay, Jean wasn't overwhelmed but a soft voice and not much humour in her delivery meant she was never going to tote up too many appearances. But certainly very pleasant.
Who is she: Jean will always be associated with the international hit drama series Upstairs Downstairs where she was star and co-creator, and more recently with writing the show The House of Elliot. She has also done a lot of comedy work, and her career began as a model and actress.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Carolyn Marshall
JAM Appearances: One as a panellist on Television in 1995.
How she did: Carolyn's one show was possibly the worst ever JAM with so many pin-pricking challenges that the fun never got a start. Carolyn largely distinguished herself with her mop of red hair, but that wasn't able to save a dud of a show.
Who is she: At the time of her JAM appearance Carolyn was a popular TV presenter on a variety of shows. Is still working but no longer such a big name.
Links to transcripts: 1
Pete McCarthy
JAM Appearances: Two, one as a panellist on Radio in 1994, and one as a panellist on Television in 1994.
How he did: Pete was okay but nothing special, he had a nice gently humorous style, but didn't do enough to warrant further appearances.
Who is he: Pete became a hugely successful writer of very funny travel books, and tours doing readings and signings. At the time of his JAM appearances Pete was a regular on the stand-up circuit and at London's Comedy Store. He died sadly young in 2004.
Links to transcripts: 1 2
Maria McErlane
JAM Appearances: 14 including 10 on Radio in 1996-1998-2000-2004-2007, and four on Television in 1999.
How she did: Maria seems to be best remembered for her hearty chuckle, and the obvious enjoyment she got out of the game. Also uses her voice as weapon. As a particpant she was probably too prone to fits of giggles to make a real impact on the game though she was able to poke fun at herself in best JAM style.
Who is she: Maria is an actress/comedienne who was regularly on TV in the late 90s with her own game show Carnal Knowledge which she hosted with Graham Norton, and appearances on sketch shows like The Fast Show and Eurotrash. She is also a writer occasionally columnising in the press.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Alistair McGowan
JAM Appearances: One as a panellist on radio in 1993.
How he did: Perhaps one of the lesser appearances on JAM, Alistair just didn't seem to have what it takes on the night. Strangely given that his chief talent is impersonations, he didn't do any.
Who is he: Alistair is a big name impressionist with his impersonations of well-known voices being available even on mobile phones! He stars in his own long-running show Alistair McGowan's Big Impression. He also appears in many other shows including Dead Ringers and appears on the comedy circuit on stage. In recent years Alistair has turned more to the stage, appearing in musicals. He's also known as an environmental campaigner and has recently bought land near Heathrow, to try and stop the expansion of the airport.
Links to transcripts: 1
Pauline McLynn
JAM Appearances: Six on Radio in 2006-2007-2009.
How she did: Pauline seemed bubbly and friendly and was a good sport but didn't make much impact comedically. Still she entered into the spirit of the game well without producing the big laughs.
Who is she: The Irish comedienne is still probably best known for her bit part in Father Ted, even though the show has been off the air now for a decade. She has also acted in movies, winning a Best Actress nomination in the 2005 Irish Film Awards for her part in Gypo. She's also a novellist and a regular on the stand-up comedy circuit.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Ian McMillan
JAM Appearances: Four on Radio in 2008-2010.
How he did: Without starring, Ian was a cheerful contributor, and entered into the banter better than most newcomers. He seemed to work especially well with Paul Merton. A humorous man who would be worth another go.
Who is he: Ian is a rock poet, whose humorous poetry has won him a national audience. Based in Yorkshire he is a broadcaster, especially on poetry programmes. Witty and polished, he is in increasing demand for a variety of work.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4
Mike McShane
JAM Appearances: Two on Radio in 2008-2009.
How he did: Mike had some good lines and was up to it in the banter stakes, but wasn't much competition for Paul and Clement.
Who is he: Mike is a world-class improviser who first came to fame as a regular on Whose Line Is It Anyway. His ability to improvise song lyrics on the spot was a special gift, but he was equally adept at other games. He wasn't wanted for the US version of the show but did become a regular on the sitcom Brotherly Love. These days he still appears in improv shows with Paul Merton.
Links to transcripts: 1 2
Andree Melly
JAM Appearances: 54 including 53 as a panellist on Radio in 1968-1969-1970-1971-1972-1973-1974-1975-1976, and one as chairman on Radio in 1972.
How she did: Andree was the first woman to make a real impact on the programme and appeared frequently in the first decade of the show. She tends to be forgotten these days and has not been featured in any of the compilation programmes or Classic collections, but without doubt was a major contributor to the show's early success.
Andree appeared in the first show when each show had two woman guests, and did so well she became a regular in one of the female seats, appearing in eight of the 16 shows. Although no regular after that, she continued to appear often, having more appearances than Sheila Hancock when she did her last show in 1976.
Andree usually played "straight woman" to the others, but was capable of a witty remark. Her main role was to stand up stoutly to the regular male panellists. This she did very well, refusing to be brow-beaten by Clement, insulted by Derek or shouted down by Kenneth. She remained unflustered by the activities around her. Often when Andree is on the show you hear Kenneth on one of his sexist tirades "they shouldn't have women on the show", the point goes to Andree who continues on as if the interruption had never occurred. In those days many women were put off by Kenneth's screaming and this is undoubtedly a reason she was used so often: she could stand her ground.
In retrospect Andree seems possibly not funny enough to have played as often as she did. But she helped to set the tone for woman contestants on the show, plucky, agile, good fun.
Who is she: Andree was busy in the late 50s, 60s and 70s as an actress. She was probably best known for her regular appearances on Hancock's Half Hour, the huge sitcom hit of British radio's early years but also did plenty of movies and plays. She now lives in retirement in Spain. She is the sister of jazz musician George Melly.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48
Links to transcripts as chairman: 1
Paul Merton
JAM Appearances: 308 including 296 as a panellist on Radio in 1989-1990-1991-1992-1993-1994-1995-1996-1997-1998-1999-2000-2001-2002-2003-2004-2005-2006-2007-2008-2009-2010-2011-2012-2013, 10 as a panellist on TV in 2012 and one each on the Silver Minutes special and the 40th anniversary special.
How he did: Paul Merton is certainly the star of the show today. Although Nicholas often claims that the order he introduces the panel in doesn't matter, he always announces Paul first. Paul almost always wins a show in which he appears and always dominates it. If not speaking, he is challenging or interjecting, and his humour gets the biggest laughs.
It is also arguable at least that Paul is the reason the show is still on the air. At the time of Kenneth Williams' death in 1988, the show was beginning to sound old. Both the remaining regulars and the guests were from an aging group, in their 50s and 60s, and there was no hint that the show was able to rejuvenate itself as its cast and its listeners got older.
Paul says he had a special affection for the show even before he appeared on it, recording shows for replay when he was in a bedsit and could not afford much in the way of entertainment. It was against that background that Paul wrote to the show's then producer Edward Taylor asking if he could appear on the show. Taylor booked Paul for only one of two shows at a recording, and warned him to dress properly and not swear. But Paul opened the door for younger comedians to appear on the show. A trickle at first: Jimmy Mulville in 1990, Sandi Toksvig in 1991, Stephen Fry in 1992, but now with Peter Jones and Derek Nimmo also dead, the show is dominated by comedians of Paul's age or younger. Would people like Graham Norton, Linda Smith, Tony Hawks and Ross Noble been attracted to the programme if a young star like Paul had not joined the show?
Paul's style has also been hugely influential. Paul doesn't tell anecdotes about his life or quote old music hall routines like the regulars of the 70s and 80s. He instead takes listeners on a surrealistic journey, playing with words, often words uttered by the others in a genuine improvisational riff. He's told of his space trip to Mars, his marriage to a male burglar and his time as Nicholas's sex slave. If challenged on deviation, he'll usually turn up the heat. When he couldn't persuade Nicholas that Clement had deviated by claiming to be outwitted by a herbaceous border, he turned theose words into a surreal comic masterpiece. He is a playful player, mixing in insults to the others, but particularly Nicholas Parsons. He has taken over the role of Kenneth and Derek in attacking Nicholas's chairmanship, sending him up mercilessly. He is highly intelligent and can converse on any subject given to him, despite his constant claims to have only done metalwork at school.
As both a supremely competent player of the game - he wins about two in three of the games he plays - and also supremely funny, Paul has a claim to be the best player of the game ever. That can only be a subjective judgement of course. What does seem clear is that with the prestige he has as one of Britain's most popular comedians, the future of the show is in his hands. Paul loved the show for years before he joined it, and clearly still loves doing it. If he wants to continue past the retirements of Nicholas and Clement, the BBC would be mad not to let him. He's the jewel of the JAM throne, the key man and someone who will have a great deal to say in JAM's future.
Who is he: Paul is one of, and arguably THE, biggest name in British comedy today. He is best known for his role as a team captain in Have I Got News For You, a satirical TV news based game show where he has been a regular since 1990. Paul's role in the show is somewhat odd, as he doesn't really do political jokes as such, leaving those mostly to the other team captain Ian Hislop. What Paul does is something similar to what he does on JAM, that is indulge in surrealist fantasy and launch into improvisational riffs based on the words of others. Although nominally just a team captain - his name appears only third in the credits - he is undoubtedly the star of the show and this year won a BAFTA award this year for his work there.
Paul first came to public attention as a stand-up comic and an improviser with the Comedy Store Players. His first regular TV work was on Whose Line Is It Anyway in its earlier seasons. At the time he was co-writing the very popular comedy game show Sticky Moments which featured his friend Julian Clary. These days Paul is very well paid for his Have I Got News For You appearances and this allows him to do pretty much what he likes in the rest of his time. He still appears weekly with the Comedy Store Players, and gets involved in other projects. He remade the famous Hancock shows with him in the title role, and made a film The Suicidal Dog. A recent move into writing and talking about the history of silent movies has exposed him as an expert on that subject. He has also made two series of TV travel programmes and a tribute to Morecambe and Wise. He hosted another TV game show, Room 101 for several years. He has been involved in other radio shows. But in general his other projects have not been as successful as HIGNFY and JAM which look likely to remain his most popular public work. Was part of the cult radio series The Masterton Inheritance. Was judged one of the 50 funniest people in Britain in 2003.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291
Ian Messiter
JAM Appearances: Four including one as chairman on radio in 1977, one as a panellist on radio in 1982, one as a guest speaker in one round in 1977, and one on the Silver Minutes compilation special.
How he did: Ian is the creator of the show, and so no-one has more importance in the show's history than Ian. Ian says the basic idea of the show came from an incident at school when a teacher caught him in a dreamworld and asked him to recite what he had been talking about, without repetition, deviation and hesitation. He first developed the idea properly in 1951 as an idea for a game show at the BBC. As originally developed, the show had three men playing three women with a jury ruling on their efforts. Ian suggested the name Just A Minute, but the BBC felt it sounded too harsh and the name became One Minute Please.
The show had a successful run for a couple of years with some of the regulars such as Gerard Hoffnung and Philip Harben becoming household names as a result of their exposure on One Minute Please. But the show finished when Ian left the BBC and Hoffnung died.
The show was rejuvenated under its orginal name in 1967 when Ian took the idea to the BBC. Ian had been producer of One Minute Please, but as he did not return to the staff of the BBC, he did not have total control of the show with the producer being the very talented David Hatch. But Ian was always a key part of the show, quite apart from appearing at each recording to blow the whistle. He was involved with all aspects of the show - refining the rules, sometimes choosing the performers and it was his personal responsibility to set the subjects.
As whistle blower Ian was a real presence in the show, his hearty chuckles being easily heard. Nicholas would often turn to him for rulings on difficult subjects and he had the sort of stage whisper that everyone hears. Ian twice gave up the whistle to perform, on both occasions it was because scheduled performers had not turned up. In 1977 he took the chair and proved very adept. An appearance as a panellist in 1982 was less successful. But on both occasions he displayed the warm humour which one might expect from someone whose mind invented this game.
In 1990, Ian gave up the whistle, but continued to be involved in the show, preparing the subjects. He was involved intimately in its TV incarnations, even picking some of the mystery objects for those shows. He was still involved with the show when he passed away in 1999.
Who is he: As the creator of Just A Minute Ian continues to be mentioned on every programme. Ian wrote his own book, My Life And Other Games, and it's well worth a read if you can get a copy. Ian performed from an early age, as a magician. He joined the BBC as a producer in the late 40s and became involved with a number of game shows, many of which he invented himself. He left the BBC in 1952 to join the South African Broadcasting Corporation but eventually left after he found the racism of apartheid distasteful. Returning to Britain, he resumed work on game shows without again becoming a staff producer. As well as Just A Minute, other shows which he heavily involved with include Many A Slip, Twenty Questions and Petticoat Junction. He also developed a successful home game. It may be unfair to suspect that JAM had a special place in his heart, but he never gave up his involvement in it until his untimely passing.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3
Links to transcripts as chairman: 1
Malcolm Messiter
JAM Appearances: One as a guest subject setter on Radio at the 35th anniversary special in 2003.
How he did: Representing his father, the creator of the game, Malcolm managed the task with dignity and humour.
Who is he: Malcolm is as creative as his father, but in a different area. He is an oboist of international renown, both as a soloist and in some of the best orchestras in the United Kingdom. He also runs a software company.
Links to transcripts: 1
David Mitchell
JAM Appearances: Four as a panellist on Radio in 2009-2010.
How he did: Competitive, funny and just right - David fitted into the style of the show immediately. he will surely be a regular in the future, if he enjoyed it as much as we did.
Who is he: David is an actor, comedian and writer. He is best known as part of the double act Mitchell and Webb, alongside Robert Webb, with whom he appears in the TV series Peep Show. Other shows in which they have appeared include The Mitchell and Webb Situation, That Mitchell and Webb Sound and That Mitchell and Webb Look. David also appears frequently on panel shows, including QI, Mock the Week, Have I Got News For You, Best of the Worst, Would I Lie To You? and The Unbelievable Truth which he hosts.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4
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