Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2020: Scots stand ups Janey Godley and Fern Brady criticise Channel 4 show’s all-male comedian line up

Scottish stand ups Fern Brady and Janey Godley are among a host of professional comedians who have criticised the line up of Channel 4’s annual Big Fat Quiz of the Year.

This year, host Jimmy Carr will be joined by four other professional comedians; David Mitchell, James Acaster, Joe Lycett and Richard Ayoade, as well as singer Stacey Solomon and television and radio presenter Maya Jama.

But the line up has been criticised on social media for excluding professional female comedians entirely.

Glasgow-based comedian Janey Godley told followers on Twitter that she thought “Maya and Stacey are awesome people and talented” but added “I would just have loved to have seen female comics in the role.”

Her comments were echoed by West Lothian-born stand up, Fern Brady, who renamed the show the “Big Fat Sausage Quiz of the Year”.

“In what year will it be acceptable to book funny women instead of insanely beautiful women?” Ms Brady asked followers.

“I really like the two women on this,” she added, but told producers on the show: “it's mental if you can't see what you're doing.”

The hit panel show, which has been broadcast annual on Channel 4 since its debut in 2004, sees three teams answer pub quiz-style questions on the major events of the past year.

Veteran stand up Shappi Khorsandi criticised producers.

“They put us in a position which makes it look like we are complaining about the space another woman is taking up. That's not what this is about.

“[It is] maddening that comedy commissioners and producers don't get this,” she added.

Star of the BBC’s Mash Report, Rachel Parris, wrote: “The practise of casting comedy shows with only male comedians plus other famous women who are not comedians is unbelievably infuriating.

“It’s a comedy show, Channel 4, do you not know any female comedians?”

“[I have] absolutely nothing against Stacey and Maya, I think they’re great, and great at what they do, it’s just a really specific issue here; pro male comics and not any pro female comics and it happens very often."

A show spokesperson said, “From the very outset, both The Big Fat Quiz of the Year and The Big Fat Quiz of Everything have featured a brilliant line up of male and female talent.”

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