Just A Minute Ruling Row

A rule change has been proposed for Radio 4’s long-standing, ever popular show, Just A Minute. Contestants have to talk for 60 seconds "without repetition, hesitation or deviation". However, the increasingly competitive nature and constant interruptions of some competitors has caused a debate among listeners over the show’s direction. The BBC’s Feedback programme has even received complaints prompting long-running host Nicholas Parsons to state that he’ll raise the matter with the show’s panelists and producers. Speaking to the Telegraph newspaper, Parsons said: “Sometimes when there is a tedious interruption, we manage to get a lot of fun out of that. But I agree that it doesn’t help the show overall. “We are not complacent in running this show, otherwise we wouldn’t still be doing it after 42 years.” Deflecting complaints about comedian and panelist Paul Merton, he said the late Kenneth Williams was far more problematic to deal with. “Kenneth William who would go into a sulk and I had to be a bit of a psychologist and I would have to nurse him. Paul Merton is the most generous player of the game.”