98-476: The Last Leg (known during its first series as The Last Leg with Adam Hills and in Australia as Adam Hills: The Last Leg ) is a British late-night television humorous talk/sketch show that originally ran alongside the 2012 Summer Paralympics every night following the main coverage on Channel 4 . Anchored by Australian comedian Adam Hills and co-hosted by Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker , it gives
196-484: A by-election six months earlier. They failed to retain their other seat gained in a by-election , Rochester and Strood , and the party's leader, Nigel Farage , ran in South Thanet but narrowly fell short of winning the seat. The Green Party of England and Wales won its highest ever vote share of 3.8 per cent, and their only MP, Caroline Lucas , retained her seat, Brighton Pavilion . In Northern Ireland ,
294-581: A 30% vote. The last episode of the series aired on 1 April 2016 and was called Your Mum . During one 2016 Summer Paralympics episode on 14 September 2016, host Adam Hills announced that the show was to be renamed again, this time in Paralympic athlete Libby Clegg 's honour. The remainder of that show was called The Fast Clegg . The show aired a two-hour special entitled Re-United Kingdom dedicated to MP Jo Cox on 16 June 2017 (the anniversary of her death ). Featuring dozens of comedians and politicians,
392-516: A BBC article and others. Labour, in reaction, produced ever stronger denials that they would co-operate with the SNP after the election. The Conservatives and Lib Dems both also rejected the idea of a coalition with the SNP. This was particularly notable for Labour, to whom the SNP had previously offered support: their manifesto stated that "the SNP will never put the Tories into power. Instead, if there
490-644: A general election to be held at a tactically convenient time within the final two years of a Parliament's lifespan, to maximise the chance of an electoral victory for their party. Prior to the 2010 general election, Labour and the Liberal Democrats pledged to introduce fixed-term elections . As part of the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition agreement, the Cameron ministry agreed to support legislation for fixed-term Parliaments, with
588-517: A humorous or satirical manner, typified by: The humour, not necessarily apparent to the participants, inherent in everyday life, as seen in: The 'war' between parents/teachers and their children, typified by: The British class system, especially class tensions between characters; and pompous or dim-witted members of the upper/middle classes or embarrassingly blatant social climbers, typified by: Also, some comedy series focus on working-class families or groups, such as: The lovable rogue, often from
686-473: A look at the news that week. Following on from the Paralympics, the series became weekly, and looks at political and other events in the news that week, as well as covering Paralympic matters. The show features guest interviews with Paralympians and celebrities. Originally it was intended to be broadcast on More4 at midnight and was intended to feature Hills alone, hence the original title. However, after
784-563: A mental hospital or a fugitive on the date of the election were permitted to vote. In British general elections, voting takes place in all constituencies in the United Kingdom to elect Members of Parliament to the House of Commons , the lower house of Parliament in the UK. Each constituency elects one MP using the first-past-the-post voting system . If one party obtains a majority (326) of
882-517: A nine-year domination of Scottish Westminster seats. Charles Kennedy , who served as the leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1999 to 2006, made his last public appearance during the election campaign, in which he lost his seat; he died on 1 June 2015. Notable MPs who retired at this election included former prime minister and Labour leader Gordon Brown , former Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling , former leader of
980-500: A prosthetic leg, giving him licence to crack jokes that most of us wouldn't dream of." Frances Ryan, for The Guardian , described it as "often tasteless, sometimes awkward, always funny". Damon Rose for BBC News said that "Comedian Adam Hills' late night irreverent Para-chat show The Last Leg – a title reflecting Adam's lack of a segment of his lower limb – has taken mainstream viewers to dark and delightfully surprising places that only disability humour can go. And it has given
1078-622: A referendum. The referendum was held in May 2011 and resulted in the retention of the existing voting system. Before the previous general election the Liberal Democrats had pledged to change the voting system, and the Labour Party had pledged to hold a referendum on any such change. The Conservatives, however, promised to keep the first-past-the-post system, but to reduce the number of constituencies to 600. Liberal Democrats' plan
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#17328021552051176-581: A review of the week's events. Featuring a mix of comedy, guests and Paralympics highlights, the show received strong reviews and regularly pulled in more than a million viewers each night of the Paralympic Games. It has since become a weekly show giving a humorous alternative look back at the week's events. Outside of the UK, the show is broadcast in Hills' native Australia by the ABC , albeit delayed until
1274-484: A rise in multi-party politics, with increased support for UKIP, the SNP and the Greens. Britain faces a simple and inescapable choice – stability and strong Government with me, or chaos with Ed Miliband: https://facebook.com/DavidCameronOfficial/posts/979082725449379 The question of what the different parties would do in the likely event of an inconclusive result dominated much of the campaign. Smaller parties focused on
1372-414: A run-through, Channel 4 saw more potential and put the show on at 10 pm every day. During the pilot, which saw Hills alone as presenter and Widdicombe and Brooker merely as guests, producers decided to keep Brooker and Widdicombe as recurring co-presenters. The series is broadcast live and encourages interaction with the viewers at home, holding polls via Twitter using hashtags . A recurring theme in
1470-464: A second consecutive hung parliament whose composition would be similar to the one elected at the previous general election in 2010 . Potential coalitions and agreements between parties were intensively discussed; as a result, smaller parties received much more attention during the campaign than in previous UK elections. However, opinion polls underestimated the Conservatives, as they won 330 of
1568-486: A second referendum and the Conservative manifesto stated that "the question of Scotland's place in the United Kingdom is now settled". In the run-up to the election, David Cameron coined the phrase "Carlisle principle" for the idea that checks and balances are required to ensure that devolution to Scotland has no adverse effects on other parts of the United Kingdom. The phrase references a fear that Carlisle , being
1666-410: A sense of permission for regular viewers to talk openly about things they may previously have shied away from". Brooker's 2015 interview with Nick Clegg for the programme was described by political journalist Hugo Rifkind as "a model of how to talk normally to a politician – and make them talk normally back". British humour British humour carries a strong element of satire aimed at
1764-585: A sixth series in January 2015 and a seventh in June 2015. After the seventh series, a special 2-part series entitled The Last Leg Goes Down Under was broadcast on 29 January and 5 February 2016, and preceded the start of series 8 on 12 February. Starting from series 8, the show was given a brand new set. On 25 March 2016, in a parody of the Boaty McBoatface internet poll controversy , the show released
1862-449: Is Public Enemy's " Harder Than You Think ", which became the show's permanent theme after initially serving as the title music to the whole of Channel 4's 2012 Summer Paralympics coverage. The first and ninth series were broadcast daily at the end of the day's Paralympics coverage on Channel 4 . The second series was broadcast each Friday, with the show moving to Wednesday nights for its third series, before reverting to Friday nights for
1960-481: Is a prevalent theme in many British folk songs . Shakespeare often used innuendo in his comedies, but it is also often found in his other plays. One example in Hamlet act 4 scene v reads: Young men will do't if they come to't / By Cock, they are to blame. Restoration comedy is notorious both for its innuendo and for its sexual explicitness, a quality encouraged by Charles II (1660–1685) personally and by
2058-463: Is an anti-Tory majority after the election, we will offer to work with other parties to keep the Tories out". SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon later confirmed in the Scottish leaders' debate on STV that she was prepared to "help make Ed Miliband prime minister". However, on 26 April, Miliband ruled out a confidence and supply arrangement with the SNP too. Miliband's comments suggested to many that he
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#17328021552052156-696: Is now made in Studio TC1 at the BBC Studios in Television Centre, West London, which is operated and run by BBC Studioworks, though some 2020 episodes were made at Elstree Studios. In late-April 2020, it was announced that The Last Leg would be " Locked Down Under " during the coronavirus lockdown . Hills, Widdicombe and Brooker would be hosting the show from their homes in Melbourne , London and Huddersfield taking social distancing to
2254-505: Is off-limits, though a lack of subtlety when discussing controversial issues is sometimes considered insensitive. Many British comedy series have become successful internationally, serving as a representation of British culture to overseas audiences. Some themes (with examples) that underpinned late-20th-century British humour were: Innuendo in British humour is evident in the literature as far back as Beowulf and Chaucer , and it
2352-713: The Conservative Party planned for the number of constituencies to be reduced from 650 to 600, through the Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies under the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 , the review of constituencies and reduction in seats was delayed by the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 . The next boundary review was set to take place in 2018, so
2450-693: The Democratic Unionist Party remained the largest party, the Ulster Unionist Party returned to the Commons with two seats after a five-year absence, and the Alliance Party lost its only seat of Belfast East , represented by Naomi Long for the party, despite an increase in their vote share. Following the election, Miliband and Clegg resigned their leaderships. Jeremy Corbyn succeeded Miliband as Leader of
2548-537: The House of Commons . The Conservative Party , led by prime minister David Cameron , won a unexpected majority victory of ten seats; they had been leading a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats . It was the last general election to be held before the UK voted to leave the European Union (EU) in June 2016. Opinion polls and political commentators had wildly predicted that the election would result in
2646-507: The Liberal Democrats , Nick Clegg , warned against a potential 'Blukip' coalition (Conservatives, UKIP and by extension the DUP) with a spoof website highlighting imaginary policies from this prospective coalition, such as reinstating the death penalty , scrapping all benefits for under-25s and charging for hospital visits. Additionally, issues were raised about the continued existence of the BBC , as
2744-616: The Scottish National Party (SNP) who enjoyed a huge surge, winning 56 of the 59 Scottish seats, becoming the third-largest party in the House of Commons and the largest party in Scotland, knocking Labour from the status which it had held since 1964 . The Liberal Democrats , junior coalition partners led by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg , suffered heavy losses, losing 49 of their 57 seats. Returning just eight MPs, it
2842-711: The Traditional Unionist Voice , who won no seats at this election but had one member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Conservatives and UKIP (both are major parties in the rest of the UK, but are minor parties here). Smaller parties in Scotland include the Scottish Libertarian Party , but none of the smaller parties make much of an impact in general elections in Scotland. Wales has a number of smaller parties which, again, do not tend to make much impact in
2940-478: The mayor of London , returned to Parliament as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip . It was the first of three general elections to be held under the rules of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 . Local elections took place in most areas of England on the same day and is to date the most recent general election to coincide with local elections. The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 led to
3038-652: The rakish aristocratic ethos of his court . In the Victorian era, Burlesque theatre combined sexuality and humour in its acts. In the late 19th century, magazines such as Punch began to be widely sold, and innuendo featured in its cartoons and articles. In the early 1930s, cartoon-style saucy postcards (such as those drawn by Donald McGill ) became widespread; at their peak, 16 million saucy postcards were sold per year. They were often bawdy, with innuendo and double entendres , and featured stereotypical characters such as vicars, large ladies and put-upon husbands, in
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3136-404: The #renametheLastLeg hashtag on Twitter live on the set to allow viewers to choose a new name for the show. The show brought the number of choices down to the four most popular ones and then they released a Twitter poll to change the name of the programme for next week's final episode of the series. The poll received a total of 3,731 votes with the highest scoring programme name being "Your Mum" with
3234-547: The 100 days before Parliament's dissolution on 30 March: £30,700, plus a per-voter allowance of 9p in county constituencies and 6p in borough seats. An additional voter allowance of more than £8,700 is available after the dissolution of Parliament. In total, parties spent £31.1m in the 2010 general election, of which the Conservative Party spent 53%, the Labour Party spent 25% and the Liberal Democrats 15%. This
3332-636: The 2015 general election was contested using the same constituencies and boundaries as in 2010. Of the 650 constituencies, 533 were in England, 59 were in Scotland, 40 were in Wales and 18 were in Northern Ireland. In addition, the 2011 Act mandated a referendum in 2011 on changing from the first-past-the-post voting system to an alternative vote system for general elections. The Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government agreed to holding
3430-469: The 2016 Christmas special, the prize was awarded to whole of the year 2016, defeating Donald Trump, Nigel Farage and David Cameron . In 2017, it was announced that the people who have come second and third in the "Dick of the Year" voting will be named "Ballbags of the Year". The "Steaming Turd" award was also created for Harvey Weinstein , who was ruled out of running for the main award on the grounds that it
3528-417: The 650 seats and 36.9 per cent of the vote, giving them a small overall majority. The opposition Labour Party , led by Ed Miliband , saw a small increase in its share of the vote to 30.4 per cent, but it won 26 fewer seats than in 2010, giving them 232 MPs. This was the fewest seats the party had won since the 1987 general election , when it had 229 MPs returned. Labour lost significant ground in Scotland to
3626-491: The 650 seats, then that party is entitled to form the government . If no party has a majority, then there is what is known as a hung parliament . In this case, the options for forming the Government are either a minority government (where one party governs alone despite not having the majority of the seats) or a coalition government (where one party governs alongside party in order to get a majority of seats). Although
3724-485: The Conservatives, with several parties, notably the SNP, having committed to preventing a Conservative government. The Conservatives claimed a hung parliament with Labour as the largest party would result in a "coalition of chaos", and David Cameron tweeted that the electoral choice was one between " stable and strong government with me, or chaos with Ed Miliband ". Due to the substantial political turmoil in Britain in
3822-528: The DUP joining UKIP in this arrangement. UKIP and the DUP said they would work together in Parliament. The DUP welcomed the possibility of a hung parliament and the influence that this would bring them. The party's deputy leader, Nigel Dodds , said they could work with the Conservatives or Labour, but that they were "not interested in a full-blown coalition government". Their leader, Peter Robinson , said that
3920-743: The DUP would not stand candidates in Fermanagh and South Tyrone (where Michelle Gildernew , the Sinn Féin candidate, won by only four votes in 2010) and in Newry and Armagh . In return the UUP would stand aside in Belfast East and Belfast North . The SDLP rejected a similar pact suggested by Sinn Féin to try to ensure that an agreed nationalist would win that constituency. The DUP also called on voters in Scotland to support whichever pro-Union candidate
4018-443: The DUP would talk first to whichever party wins the most seats. The DUP said they wanted, for their support, a commitment to 2% defence spending, a referendum on EU membership, and a reversal of the under-occupation penalty . They opposed the SNP being involved in government. The UUP also indicated that they would not work with the SNP if it wanted another independence referendum in Scotland. The Deputy Prime Minister and leader of
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4116-553: The English town closest to the Scottish border, could be affected economically by preferential tax rates in Scotland . The deficit, who was responsible for it and plans to deal with it were a major theme of the campaign. While some smaller parties opposed austerity, the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, UKIP and the Greens all supported some further cuts, albeit to different extents. Conservative campaigning sought to blame
4214-732: The Englishman telling them). This sort of affectionate stereotype is also exemplified by 'Allo 'Allo! , a programme that, although set in France in the Second World War, and deliberately performed in over-the-top accents, mocked British stereotypes as well as foreigners. This also applies to a lot of the regional stereotypes in the UK. Regional accent and dialect are used in such programmes as Hancock's Half Hour , Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Red Dwarf , as these accents provide quick characterisation and social cues. Although racism
4312-530: The European Union by the end of 2017". Labour did not support this, but did commit to an EU membership referendum if any further powers were transferred to the European Union. The Lib Dems also supported the Labour position, but explicitly supported the UK's continuing membership of the EU. The election was the first following the 2014 Scottish independence referendum . None of the three major party manifestos supported
4410-428: The Labour Party , while Tim Farron succeeded Clegg as Leader of the Liberal Democrats . Despite speculation before the election that it would herald a new era of multi-party politics in the UK, it ended-up being the antithesis, marking a return to traditional two-party politics seen throughout the second half of the 20th century; Conservative–Labour domination would continue until the 2024 election . The SNP began
4508-412: The Labour Party had been the two biggest parties since 1922 . Every prime minister to serve since 1935 had been the leader of the Conservatives or Labour. Opinion polls had predicted that the two parties would receive a combined total of anywhere between 65% and 75% of votes, and would receive anywhere between 80% and 85% of the seats; and that, as such, the leader of one of the two parties would become
4606-480: The Prime Minister ( David Cameron of the Conservatives or Ed Miliband of Labour) after the election. The Liberal Democrats had been the third largest party in the UK for many years; but as described by various political commentators, other parties had risen relative to the Liberal Democrats since the 2010 election. In order to emphasise this, The Economist stated that "the familiar three-party system of
4704-535: The Scottish Conservatives, asked about a deal with UKIP in the Scottish leaders' debate, replied: "No deals with UKIP." She continued that her preference and the Prime Minister's preference in a hung parliament was for a minority Conservative government. UKIP said they could have supported a minority Conservative government through a confidence and supply arrangement in return for a referendum on EU membership before Christmas 2015. They also spoke of
4802-405: The Second World War , but as the outgoing Government were a coalition and opinion polls were not showing a large or consistent lead for any one party, it was widely expected and predicted throughout the election campaign that no party would gain an overall majority, which could have led to a new coalition or other arrangements such as confidence and supply agreements. This was also associated with
4900-610: The Tories, Labour, and the Lib Dems appears to be breaking down with the rise of UKIP, the Greens and the SNP." Ofcom ruled that the major parties in Great Britain were the Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and UKIP, the SNP a major party in Scotland, and Plaid Cymru a major party in Wales. The BBC 's guidelines were similar but removed UKIP from their list of major parties, and instead stated that UKIP should be given "appropriate levels of coverage in output to which
4998-468: The Tuesday of the next week and with a different theme tune. The Last Leg is described by main presenter Adam Hills as "Three guys with four legs talking about the week", because Hills was born without a right foot and Brooker had his right leg amputated when he was a baby. The original series, broadcast during the 2012 Paralympics, was a look back at each day's events during the competition, as well as
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#17328021552055096-513: The absurdity of everyday life . Common themes include sarcasm , tongue-in-cheek , banter , insults , self-deprecation , taboo subjects, puns , innuendo , wit , and the British class system . These are often accompanied by a deadpan delivery which is present throughout the British sense of humour. It may be used to bury emotions in a way that seems unkind in the eyes of other cultures. Jokes are told about everything and almost no subject
5194-562: The advice of the prime minister. Under the provisions of the Septennial Act 1715 , as amended by the Parliament Act 1911 , an election had to be announced on or before the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the previous parliament, barring exceptional circumstances. No sovereign had refused a request for dissolution since the beginning of the 20th century, and the practice had evolved that a prime minister would typically call
5292-489: The black population of South Africa leaving to escape apartheid , leaving the Afrikaners with nobody to oppress – instead, they begin a system of discrimination based on height, targeting short people, labelled "apart-height". Harsh sarcasm and bullying , though with the bully usually coming off worse than the victim – typified by: Making fun of British stereotypes , typified by: Tolerance of, and affection for,
5390-468: The country, are listed below in order of the number of seats that they contested: Dozens of minor parties stood in this election. The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition stood 135 candidates and was the only minor party to have more than forty candidates. The Respect Party , who came into the election with one MP who was elected at the 2012 Bradford West by-election , stood four candidates. The British National Party , who finished fifth with 1.9% of
5488-511: The date of the next general election being 7 May 2015. This resulted in the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, which removed the prime minister's power to advise the monarch to call an early election. The Act only permits an early dissolution if Parliament votes for one by a two-thirds supermajority , or if a majority of MPs pass a vote of no confidence and no new government is subsequently formed within 14 days. However,
5586-456: The deficit on the previous Labour government. Labour, in return, sought to establish their fiscal responsibility. With the Conservatives also making several spending commitments (e.g., on the NHS), commentators talked of the two main parties' "political crossdressing", each trying to campaign on the other's traditional territory. Hung parliaments have been unusual in British political history since
5684-404: The dissolution of the 55th Parliament on 30 March 2015 and the scheduling of the election on 7 May. There were local elections on the same day in all of England, with the exception of Greater London . No elections were scheduled to take place in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. All British, Irish, and Commonwealth citizens over the age of 18 and residing in the UK who were not in prison or
5782-442: The eccentric, especially when allied to inventiveness, typified by: Usually, for television, the performance of a practical joke on an unsuspecting person whilst being covertly filmed, epitomised by: 2015 United Kingdom general election David Cameron Conservative David Cameron Conservative The 2015 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 7 May 2015 to elect 650 members of Parliament (MPs) to
5880-478: The election, the Conservatives decided to target Lib Dem seats as well as defending their own seats and targeting Conservative–Labour marginals, which ultimately contributed to their victory. In 2015 David Cameron launched the Conservative formal campaign in Chippenham on 30 March. Throughout the campaign the Conservatives played on fears of a Labour–SNP coalition following the Scottish independence referendum
5978-437: The extreme and looking at the week's news in a comedic manner. Guests including Miriam Margolyes and Stephen Merchant were featured using video relay, and each episode ended with a song from The Horne Section . The show ran for five episodes from 8 May until 5 June and is available on All 4 after broadcast. The show is currently playing at Television Centre , London. The latest series aired in 2024. Recurring segments in
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#17328021552056076-503: The fourth and fifth series. In October 2012 it was announced that the show would return for a Christmas special titled The Last Leg of the Year and a second series, which began broadcasting in January 2013. A third and fourth series followed in July 2013 and January 2014 (timed around the 2014 Winter Paralympics ) respectively. A fifth series started broadcasting in August 2014, followed by
6174-429: The general elections. In 2015, the Labour Party continued to dominate Welsh politics at the general elections. Coalitions have been rare in the United Kingdom, because the system of first-past-the-post voting has usually led to one party winning an overall majority in the Commons. However, with the outgoing Government being a coalition and with opinion polls not showing a large or consistent lead for any one party, there
6272-450: The hosts. The winner is voted on by the viewers using Twitter with the hashtag #dickoftheyear. In January 2015, journalist Katie Hopkins received the most votes for 2014's "Dick of the Year" but Hills and the team making the show decided not to give Hopkins the prize on the grounds that she would enjoy receiving it. Thus, the prize went to the person with the second-highest number of votes, UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage . In
6370-509: The impoverished working class, trying to 'beat the system' and better himself, typified by: The embarrassment of social ineptitude, typified by: The An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman joke format is one common to many cultures, and is often used in English , including having the nationalities switched around to take advantage of other stereotypes. These stereotypes are somewhat fond, and these jokes would not be taken as xenophobic (by
6468-571: The largest parties contribute and, on some occasions, similar levels of coverage". Seven parties participated in the election leadership debates : Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, UKIP, SNP, PC and Green. Northern Ireland's political parties were not included in any debates, despite the DUP , a party based in Northern Ireland, being the fourth largest party in the UK going into the election. Several parties operate in specific regions only. The main national parties, standing in most seats across all of
6566-568: The major parties had the following percentages of black and ethnic minority candidates: the Conservatives 11%, the Liberal Democrats 10%, Labour 9%, UKIP 6%, the Greens 4%. The average age of the candidates for the seven major parties was 45. The youngest candidates were all aged 18: Solomon Curtis (Labour, Wealden ); Niamh McCarthy (Independent, Liverpool Wavertree ); Michael Burrows (UKIP, Inverclyde ); Declan Lloyd (Labour, South East Cornwall ); and Laura-Jane Rossington ( Communist Party , Plymouth Sutton and Devonport ). The oldest candidate
6664-508: The man was white and wearing dark gloves. Later, The Fast Show has mocked people of other races, such as the Chanel 9 sketches, and Banzai has mimicked Japanese game shows, which have an exaggerated sense of violence, sex and public absurdity. Goodness Gracious Me turned stereotypes on their heads in sketches such as 'Going for an English' and when bargaining over the price of a newspaper. An episode from The Goodies depicted all of
6762-792: The opposition and Conservative leader William Hague , and former leader of the Liberal Democrats Menzies Campbell . Notable newcomers to the House of Commons included future prime minister and Labour leader Keir Starmer ; future prime minister, Conservative leader and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak , who also succeeded Hague as MP for Richmond (Yorks) ; future deputy prime minister and deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner and future SNP Commons leader Ian Blackford . Another future prime minister and Conservative leader, Boris Johnson , who had previously left Parliament in 2008 so he could serve as
6860-496: The period between the dissolution of Parliament and the following general election polling day from 17 to 25 working days. This had the effect of moving forward the date of the dissolution of the Parliament to 30 March 2015. The key dates were: While at the previous election there had been a record 149 MPs not standing for re-election, the 2015 election saw 89 MPs standing down. Out of these MPs, 37 were Conservatives, 37 were Labour, 10 were Liberal Democrats, 3 were Independents, 1
6958-459: The power this would bring them in negotiations; Labour and the Conservatives both insisted that they were working towards winning overall majorities, while they were also reported to be preparing for the possibility of a second election later in the year. In practice, Labour were prepared to make a "broad" offer to the Liberal Democrats in the event of a hung parliament. Most predictions saw Labour as having more potential support in parliament than
7056-411: The prime minister had the power, by order made by Statutory Instrument under section 1(5) of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, to fix the polling day to be up to two months later than 7 May 2015. Such a Statutory Instrument must be approved by each House of Parliament. Under section 14 of the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 , the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 was amended to extend
7154-536: The same vein as the Carry On films. This style of comedy was common in music halls and in the comedy music of George Formby . Many comedians from music hall and wartime gang shows worked in radio after World War 2, and characters such as Julian and Sandy on Round the Horne used innuendo extensively. Innuendo also features heavily in many British films and TV series of the late 20th century. The Carry On series
7252-422: The show aimed to inspire the public to resolve animosity between people they had fallen out with. Politicians appeared in pre-recorded skits where they were stuck in a lift with another politician they disliked, and found common ground; some members of the public who had resolved arguments with each other were shown in a hot tub together. Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday 8 September 2022, it
7350-470: The show also announced David Cameron as "Dick of the Decade". In 2023, it was decided that multiple time nominee Vladimir Putin would be made a lifetime recipient. In collaboration with YouTubers Josh Pieters and Archie Manners , The Last Leg presented Suella Braverman with her Dick of the Year 2023 award in person by inviting Braverman to a fake boat launch in her constituency . The theme music
7448-405: The show include rants or attacks by Hills on certain people and organisations, which has since resulted in the coining of Hills' catchphrase: "Don't be a dick !" Another segment is "The Last 7 Days", in which Widdicombe looks at more comic news items that have occurred during the week, and Brooker's various attempts to qualify for the 2016 Summer Paralympics . Another is the "Bullshit Button", which
7546-637: The show is the use of the hashtag #isitok to highlight questions from Twitter users to be asked in the show. Initially it was for asking questions about disability that people felt awkward asking: the broadening of the show's remit is reflected in the questions asked in this stream. The show originally was broadcast from the Riverside Studios in London. It would later move to the ITV London Studios on London's South Bank. From series 14, it
7644-449: The show thinks someone is lying, and additional buzzers during various seasons have been added including phrases like "A shite in shining armour" and "A turd the size of Disneyland Paris" by Armando Ianucci and "Fuck off" by Brian Cox . Since January 2014, The Last Leg has presented a mock prize to the "Dick of the Year", awarded for being the biggest dick over the previous year. Nominees are suggested by viewers on Twitter, as well as
7742-417: The smuttier trend. In contemporary British comedy, Julian Clary is an example of a prolific user of innuendo. Innuendo has become a celebrated ingredient of The Great British Bake Off TV cookery show. Disrespect to members of the establishment and authority, typified by: The absurd and the surreal, typified by: Black humour , in which topics and events that are usually treated seriously are treated in
7840-400: The vote and stood 338 candidates at the 2010 general election, stood only eight candidates this year following a collapse in their support. Seven hundred fifty-three other candidates stood at the general election, including Independents and candidates from other parties. The main parties in Northern Ireland in order of their number of seats were: Smaller parties in Northern Ireland included
7938-634: The way Jim Davidson looks at and treats people with disabilities". The Daily Mirror described The Last Leg as "a real success". Veteran TV pundit, the late Clive James said: "Taken as a whole, the Channel 4 coverage of the Paralympics was very good, but almost the best part of it was The Last Leg, the discussion show at the end of each day". The programme provoked a discussion in the media about whether disability and comedy could work together on TV. The Independent described it as "a high risk venture" saying that Hills "reminds us frequently that he has
8036-542: The year before. The Labour campaign was launched on 27 March at Olympic Park in London . Ed Miliband 's EdStone was a major feature of the campaign which was covered by the media. Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Harriet Harman embarked on a pink bus tour as part of her Woman to Woman campaign . The Conservative manifesto committed to "a straight in-out referendum on our membership of
8134-433: The years following the 2015 election, the tweet became infamous. Conservative campaigning sought to highlight what they described as the dangers of a minority Labour administration supported by the SNP. This proved effective at dominating the agenda of the campaign and at motivating voters to support them. The surprise Conservative victory was "widely put down to the success of the anti-Labour/SNP warnings", according to
8232-774: Was Doris Osen, 84, of the Elderly Persons' Independent Party (EPIC), who contested Ilford North . Other candidates aged over 80 included three long-serving Labour MPs standing for re-election: Sir Gerald Kaufman (aged 84; Manchester Gorton ), Dennis Skinner (aged 83; Bolsover ) and David Winnick (aged 81; Walsall North ). Following his re-election, Kaufman became Father of the House , an honorary title he held until his death in early 2017. Several candidates, including two each for Labour and UKIP, were suspended from their respective parties after nominations were closed. Independent candidate Ronnie Carroll died after nominations were closed. In late 2014, six months before
8330-557: Was Sinn Féin and 1 was Plaid Cymru. The highest-profile members of parliament leaving were: Gordon Brown , the former Prime Minister, and William Hague , the former Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition . Alongside Brown and Hague, 17 former cabinet ministers stood down at the election, including Stephen Dorrell , Jack Straw , Alistair Darling , David Blunkett , Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Dame Tessa Jowell . The highest-profile Liberal Democrat to stand down
8428-447: Was a part of British humour, it is now frowned upon, and acts such as Bernard Manning and Jim Davidson are pilloried. Although some observers once argued certain comedy series of the 1970s were targeting racism rather than being in sympathy with it, such series as Love Thy Neighbour and It Ain't Half Hot Mum are no longer considered acceptable for repeat screenings. Along with the first of these two series, Till Death Us Do Part
8526-461: Was aiming to form a minority government. The Liberal Democrats said that they would talk first to whichever party won the most seats. They later campaigned on being a stabilising influence should either the Conservatives or Labour fall short of a majority, with the slogan "We will bring a heart to a Conservative Government and a brain to a Labour one". Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats ruled out coalitions with UKIP. Ruth Davidson , leader of
8624-414: Was also the first UK general election to use individual rather than household voter registration . An election is called following the dissolution of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . The 2015 general election was the first to be held under the provisions of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 . Prior to this, the power to dissolve Parliament was a royal prerogative , exercised by the sovereign on
8722-554: Was an attempt to deal humorously with the influx of immigrants to the United Kingdom , but it is now usually considered to have been counter-productive. Still much admired, however, Fawlty Towers featured the mistreatment of the Spanish waiter, Manuel , but the target was the bigotry of the lead character, Basil Fawlty. The Young Ones featured a police officer (in sunglasses) engaged in racial profiling, only to discover
8820-429: Was announced that there would be no new episode that Friday. This was not due to any regulations, but was rather a choice made by those involved with the show, with Adam Hills breaking the news on Twitter: "It just doesn’t feel right". The show the next week was a tribute to Her Majesty, without the typical broad coverage of the week's news. Adam Hills was quoted as saying "If the Paralympics is covered well, it can change
8918-601: Was based largely on smut and innuendo, and many of the sketches of The Two Ronnies are in a similar vein. Innuendo with little subtlety was epitomised by Benny Hill , and the Nudge Nudge sketch by Monty Python openly mocks the absurdity of such innuendo. By the end of the 20th century, more subtlety in sexual humour became fashionable, as in Not the Nine O'Clock News and Blackadder , while Bottom and Viz continued
9016-744: Was best placed to beat the SNP. The deadline for parties and individuals to file candidate nomination papers to the acting returning officer (and the deadline for candidates to withdraw) was 4 p.m. on 9 April 2015. The total number of candidates was 3,971; the second-highest number in history, slightly down from the record 4,150 candidates at the last election in 2010. There were a record number of female candidates standing in terms of both absolute numbers and percentage of candidates: 1,020 (26.1%) in 2015, up from 854 (21.1%) in 2010. The proportion of female candidates for major parties ranged from 41% of Alliance Party candidates to 12% of UKIP candidates. According to UCL's Parliamentary Candidates UK project
9114-497: Was first used in a segment in which Brooker interviewed the then-Leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg to see if Clegg could persuade him to vote in the 2015 UK general election . Brooker would press a large red buzzer that played an audio recording of him saying the word "Bullshit" if he thought Clegg was lying during the interviews. Since then, the buzzer has been used in various situations whenever
9212-556: Was much discussion about possible post-election coalitions or other arrangements, such as confidence and supply agreements. Some UK political parties that only stand in part of the country have reciprocal relationships with parties standing in other parts of the country. These include: On 17 March 2015 the Democratic Unionist Party and the Ulster Unionist Party agreed an election pact, whereby
9310-447: Was possible that Weinstein may take "Dick of the Year" as a compliment. In 2019, comedy writer Graham Linehan was the runaway favourite nominee by viewers to be given the award, in light of controversial comments he had made on social media about transgender people. After Linehan expressed interest in winning the award, Hills and the team disqualified him from receiving the award under the precedent set by Hopkins in 2014. Another poll by
9408-534: Was their former leader Sir Menzies Campbell , while the longest-serving MP, Sir Peter Tapsell , also retired, having served as an MP continuously since 1966 , or for 49 years. On 9 April 2015, the deadline for standing for the general election, there were 464 political parties registered with the Electoral Commission . Candidates who did not belong to a party were either labelled as an Independent or not labelled at all. The Conservative Party and
9506-399: Was their worst result since their formation in 1988. Cabinet ministers Vince Cable , Ed Davey , and Danny Alexander lost their seats, whilst Clegg only narrowly held his own seat. The UK Independence Party (UKIP) received 12.6 per cent of the vote, displacing the Liberal Democrats as the third-placed party in terms of popular vote, but won only one seat: Clacton , which they had gained at
9604-400: Was to reduce the number of MPs to 500, and for them to be elected using a proportional vote system . The Government increased the amount of money that parties and candidates were allowed to spend on campaigning during the election by 23%, a move decided against the advice of the Electoral Commission . The election saw the first cap on spending by parties in individual constituencies during
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