Ben Elton criticises panel show comedy

Rex Features

Ben Elton has criticised panel show comedy series for encouraging "mean" humour.

The Young Ones and Blackadder writer said that programmes such as Mock The Week and 8 Out Of 10 Cats are damaging to traditional stand-ups.

"Nobody's allowed to do a proper routine any more. It's all down to these damn game shows. Comics are brought on and have to quip," he told the Daily Mail.

"They have to be mean to each other and about absolutely everything. They all have to desperately compete to say something mean - so you get a culture doing just that."

Elton is moving to Western Australia next month with his wife Sophie Gare and three children.

"We are going to relocate back to Australia and live in Freeo for a while," he said. "Being an international citizen of the world with a carbon footprint the size of goodness knows what, I will still be travelling back and forth to Britain and America. But we are going to be based in Australia."