Say what you want about Deayton. Balls of steel here for appearing and taking all the flak What a legend!

*Hindsight is a wonderful thing but Angus was almost a saint compared to some at the BBC. Angus knew he'd messed up and took all the flak like a man. Utmost respect earned!*

Certainly had balls to go on the programme knowing they'd be taking the piss, and keep his cool.

This scandal was so tame. It wouldn't eve make the second page these days.

Hat off to Angus for taking it all on the chin.

This clip is 15 years which is coincidentally the same time as Paul Merton showed any enthusiasm for HIGNFY. Angus is a pro here. The amount of stick he takes is amazing.

Nobody really cared about Angus' private life, but by god he had some serious balls to Come into work knowing what was going to happen. A panel show with one of the biggest dirt dishing journalists in the country, who was never shy about letting rip on air no matter who you were. I thought deayton was great as the presenter, very dry.

Apparently Stephen Fry said he'd never return to HIGNFY after this happened, he said that Angus could have been in a very dark place in his mind and in his life and destroying him on national TV was not the right thing to do.

Deayton was actually a very good sport...he took it like a man and saw the funny side. Top bloke.

I love Angus' deadpan style. 7:31 is a lovely example of this. "... is the wrong answer."

Pair of brass bollocks to endure that onslaught. He squirmed his way through it but kept his countenance. Now there was a professional at work

Never the same without him.

Paul Merton couldn’t wait for this. And yet he never had this energy when Savile appeared on the show.

Fair play to him for turning up. He knew he was going to get annihilated.

It's been said 1,000 times, at least in my circles, or at least in my head, it's never been the same since...

This show misses deayton so badly they need him back

Angus's departure played a small but real part in Boris's rise to supreme power. Boris got enormous exposure from his times chairing the show, all of it positive.

Total Britishness from Angus. Balls of steel to go on there knowing what would happen.

When you look back on this video, it's actually very impressive to see Angus host this program and remain so smooth and keep his usual presenting manner. How many other people could do that? In my opinion it does more to cement him as an extraordinarily talented presenter. My father cheated on my mother for a number of years and I hated him for it, so I have no desire to defend infidelity, but the hypocritical viciousness with which Merton and Hislop went after Deayton while they've both left alone other targets guilty of much worse crimes, and the sheer, bitter, personal venom that Merton clearly has for Deayton are both very very distasteful.

Shame really, Angus was by far the best host.

Fair play to Angus. He knew they wouldn't let it lie, but presented anyway. Well over due to Bring Angus Back !!!

Fair play to him for just sitting and taking it and ending up saying “Help yourselves” when the blank headlines came up 😂

I remember Deayton's good humour about the whole thing draining visibly away across 30 minutes of remorseless pisstaking.

After the Angus was fired, Stephen Fry (and others) boycotted HIGNFY in support of him.

This just made me like him even more. We don’t see enough of him unfortunately

I have to give respect to Deayton. It took balls to come back and do that episode and he took their (well deserved) jabs pretty well.

The most eagerly anticipated show ever when this screened! Just knew Merton & Hislop were going to do an absolute demolition job on Deayton.

Nobody was as great as Angus Deayton. Bring him back & I might start watching this show again.

I remember watching this the same night. Paul and Ian were utterly ruthless. Big up Angus for coming on, though. Others would've crawled into a hole until it all blows over.

I love AD, he was awesome as the host and his dry sense of humour made him perfect for it. I wish the BBC had kept him on as host. The fact he went into work and took that roasting from his colleagues on national television proves he has the biggest set of balls in the history of broadcasting. He took it in good humour and I’ve respected him a lot ever since…..he’s a good egg!

Fair play to Angus. He handled it so well.

Crucified, but what a man. Come back Angus, we miss you,

Never been same without him.

"..........is the wrong answer." HAHAHAHA, that part made me laugh the hardest

There have been some good guest presenters since and the occasional funny but bonkers ones (Blessed and Shatner come to mind) but Angus was consistently good. Angus clearly deserved a couple of punches for what he had done but the relish with which Merton in particular delivered these actually meant Angus came over as the better person.

Dave Gorman is like the kid at school who hovers at the edge shouting “fight!”

Dude took it on the chin in the most incredibly graceful way. TV history right here, what a legend. This would never even be allowed to happen today.

I'd love to see Angus present it again, would be amazing.

I've never seen anyone handle piss-taking like that before. Phenomenal play by Angus.

My late mother was a big fan of Deayton and when I asked her at the time about his behaviour she replied "He's been a very silly boy".

bloody hell, angus sure can take a roasting. if that was preston he would've left after 5 minutes...if it was huey morgan Ian and Paul would probably be dead

Hats off to Angus, he knew he done wrong and took it on the chin. At least he took it like a man and not like a politician

I grew watching this and loved Deayton as a presenter and was sad to see him go, but you don't understand this programme or people like Ian Hislop if you question their (him and Merton's) reaction to this scandal. Props to Deayton for taking it like a pro, but on a programme like this, they had to butcher him. Subsequent presenters get it rough for their hypocrisy too.

It's good to see people sticking up for Angus. We never know what goes through people's minds and how crazy a lifestyle gets. I was diagnosed with Type II Bipolar two years ago, and it explains so much. You never know what goes on in people's private lives, despite how talented, professional and straight they may seem. Depression affects so many people, it's not spline about enough. Stephen Fry was right with his comments on this episode. That being said it's still hilarious and Angus took it like a fucking boss

I have to credit Angus for taking it all manfully and with good humour.

Angus Deayton = Legend

Angus faced this down like a boss

I think they should bring Angus back. :) Still the best presenter of this.

Although Merton went a bit far at times, they couldn't have NOT brought it up. If the panelists on HIGNFY didn't make light of what was the news story of the week, the show would have lost all credibility. Which it was close to doing at the time because of Angus making it increasingly difficult for them to take the piss out of people, without him looking like a hypocrite and in turn driving the show down.

another one of the funniest and talented men that made mistakes and got ripped from our screens! please bring Angus back! i'm so bored of watching so many idiots on TV that get paid way to much for boring me to Tears.. thank heavens for youtube!!

Yeah, you know after the whole jimmy Savile thing, this really starts to look like pathetic moralizing coming from Merton and Hislop.

The programme never recovered from his departure, sorry.

What a legend! He took it like a champ. Who cares what he did he can choose how he spends his money

Angus is a legend!

least he didnt walk off like preston on NMTB.

Personally i think Angus took the whole thing very good naturedly. He knew what he was letting himself in for by being in the same room as those two after the story broke. And I don't care what you think of Paul, he's bloody quick! Love him as a commedian.

That was probably the hardest and most public character assassination that I have ever seen.

Should never have been sacked

Angus took it very well. Really gotta credit him.

It has never been the same since he left

Should never have lost his job. He served his time and payed the price. This was humiliation enough. He took it like a boss and this proves he really should be given the seat back.

On reflection, Angus comes across very well here, taking it all with good humour and self deprication. I was put off Paul Merton forever after he basically said he never liked Angus and thought he was boring, and his behaviour in this episode. I love HIGNFY but it really has never been the same since Deayton was basically forced out

As Thatcher put it “This was Treachery, with a Smile Upon it’s Face - I was about to be stabbed, very politely, apologetically and deferentially in The Front.... And by over a dozen of my closest Cabinet colleagues, including many of most-trusted of my fellow Ministers, going about their butchery.”

While it was funny to start with, it got relentlessly nasty but Angus got through it. I think the way the Beeb got rid of him and the way Paul went on about it was below the belt.

Angus is the best lover I’ve ever had. That’s why he didn’t have to pay.

Angus should be asked back. He was easily the best presenter.

Even though it's hilarious, I feel sorry for Angus. All he can do is sit there and take it, knowing that he'll be unemployed straight after the show was recorded. Must have been pretty tough.

Thanks for posting!

The worst kind of schoolboy/workplace bullying. The fact they put him through this then fired him is nothing short of sadistic.

In France your sex life is pretty much your own private domain, as long as it's between consenting individuals, this country is just one bigoted hell hole, it really is no ones business what consenting individuals do within there own privacy, as long as it's not illegal or harming anyone

Easily the best presenter of the program. It hasn't been the same since

Straight in, poking fun at himself - classic!

The way I see it... he didn't hurt anyone, what happens in your private life stays in your private life.... unless its something illegal

Love Angus Deayton. Showed his true class against Hislop and Merton.A "true de force" x

took the whole brute force of it like a man. bravo.

It's amazing what you come across on youtube. Fair play to Deayton, he took all that was thrown at him. It's not an excuse but he didn't back down from it. He could have quite easily told producers he wasn't going to host but obviously he agreed to it. And yes, Merton and Hislop had a great time.

Feeling really sorry for angus. It is amazing how he takes it all. He was the best presenter and i agree, never the same without him.

I think it's admirable how Angus was able to take it all in such good humour... I think he was a bit pissed at the end but he still didn't ever get angry... He knew what to expect from them so he was prepared for it all really... I mean, when you compare this to the Never Mind The Buzzcocks where Preston walked off after five minutes because they were taking the piss out of his wife at the time, Angus is a big man for putting up with the ribbing

He's been irreplaceable ever since.

I like the fact Angus went on this knowing what he was going to get. He took it well. Fair play.

Oh yeah and they were saints of course, please. Dayton was a ledge and still the best

i think merton and hislop were right to lay into him for an episode because it was funny, but after that they should have let it go

Never gets old

My wife and I had tickets for that recording of HIGNFY. When the story broke 3 days before the recording, my wife sold them to The Sun for £2000.

Took his slagging like a champ.

still my favourite host for the show imo, there have been some great guest hosts after Angus ,but none of them have stuck in my memory,

Still funky after all these years bring back Angus

Absolute respect to Angus..

no one has come close to being a great host as Angus. They are idiots to lose him!

Guest presenter? How was he ever kicked off for this? He took it in good humour, gave his panel something to talk about and is no worse than any of the coach loads of reprobates presiding over each episode since.

excellent, brillent show

Hignfy has never been the same since Angus left

Angus, the two spuds are leaving soon,COME BACK !!.

First of all, I remember watching this when it first broadcast and I think it was the highest viewed episode of HIGNFY at that point. Angus Deayton had balls of steel for going to work that day, fair play to him. He fucked up and faced the consequences head on like a man. He knew what was going to happen, especially with Merton as it was known he and Angus never really got along. Merton just did not let up. Hislop and Gorman got their jibes in as well but they stopped. Merton kept going. He saw his opportunity and he took it. He knew he wasn’t as popular or as funny as Deayton and got this chance to destroy him on national television, but it never worked. Deayton smiled and laughed all the way through it. Merton couldn’t get to him, and he got more and more frustrated as the episode went on. There was even a point where the camera was on Dave Gorman (it’s not in this clip sadly) and he had an expression on his face as if to say “fuck sake Merton just stop.” Angus Deayton is still popular, still on tv and still working. You don’t really hear from Paul Merton anymore do you? Angus has more talent in one of his pubic hairs than Merton does in his entire body. I get that Merton was pissed off as Angus’s wife was ill at the time and that both their wives were close. Angus was a prick for doing the dirty on his sick wife. He accepted full responsibility for it and took whatever case his way.

Best ever guy on HIGNFY.

Very brave to appear 👍 took all the stick given out to him !

I remember seeing this episode of HIGNFY. I have a lot of respect for Angus, for having the guts to go out there. It's better than any public apology. That really showed how sorry he was for doing what he did. He knew that he was going to get slaughtered that night and he knew he deserved it. But I have to say that Paul and Ian (especially Paul) took it a bit too far. No-one deserves to be embarrassed like that on TV and the way that they both ganged up on him towards the end was terrible.

A time when the question was asked, "are you just a poodle or a proper satirical lion?" and they did well.

Well done Angus. The great British ability to laugh at ourselves.

the show died without him