a point. An extra point is awarded if a panellist speaks for the entire minute without being challenged. It is rare for a panellist to speak within the three cardinal rules for any substantial length of time, whilst both remaining coherent and being amusing. Therefore, to speak for the full minute without being challenged is a special achievement. However, if a panellist is speaking fluently on a subject, staying reasonably within the three rules, and seems likely to speak for the whole minute, the other panellists often refrain from challenging. On occasion a similar courtesy has been extended by the whistle-blower, who will refrain from indicating the end of the minute so as to not interrupt a panellist in full and entertaining flow (this once led to Paul Merton speaking for one minute and thirty seconds on the topic "Ram-raiding"). There have also been occasions when players have chosen not to buzz because the speaker has been amusing the audience by performing badly. Here is an example of a speech which successfully lasted for a full minute without being challenged. On rare occasions, panellists will challenge themselves, usually by mistake or for laughs. If successful, last-second challenges can be especially rewarding, as they allow one to speak for a short time but earn two points—one for the challenge and one for being the last speaker. The game is then scored and a winner declared, but the attraction of the show lies less in the contest than in the humour and banter among participants and the chairman. Participants Each programme features four panellists, with the exception of six shows in 1968 and another at the end of the 1970–1971 season when there were only three. Ian Messiter, the show's creator, set the subjects for every show until his death in 1999. Until 1989 he also sat on the stage with a stopwatch and blew a whistle when the sixty seconds were up. He has been replaced by a succession of different whistle-blowers, a role which now falls to the production assistant. There have been five regular competitors in the show's history: Clement Freud (1967–2009) Derek Nimmo (1967–1999) Kenneth Williams (1968–1988) Peter Jones (1971–2000) Paul Merton (1989–present) Freud and Nimmo appeared from the first programme in 1967, while Williams joined in the show's second series in 1968. Jones made his début in 1971. After Williams' death in 1988, Merton (a long-time fan