''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' (commonly shortened to ''22 Minutes'' since 2009) is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French- ...

. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics with a combination of

news parody News satire or news comedy is a type of parody presented in a format typical of mainstream journalism, and called a satire because of its content. News satire has been around almost as long as journalism itself, but it is particularly popular on t ...

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and ...

, and

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or ...

editorials. Originally featuring

Cathy Jones Catherine Frederica "Cathy" Jones (born April 6, 1955) is a Canadian actress, comedian and writer. She is known for her work for 28 years on the Canadian television series ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes''. Jones left the show in 2021. CODCO Jones w ...

Rick Mercer Richard Vincent "Rick" Mercer (born October 17, 1969) is a Canadian comedian, television personality, political satirist, and author. He is best known for his work on the CBC Television comedy shows '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' and ''Rick Merc ...

, Greg Thomey, and Mary Walsh, the series featured satirical sketches of the weekly news and Canadian political events. The show's format is a mock news program, intercut with comic sketches, parody commercials, and humorous interviews of public figures. Its full name is a parody of ''

This Hour Has Seven Days ''This Hour Has Seven Days'' was a CBC Television news magazine that ran from 1964 to 1966, offering viewers in-depth analysis of the major social and political stories of the previous week. The show, inspired by the BBC and NBC-TV satire seri ...

'', a CBC news magazine from the 1960s; the "22 Minutes" refers to the fact that a half-hour television program in Canada and the US is typically 22 minutes long with eight minutes of

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

s. Jones and Walsh had previously worked together on the sketch comedy series ''

CODCO ''CODCO'' is a Canadian comedy troupe from Newfoundland, best known for a sketch comedy series which aired on CBC Television from 1988 to 1993.Salter Street Films Salter Street Films was a Canadian television and film production company based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. History The company was founded by brothers Paul and Michael Donovan in 1983. Paul Donovan was trained as a director at the London Film Sch ...

produced the series until the 2003–2004 season. Salter Street was acquired in 2001 by

Alliance Atlantis Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. (commonly known as Alliance Atlantis and commonly shortened to simply Alliance or Atlantis and formerly traded as TSX:AAC) was a Canadian media company that operated primarily as a specialty service operato ...

, and production of the series was transferred directly to Alliance Atlantis in the twelfth season. In 2005 Halifax Film, a new company formed by Salter co-founder Michael Donovan, took over production of the show. In 2006, Halifax Film merged with Decode Entertainment to form DHX Media (now

WildBrain WildBrain Ltd. (formerly known as DHX Media, Ltd.) is a Canadian media, animation studio, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest library of childr ...

), which has produced the show since. In 2019, the rights were sold to IoM Media Ventures, which acquired DHX's Halifax studio the year prior. Recognized with 24

Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

and 11

Canadian Comedy Awards The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000. T ...

, ''22 Minutes'' is broadcast on the

network. It is taped before a live audience in Studio 1 at

CBHT CBHT-DT (channel 3) is a CBC Television station in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The station's studios are located on Chebucto Road in Halifax, and its transmitter is located on Washmill Lake Drive (near Bently Drive) on the city's west side. C ...

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. Th ...

. For the 28th season, it is taped at the Light House Arts Centre in Halifax with a smaller audience and crew. The series, which originally aired on Mondays for several seasons and later on Fridays, currently airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on CBC. The series formerly followed the ''

Rick Mercer Report ''Rick Mercer Report'' (also called the ''Mercer Report'' or ''RMR'') is a Canadian television comedy series which aired on CBC Television from 2004 to 2018. Launched in 2004, as ''Rick Mercer's Monday Report'', or simply ''Monday Report'', by ...

''.

Cast

Although each cast member's real name was always shown at the beginning of each episode, at the end of most episodes prior to 2006, one cast member would sign off using their anchor character's name, which is noted below where known. This has now been discontinued, and anchors now regularly address each other by their real names. *

Mark Critch Mark Critch (born May 14, 1974) is a Canadian comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for his work on the comedy series '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes'', initially as a writer and then as a regular cast member beginning in 2003. Career Cri ...

(2003–present), as anchor (formerly ''Bas MacLaren'', apparently in homage to two well-known Newfoundland radio announcers, Bas Jamieson and George MacLaren) and various correspondents and sketch characters. * Trent McClellan (2017–present) as anchor and various correspondents and sketch characters. *

Aba Amuquandoh Aba Amuquandoh (born 1994-1996) is a Canadian actress and comedian, best known for her work on the sketch comedy series '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes''. She first joined the show in the 2020 season, both as a writer and as a supporting performer in s ...

(2021–present) as anchor and various correspondents and sketch characters. * Stacey McGunnigle (2021–present) as anchor and various correspondents and sketch characters. For the 2020 season, the show added Nik Sexton, Tom Stanley and Jon Sturge as field reporters covering the

2020 United States elections The 2020 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Democratic presidential nominee, former vice president Joe Biden, defeated incumbent Republican president Donald Trump in the presidential election. Despite losing seats ...

."For the first time, This Hour Has 22 Minutes will cover the U.S. election in the field"

CBC News CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca ...

, October 1, 2020. In addition several emerging comedians, including Heidi Brander, Adam Christie,

Sophie Buddle Sophie Buddle is a Canadian stand-up comedian, originally from Ottawa. She is most noted for her 2019 comedy album ''A Lil Bit of Buddle'', which won the Juno Award for Comedy Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020. She was the first woma ...

, Aisha Brown, Nadine Bhabha, Isabel Kanaan, Aba Amuquandoh, Chris Wilson,

Brandon Ash-Mohammed Brandon Ash-Mohammed is a Canadian stand-up comedian, whose debut comedy album ''Capricornication'' was released in 2020. A Black Canadian of Trinidadian heritage, he is an alumnus of the comedy school at Humber College. He also has some Muslim an ...

and Leonard Chan, joined the show's writing team and have appeared in sketches as featured players.

Former members

(1993–2021) as anchor (formerly ''Sydney Dubizzenchyk'', a reference to former CBC anchor Tina Srebotnjak, who had become the host of ''

Midday Noon (or midday) is 12 o'clock in the daytime. It is written as 12 noon, 12:00 m. (for meridiem, literally 12:00 noon), 12 p.m. (for post meridiem, literally "after noon"), 12 pm, or 12:00 (using a 24-hour clock) or 1200 (military time). Solar ...

'' in 1992) and various correspondents and sketch characters. Jones was the longest running anchor in the show's history, and the last of the show's four original cast members to leave. *

(1993–2001) as anchor ''J. B. Dickson'' and various correspondents and sketch characters. Mercer left the show to devote more time to '' Made in Canada''; after that show ended he launched ''

'', a series similar to ''22 Minutes''. *

Colin Mochrie Colin Andrew Mochrie (; born November 30, 1957) is a Scottish-born Canadian actor, writer, producer and improvisational comedian, best known for his appearances on the British and US versions of the improvisational TV show '' Whose Line Is It ...

(2001–2003) as anchor ''Anthony St. George'' and various correspondents and sketch characters. Mochrie left the show after two seasons to pursue his own projects and other movie roles, returning to guest star on the January 27, 2006 episode. Mochrie was the first change to the original cast, following the departure of Rick Mercer. * Mary Walsh (1993–2004) as anchor ''Molly McGuire'' and various correspondents and sketch characters. Walsh appeared less often in season 11 and left the series to pursue her film career and to host '' Mary Walsh: Open Book'', a CBC series in which she moderated a celebrity panel discussing books and literature. Walsh has returned to the show several times as a guest since her departure, most notably for a 2011 appearance in which Walsh, in character as Marg Delahunty, accosted controversial Toronto mayor

Rob Ford Robert Bruce Ford (May 28, 1969 – March 22, 2016) was a Canadian politician and businessman who served as the 64th mayor of Toronto from 2010 to 2014. Before and after his term as mayor, Ford was a city councillor representing Ward 2 Etobi ...

in his driveway. * Greg Thomey (1993–2005) as anchor ''Frank MacMillan'' and various correspondents and sketch characters. Thomey appeared less often in season 12 and left the show in 2006. In season 22, Thomey has been appearing as a regular guest. *

Geri Hall Geri Hall (born May 2, 1972 in Oakville, Ontario) Age 35 in April 2008. Indicates Oakville, Ontario origin, age 35 in September 2007. is a Canadian actress and comedian. She has appeared on the CBC's ''This Hour has 22 Minutes'' in October a ...

(2007–2011), as anchor and various correspondents and sketch characters. Hall had previously been a fill-in anchor in fall 2004 and March 2007. *

Gavin Crawford Gavin Crawford (born 2 April 1971) is a Canadian comedian and actor, best known for '' The Gavin Crawford Show'' and '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes''. He currently hosts the panel show, ''Because News'', on CBC Radio One. Early life Crawford wa ...

(2003–2011) as anchor (formerly ''Gavin Cooper'', a possible homage to

Anderson Cooper Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967) is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator from the Vanderbilt family. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news broadcast show '' Anderson Cooper 360°''. In addition to his duties a ...

) and various correspondents and sketch characters. *

Shaun Majumder Shaun Vincent Majumder (born January 29, 1972) is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his role on '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes,'' where he worked from 2003 until 2018. He won a Gemini Award for his work on the series in 2006. Earl ...

(2003–2010, 2011–2018) as anchor (formerly ''Tucker T. Bartlett'') and various correspondents and sketch characters. He appeared less often in his last couple of years with the show, and eventually left the series to star on '' Detroit 1-8-7'', but returned to the show starting in the 19th season. He was fired from the show in June 2018 and made it public in August 2018, citing creative differences with a producer. * Susan Kent (2012–2020) as anchor and various correspondents and sketch characters.

Cast timeline

Substitute anchors/special correspondents

Substitute news anchors on the series are people who "guest star" on the series for when series regulars are away (from Season 10 onwards). * Mark Farrell (February 1999) * Jonathan Torrens (September/October 2002) * Dan Joffre (February 2003) * Jennifer Robertson (November and December 2003) *

Kathy Greenwood Kathryn Greenwood (born March 21, 1962) is a Canadian actress and comedian. She appeared on the American version of ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' numerous times, and played Grace Bailey on the Canadian television drama series '' Wind at My Bac ...

(October and November 2004) * Shauna MacDonald (October 2005 – November 2005) *

Tracy Dawson Tracy Dawson is a Canadian actress, comedian and writer. She is best known for her role as Meghan Fitzpatrick in ''Call Me Fitz'', for which she won the Gemini Award for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series or Program at the 2011 Gemini Awards. Sh ...

(March 10, 2006) *

Rebecca Northan Rebecca Northan is a Canadian actor, improviser, theatre director, and creative artist. She is known for playing the hippie mother Diane Macleod on the CTV & The Comedy Network sitcom '' Alice, I Think''. She is a graduate of the University of Ca ...

(November 2006 and March 2007) *

Nathan Fielder Nathan Joseph Fielder (born May 12, 1983) is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, director, producer, and entrepreneur. He is best known for co-creating, directing, and starring in the Comedy Central parody reality show ''Nathan for You'' (2013� ...

(2007, as special correspondent) *

Alan Thicke Alan Thicke (born Alan Willis Jeffrey; March 1, 1947December 13, 2016) was a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host. He is the father of singer Robin Thicke. In 2013, Thicke was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. Thicke was b ...

(2011, in a 1980s themed show) * P. K. Subban (2012 season premiere) *

George Lazenby George Robert Lazenby (; born 5 September 1939) is an Australian actor. He was the second actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service' ...

(November 27, 2012) * Joel Plaskett (March 5, 2013) *

Meredith MacNeill Meredith MacNeill (born 1975) is a Canadian actress and comedian.Jennifer Whalen, head writer guested on-screen occasionally * Abdul Butt (2013–2015, as special correspondent) * Ross Rebagliati (February 4, 2014) * Andrew Barber (Vancouver-based comedian and sole performer in "I'm In Love With Steven Harper" sketch, uploaded on April 2, 2015 on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

)

Regular characters and segments

;

Talking to Americans ''Talking to Americans'' was a regular feature presented by Rick Mercer on the Canadian political satire show '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes'', which was later spun off into a one-hour special that aired on April 1, 2001 on CBC Television.Dana Gee, ...

'' : Rick Mercer tours the United States, talking to Americans as if from a Canadian news program, asking them about "Canadian issues". The object is to see how little some Americans know about their northern neighbours. The piece was so popular that the CBC had Mercer create a one-hour TV special based on the segment. It became the highest rated comedy special in Canadian television history when it aired on

Canada Day Canada Day (french: Fête du Canada), formerly known as Dominion Day (french: Fête du Dominion), is the national day of Canada. A federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 18 ...

, 2001. Popular bits include Mercer getting Americans to say "Congratulations Canada on legalizing VCRs!" and getting a professor at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

to sign a petition against the re-starting of the Annual Toronto Polar Bear Hunt. In an election 2000 segment, he convinced then-Governor of Texas George W. Bush that Canada's Prime Minister

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. Born and raised in Shawinigan, Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law gradua ...

was named Jean

Poutine Poutine () is a dish of french fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy. It emerged in Quebec, in the late 1950s in the Centre-du-Québec region, though its exact origins are uncertain and there are several competing claims regarding it ...

and that he was supporting Bush's candidacy. The success of the CBC special got Mercer attention on numerous American media outlets, including ABC's ''

Nightline ''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News' late-night television news program broadcast on ABC in the United States with a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. Created by Roone Arledge, the prog ...

''. Mercer abandoned the concept after

September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...

. ; No Pun Intended : A

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

-ish Indian rapper/politician played by Shaun Majumder who frequently raps about election issues and what he will do if elected. ; Babe Bennett : A ''22 Minutes'' "sexual affairs correspondent" played by Cathy Jones, Babe is a sassy suffragette, 1940s style, who talks about sexual matters. She ends each segment by saying "I'm just goofin' around!" ; Marg Delahunty : Mary Walsh crashes press conferences, hosts a "sleepover" for the nation's leading female (and gay) politicians, and threatens to "smite" the likes of politicians as "''Marg Princess Warrior''" (a loose parody of

Xena Xena is a fictional character from Robert Tapert's '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' franchise. Co-created by Tapert and John Schulian, she first appeared in the 1995–1999 television series ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'', before going on to ...

). ; Mark Jackson : ''22 Minutes'' teenage correspondent that talks to politicians and who is played by Gavin Crawford. (The character is carried over from ''

The Gavin Crawford Show ''The Gavin Crawford Show'' is a Canadian sketch comedy series, which aired from June 19, 2000, to July 1, 2003, on The Comedy Network.CBC Gem CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

web series '' Broad Appeal: Living with E's''. ; Streeters, aka The Rant. : A weekly commentary on current events and political issues, which quickly became the show's most famous feature, by Rick Mercer in black and white presentations. This segment was later used in colour presentations on the ''

'' series. ;Max Pointy: A spoof of CBC personality

Rex Murphy Rex Murphy (born March 1947) is a Canadian commentator and author, primarily on Canadian political and social matters. He was the regular host of CBC Radio One's ''Cross Country Checkup'', a nationwide call-in show, for 21 years before stepping d ...

's political commentaries for '' The National'', performed by Colin Mochrie. Max would start off with a legitimate political issue but end up on an unrelated and generally inane point by the end of his rant. Discontinued when Mochrie left the show. ;That Show Sucked!: with Ma and Eddie Reardon (portrayed by Mary Walsh & Greg Thomey) who make fun of TV shows, with Ma saying that whatever show that Eddie watches "Suck" and constantly demanding that he give her "the G. D. clickerbox". Discontinued when Walsh left the show. ;The Quinlan Quints: four quintuplets (the fifth one went missing and has never been found) who live in

Buchans, Newfoundland and Labrador Buchans ( ) is a town located in the central part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on the northwest shore of Beothuk Lake on the Buchans River. The town is located within the statistic ...

– inspired by the fame of the

Dionne quintuplets The Dionne quintuplets (; born May 28, 1934) are the first quintuplets known to have survived their infancy. The identical girls were born just outside Callander, Ontario, near the village of Corbeil. All five survived to adulthood. The Di ...

; portrayed by Cathy Jones, Rick Mercer, Greg Thomey and Mary Walsh (Colin Mochrie plays Mercer's quint role for seasons 9 and 10). Usually interviewed by Mercer's character J. B. Dickson, the Quints would boast about something outlandish that Dickson has a hard time believing until one of the quints (usually Jones) spills the beans and reveals that what they were promoting was really a scam. Discontinued when Mochrie left the show. ;Inside Media Counter-spin: A satirical talk show with the host, Heather Coulter, portrayed by Cathy Jones. The host makes blatantly

stereotypical In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...

statements about her guests. ;Panic Room with Betty Hope: Host Betty Hope (played by Cathy Jones) parodies Nancy Grace in "breaking news" style segments, in which she interviews someone knowledgeable about a given threat and then spins the facts to make them sound more dramatic and dangerous. ;The Right Answer: Two conservative commentators (played by Rick Mercer and Greg Thomey) debate various issues in the news. When one of them makes a point, they hit a chess timer. Discontinued when Mercer left the show. ;The Special Eds: Mercer and Thomey portray two members of the RCMP – Special Constable Ed Cochrane and Special Constable Ed Codner – with questionable ethics. Discontinued when Mercer left the show. ;Nathan Fielder On Your Side: Nathan Fielder plays a

consumer affairs Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...

reporter who is socially awkward, speaks in a near-monotone, and tends to make his interview subjects uncomfortable. Fielder went on to utilize the persona on the American TV show, ''

Nathan for You ''Nathan for You'' is an American docu-reality comedy television series starring Canadian comedian Nathan Fielder. The series was created by Fielder and Michael Koman and premiered on February 28, 2013, on the American cable television network ...

''.

Crawford's characters

;

Stuart McLean Andrew Stuart McLean, (April 19, 1948 – February 15, 2017) was a Canadian radio broadcaster, humorist, monologist, and author, best known as the host of the CBC Radio program ''The Vinyl Cafe''.Natasha Stillwell Natasha Stillwell is an English television reporter and producer, known in Canada for the television show ''Daily Planet (TV program), Daily Planet'', on Discovery Channel Canada and in Northern and Central Scotland for her reporting role on ST ...

: Based on the former co-host of Discovery Channel's show ''

Daily Planet The ''Daily Planet'' is a fictional newspaper appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The newspaper was first mentioned in ''Action Comics'' #23 (April 1940). The ''Daily Planet'' build ...

''. ; Mark Jackson : The teen correspondent of the program, has severe acne and is repeatedly picked on, also talks with a basic braces lisp. Retired in late 2010. ; Rob Boberston : An artist that does a segment called ''Art Break'', a parody of the classic art series '' The Joy of Painting'' and its host

Bob Ross Robert Norman Ross (October 29, 1942 – July 4, 1995) was an American painter, art instructor, and television host. He was the creator and host of '' The Joy of Painting'', an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on ...

. ;

Chantal Hébert Chantal St-Cyr Hébert (born 1954) is a Canadian journalist and political commentator. Life and career Hébert was born on April 24, 1954, in Ottawa, Ontario. She is the oldest of five children. In 1966 her family moved to Toronto where the 12 ...

: Based on the political journalist and pundit.

Critch's characters

;

: Based on the newspaper columnist and CBC personality. ; Danny Williams : Based on the former premier of

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. On the October 16, 2007 episode, the real Danny Williams kicked him off and took over his seat in the news desk during the show's first segment. ;

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

;

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

Hall's characters

; Avery Adams, Single Female Voter : A prospective voter who confronts politicians about potential "relationships". Perhaps best known for her first appearance in October 2008, in which Hall / Adams was apprehended by security during a

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...

press conference, she also later attracted some controversy when Ontario MPP Peter Kormos shouted her out of a press conference with Premier Dalton McGuinty.

Jones' characters

; Sandy Campbell : Host of ''The Campbell Files'', a parody of entertainment shows such as ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American first-run syndicated news broadcasting newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Paramount Streaming. ET also airs in Aus ...

''. ; Joe Crow : An Aboriginal environmental "correspondent" who talks about the environment and the Canadian government's relation with Native peoples. Each segment ends with Crow blowing out his campfire with a single puff. ; Mrs. Enid : An elderly lady with plenty to say about many different issues. ; Betty Hope : A parody of CNN host Nancy Grace. ; Janet Tucker : A rude U.S/Canadian relations worker who usually is against any changes between the two countries and usually insults Canadians with long insults. She also sounds like she has a New York accent.

Majumder's characters

; Raj Binder : a sweaty soft-spoken Indian sports nerd portrayed by Shaun Majumder, who has also been used as a behind-the-scenes interviewer on '' Just for Laughs''. ; Ian Hanomansing : Based on the CBC personality. ;Barnibus Pine : Introduced during a 2014 episode as a "lumbersexual", a woodsman who arouses Kent.

Mercer's characters

; Billyatropia "Billy" Smithopolis : An "outstanding" Canadian sports athlete. Billy has a fear of heights and, according to one sketch, is the only Canadian going to the 2008

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...

for sure. ; Gus Van Gus : A "financial advisor" who insists the secret to gaining wealth is to send him "all your money".

Mochrie's characters

; Max Pointy : Based on CBC radio personality

;

Peter Mansbridge Peter Mansbridge (born July 6, 1948) is a British-born Canadian retired news anchor. From 1988 to 2017, he was chief correspondent for CBC News and anchor of '' The National,'' CBC Television's flagship nightly newscast. He was also host of CB ...

: Used in ''

Mansbridge One on One ''Mansbridge One on One'' was a weekly TV program on CBC Television featuring CBC's News' chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge Peter Mansbridge (born July 6, 1948) is a British-born Canadian retired news anchor. From 1988 to 2017, he was ch ...

'' parody sketches, where "Peter" has insightful interviews with himself.

Thomey's characters

; Jerry Boyle : a Newfoundland separatist whose campaign slogan is "If you can mark an X, you're my kind of people!" The character was created as a recurring character on ''

CODCO ''CODCO'' is a Canadian comedy troupe from Newfoundland, best known for a sketch comedy series which aired on CBC Television from 1988 to 1993.Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...

?" ause."NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Walsh's characters

; Connie Bloor : A ''22 Minutes'' Prairie correspondent played by Mary Walsh, who reports from a donut shop. Introduced in each segment by the line: "She's flat as the prairies and twice as wide", she wears a

tuque A knit cap is a piece of knitted headwear designed to provide warmth in cold weather. It usually has a simple tapered shape, although more elaborate variants exist. Historically made of wool, it is now often made of synthetic fibers. Found ...

and earmuffs, and her speech is punctuated with a series of snorts. One of her recurring gags involves feeding paper printouts of celebrities and politicians through a paper shredder. ; Marg Delahunty : A ''22 Minutes'' correspondent played by Walsh, Marg Delahunty is an interviewer whose specialty is finding suspectible politicians and hounding them with off-the-cuff interviews designed to satirize and even embarrass them. Some of these interviews were conducted in the guise of "Marg, Princess Warrior", a parody of the title character of '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' portrayed by

Lucy Lawless Lucille Frances Lawless (; born 29 March 1968) is a New Zealand actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Xena in the television series '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', as D'Anna Biers on the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' seri ...

. ; Dakey Dunn : A ''22 Minutes'' "Male Correspondent" played by Walsh, replete with gold chain, hairy chest, cigarette and beer, who regularly lays out a macho view of economic and cultural matters. This character was earlier used in the ''

CODCO ''CODCO'' is a Canadian comedy troupe from Newfoundland, best known for a sketch comedy series which aired on CBC Television from 1988 to 1993.Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, ...

at a book signing, reciting one of her most famous poems over and over again.

Famous stunts

Jean Poutine

1999–2000 – During the 2000 American election, Rick Mercer approached

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

presidential candidate George W. Bush on a campaign stop in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

, asking for comment on the news that Bush had received the endorsement of Canadian

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

"Jean

". The then-prime minister's name was

, and he had not endorsed Bush – it is standard practice for the Canadian government not to endorse anyone in a foreign election. Bush – who had previously stated that "you can't stump me on world leaders" – acknowledged the purported endorsement with a short statement to the ''22 Minutes'' cameras, which aired as part of the show's regular ''

'' feature. The Talking To Americans segments – and eventual one-hour special – were produced and directed by Geoff D'Eon. In his first official state visit to Canada four years later, Bush joked that his "one regret" about the visit was that he'd "hoped to meet Jean Poutine."

Stockwell/Doris petition

2000–01 – Often cited as the show's best joke, the sketch was aired during the 2000 federal election campaign, and consisted of a staged rant by Rick Mercer. During the 2000 federal election, then-

Canadian Alliance The Canadian Alliance (french: Alliance canadienne), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (french: Alliance réformiste-conservatrice canadienne), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed ...

leader

Stockwell Day Stockwell Burt Day Jr. (born August 16, 1950) is a Canadian former politician who led the Canadian Alliance from 2000 to 2001, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. A provincial cabinet minister from Alberta, Day served as ministe ...

proposed a mechanism to call for a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a Representative democr ...

. A petition on any particular subject which gathered at least 350,000 signatures of voting age citizens ("3% of the electors") would automatically trigger a national referendum. Mercer's "rant" asked viewers to log on to the ''22 Minutes'' website, and sign an online petition asking the party leader to change his name to

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

(after the singer/actress). Mercer wanted the petition to involve Day changing his name while the Doris Day reference was suggested by ''22 Minutes'' writer Luciano Casimiri. Producers claim to have obtained in excess of 1,200,000 online votes. This was cheerfully admitted to be a stunt unhampered by the rigours of an Elections Canada-controlled petition. Although the sketch had no effect on Alliance policy, it did obtain international publicity for the show and contributed to the general air of farce surrounding Day's election campaign. Day's response to the petition was, ''" Que será, será".''

Oilers vs Canadiens

2003–04 – Shaun Majumder, in character as "Raj Binder", was sent to report on the 2003 outdoors

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

and

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

old timers game, preceding the night's actual NHL regular season game, which was the first NHL game to be played outdoors (at

Commonwealth Stadium Commonwealth Stadium is an open-air, multipurpose stadium located in the McCauley neighbourhood of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It has a seating capacity of 56,302, making it the largest open-air stadium in Canada. Primarily used for Canadian fo ...

in Edmonton). Majumder actually sneaked into all the team photos, causing uproar from the event's unwitting organizers in the days after, when the photos were released to the press.

Marg ambushes Rob Ford

On October 24, 2011, Walsh reprised the role of "Marg, Princess Warrior", conducting an ambush interview of Toronto Mayor

at his home, which aired on ''22 Minutes'' the following evening. Ford's reaction and alleged verbal abuse directed at a 911 operator made national headlines. Ford claimed that he had never seen nor heard of ''22 Minutes''.

Controversies

On November 17, 2004, clips of a sketch for ''22 Minutes'' were released, in which MP

Carolyn Parrish Carolyn Parrish (born Karolina Janoszewska; October 3, 1946) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a member of the House of Commons from 1993 to 2006 representing ridings in Mississauga, Ontario; initially as a Liberal Party MP, and then a ...

stomped on a George W. Bush doll and performed voodoo on its head, where she said "it would do the least damage". The incident sparked significant outrage from the opposition

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

, who argued that it had the potential to damage diplomatic relations between Canada and the United States. As a result of the incident Parrish was expelled from the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

and sat the remainder of her term as an Independent. Richard Martineau wrote a column in ''

Le Journal de Montréal ''Le Journal de Montréal'' is a daily French-language tabloid newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Quebec and is also the largest French-language daily newspaper in North America. Es ...

'' criticizing a sketch aired October 7, 2007, entitled "Quebec Nation". In the sketch, two characters discussed the state of affairs after a separation from Canada, which left them with "no roads, no towns, not even radio. The only things we take is our racism". Martineau also discussed the fact that ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' is broadcast by the CBC and is funded by funds also coming from Quebec. In May 2015, the American sketch comedy series ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

'' aired a sketch in which a contestant on a ''

Win, Lose or Draw ''Win, Lose or Draw'' is an American television game show that aired from 1987 to 1990 in syndication and on NBC. It was taped at CBS Television City (one of the few non- CBS game shows to tape there), often in Studios 31, 33, and 43 at various ...

''-style game show panicked at being asked to draw the Muslim prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...

, igniting allegations that ''SNL'' had

plagiarized Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thought ...

a nearly identical sketch which aired on ''22 Minutes'' in January.

Specials

* ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes' 100th Episode Spectacular'' (1997) * ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes: News Year '98'' (1998) * '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes Direct Hits'' (1999) * ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes: Holiday Special 2000'' (2000) * ''

Rick Mercer's Talking to Americans ''Talking to Americans'' was a regular feature presented by Rick Mercer on the Canadian political satire show '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes'', which was later spun off into a one-hour special that aired on April 1, 2001 on CBC Television.Dana Gee, ...

'' (2001) * ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes: New Years '02'' (2002) * ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes: The Best of Cathy Jones and Mark Critch'' (2005) * ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes: 2006 Election Special'' (2006) * ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes: The Best of Rob Ford'' (2013) * ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes: This Hour Has 22 Years'' (2014)

DVD releases

Entertainment One Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television s ...

has released the first two seasons on DVD in Region 1 (Canada only).

References

External links

* * {{CBC Television Shows (current and upcoming) Canadian news parodies Television series about television CBC Television original programming 1993 Canadian television series debuts Television series by Alliance Atlantis Television series by DHX Media Television shows filmed in Halifax, Nova Scotia Gemini and Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy Series winners English-language television shows 1990s Canadian satirical television series 2000s Canadian satirical television series 2010s Canadian satirical television series 2020s Canadian satirical television series 1990s Canadian sketch comedy television series 2000s Canadian sketch comedy television series 2010s Canadian sketch comedy television series 2020s Canadian sketch comedy television series Canadian political comedy television series