I used to watch and enjoy HIGNFY about 20 or so years ago. I used to watch it with my late father. As a kid I used to always be going through his collection of 'Punch', edited of course by the late, great Alan Coren. Such a shame the way his awful, bone-idle, children turned-out. I just can't watch it now, it just seems to be a procession of self-satisfied millionaires (see Victoria and Giles). I guess as I've gotten older my prejudices against the metropolitan liberal luvvie elite have become more pronounced! It's on me, I know that.
Oh, and Paul Merton has never been funny, EVER ... well, perhaps once on Whose Line Is It Anway.