Format
Most games, such as Mock the Week or Hollywood Squares, are humorous, while others, such as Face The Music, are more serious. Often, the competition and points are a formality, while comedic banter provides much of the entertainment. The American version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? acknowledged this with the introduction, "Welcome to Whose Line Is It Anyway, the show where everything's made up and the points don't matter." On QI, the questions are so hard, points can be given for interesting discussion, even if the answers are wrong.
Panel games often have a theme. Some are satirical, such as Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! or Have I Got News for You. 8 Out of 10 Cats is based on statistics, What's My Line? is about occupations, Quote... Unquote features quotations, I've Got a Secret is about secrets, while Would I Lie to You? and The Unbelievable Truth deal with lies.
Some panel games are variants on classic parlor games. Twenty Questions is based on the parlor game of the same name, Give Us a Clue is modeled after Charades, and Call My Bluff and Balderdash are based on Fictionary.
Frequently, a panel show features recurring panelists. Some panelists also appear on multiple panel shows.
Most shows are recorded in front of a studio audience.
Panel games are so popular in Britain that they have been the subject of satire themselves. I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue is a panel game that spoofs many common elements of such shows, including the unimportance of scoring, while Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive is a scripted comedy series that parodies the workings of a panel show.
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