List of Games On I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue - Limericks

Limericks

In this game, which has not been played on the programme for several years, the chairman supplies the first line of a limerick, and the four panellists each improvise a line in turn to complete it. Usually four rounds are played, rotating the panellists so that they each get a turn supplying each possible line.

This is the most serious of the games, in the sense that its ostensible object (to create a funny poem on the spot) is precisely the actual object for which the panellists are aiming. The game is a test of comedic and improvisational skill, and is difficult to do well. Out of four rounds, the ISIHAC panellists typically produce one or two really good limericks, with the remainder still being creditable. The audience especially applauded instances of players inventing rhymes which avoided obvious obscenities such as:

"A small breed of dog is the Scotty
It's house-trained and uses a potty
He gives a loud "Yap!"
That mischievous chap
Then gets up and wipes his wee botty"

A book containing a collection of the best limericks was published in 1999 as I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue: The Official Limerick Collection.