This Hour Has 22 Minutes (commonly shortened to22 Minutes since 2009) is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs onCBC Television. Launched in 1993 duringCanada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics with a combination ofnews parody,sketch comedy, andsatirical editorials. Originally featuringCathy Jones,Rick Mercer,Greg Thomey, andMary Walsh, the series featured satirical sketches of the weekly news and Canadian political events. The show's format is amock news program, intercut with comic sketches, parody commercials, and humorous interviews of public figures.
Its full name is a parody ofThis Hour Has Seven Days, 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 ofcommercials. Jones and Walsh had previously worked together on the sketch comedy seriesCODCO, on which Thomey sometimes appeared as a guest. Mercer had been a notable young writer and performer on his own, touring several successful one-man shows of comedic political commentary.Salter Street Films produced the series until the 2003–2004 season. Salter Street was acquired in 2001 byAlliance Atlantis, 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 (nowWildBrain), 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 24Gemini Awards and 11Canadian Comedy Awards,22 Minutes is taped before a live audience within the old World Trade Centre in downtownHalifax, Nova Scotia. Its 28th season was 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 theRick Mercer Report.
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 (2003–present), as anchor (formerlyBas 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 (2021–present) as anchor and various correspondents and sketch characters.
Stacey McGunnigle (2021–present) as anchor and various correspondents and sketch characters.
Chris Wilson (2023-present) as anchor and various correspondents and sketch characters.
Cathy Jones (1993–2021) as anchor (formerlySydney Dubizzenchyk, a reference to former CBC anchorTina Srebotnjak, who had become the host ofMidday 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.
Rick Mercer (1993–2001) as anchorJ. B. Dickson and various correspondents and sketch characters. Mercer left the show to devote more time toMade in Canada; after that show ended he launchedRick Mercer Report, a series similar to22 Minutes.
Colin Mochrie (2001–2003) as anchorAnthony 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 anchorMolly 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 hostMary 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 mayorRob Ford in his driveway.[5]
Greg Thomey (1993–2005) as anchorFrank 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 (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 (2003–2011)[6] as anchor (formerlyGavin Cooper, a possible homage toAnderson Cooper) and various correspondents and sketch characters.
Shaun Majumder (2003–2010, 2011–2018) as anchor (formerlyTucker 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 onDetroit 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.[7]
Susan Kent (2012–2020) as anchor and various correspondents and sketch characters.
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 onCanada Day, 2001. Popular bits include Mercer getting Americans to say "Congratulations Canada on legalizing VCRs!" and getting a professor atPrinceton University 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 TexasGeorge W. Bush that Canada's Prime MinisterJean Chrétien was named JeanPoutine and that he was supporting Bush's candidacy. The success of the CBC special got Mercer attention on numerous American media outlets, including ABC'sNightline. Mercer abandoned the concept afterSeptember 11, 2001.
No Pun Intended
ALudacris-ish Indian rapper/politician played by Shaun Majumder who frequently raps about election issues and what he will do if elected.
Babe Bennett
A22 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!"
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 ofXena).
Mark Jackson
22 Minutes' teenage correspondent that talks to politicians and who is played by Gavin Crawford. (The character is carried over fromThe Gavin Crawford Show.)
Bas MacLaren
A22 Minutes correspondent portrayed by Mark Critch. He talks to politicians about current events and is also one of the22 Minutes anchors.
Misses Enid & Eulalia
Two elderly women who talk about daily events (portrayed by Cathy Jones and Mary Walsh, respectively). Upon Walsh's departure from the show, Jones has appeared alone as Miss Enid. (The characters were normally introduced as "the Misses Enid and Eulalia", meaning "Miss Enid and Miss Eulalia", but this was frequently misunderstood by viewers as "Mrs. Enid" and "Eulalia" without an honorific.) The characters were later reunited in theCBC Gem web seriesBroad 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 theRick Mercer Report series.
Max Pointy
A spoof ofCBC personalityRex Murphy's political commentaries forThe 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 inBuchans, Newfoundland and Labrador – inspired by the fame of theDionne quintuplets; 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 blatantlystereotypical statements about her guests.
Panic Room with Betty Hope
Host Betty Hope (played by Cathy Jones) parodiesNancy 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 aconsumer affairs 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.
Based on the former premier ofNewfoundland and Labrador. 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.
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 aStephen Harper press conference, she also later attracted some controversy when Ontario MPPPeter Kormos shouted her out of a press conference with PremierDalton McGuinty.
Host ofThe Campbell Files, a parody of entertainment shows such asEntertainment Tonight.
Joe Crow
AnAboriginal 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.
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.
An "outstanding" Canadian sports athlete. Billy has a fear of heights and, according to one sketch, is the only Canadian going to the 2008Olympic Games for sure.
Gus Van Gus
A "financial advisor" who insists the secret to gaining wealth is to send him "all your money".
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 onCODCO.
Ottawa Gargoyle
A gargoyle who sits on top of the Parliament buildings and satirizes politicians, occasionally throwing hot oil on them.
Tim MacMillan
Foreign correspondent who's (almost) never where he's supposed to be. He's also Frank MacMillan's brother. His segments would open with a recurring style of dialogue. "Hello, Tim?" "HELLLOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" "Are you inGeneva?" [pause.] "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
A22 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 atuque 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
A22 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 ofXena: Warrior Princess portrayed byLucy Lawless.
Dakey Dunn
A22 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 theCODCO series. Dakey also once accostedMargaret Atwood at a book signing, reciting one of her most famous poems over and over again.
1999–2000 – During the2000 American election, Rick Mercer approachedRepublican presidential candidateGeorge W. Bush on a campaign stop inMichigan, asking for comment on the news that Bush had received the endorsement of Canadianprime minister "JeanPoutine". The then-prime minister's name wasJean Chrétien, and he had not endorsed Bush – it is standard practice for the Canadian government not to endorse anyone in a foreign election.[citation needed]
Bush – who had previously stated that "you can't stump me on world leaders" – acknowledged the purported endorsement with a short statement to the22 Minutes cameras, which aired as part of the show's regularTalking to Americans 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."[9]
2000–01 – Often cited as the show's best joke, the sketch was aired during the2000 federal election campaign, and consisted of a staged rant by Rick Mercer.
During the 2000 federal election, then-Canadian Alliance leaderStockwell Day proposed a mechanism to call for areferendum. 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 the22 Minutes website, and sign anonline petition asking the party leader to change his name toDoris Day (after the singer/actress). Mercer wanted the petition to involve Day changing his name while the Doris Day reference was suggested by22 Minutes writer Luciano Casimiri.[10] 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".[11]
2003–04 – Shaun Majumder, in character as "Raj Binder", was sent to report on the 2003 outdoorsEdmonton Oilers andMontreal Canadiens old timers game, preceding the night's actualNHL regular season game, theHeritage Classic, which was the first NHL game to be played outdoors (atCommonwealth Stadium in Edmonton). Majumder actually snuck 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.[12]
On October 24, 2011, Walsh reprised the role of "Marg, Princess Warrior", conducting an ambush interview of Toronto MayorRob Ford at his home, which aired on22 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 of22 Minutes.[13]
On November 17, 2004, clips of a sketch for22 Minutes were released, in which Liberal MPCarolyn Parrish stomped on aGeorge 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 oppositionConservatives, 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 theLiberal Party and sat the remainder of her term as an Independent.[14]
Richard Martineau wrote a column inLe Journal de Montréal 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 [sic] is our racism". Martineau also discussed the fact thatThis Hour Has 22 Minutes is broadcast by the CBC and is funded by funds also coming from Quebec.[15]
In May 2015, the American sketch comedy seriesSaturday Night Live aired a sketch in which a contestant on aWin, Lose or Draw–style game show panicked at being asked to draw the Muslim prophetMuhammad, igniting allegations thatSNL hadplagiarized a nearly identical sketch which aired on22 Minutes in January.[16]
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