Mock the Week returns and ruthlessly mocks Beckham family feud

Mock the Week is back like it never left, and they’re going straight for the jugular in episode 1.

The hit comedy panel show was axed by the BBC three years ago, much to the devastation of viewers and its stars, including host Dara Ó Briain.

But after a long wait, a new nine-episode series is beginning on TLC, and it seems only fitting that the Beckham family was the comedians’ first target.

Earlier this month, eldest Beckham child Brooklyn Beckham took aim at his parents, Sir David Beckham and Victoria Beckham, with a lengthy Instagram Story statement.

In it, he accused them of ‘controlling’ him from a young age and then ‘disrespecting’ his wife of almost four years, Nicola Peltz, 31.

While Brooklyn defiantly stated he ‘does not wish to reconcile’ with the famous brood, it’s given Mock the Week endless material for satirical gags.

A clip of the first episode of its new era sees Ahir Shah, Angela Barnes, Ed Byrne, Russell Howard, and Sara Pascoe, alongside Rhys James, who joins as a regular panellist, poke fun at the chef’s allegations that his mum ‘danced inappropriately’ on him at his wedding, in turn ‘hijacking’ the couple’s romantic moment.

‘The big thing that’s come out is that, apparently, his mum was dancing inappropriately at his wedding, which is not shock news for a mum to dance inappropriately at her son’s wedding,’ Russell begins.

‘At my wedding,’ he quips, ‘my mum was grinding up against Greg Davies for an hour.’

‘It was like a bear against a tree,’ he said as the studio erupted into laughter. ‘I see a little bit of a dance and my mum going, “I’ll give you a Task Master”.’

‘I do think it’s mum’s prerogative at a wedding,’ agreed Sara. ‘My mum wore a white dress to my sister’s wedding.

‘And then when anyone asked why, she was like, “I paid for it; it’s my day”.’

Irish comic Ed proceeded to mock Victoria’s famous ‘weird’ pose, which typically sees her standing with a slight arch in her back, usually to the right.

Ed jokingly compared the stoney-faced fashion designer to a toy where you ‘press the button, and it collapses’.

Keeping his foot on the pedal, Rhys then chimed in with: ‘My favourite part of this whole story, though, is that the person that went on the news to sort of expose what the truth is was DJ Fat Tony… that can’t be the arbiter of truth in a national news story. Most people are judged by a select committee or a jury of their peers.

‘I think it’s great because, for years, we’ve wondered what “zigazig-ah” means.

‘And now we know it’s “give a lap dance to your firstborn”.’

But it wasn’t just the Spice Girls icon who fell victim to Mock the Week’s comeback.

‘He wrote it all on Instagram, didn’t he?’, asked Angela, to which Russell interjected: ‘Do you think he wrote it?’

‘I read it, and I just thought, “I’m really pleased David Beckham can’t read”,’ she joked.

Indeed, the Beckham family rift has given the internet memes for days since Brooklyn broke his silence, with even his ex-girlfriends and former sports coaches giving interviews to weigh in on the situation.

Neither Sir David nor Victoria has commented publicly on their son’s statement, but they did share some social media comments to reflect on ‘great memories’ with him as a child.

They’ve also maintained their usual united front by stepping out with their other sons, Cruz, 20, and Romeo, 23, plus daughter Harper, 14, for Paris Fashion Week.

It remains to be seen whether Brooklyn will add any more fuel to the feud fire, as reports swirl that he has already been offered a big-money book deal.

But while it’s claimed the wedding dance footage will ‘never see the light of day’, since he and actress Nicola possess the only copy, something tells us this won’t be the last time we hear their names on Mock the Week this year.

Longtime viewers will be thrilled to see Dara back at the helm tomorrow night as the iconic show returns with its trademark mix of sharp wit, fast-thinking comics, and laugh-out-loud chaos to a brand-new home.

It’s also undergone a slight makeover for a new 60-minute format.

Speaking ahead of its revival, Dara, who fronted the show for 17 years, explained to Metro how the dynamic has changed since it started, having made no secret of his frustration when the Beeb called time on Mock the Week in 2022.

‘We’re not all 25 anymore, or whatever age we were when we started.

‘We’re not all young men, six men out of the clubs. It’s a whole different thing. Even comedy is very different. Comedy is much more collaborative and messing around, so the whole thing feels a lot less elbows out.’

He added that he was ‘looking forward’ to being in the room with fellow comedians again, with almost zero hesitation when he was approached to go back.

‘I felt that I should give it a moment’s thought, but it was grand.’

Mock the Week airs on Sundays on TLC at 9pm.

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