Channel 4's annual festive special, The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, has ignited a fierce backlash from viewers after using artificial intelligence as part of a comedy segment, with many describing the move as "disgusting" and "saddening".
AI 'Slop' Sparks Immediate Fury
Just minutes into the broadcast on 29 December 2025, host Jimmy Carr introduced a segment looking back at a social media trend where people used AI to create personalised Barbie dolls. The show displayed AI-generated images of the panellists, including one of Carr with multiple faces, Katherine Ryan with a botox needle and wine, and Nick Mohammed with magic equipment.
The reaction on social media was swift and damning. One long-time fan expressed their disappointment, stating they were "disgusted and saddened to see The Big Fat Quiz of the Year using AI to generate gag doll images", criticising the output as "half-a**ed". Another viewer posted, "Not even 5 mins in and they’re doing AI slop trends", while a third demanded directly: "Channel 4 do f***ing better."
Not the First Controversy for the Quiz
This is not the first time the popular end-of-year quiz has found itself at the centre of a viewer storm. The 2024 edition was heavily criticised for its lack of accessibility for blind comedian and panellist Chris McCausland.
During that show, several rounds featured visual questions without adequate audio description, forcing his teammate, Maisie Adams, to describe the content to him. While McCausland did not complain on air, audiences felt it created an unfair disadvantage. At the time, Channel 4 stated that the production team had consulted with McCausland ahead of recording to accommodate his preferences.
A Festive Fixture Faces Scrutiny
The 2025 quiz, hosted by Jimmy Carr, featured a panel including Katherine Ryan, Roisin Conaty, Jonathan Ross, Nick Mohammed, Lou Sanders, and Richard Ayoade. The strong negative reaction to the AI segment underscores growing public scepticism towards the use of generative AI in creative entertainment, particularly when the results are perceived as low-effort.
The incident has sparked a broader conversation about the role of AI in comedy and television production, with viewers questioning the ethics and quality of its application on a major primetime show. Whether Channel 4 will respond to this latest wave of criticism remains to be seen.
