If I Ruled the World
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- For the song by Nas featuring Lauryn Hill, see If I Ruled the World (Imagine That).
"If I Ruled the World" is a song, originally from the West End musical, Pickwick, based on Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers. It is usually associated with Sir Harry Secombe, but has been covered by other singers, notably Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder.
In the context of the stage musical, the song is sung by Samuel Pickwick when he is mistaken for an election candidate and called on by the crowd to give his manifesto.
Named after the song was If I Ruled the World, a television show aired in the United Kingdom in 1998. It was a comedy panel game show, similar to Have I Got News For You but focused on parodying the behaviour of politicians. Rounds included answering questions without using the words 'Yes' or 'No', and finding reasons to disagree with policies proposed by the other team, no matter how sensible. The winning team was chosen each week by a vote of the studio audience.
The show was presented by Clive Anderson. Graeme Garden and Jeremy Hardy were regular team captains (their teams were, respectively, the Blue Party and the Red Party). Guests included Mark Steel, Rebecca Front and Andy Hamilton. It was produced by Hat Trick Productions.
It is also the name of a song by Nas featuring Lauryn Hill, using a sample of a Whodini song.
