The progressive degeneration of Irish Comedy

Denerick

Its well known that the best Irish comics tend to get shipped off to England (Although only O'Brian springs to mind) but what the hell has happened over the last couple of years? Only in Ireland could the likes of Jason Byrne, Neil Delamere and Andrew Maxwell* get on TV.

Their sense of humour can be summed up thus:

1) Throw some muck on a wall.
2) Watch if it sticks.
3) If some dud finds it funny, then elaborate.
4) The elaboration isn't grounded in wit, or articulate and biting satire, but in sheer irrelevancy (Usually lauded as 'randomness' by their fellow practitioners.)
5) Wait for laughter from panel.
6) Repeat ad infinitum.

Frankie Boyle, David Mitchell, Harry Enfield, Chris Morris, John Cleese, Stephen Fry... Intelligent, biting, controversial men with a clear and multi faceted wit.** And all impeccably British.

Is Jason Byrne's loud shouting and Tommy Tiernan's idiotic controversialism the best this island can come up with?

*Emphasis intentional.
**Could name plenty more, and of course you could list a similar cast of not so funny people. But the point is clear I think.

john-joe

Yawn

:rolleyes:

we all know irish comedy is *****

(apart from father TED) *

* and Twink, Dustin the Turkey

tommyboy2222

The only reason people think Dara O'Briain is funny is that he is fat, bald and has an English accent.

And if you think that the Panel was ever funny, you don't have a clue about comedy.

Kitty-kitty

Irish comedians get away with absolute murder. Racism, ableism, sexism, a torrent of roared bad language that's funny because hahaha he's swearing on stage. We used to have some fairly sparkling wit ourselves, never mind the English talent you've named, actually, not that long ago.

waitinforatrain

1. Every comedian tests their jokes. Who would tell jokes that nobody found funny?

2. Stephen Fry - not funny
David Mitchell - good in peep show but only because he's playing his cringey self
Harry Enfield - same **** sketches over again
Frankie Boyle - world's biggest **** (see his dvds before you disagree)

Never heard of the rest of them.

We still have Dylan Moran and Dara O'Briain

Kitty-kitty

Did we not export Dara O'Briain? I thought he lived in England now.

Denerick

tommyboy2222 wrote: »

And if you think that the Panel was ever funny, you don't have a clue about comedy.

Where did I say I thought that the Panel was funny??

major bill

frankie boyle is known for robbing his jokes of sickipedia:D

dara o'brien is overated!!!!!

rte comedy is shocking anything ireland tends to do is usually not funny and sh1t

tommyboy2222

Dylan Moran "tested" his jokes on the first night of his run in Vicar St.

He also forgot most of them and promised us all a refund.

Still like him though!

Senna

Dave Allen, better than any comedian mentioned in this thread so far.

Stercus Accidit

I agree with the OP.

The lads style humor we get here is the sort of shite tracky nackys laugh at.

Ah jeasus anto did ye see tommy's new dvd, he curses loads and talks about donkey cocks, it mad!

Any comedian that does well fecks off to the BBC then and adopts a new English accent and identity, and plays up the paddy role for laughs, because they have left the shitter comedians on that kip of an island behind them.

At least we have hard hitting current events shows like the late late, and expose, I suppose...

Denerick

waitinforatrain wrote: »

2. Stephen Fry - not funny

Even if you don't personally find him funny, can you not see why he is superior to the gob****es on Irish TV? It is possible to analyse any thing Fry comes up with and its usually a witty retort of some kind to a previous comment - a kind of old English upper class back and forth with brandy and cigars - With the likes of Maxwell all you get is a long winded story that wasn't even funny when it started, and you just know you'll be praying for the apocolypse by the time its finished.

evercloserunion

tommyboy2222 wrote: »

The only reason people think Dara O'Briain is funny is that he is fat, bald and has an English accent.

And if you think that the Panel was ever funny, you don't have a clue about comedy.

That's a bit of a stupid and snobby thing to say (the last line), I don't think you or anyone else has the last say on what is or is not funny. Different people find different things funny, it is subjective by nature. You are trying to turn it into something objective, like a science or something, at which you are an expert. That is extremely pretentious and irritating.

Oh and if you think Dara O'Brien has an English accent you don't have a clue about English accents.

On the thread topic, I do think we have had some good comedy throughout the years. Dylan Moran comes to mind as one of the best, Father Ted was another obvious example. I also don't mind Dara O'Brian, though he's funnier sometimes than others (I never thought he was great on Mock the Week) and we do have a few failures. Surprisingly Tommy Tiernan's much older stuff wasn't bad. I actually think he just went a little crazy over the years.

evercloserunion

Stercus Accidit wrote: »

I agree with the OP.

The lads style humor we get here is the sort of shite tracky nackys laugh at.

Ah jeasus anto did ye see tommy's new dvd, he curses loads and talks about donkey cocks, it mad!

Any comedian that does well fecks off to the BBC then and adopts a new English accent and identity, and plays up the paddy role for laughs, because they have left the shitter comedians on that kip of an island behind them.

At least we have hard hitting current events shows like the late late, and expose, I suppose...

Well, we live in a country full of tracky nackies so what do you expect I suppose.

ElaElaElano

I agree to an extent. And the worst offenders for me are Podge and fcuking Rodge. They're just not funny at all. It might have been a laugh first time around but they're just regurgitating the same stuff every week.

We do have a few decent comedians though. I've always quite liked Ed Byrne. Oh and not a comedian as such but Aoibheann Ní Súilleabhan who used to be/still is (?) on the panel could do an hour of reading an instruction manual on stage and she'd still be amazing

starbelgrade

It's nice to have a nun around. Gives the place a bit of glamour.

Theta

tommyboy2222 wrote: »

The only reason people think Dara O'Briain is funny is that he is fat, bald and has an English accent.

Since when has he got an English accent?? Or have you never met anyone from bray?

Comedy is subjective, worst Irish comedian and comedian in general going is Tommy Tiernan but there is a whole other thread on that subject.

I think Dara O'Briain is alright, he is generally smarter then alot of irish comics and interacts with the crowd which makes you feel like he isnt just spouting off the same show everynight for weeks on end (although alot of it is).

Eddie izzard is a comedian I really enjoy mainly because alot of his stuff is smart and funny.

But still it is subjective and some people find things funny that you don't.

Wossack

I prefer a good moan to laughing anyway

thee glitz

waitinforatrain wrote: »

Never heard of the rest of them.

Chris Morris

John Cleese

K-Ren

I think Dylan Moran's class and Dara O'Brian's pretty funny too. But I never watched the Panel or Mock The Week even though a lot of people I knew were saying they were great shows. Irish comedy programming is weak in general, I mean, Killnaskully?

Hopefully Hardy Bucks lands on RTE and keeps the laughs coming, but until then I'm sticking with the Ted on Monday nights.

genericguy

ah, andrew maxwell "ooh they sniggered a bit, let's see if i can drag this out for 7 minutes. no, 8 minutes, and a sequel next week."

ed byrne "i've long hair!"

neil delamere just looks like he's on methadone.

tommy tiernan "maybe they didn't hear me, i'll shout louder"

jason byrne. *shudder*

des fcuking bishop "some people wear tracksuits all the time." /catalog

pat short "the only crisps are tayto and i'm a culchie"

i think we should all just be thankful as fcuk that mcsavage hasn't made it to tv. yet.

genericguy

K-Ren wrote: »

I think Dylan Moran's class and Dara O'Brian's pretty funny too. But I never watched the Panel or Mock The Week even though a lot of people I knew were saying they were great shows. Irish comedy programming is weak in general, I mean, Killnaskully?

Hopefully Hardy Bucks lands on RTE and keeps the laughs coming, but until then I'm sticking with the Ted on Monday nights.

hardy bucks is awful.

phasers

Graham Linehan. /thread

Also our population is 15 times smaller than the UK so I think we're doing quite well relatively speaking.

Professey Chin

genericguy wrote: »

ed byrne "i've long hair!"

Nope.Cut it a while ago.
He usually has a bad name from the (as admitted by himself) crap that he says on different tv shows. His actual stand-up routine is fcuking funny though

phasers

Lol no it isn't

AnonoBoy

Are people talking about sit-coms or stand ups here?

Because a good stand up won't neccessarily make a good TV show and (having seen the Hardy Bucks live) I can tell you people from a funny TV show won't neccessarily be good on stage.

meditraitor

Dylan Moran, Tommy tiernan, ardal O hanlon, Dara Obrian, that guy who does the whistles on that show about the thing.

I find them all funny, :pac:

Its not the comedians it you.......

Fratton Fred

tommyboy2222 wrote: »

The only reason people think Dara O'Briain is funny is that he is fat, bald and has an English accent.

English accent?

oh, I see others have already picked you up on this one.

Stercus Accidit wrote: »

Any comedian that does well fecks off to the BBC then and adopts a new English accent and identity, and plays up the paddy role for laughs, because they have left the shitter comedians on that kip of an island behind them.

At least we have hard hitting current events shows like the late late, and expose, I suppose...

Dara certainly does not play up the Paddy Role, in fact I think he is very sensitive about it. Did you not see him on the Late Late show the other night?

Talking of the LAte Late show, who was on it two weeks ago, one of the comedians off the panel was on there and I thought he was hilarious!!

MikeC101

genericguy wrote: »

i think we should all just be thankful as fcuk that mcsavage hasn't made it to tv. yet.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, he already has. And word on the street is....he's filming a new show for RTE.

Terry

Oh the shame of it all.

OP, if you don't like Ireland, then there is always the option of moving somewhere else.
I hear the American economy has picked up.

Comedy is subjective.

humanji

The title should be "The Progressive Degeneration of Irish Comedy on TV". If you go to stand up gigs with lesser known Irish comedians you'll find some of the funniest material you'll ever have.

I think the problem is that for some reason, RTE only pick ****e comedians to put on tv. But they've a history of putting ****e on, so why would they change that?

Professey Chin

humanji wrote: »

I think the problem is that for some reason, RTE only pick ****e comedians to put on tv. But they've a history of putting ****e on, so why would they change that?

Katherine Lynch :mad::mad::mad::mad:

Kipperhell

Very strange thread that could have been good except for the fact the comedians mentioned as good British comics span a wide range of time.

John Cleese hasn't appeared to do anything funny in a while and what he has done has been written by others. Harry Enfield just lost the plot and ceases to be funny.

As mentioned Graham Linehan kind of sticks out as a pretty big indicator of how the OP is wrong.

Jason Byrne could have remained funny but just became a hack.

Generally anybody that is any good will leave the country to earn more money due to the population size.

Sean Hughes was very good but I have no idea what he is doing now.

Due to the small nature of the comedy scene some people will get TV work for just being around. Dolores O Riordain being a prime example of somebody who was used because she was basically the only female comedian but she was never funny.

markesmith

Maxwell was funny last night on the Panel, I thought. I can't stand Jason Byrne, he just shouts in a really irritating Dublin accent.

MikeC101

Kipperhell wrote: »

Dolores O Riordain being a prime example of somebody who was used because she was basically the only female comedian but she was never funny.

Methinks you mean someone else? Or is there a non Cranberries Dolores O Riordan?

Professey Chin

MikeC101 wrote: »

Methinks you mean someone else? Or is there a non Cranberries Dolores O Riordan?

I think he means Deirdre O'Kane (unfunny bint)

phasers

Kipperhell wrote: »

Dolores O Riordain being a prime example of somebody who was used because she was basically the only female comedian but she was never funny.

Do you mean Deirdre O'Kane? I hate her

WindSock

I think David O Doherty is quite good. And unique.

Dylan Moran is a good writer. Black Books was great.

BraziliaNZ

Yes the DOD is funny, fresh approach to comedy. Also Dylan Moran is up there with the best of his generation I think. I never understood how that Andrew Maxwell bloke got on the panel, he has never said anything funny in his life. I used to like Jason Byrne but now he's just an idiot.

Publicdiservice

Comedy is a previous posters have suggested very subjective but there are some great comedians in Ireland that can't get the air time. Robbie Bonham is one and John Colleary is another.
Sadly to make a living from it here you need to get TV time.

Kipperhell

phasers wrote: »

Do you mean Deirdre O'Kane? I hate her

Yes sorry that was who I was thinking of weird brain melt thing

homerjay2005

tommyboy2222 wrote: »

The only reason people think Dara O'Briain is funny.

errm, cant stand him, dont find him one bit funny. everything he does ,is scripted and he as a week to prepare it. the panel is a sham of a program!

Tommy Tiernan is a funny funny c*nt and, while the people of Dublin may or may not agree, Pat Short is one funny man also.

the rest are as funny as any man with a sense of humour, they just have the balls to try and make a living out of it.

phasers

homerjay2005 wrote: »

Tommy Tiernan is a funny funny c*nt and, while the people of Dublin may or may not agree, Pat Short is one funny man also.

Lol you're funny, have you ever thought of doing stnad up comedy?

Kaldorn

Frankie Boyle is a legend as well as the rest of the mock the week panel bar darragh o briain who just keeps his mouth open goin eeeeeeeeeeeeh eeeeeeeeeeeh...Irish Comedy is ****e bar Dillon Moran, Sean Hughes and by far the worst transfer from tv to comedy is PJ Gallagher God He is awfull awfull and that corconian burd from naked camera Awfull..dont get me started on RTE...they really need some young people making decision about new comedy on there and shake it up a bit..there has to be untapped grat original comedy that is not getting the chance..i am funnier than most of them..only problem is i do it in the pub and not on stage...

Brian CivilEng

The one funny comedy show RTÉ had on in recent years was The Modest Adventures of David O'Doherty, and that was not renewed. With a bit of ambition that show could have been exported around the world, the DO'D is like an irish Flight of the Conchords.

genericguy

MikeC101 wrote: »

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, he already has. And word on the street is....he's filming a new show for RTE.

NOOOOOOO!!!

Theta

homerjay2005 wrote: »

errm, cant stand him, dont find him one bit funny. everything he does ,is scripted and he as a week to prepare it. the panel is a sham of a program!

Tommy Tiernan is a funny funny c*nt and, while the people of Dublin may or may not agree, Pat Short is one funny man also.

the rest are as funny as any man with a sense of humour, they just have the balls to try and make a living out of it.

Well then you have never seen his stand up. About 40% of the show id say is him asking people what they do for a living and a bit about them and having a laugh with them, well it was when I saw him.

blackbetty69

couldnt agree with the op more.. was watchin the panel last nite but had to turn it off due to the fact it was not one bit funny.. u can see the likes of maxwell crack a joke that he finds funny but the audience dont, and when he doesnt hear any reaction from the crowd he makes the joke more farfetched than it already is and thats the q for audience laughter.. they sense his desperation

a disgrace if u ask me, anyone finding that muck funny has a sick sense of humour

5starpool

Frankie Boyle is awful. I watched about 30 mins of a stand up routine of his on TV and a couple of episodes of mock the week before I gave up on him.

Not funny.

Lux23

tommyboy2222 wrote: »

The only reason people think Dara O'Briain is funny is that he is fat, bald and has an English accent.

And if you think that the Panel was ever funny, you don't have a clue about comedy.

Is comedy not about what makes you laugh? Do you have to know things in order to laugh? The Panel was at times funny and if that means I know feck all comedy that so be it, it hardly matters once i get a laugh.

Seriously why does comedy have to be take so seriously?

Jason Mc

Hey u forgot Conal Gallen and May McFetridge