RTE TV Comedy... take a cue from BBC?

squonk

I was reading some posts from boardsies slagging off the new PJ Gallagher show which I haven't seen myself yet. The discussion came around to RTE their general awkwardness doing good TV comedy. It got me thinking.

BBC tend to give comedians a radio slot first. They get a chance to develop the show and for BBC I'd imagine the cost isn't all that high. If the show does well on Radio it then gets a slot on TV if it's suitable.

It seems like a good system because the comedians get a chance to produce something and see where they could improve things. By the time they bring the show to TV then they have strong scripts and the guys are seasoned performers. The downside is that the radio scripts can be almost reused as the screenplays but it's a small thing. The League Of Gentlemen, Mitchell & Webb, Dead Ringers and Miranda's Joke Shop are shows I can think of that went this route. Generally the results were good though I would think that Miranda Hart's show was better on the radio.

Perhaps RTE should consider this route rather than comissioning comedians to do TV series right away. Perhaps it'd be better to give them a stint on Radio 1 or 2FM where they would get a chance to develop their ideas, scripts and characters over time with the help of a production team. Then, when the time is right, they could move to TV and the advantage is that they would have built up a loyal audience from the radio who would switch and you'd avoid flaky epsiodes and posts on here pointing out how bad new comedy is on RTE.

Welsh Megaman

Nob Nation - the TV Series

*shudder*

Odaise Gaelach

squonk wrote: »

The League Of Gentlemen, Mitchell & Webb, Dead Ringers and Miranda's Joke Shop are shows I can think of that went this route.

Add On The Hour/The Day Today and Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge to that list.

Shane10

is might be just me but i never got the league of gentlemen, and i found it disturbing or something..:( anyone else think this??

maximoose

Shane10 wrote: »

is might be just me but i never got the league of gentlemen, and i found it disturbing or something..:( anyone else think this??

I loved it, the disturbed weirdness was a great thing!

D'YA WANNA BUY SOME PEGS, DAVE?

Rjd2

Odaise Gaelach wrote: »

Add On The Hour/The Day Today and Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge to that list.

Also 15 Storeys high which I believe and many others agree is one of the most criminally underrated British comedies of the last decade.
Bellamy's People also started on British radio before it made its his very well received TV debut last year.

mike65

I agree with the OP but that means RTE Radio has to do some good comedy so the problem remains the same, only the medium changes.

The peerless John Shuttleworth also started on radio before getting a TV transfer.

Shane10

maximoose wrote: »

I loved it, the disturbed weirdness was a great thing!

D'YA WANNA BUY SOME PEGS, DAVE?

hmmm i dont know anytime i ever seen it i just thought it was warped..and i love comedy but this one just passed me by.

VinLieger

RTE are stuck in the dark ages as regards all types of programming, especially "entertainment".

telekon

VinLieger wrote: »

RTE are stuck in the dark ages as regards all types of programming, especially "entertainment".

"Enter-what...?"

Fuctifino

I thought the last 2 episodes (particularly the latest one) of the hardy bucks was some of the best comedy i've seen in the past couple years

squonk

Fuctifino wrote: »

I thought the last 2 episodes (particularly the latest one) of the hardy bucks was some of the best comedy i've seen in the past couple years

Agree 100% but this kind of proves my point too. The bucks had a series on YouTube before being 'snapped up' by RTE. They had the chance there to build up their stories and characters and, let's face it, the youtube stuff is class! Somehow though the transition to RTE wasn't great at first. The 3 episodes last year weren't great at all but they're back on form now. Possibly RTE need to get good people around the talent they take in sooner rather than later. The Bucks have a new extra writer with a lot of TV experience this year I've read. Seems to be making a difference.

ArmaniJeanss

Shane10 wrote: »

is might be just me but i never got the league of gentlemen, and i found it disturbing or something..:( anyone else think this??

Not your fault. It was a local show, for local people.

squonk

Welsh Megaman wrote: »

Nob Nation - the TV Series

*shudder*

Well I think something of the calibre of Nob Nation mightn't have made it out of BBC's regional stations to be honest. Is Callan still doing the once a month stint on the Saturday Night Show? God they're absolutely flogging a dead horse with that fella. I hate RTE's current lineup, Seoige, Brendan O'Connor, Tubs, Callan, etc. They're all just so 'meh' and ****e. The Sat Night Show is tripe before Callan even comes on. I can't watch the thing. Nob Nation on the telly would be utter car crash TV for sure.

Frank Funk

This has always flabbergasted me about RTE. Workshopping shows on the radio is basic common sense. Yes, they won't get as high an audience as chart music or that "impersonation of a some soccer player singing a parody song" horse**** but it's called investing in writing.

BBC radio 4 digital (formally 7) gets very little listeners but the TV department sinks money into it because they know where quality comes from.

The fact that RTE don't understand writing (the base unit of all comedy) is the reason they will never make anything worth watching.

FouxDaFaFa

I agree with you, OP. I was at a BBC Radio talk earlier in the year and they were talking about developing comedy on radio and it just makes so much sense.

A lot of really quality shows are what they are today because they went through radio first, like Flight of the Conchords.

goose2005

Frank Funk wrote: »

This has always flabbergasted me about RTE. Workshopping shows on the radio is basic common sense. Yes, they won't get as high an audience as chart music or that "impersonation of a some soccer player singing a parody song" horse**** but it's called investing in writing.

BBC radio 4 digital (formally 7) gets very little listeners but the TV department sinks money into it because they know where quality comes from.

The fact that RTE don't understand writing (the base unit of all comedy) is the reason they will never make anything worth watching.

Not to mention that they tend to recycle a lot of radio scripts into TV versions.

Flight of the Conchords were on BBC radio before HBO too.