Irish Pictorial Weekly

RainyDay

hdowney wrote: »

looking forward to series three on saturday. the mammy seems to think that they won't do any irish water related sketches, seen as it's on RTE, but I don't think they have shied away from any topics so far.

Which raises an interesting question - it has been fairly hard-hitting political satire from the start, but RTE gets constantly beaten up for following the government line, which really couldn't be further than the truth. It also seems to have got a bit of a 'promotion' from late night Thursday to 9.30pm Sunday - prime time (Love/Hate) slot. I hope they get more credit for what they are doing.

thelad95 wrote: »

I thought the sketch with all the various Gardaí executives sitting around a table was hilarious.

sligojoek wrote: »

The guards with the cctv camera was ridiculous and they should also lose the senior civil servant sketch. The senior garda sketch was ok but it just got repetitive and predictable as it went on

Funny that the Garda one didn't do a lot for me, though I did enjoy the Drumm Wife sketch and particularly the senior civil servants with the consultants - possibly because I've been in several of those meetings over the years, and they are fairly scarily accurate. I think I wet myself a little bit at the gay bats, Sheamus and Michael. Tara Flynn's stuff was a bit off for me, and I normally really like her stuff.

delaad

Eleanor Tiernan's court reports are pure theatre of the absurd.

Ernest

delaad wrote: »

Eleanor Tiernan's court reports are pure theatre of the absurd.

Perhaps that, but not particularly funny.

kn

Is it me or has this programme just run out of material and seem to be just making it up on the day?

FloatingVoter

I failed to even crack a smile this week. Even the normally dependable court reporter wasn't any use. There's better satire written on the back of pub toilet doors.

hdowney

kn wrote:

Is it me or has this programme just run out of material and seem to be just making it up on the day?

FloatingVoter wrote:

I failed to even crack a smile this week. Even the normally dependable court reporter wasn't any use. There's better satire written on the back of pub toilet doors.

I watched last week's when it was repeated on Saturday (haven't watched this week's yet). I 'tittered' a couple times but that was about it. I found it a bit lacklustre compared to the previous series.

orthsquel

I've found over its overall run it's been hit and miss in some places;
but I did like the Fine Gaelness sketches with Pee Flynn and Mary O'Rourke. I've always generally liked Gardai sketches especially when includes politicians and other notable individuals. There's plenty of material out there though provided by politicians to keep it current and sharp, which is when I see sketches on U2 assuming referring to their apple deal and that aftermath to be out of place as it's out of time, especially in relation to other sketches. Sometimes the civil servant ones are hit and miss but think they when they don't overstate the joke, (or elude altogether) got better. The court report ones I never really got but the seagull one I liked that. I suppose lots of great jokes get lost because of legal minefields but I hope it won't stop them in the run up to GE 2016 since they weren't around in this form for 2011. At the very least I'll be expecting Renua jokes to crop up, next week since the parody facebook page has done well.

Ernest

kn wrote: »

Is it me or has this programme just run out of material and seem to be just making it up on the day?

Nothing wrong with "making it up on the day" (= topical) but only if it's funny which, mostly, it isn't.

hdowney

yea i didn't really find episode too much funny either. a few skits made my face change slightly but that is literally it. it is losing the appeal

valoren

The court report with the Seagull, Bono's Cousin was pure gold.

RainyDay

I liked the button/switch to kick-start the economy.

Halpenny

Shocking payouts on the bosco reel to Ernst and Young.

Didn't really get the "Fine Gael Advice" music sketch though.

thelad95

I thought it was good tonight. I think that need to get rid of the clips where they do a bad voiceover to footage of Eamon Gilmore or whoever, it's just not funny.

RainyDay

This week's was a bit weak for me. I giggled at the Jarry vs Joan humming competition, and Pascal thumping the keyboards for Walk of Life, but the rest of it left me a bit cold.

Tigger99

I lol'd at the Gerry Adams phonecall piece.

All a bit close to home. Particularly love/cringe at the top civil servants bit. "Scoops! "

Ernest

Last weekend’s Sunday’s Times review of Irish Pictorial Weekly provided the coup de grace for this flailing programme. The newspaper’s well-regarded Irish television critic Liam Fay criticises the current series in the following terms:
“Lame comic ideas are drawn out as though imbued with genius. With alarming regularity, skits essentially disintegrate as the participants abandon all pretence of delivering punch
lines or political wisecracks and simply fling their arms in the air and dance”

(Sorry am unable to provide links, as this paper has a pay-wall and none of its content is freely available on-line.)

RainyDay

Ernest wrote: »

as this paper has a pay-wall and none of its content is freely available on-line.)

Praise the lord for small mercies.

pm1977x

Ernest wrote: »

Last weekend’s Sunday’s Times review of Irish Pictorial Weekly provided the coup de grace for this flailing programme.

Really? What has Liam Fay ever done? Answers on a stamp...

Last week there did seem to be a few too many musical numbers, less of that please!

JamesyBelfast

This show is epic. I have only just discovered it a few weeks ago but I find lots of it side-splitting. Exceptionally good comedy.

Interesting reading all the comments here saying it's gone rubbish - I need to go and find the old episodes to see what they are like.

pm1977x

They laid into Phil Hogan last night, and deservedly so. Likewise the Irish Water customer service helpline sketch was superb:

"If you phoned in your details please resubmit them in writing as we lost them, if you submitted your details in writing please resubmit them over the phone as we lost them..."

Much less musical numbers this week too, much stronger show.

United Chester Men

In fairness some good stuff tonight but they let themselves down with the fillers like the bosco piece, the U2 adverts pieces and some others.

Phil hogan p1ss take is very good as was that financial distribution "cake" piece.

Hate the guard segment.

tommytee

Think it's gone to ****e tbh,

Mardy Bum

tommytee wrote: »

Think it's gone to ****e tbh,

Last week was hilarious. The country and western singer is a brilliant addition. Top class satire.

kerry4sam

ah this is bloody ridiculous! How I have not seen this sooner; just the laugh I needed today

Spon Farmer

was that "prison song" about a man raping a woman?

CarpeDiem85

How corrupt is this country! I'm surprised RTE let this on air, seeing how politically bias it is, not that I'm complaining! So funny though.

A Disgrace

Best episode of the series last night - and what a pay-off line right at the end. Brilliant stuff

kidneyfan

The last line was chilling not funny.

CatFromHue

Spon Farmer wrote: »

was that "prison song" about a man raping a woman?

Yeah that guy sings country and western songs that sound nice at first but then when you listen to the words they're quite awful. I think one before was about a farm having a bed in the shed for prominent Irish people to do some rape or something!

Actually found the clip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-xcqheolU8

The whole show is incredibly anti establishment, it completely rubbishes the idea that RTE are pro govt.

ThisRegard

Dominic Walsh is the best part about it, but the show itself has gotten a bit boring, I pretty much fast forwarded through a lot of the last two. The guy superimposed into the interviews who keeps saying "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah....." is pretty awful.