The Tommy Tiernan Show Thread - Mod warning, see OP

Good show overall. I liked Dermot.

I started writing this comment before the Tim Key interview ended. I was going to say that Tiernan’s interview style has started to annoy me. He doesn’t seem to be able to let a conversation unfold organically without injecting faux-profundity into it.

And when he does, he labours over his choice of words. It reminds me of Ryan Tubridy on the Late Late Show, who would often search at length for a word that would end up being laughably trivial. ‘Is it..? I’m just wondering. Are you..? - how can I say it? - are you…sad?’

Not for the first time, I thought he cramped his guest’s style. Key is one of the sharpest comedians in the UK (a legend among fellow comedians) and usually he’s cracking jokes constantly. But for some reason, Tiernan doesn’t have the comedian’s instinct to go wherever the comedy is. His laboured questions and morbid fascination left Key flat-footed.

But then he returned to the health question and got Key to reveal not just the first cancer scare (which he’s told before) but also the second one. It was very good television. There’s no doubt that the format of the programme but also Tiernan’s kooky personality cause guests to reveal things they otherwise wouldn’t.

So I’m stumped. Is the faux-profundity an essential ingredient? If Tiernan didn’t repeatedly derail conversations, would the unexpected magic never occur?

Interesting distillation. And perhaps the awkwardness compels the guests to do everything in their power to be interesting. I just wonder whether he could do that without the Celtic-mystic schtick.

I thought it felt exploitative. He was uncomfortable and didn't want to go there. Viewers shouldn't expect people to reveal something deep all the time. It was rude to push him to say it, he was backed up against a wall from the start.

Dermot Kennedy slightly wanted to drop the house talk too.

I am surprised guests don’t pull Tommy up on his line of questioning (at this stage) if they had researched it at all. A guest saying something like “Jayus Tommy not everyone is a half depressed Celtic mystic” would really throw him and force him to change tact.

Extremely ordinary fella, But at the same well grounded, and well able to talk. Making Tommy’s job easy.

Seen Niall in a few interviews, always seemed sound. He Def was terrified of this interview. Still good tho.

Didn’t expect Niall to be this sound. The €500,000 floored me

Thought Tommy asked good questions.

enjoyed that, he keep him on for two slots

didnt tommy do that for some guest good few years ago ??

Ah sure she's not doing anybody harm. More power to her.

This one is a dose.

This one takes herself far too seriously. She’s saying a lot of words, but yet saying so little. Painful stuff.