Battle for the box

Stand-up comedy seems to be undergoing a mini revolution of late; names such as Bishop, Rooney and McSavage have become as common around Irish dinner tables as Johnson, Mooney and O’Brien. In most people’s eyes these are overnight stars, selling out Vicar St and making TV programmes. Do you think that these guys only became funny yesterday? Do you think that some sort of freaky Pop Idolesque jury moulded them from a barrage of wannabe comics?

The reality is that these guys have been plying their trade for a long time, slogging all over the country and abroad trying to make a name for themselves, gigging in small pubs and clubs where people forget your name as soon as you leave the stage. There are people performing every night all over Ireland whom you have never heard of, making people lightly pee themselves with original material that would put most sitcom writers to shame.
So, why have you never heard of them?
Ask yourself one more question: when was the last time you saw stand-up comedy on Irish television?
Sure, we were treated to snippets of Des Bishop’s act during his recent TV series, and recently Pat Kenny has been giving some time on his show to comics, but that’s pretty much it. Well done, Pat, you are one of the few broadcasters willing to showcase new talent, so please don’t take offence, but if the Late Late Show is the only way Irish stand-up comedians can get national exposure, then maybe we should pull a few of our teeth, join Billie Barry and wait for the Toys Show.
The BBC have never been shy about putting stand-up comedy on the box, so why is RTE so reluctant?
Ireland has everything they need for a hit show. We have some of the funniest comedians around, we have some great venues to record it in and we have a population who want it.
It’s not pure self-interest that leads me to write this article: I am concerned about the health of the nation. It is a known fact that laughter really is the best medicine. Laughter reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and can even help you to lose weight. Apparently 15 minutes of laughter is the equivalent of three minutes’ rowing, (for you married readers, that’s in a boat with oars, not screaming at someone), so if we don’t want to turn into a nation of Americans I implore RTE, for the good of the nation’s health, put stand-up comedy on TV.
Sitcoms are great, sketch shows can be hilarious but there is nothing that can compare to raw, original stand-up comedy. Who out there does not want to hear what twisted thoughts spring forth from the minds of today’s young comics? These are the people who voice our own innermost thoughts, albeit in a really, really clever way.
There is a new crop of stand-ups waiting to fill the shoes of the Bishops and the McSavages who are funny as hell and would really benefit from some real exposure. I’m talking about the likes of Andrew Stanley, PJ Gallagher and the ever modest yours truly.
Write to RTE, e-mail Micheal Martin and give Pat Kenny a hug. Get stand-up comedy on the telly. You know you want to.

Steve Cummins will be performing in Gibneys, Malahide on Friday April 19 and in the International bar on Wednesday 24