Channel 4 axes Frankie Boyle show

Published on Sunday 29 January 2012 00:00

HIS dark brand of humour has generated acclaim and outrage in almost equal measure. But now Channel 4 has parted company with controversial Scots comic Frankie Boyle.

The station has confirmed it will not commission a second series of Boyle’s infamous sketch show Tramadol Nights.

The broadcaster also says the Glaswegian’s planned chat show will now not be screened. A pilot episode of Frankie Boyle’s Rehabilitation Programme was filmed late last year but the channel decided not to proceed any further.

The stand-up comedian and scriptwriter, who rose to fame on the BBC panel show Mock the Week, claimed he was “relieved” by the decision to axe his late night show but insisted he had no regrets over its controversial content. The programme provoked more than 500 complaints, and was criticised by MPs and charity groups after the comedian made a controversial remark about Katie Price’s disabled son Harvey.

Boyle sparked outrage and a storm of media criticism when he used Tramadol Nights to ridicule Harvey, Price’s son by the footballer Dwight Yorke, who has septo-optic dysplasis, a rare condition which includes hormonal deficiencies. At the time of the row Channel 4 insisted it would stand by Boyle and claimed his comments had been assessed and approved for transmission.

Last year David Abraham, the station’s chief executive, said: “That particular joke was discussed in compliance all the way up the line. The context of the joke was clearly and manifestly satirical.”

However, his lack of contrition was criticised by Westminster’s Culture, Media and Sport select committee whose report concluded: “When it is found to have gone too far, it is important that Channel 4 makes – and is seen to make – a full apology.”

The charity Mencap joined growing calls for Boyle to be sacked, describing his joke as a “disgusting” attack on a disabled child.

Ofcom, the broadcasting watchdog, ruled that the remark was “highly offensive” and censured the station for broadcasting it.

A Channel 4 spokesman told Scotland on Sunday that Tramadol Nights would be a “one off” and no further episodes would be commissioned.

He also confirmed that a “non-transmittable pilot” of Frankie Boyle’s Rehabilitation Programme had been filmed, but there were no plans to turn to turn it into a series.

However, he stressed the station had not closed the door on the maverick comedian, who tours with a live stand-up show and writes a newspaper column, stating: “If the right project were to arise we would work with Frankie again.”

The unscreened television venture was meant to feature Boyle being “confronted by celebrities and members of the public who attempt to change his uncompromising world view in a series of funny, informed debates”. Speaking last year about the proposed pilot, Channel 4’s head of comedy Shane Allen said: “It’s very much like Parkinson or Wogan, but with paedo jokes.

“It’s him [Boyle] in a studio, riffing off the audience a bit, with some people challenging what he says.” Allen had claimed the now-shelved series would help the comedian “move on to the next part of his career”.

Boyle defended Tramadol Nights and its content, but insisted he was not saddened by the decision to axe it.

He said: “I was really happy with it, but you can see why they didn’t want to recommission something that was getting them front-page hatred and I was a bit relieved.

“A six-week panel show takes six weeks to make. Because I was involved from storyboard to editing, Tramadol took over six months, and loads of that was late nights and six-day weeks.”

The 39-year-old said he had found a home for material he had prepared for the show.

He said: “I put a couple of quite long sketch ideas for the second series into my new book. I wrote them up in a couple of days and went back and tweaked them every time I thought of something funny. It was a lot more fun than filming the f***ing things and getting them past lawyers.”

Last year, the Equality and Human Rights Commission accused him of ‘denigrating’ those with disabilities and warned his act could encourage hate crimes.

Boyle has previously courted controversy by making a comment about the Queen which the BBC Trust deemed to be “grossly offensive”, mocking the appearance of Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington and comparing Palestine to a cake “being punched to pieces by a very angry Jew”.

But Tommy Sheppard, founder and co-owner of The Stand comedy club, which operates in Edinburgh and Glasgow, was disappointed Channel 4 appeared to have caved in to pressure.

He said: “It looks as if, for all their supposedly radical, liberal traditions, Channel 4 has knuckled down to the celebrity culture that seems to permeate society at the moment.

“Late night programmes and minority channel programmes used to provide a platform for more controversial stuff and it’s worrying that the wings of that are being clipped.”

The Fringe Society board member said edgy humour had a crucial role to play. “We need humour which explores the dark side of life otherwise we reduce comedy to the contents of a Christmas cracker, a horrendous proposition.

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DANCES WITH HAGGIS

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 02:49 AM

The Green Mile Sketch was hilirious unfortunatly channel four has blocked it on youtube To answer .Jake_in_NY i think you missed the point, you should look at some of lenny bruce's material where he uses racial names to describe some groups or the anti-semetic word "kike" although he was jewish himself, no one in there right mind could call bruce a nazi , he used these terms as a weapon against racism and anti- semitism. Now i'm not saying Frankie is on any crusade but a bernard manning he is not. And since we are on comedians america has produced some of the true greats in the form of lenny bruce richard pryor jimmy tingle [where is he now] but the only one who could lay claim to the mantle of bruce was the late and sorely missed Bill Hicks, can you imagine what he would have made of G.W Bush had he lived. P.S anyone else noticed billy connelly is as funny as toothache nowadays too much hob nobbing with the hollywood set and british luvvies, and i dont say that with ease,, he was a comic god to us back in the 70s Glasgow tenements [although he did well at Jummy Rieds funeral which is on youtube]

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12

South Wales Scot

Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 07:34 PM

The sketches on tramadol nights weren't funny but his stand up routines are hilarious. To all the wee complaining sweetie wives... if you don't like his material then switch off and get your knitting out. ...............Haste ye back Frankie!

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11

Jake_in_NY

Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 04:09 PM

Let's see - his targets are Jews, black people, a few other singled-out racial groups and the handicapped. He is a comedian not of his time - he would have been such a hit in Nazi Germany. Maybe the BNP will hire him..

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10

Mike Masterton

Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 11:07 AM

He was ok on MTW but since then nothing.Nearly as funny as his beard !

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9

hughwdunlop

Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 10:25 AM

At long last. But what about that other obscenity 'Mock of the Week'? It is basically a funny, topical, programme, ruined by obscenities and reference to body parts and grabbing at them?

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8

1745

Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 10:08 AM

Why did it take so long to get rid of this obnoxious person? He is disgusting and has been allowed to peddle his foul humour on the television unabated . GOOD RIDDANCE

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Ancient Wisdom

Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 09:24 AM

Boyle's idea of humour suggests he is a candidate for psychotherapy. I daresay that goes, also, for his tiny group of fans.

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6

PeterVincent

Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 09:22 AM

Frankie Boyle does not make me laugh. Good riddance.

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5

TGM Numero Uno

Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 08:25 AM

Pleased to see Boyle shown the door. His material attacks society's most vulnerable and easiest targets, the man is a coward. In addition to his cowardly cheap attacks, the biggest thing that puts me off Boyle is his very poor delivery, style....he sounds more like some ned serving junk food with monotone voice and bland expressions. He's not a natural comedian and is obviously a guy who was a schoolteacher turned writer who then got in with the comedy in crowd down south because of his ability to shock them. In a Glasgow pub, Boyle would be a mouse in the corner and he k nows it. In middle England comedy clubs, he's seen as some of monster with scathing wit. Truth is he's a coward and fairly limited comedy writer at best. Hope we've seen the back of him.

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4

gus1940

Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 08:22 AM

I consider Boyle to be a brilliant comedian (as opposed to the talentless giggler Michael McIntyre) but do find some of his material a bit strong. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While I generally have nothing against self deprecatory humour I wish that he would cut back on his regular habit of cracking particularly vicious jokes about his native country. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While Irish jokes have obviously been banned ( haven't you noticed this example of censorship in action) I can see that given the current political climate regarding Scottish Independence that the current output of anti-Scottish jokes will rise to a crecendo as regerendum day approaches.,

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3

Danielrober2

Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 07:17 AM

So much for the freedom of speech. How many of those complaints I wonder came from the SNP and their English Nationalist friends.

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2

Jimmy Fae the West

Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 01:17 AM

Saw Frankie live in Glasgow and could not safely repeat a single joke here but I felt as though I needed an oxygen tank right through the show. Value, fun, entertainment and hilarious. Rest up Boyle and we will see you soon.

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Peripatetic Pensioner

Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 12:29 AM

Well I liked him even if I did wince occasionally, remember, most TV's have a channel changer or failing that an off switch.

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