Unfunny Craig Doyle stretches the point

When something that is branded a comedy turns out not to be funny anymore, then the obvious thing to do is to bin it. It may have been mildly entertaining in a previous incarnation but when it becomes tired and dreary, it becomes surplus to requirements.

There are a lot of programmes on RTÉ at the moment that really should be decommissioned. There is no question that The Late Late Show should have been axed about 10 years ago but that is a debate for another day. But there is another show which is just going nowhere should be scrapped.

But when what would RTÉ do with Craig Doyle if he wasn’t fronting The Panel on a Thursday night? The station bosses seem to have some misguided loyalty to the limited presenter who has graced several television programmes both here and in Britain and never really lasted that long in any of them.

There was some speculation that the Thursday night show might be dispensed with last year after both the quality and viewing figures plummeted when the original presenter, Dara O Briain left to do more meaningful things with his life – principally, to return to the comedy circuit in Britain where he has a surprisingly large following.

But with Doyle twiddling his thumbs, it was decided to make another batch of programmes with much the same guests, with the same format, with much the same jokes, with much the same response from the audience and with much the same amount of boredom since the novelty of the idea wore thin.

Watching last Thursday night’s installment did not exactly provide a reason why the programme should be continued. Doyle, it appears, has grown stubble and now wants to be a comedian. I can tell you that the stubble is not pleasant and neither are his attempts at jokes. Like of a lot of RTÉ presenters, he yearns to become bigger than the show.

While I was never a fan of Dara O Briain, at least he just threw the meat to his panel to let them chew on it and sat back but Doyle is not exactly willing to do this and wants to be part and parcel of the whole goings on.

But it is sad to say that the likes of Colin Murphy seemed disinterested in the whole shebang. Apart from making a few animal and bird noises, he had fek all else to contribute. Neil Delamere did make some effort but Andrew Maxwell – he, quizzically, with a pipe for a prop – was way too smug for anyone’s liking.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.