Comic dismisses tabloid storms

Frankie Boyle has refused to accept that anyone is offended by his comedy.

The comic says the controversies that surround him are caused only by tabloid journalists looking for an easy story, and that almost no one is truly shocked by his materal.

Earlier this year, Boyle was riticised by the mother of a child with Down’s Syndrome for joking about the condition and censored by the BBC Trust for joking about the way swimmer Rebecca Adlington looks.

But in a podcast for The Stand comedy clubs in Scotland, he denied trying to push boundaries.

‘I don’t really fucking buy all that stuff, cos I mean, whose boundaries?’ he said. ‘It’s the boundaries of what you’re supposed to say in polite society, like some sort of operetta.

‘There’s no one in that room [the comedy club] who would be offended. You would struggle to find someone in the street who’d be offended by it. Admittedly we’re in Glasgow…

‘There’s this thing of some mythical society or average viewer who’s getting pissed off. There’s not really any controversy n terms of gigs. I’ve played to 100,000 people on tour so far and almost no complains, maybe two or three

‘People want to pretend that’s controversial because they can write a shit story about it without leaving their desk, then fine. No one finds it controversial.’

Boyle was also dismissive of his time on Mock The Week, saying: ‘I can barely even remember it. I’ve almost no memories.’

When it was put to him that it was a good show, Boyle replied: ‘I don’t know that it was, though.’

He was speaking to publicise Tramadol Nights, his Channel 4 show that starts at the end of November. He said: ‘It’s basically me doing some stand-up and lots of sketches. We’re just trying to make it as mental as possible

‘Rev Obadiah Steppenwolfe is in it with me, that actual character is in it, playing various people, and Tom Stade. It’s a bit like we pulled in some shaman who’s used to surviving on roots in the desert into an office job. We’ve put a saddle on him and made him turn up for work Also Robert Florence who does a show called Burnistoun up here, and is really good.’

And although the podcast was released for the Edinburgh Fringe, Frankie said he was glad to be out of the festival.

He said: ‘What a horrible, horrible fucking status soup. People dancing for status. It’s just horrible. It’s try to get on panel shows and be dicks like me and trying to build status and ego – but status with who? The sort of fucking dick who would come to a comedy show in a basement.’

Click here to listen to the full podcast.

Published: 11 Aug 2010