Is Frankie Boyle the new Bernard Manning?

[sp1814]

Is there now a strong case for getting Frankie Boyle off the telly in the same way that broadcasters turned their backs on Bernard Manning and Jim Davidson?

http://www.dailymail....nd-The-Buzzcocks.html

Or does his 'bleeding edge' style of comedy push the boundaries in a way that actually advances comedy?

[MarkRae]

Move with your feet or, rather, your remote.

Every time this unfunny cretin appears on my screen I switch to another channel - I suggest you do the same...

[jno]

there's some unease among broadcasters about the way Ross and Brand were shunned on account of a Mail crusade; they may be unwilling to be seen to do the same newspaper's bidding again in a hurry. I wouldn't personally mind if Boyle vanished under a rock; but then I don't find him funny - in fact I've never understood why comedy has to be 'edgy' at all. Others presumably think differently, though.

[oranger]

Frankie Boyle is as funny as toothache.

[bunkmoreland]

I don't think you can compare them at all frankly. Bernard Manning's humour as dubious as it was,was a complete social product of the time in the uk. Frankie Boil on the other hand,seems to just want to go out of his way to "push" boundaries or offend or upset as many people as possible,to showcase his "edgy" humour. If he needs that to get the headlines to succeed,he's not being successful on his own merit. Witty,observational humour,doesnt have to be cruel to be funny...bullies do.

[Gromit]

Ccomedy and Timing.

In the 70s Bernard Manning was on prime time television. He was very funny, a good comedian, but his act was highly sanitised for an ITV Saturday Night Viewership.

After a few seasons of very good ratings, 'The Comedians' was deemed old fashioned and cancelled. It was never banned or taken off because of the PC Brigade, it just didn't reflect how television wanted to portray itself.

When people who had seen Manning on TV grew up and went to see his act, it was bluer, cruder, and more rique than they had seen on telly, and they liked it. It became a cult, and his stature grew.

Is Frankie Boyle the new Bernard Mannning? - no he isn't. For a start, what is allowed now on TV, and the internet, would make Bernard Mannings hair curl (if he had any).
Unfortunately, in the past, if a TV company got into trouble with an offensive Manning gag, it was deemed bad and people got into troubled, and maybe people in charged got sacked, or at least got their pay docked.

Today, they actually court the headlines and the bad publicity because it gets viewers. Today, the more offensive, sick or disgusting the better. If you can attain that, The Daily Mail will make sue you get the most pubicity than in your wildest dreams.

Saying all that, I find Frankie Boyle funny (though I haven't seen any Tramodol Nights).

[ludwig]

The difference between them is that Bernard Manning couldn't care less whether he offended anyone or not - as far as he was concerned he was just telling gags.

Boyle on the other hand is an attention seeker - he deliberately sets out to offend as many people as possible. The kind of smug 'Yeah that's right - I said it - aren't I naughty?' grin that follows his more 'edgy' jokes is the giveaway.

As I said on another thread, he's like the luckiest internet troll in world, because he's actually been given TV airtime to pursue his hobby of annoying people.

This quote from Tony Parsons in the Mirror "I wonder if I removed Frankie Boyle's glasses from his face and stamped on them I get away with it if I said I was just being controversial?'" - worth a try I'd say.

[ludwig]

..by the way it's probably worth comparing and contrasting Boyle's stuff to that of Chris Morris (The Day Today, Brass Eye, Four Lions) which really does fit the description of the sort of edgy, boundary pushing type of comedy that Boyle pretends to be doing - in my opinion.

[TTG]

Frankie Boyle is not funny.

[ummmm]

I think he is.

[R1Geezer]

Boyle is about as funny as Ebola, he relies on shock insults to the vulnerable and just rants about people he doesn't like. I always switch him off, if everyone does the same he'll be out on his ear as it's ratings that matter. However I am often puzzled how certain talentless people appear to get on TV regularly so he'll probably be on the RVP next!

[jackthehat]

As far as I'm aware I came into the world fully equipped with a sense of humour.

I really don't need folks like Frankie Boyle making distasteful jokes/social comments and then trying to tell me that he's 'pushing the boundaries'............what chuffing boundaries......and why ?

[ummmm]

Because it's funny....lol

[weecalf]

Do we know Frankies Scrpitwriter .When he was on the television show the scripts were written for television panel shows .Frankie will be back in the safe television set up again because like him or not he was good delivering those lines written for him .

[jackthehat]

Can someone please explain what 'pushing the boundaries', actually means, in terms of comedy ?

[weecalf]

Means trying to be funny using material nobody else wants or would use to get cheap laughs and get them in the news for using it .

[ummmm]

It's the 'I can't believe he just said that and I can't believe I'm laughing'

[ummmm]

So weecalf....are you saying that Frankie doesn't write his own material? And when someone from the audience heckles him he's reading from a script?

[jackthehat]

Is that it ?

To what end ?

[naomi24]

He's an ignorant moron - as was Bernard Manning. I actually don't care whether he's on television or not. He's never on mine for more than 10 seconds, that's for sure.