Sick humour

I watched the first episode of Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights a few nights ago. It was a strange mess, neither stand up nor sketch show, which I think showed up Frankie as the most talented, as opposed to best, comedian in Britain. There were a few good sketches (Untitled Street was excellent) and a few good bits of stand up in the first half. The second half slipped downhill rapidly with an astonishingly racist spoof of The Green Mile. Not good, especially for a supposed devotee of Chomsky and Monbiot.

Taken at face value Frankie Boyle would seem like a skilled shock-jock. I am of the belief, however, that Frankie Boyle (or at least the man we see on TV) is a character. If you miss this you miss a lot of the point. His shtick is corrosive frustration, a lot like another toxic act Derek and Clive.

Unlike, say, Jimmy Carr (who Boyle used to write jokes for), Frankie's act is three dimensional. Whenever he refers directly to himself it's always about how abject his condition is. The most obvious example would be his notorious joke about footage of Saddam Hussein's execution; is there nothing he won't masturbate to? It was the same with Derek and Clive, two toilet attendants mired in endless frustration.

Comedy of this type treads a fine line. If it gets aimless then it does become offensive. If the character of 'Frankie Boyle' is developed his comedy will come on leaps and bounds, in my opine. Then again he's probably making fat piles of cash now. Why would he change?