Everyone has their own pain threshold and watching the 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock (RTÉ2, Thursday 9.35pm), it takes all of 30 seconds for mine to kick in. This occurs as one of the Johnnies – like many, I’m not sure I have the mental energy to attempt to tell them apart – asks the audience if they are “ready to mingle in Dingle” or “keep it real in Abbyfeale”. No, but I’m prepared to sob in Ballydehob or shriek “Nevermore” in Tullamore.
Johnny McMahon and Johnny O’Brien have achieved impressive success with a sort of performative “bogger” shtick. In part, it’s because it chimes with some – though not all – people in small-town Ireland (a place quite distinct from rural Ireland, though watching RTÉ, you’d never guess there’s a difference). They’ve also done well, however, in Montrose by pandering to a delusional “metropolitan” worldview, which divides Ireland into “Dublin” and “not Dublin” – a fantasy that falls away the further you get from the capital.
In other words, the prominence of the 2 Johnnies says something about their natural charm, but even more about how RTÉ2 views Ireland beyond the M50. Anyway, having had success on radio, they’ve now made the inevitable transition to television. Here, they seem to be on a mission to bring back 1990s British-style lad TV to 21st-century Ireland.
It’s the laddism thing that is especially jolting. Watching the 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock-in, it’s impossible not to have flashbacks to Chris Evans TFI Friday on Channel 4. There’s the same pretend rowdy crowd, whooshing cameras and chuckle-strewn interview style.
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Yet, in terms of star wattage, the guests lined up for the first episode soon remind us that it is, in fact, still RTÉ. First up is Una Healy, last seen on the Late Late Show Country Special 10 minutes ago. Later, there’s an appearance by Marty Morrissey, flanked by fans wearing Marty masks, like a Junior B remake of an Aphex Twin video. There’s also a quiz where punters are asked questions about their local parish – plus an interview by baffled British comedian Seann Walsh.
[ The 2 Johnnies: the blokey swagger is wearing very thinOpens in new window ]
Not everyone has to like everything. The baffling rise of the 2 Johnnies is a testament to the fact that there’s no accounting for strangers and their taste. You certainly can’t argue with McMahon and O’Brien’s enthusiasm. Their audience enjoys it, too, so good luck to them. There is just one punchline, however – that small town Ireland exists and contains GAA clubs – and it seems reasonable to wonder for how much longer they can milk it.
