A viewer of the fastidious persuasion, rang in to complain about BBC
Northern Ireland's chat show PK Tonight: "There were six Sinn Fein jokes tonight and only two Loyalist jokes". But the complaints, usually of a traditionalist nature, are far outweighed by the number of commendations the show is receiving. Last week's edition of PK Tonight attracted 51 per cent of the viewing public in Northern Ireland and now that BBC bosses in London are waking up and smelling the coffee, there is talk of the show going out on all BBC networks - which would be a first for a Northern television programme.
The PK in question is Patrick Kielty, a 24 year old Queens. University graduate and stand up comedian, who has attracted, such large ratings because of his ability to "push the envelope". Pushing the envelope in this instance means being cheeky and irreverent to his celebrity guests, punctuating, his onscreen stand up routines with decidedly risque observations and generally, behaving like a media brat with no respect for his elders.
Last week's show, was a typically fast paced, high velocity race through the standard chat show format. Kielty opened with a monologue that tore strips off, the paramilitaries before he hit it on the area's mainstream politicians, that was followed by a guest called, Stevie Starr whose art trick is swallowing household items and then regurgitating them: then, ex sports commentator now full time eccentric, David Icke informed us that we are all doomed (and managed to, upset the producers by saying live on air that President Clinton is the biggest drug pusher in the world).
Alter a few filmed interludes, The Clancy Brothers (who are still alive) did their slap the thigh/singalong thing before international ragga star Shaggy finished proceedings by playing "The Big Ricketty Wheel" game Shaggy lost so he had to sing a Daniel O'Donnell song. Cue end credits.
It all came over as a hybrid, mix of Don't Forget Your Toothbrush and The Conan O'Brien Show, but what most impressed was the distinctly unregional style and presentation the production values are those usually associated with, network shows.
"We do try to give the show as much of a network feel as possible, says Kielty. "We were greatly helped in that our first director, Stephen Steward from Co Down, had previously worked on programmes such as The Big Breakfast and Don't Forget Your Toothbrush. At the same time, we are a regional programme and we have to reflect that hence the mix of local and international acts.
A lot of the show's impetus stems from the fact that it goes out live: in this regard, Kielty is playing to his strengths. Apart from hosting PK Tonight, Kielty also works as the in house compere at Belfast's comedy club, The Empire. Because I come from alive performance background and do lots of stand up, the live aspect doesn't worry me" he says. I actually am my own warm up act on the show and even though you have to remember, that you're playing for the camera, I'm acutely aware that there are 250 people sitting there in the audience who want the immediate contact. We usually find that after the warm up, the audience is really up for it when we go live.
KIELTY'S style of presentation and choice of material is usually only to be found on programmes scheduled at a later time, but PK Tonight goes out during prime time at 9.30 p.m. "As far as we are concerned, the watershed is at 9 p.m. so after that time, anything goes," he says. "We don't deliberately stir stuff up just to attract controversy, but the very nature of the show and the stuff I talk about during the opening monologue does give it a more late night feel.
Uniquely for this type of nominally "yoof" programme, PK Tonight, is attracting a very general audience which reflects the breakdown of the average viewing population.
"It's really weird" says Kielty. The BBC was initially expecting to only pull in the under 30s and any viewers over 50 would be regarded as a complete bonus. However, the sort of varied age group that we are getting on a weekly basis proves that the appetite for sharp, satirical humour is not continued to the young but then it you think about it, the people ho used to watch Monthy Python when they were younger would now be in their 50s and once you get into the habit of something, you never lose it".
