# That's all we have time for. -RTE TV show-



## ney001 (8 Jan 2010)

<snip>.. Another absolutely dire show from RTE. Good god - could it have been any more scripted.  Cringeworthy stuff , especially when Barry Murphy produced a bag of 'messages' when they were going for an ad break .  Mario Rosenstock -rarely if ever funny imo and Kevin "Myers " <- Offensive language removed by Moderator> is not not not funny! 

Dire

[broken link removed]


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## Sunny (8 Jan 2010)

*Re: That's all we have time for???*

I didn't see it. As bad as I feared then! I don't know whether to blame RTE or the state of Irish comedy for the awful stuff that hits our tv screens. I am a big fan of comedy nights and there is talent out there but RTE seem to have found all the worst ones to put before a camera. The panel is actually cringeworthy it is so bad.


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## Slash (8 Jan 2010)

*Re: That's all we have time for???*

It was very poor. The funniest person on the show turned out to be Terry Prone, and that's saying something. Thank God it was scripted, because without a script it would have been even worse.


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## MANTO (8 Jan 2010)

*Re: That's all we have time for???*

Never again - it was that bad i couldnt stop watching!


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## Mpsox (8 Jan 2010)

*Re: That's all we have time for???*

I thought Terry Prone was quite good, just got the impression that overall, they were all a bit nervous and unsure of themselves. Hopefully it'll improve


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## Husker (8 Jan 2010)

*Re: That's all we have time for???*

Turned it on.  Watched Terry Prone get all giddy because there was a ripple of laughter in the audience after she made a joke.  Turned it off.


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## RMCF (8 Jan 2010)

*Re: That's all we have time for???*

Decided NOT to watch it after having the misfortune to catch THE PANEL and that sorry excuse for a TV prog that Neil Delamere presents.

Both of them are so unfunny I can't understand how they get air time.


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## RonanC (8 Jan 2010)

*Re: That's all we have time for???*

Complete crap in my opinion, but The Star said it "is brilliant, Barry (Murphy) can do no wrong". 

And that was printed before the writer even watched the show.


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## Leo (8 Jan 2010)

*Re: That's all we have time for???*

Barry Murphy looked embarrassed at times, and so he should have been!


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## aonfocaleile (8 Jan 2010)

I thought Barry Murphy was the weak link actually. I thought Terry Prone and the panelist who was with Kevin Myers were quite funny. Maybe it'll improve over time.


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## Brendan Burgess (9 Jan 2010)

I had recorded it, so I have just watched it after reading these reviews. It was bad. The content was not good, but the delivery was dreadful. I agree with Manto "So bad, I couldn't stop watching". 

I made a note of the credits, which were in the following order

Additional writing: 

Nick Webb
Jarleth Regan
Colm O'Regan 

Writers 
Michael Mee
Kevin Gildea 

*So this appears to be what happens 

*Michael Mee ( who is a brilliant standup comedian and very topical) and Kevin Gildea (who has a good reputation, but I don't know him) sit down the day before and write the show. Others feed into it by sending in suggestions. Is Nick Webb the Sindo journalist? I wouldn't have thought he had a reputation for being funny. Jarlath Regan is very funny. 

The 5 participants read out the lines from cards or autocue just like actors or newsreaders. 

Someone is operating canned laughter and canned applause. I presume that it is not filmed in front of a live audience?

I don't think that any of these people have any experience of acting which is what they are being asked to do. Kevin Gildea was probably the best, or least worst, because he was presumably doing his own material. 

If they made Michael Mee and Kevin Gildea the team leaders doing their own material in the main, it would be a lot funnier. Then they could have different guests each week, whom they could carry. 

RTE has obviously decided that having well known names like Kevin Myers and Terry Prone is more important than actually being funny. How wrong can they be!

If anyone really needs punishment, you can watch it here.


Brendan


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## Brendan Burgess (10 Jan 2010)

From RTE's website, it appears that it is shot in front of a live audience. I was going to suggest that they should be shot in front of a live audience. 



> Comedian Barry Murphy is ringmaster in this new satirical news programme for Thursday nights on RTÉ One. Each week he will be joined by team captains Mario Rosenstock and Kevin Myers.
> Kevin Myers will have a comedian on his team and Mario will be joined by a journalist or commentator. Recorded in front of a live audience each week, the programme will dissect the week's events in an irreverent and intelligent manner.


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## Brendan Burgess (10 Jan 2010)

So this goes out on Thursday evening. 

The programme is presumably made on Thursday morning and edited later in the day. When did Peter Robinson do his interview? The Spotlight show was obviously too late for the programme. 

Let's give them a hand. 

We can keep an eye on the news for the next few days and write some material for them.


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## Brendan Burgess (10 Jan 2010)

One criticism has been that it is a rip-off of Have I Got News For You. 

But it's difficult to do a review of the week's news in some novel format. Can anyone suggest some new rounds which would be suitable for a satirical news programme? 

Obituaries for people who died during the week. Or fake obituaries for people in the news during the week. For example, what will the Irish Times say when Iris Robinson passes away? 

A prediction of what will happen during the week ahead. I presume that predictions can be defamatory as well. 

Van Morrison's home page was hijacked and it was alleged that his wife was pregnant again. What messages would you put up on the home page of the following people if you could hijack them?  Brian Lenihan, Barry Murphy, Pope Benedict. 

Misquotes and misprints.  Apparently the Guardian has a reputation for misprints and one of the programmes quotes them - maybe it's I'm Sorry I haven't a clue.


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## Brendan Burgess (10 Jan 2010)

From an [broken link removed]on Murphy



> Some say that Murphy would be more famous than if he had been pliable and commercial. “He’s the conscience of Irish comedy. He’s got very, very high standards and hates any sort of cash-in. He’s a purist,” says a friend who has known him from the beginning.
> 
> 
> Which is why some are surprised that he has agreed to take on the role of compere in a new RTÉ satirical news panel programme, That’s All We Have Time For, starting this week. Murphy is known for taking a rather jaundiced view of TV comedy panel shows, such as Mock the Week, so he is expected to put his stamp on the new show and move it away from the standard practise of filling in the headlines with blokey, old-school banter.


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## Rois (10 Jan 2010)

Here you go - it's recorded every wednesday and they're looking for audience
members - the only requirement is a "sense of humour"! 

Brendan - I've applied for 10 front row seats for you!! 

[broken link removed]


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## Brendan Burgess (10 Jan 2010)

Thanks Rois

I might go for the craic, just to see how it's done.


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## Chocks away (10 Jan 2010)

Brendan said:


> Misquotes and misprints. Apparently the Guardian has a reputation for misprints and one of the programmes quotes them - maybe it's I'm Sorry I haven't a clue.


Hence it being renamed The Grauniad. By Private Eye I think. It was only a matter of time before their typos came to that. I remember reading that Gloria Steinem was once taken ill on the Boston T, thereby throwing Monday's rush hour timetable into chaos. The headline: Sick Transit Gloria Monday.


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## gipimann (10 Jan 2010)

Anyone seen the advert for the show this week?   Haven't caught all of it, but the bit I have seen shows the 3 lads (Murphy, Myers and Rosenstock) sitting in front of a TV and discussing what to do about a clash in programmes.....one says "we could watch that and record our own show"....and Murphy says "we could just watch that"......

Have they been reading the AAM reviews?


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## Brendan Burgess (13 Jan 2010)

Brendan said:


> Let's give them a hand.
> 
> We can keep an eye on the news for the next few days and write some material for them.



Tomorrow night's programme is being written as I write. I have kept an eye on the news and found very little material in it. 

Iris Robinson was confused by the seemingly contradictory rules in the Bible.
Thou shalt not commit adultery
Homosexuality is an abomination
Love thy neighbour

Well two out of three aint bad.

Anyway, it wasn't adultery. He was a teenager. 

...
The definition of a balanced  Irish liberal "Someone who is appalled by Irish Robinson's condemnation of homosexuality and is equally appalled by her sleeping with someone 40 years her junior" 

...

There must be good material in the Ugandan Government's proposals on homosexuality. Apparently they are introducing the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality". (This will probably appear on their true or false story round). This is a very serious issue, so RTE might not like comedy about it.  "Ugandan homosexuals welcomed the move as they now have a right to apply for refugee status in Ireland." 

...
The Bank of Ireland shareholders voted 99.9% in favour of the NAMA deal. That is because NAMA is paying a "fair" price for the bad loans. 

...
Good news for once. Drugs crime is down. [broken link removed]

....

House prices fell by 20% last year according to the [broken link removed].  At last, reliable unbiased data. 

....

[broken link removed]

Sales of Range Rovers fell by 97% just as we need them for the snow. 

...

Enda Kenny slams government for not collecting back all the grit during the thaw, so that they can use it again. This would be a priority for any FG led government.  The Green Party have said that we should look at ways of recovering the salt used so that it would be sustable.


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## Brendan Burgess (13 Jan 2010)

Our reaction to the snow was great.  In other countries you can be held liable if you don't clear the snow from in front of your house. In Ireland, you can be held liable if you do clear the snow, and someone falls. 

They presumably will show a picture of the guy who fell in the snow and will increase the noise his head make when hitting the ground.  He apparently is famous on Facebook now. 

I like Elcato's post here




> I have 4 children all under 10 and I'm pregnant and all alone (hubby left me with massive debts). Over the last few days I have been afraid to leave my house because I could slip and fall and die. I have no money because of the last budget which suited all the bankers and developers and left us, the poor people who cant get jobs, with nothing. I didn't cause this bust yet the government seem to just let the big guys get away with it with their slash and burn tactics by picking on the most vulnerable in society. Why is the government not calling around to my house to give me loads of food and comfort ? I bet you they do call to their banking buddies. Also my bins have not been collected for 4 weeks and the council have not called around and told me why or gritted my garden so the kids can play in it. Anyone know why this is ? Also, can anyone tell me who I actually sue for any burst pipes I will get ? Do we live in a banana republic ? As soon as the council give me my emigration grant, I will leave this country forever as it stinks. Australia is much safer and have lovely beaches and dont seem to have any poor people. Anyway I digress .......


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## DB74 (13 Jan 2010)

They will possibly have a joke about the Togo football team incident, along the lines of:

"Adebayor wasn't so keen to celebrate in front of the gunners this week"


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## Staples (14 Jan 2010)

Or "The gunman fired over 200 shots with three on target.  Police are questioning Dimitar Berbatov."


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## MrMan (14 Jan 2010)

I think those jokes may be in the 'too soon' category. I watched it tonight and it really doesn't work, Myers isn't funny any and they are as of yet afraid to properly slag each other. Barry Murphy may in time work out, but he looked scared stiff and couldn't make it sound like he wasn't just reading jokes.


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## Brendan Burgess (15 Jan 2010)

Agree. Again the material wasn't too bad, but the delivery was terrible. 
It just doesn't work. The audience are forced to laugh - it does't seem spontaneous. They are explaining the jokes to each other - why didn't they do this during the rehearsals? 

The "Is this story true" is so rubbishy. They can't string two words together and they are not remotely funny. 

Pat Leahy and Ger Rooney were a big improvement on Terry Keane and Kevin Gildea. They just seemed funnier and more comfortable. 

There was a big team on it

Additional writing
Jarlath Regan
John Cleary
Paul Tylak
Nick Webb

Writer 
Michael Mee

Script Editor 
Kevin Gildea


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## aonfocaleile (15 Jan 2010)

Brendan said:


> ?
> 
> The "Is this story true" is so rubbishy. They can't string two words together and they are not remotely funny.


 
Agree. This part really detracts from the show. They should at least make an effort to familiarise themselves with the content of the stories. Last night it sounded like none of them were aware of the stories beforehand and that they had only been handed cue cards there and then.

I thought Pat Leahy was good but was a bit disappointed with Rooney, who is generally reasonably funny (Remember him in Fr Ted?)


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## Brendan Burgess (15 Jan 2010)

aonfocaleile said:


> I thought Pat Leahy was good but was a bit disappointed with Rooney, who is generally reasonably funny (Remember him in Fr Ted?)



Rooney played a stormer in Father Ted but that is the only time I saw him. Father Ted was rehearsed. It was shot. There were retakes. They got it right in the end. 

In this show, good comedians are being asked to do the "spontaneous" gags written by other comedians without much rehearsal. And if they do rehearse it, they can't fake the spontaneity. And it does not help to have as a team captain, a very talented journalist, who is not remotely funny. 

Has RTE ever pulled a show before its complete run?  This is ruining the reputations of the people involved.


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## Betsy Og (15 Jan 2010)

Could Barry & Mario not adopt different persona for each show -

e.g. cardboard box head Stapleton duells with beligerent Keano. You could still do the current affairs gags but at least it would be some twist. 

What does it give the viewer that Panel doesnt?


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## ney001 (27 Jan 2010)

I gave up watching That's all we have time for midway through second episode.  I did start watching Your Bad Self last night and again cannot believe that this is the best we can do....  and this one is scripted - surely to god the writers can come up with something funnier then this. - Just dire again! God the sketch with them all standing awkwardly at a party, just not funny at all, thought it would never end and the one with the Australian woman???  - Am giving up watching 'comedy' on RTE.


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