Humour, Ardal O’Hanlon chuckles, is no laughing matter.
Best known as lovable eejit Father Dougal McGuire in the classic comedy Father Ted, the Irish actor and comedian is passionately defending the popular but frequently frowned-upon sitcom Mrs Brown’s Boys. ‘It is very funny in that gag-driven, old-fashioned way,’ says O’Hanlon, 54. ‘Its heart is in the right place, it is multi-generational and it speaks to a huge constituency that weren’t being catered for.
‘For a long time on British television the shows were being made by people who went to Oxford and Cambridge. They were very clever shows. Mrs Brown’s Boys identified that and came in there and put on this cheerful, feelgood show – and fair play to them.’
Best known as lovable eejit Father Dougal McGuire in the classic comedy Father Ted, the Irish actor and comedian Ardal O’Hanlon is still trying to break free of the beloved character
When Mrs Brown’s Boys was voted Best Comedy at the National TV awards in January, it beat critically acclaimed favourites such as Ricky Gervais’s After Life and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag. ‘Democracy always wins,’ tweeted Gervais, having lost out to Brendan O’Carroll’s smutty auld matriarch.
‘People can get really angry about comedy,’ warns O’Hanlon as he sits in his Dublin home. ‘You could have a debate about comedy with someone and come to blows. Each to their own, is what I say.’
However, he acknowledges that the concept of ‘wokeness’ – once termed ‘political correctness’ – can cramp a comedian’s style.
Try as O’Hanlon might, he finds it difficult to shake off the dim-witted shadow of Father Dougal. ‘It can be hard to escape,’ he confesses
‘There is nothing inherently wrong with it but it can go overboard,’ he says. ‘People should, of course, respect immigrants and LGBT people – that is just basic manners. But I don’t think that means you have to radically rethink your comedy.
‘When you leave London or Dublin and you go round the country in the UK, or Ireland, people haven’t even heard of the term “wokeness”. They don’t know what you are talking about.’
O’Hanlon is currently on the third leg of his highly successful tour The Showing Off Must Go On. The one-man show is an exploration of Irish and English manners, particularly the cardinal sin of ‘blowing one’s own trumpet’.
‘In small-town Ireland, where I grew up, you really were discouraged from putting your head above the parapet. Boasting was the worst thing you could do.
‘When I was a kid, my mother would get a notion to do something like spaghetti Bolognese,’ he recalls. ‘Then she would fiercely instruct us not to tell anyone because she was genuinely afraid the neighbours would think we were showing off.
Post-Ted, O’Hanlon’s career has flourished. But he still yearns for a part to vanquish the ghost of goofy Father Dougal. ‘A serial killer with dark secrets,’ he cackles. ‘That would be lovely’
‘So doing stand-up is a risky manoeuvre in a society like that. Being an actor, an entertainer, or a show-off in any way is almost considered a crime.’
Try as O’Hanlon might, he finds it difficult to shake off the dim-witted shadow of Father Dougal. ‘It can be hard to escape,’ he confesses. ‘It’s always on the telly, and there are always references to it in everyday life. It has infiltrated popular consciousness.’
Post-Ted, O’Hanlon’s career has flourished. He tackled his last Caribbean case as DI Jack Mooney last month on BBC1’s Death In Paradise. Despite filming in sun-drenched Guadeloupe, he found the relentless schedule punishing and the conditions gruelling.
He remains proud of his work in the ‘joyous’ BBC comedy My Hero and relished his more serious role in E4’s teen drama Skins, as well as a cameo last year in Derry Girls.
But he still yearns for a part to vanquish the ghost of goofy Father Dougal. ‘A serial killer with dark secrets,’ he cackles. ‘That would be lovely. I’d love to do something so radically against type. If anyone can help organise that, I’m in.’
‘Ardal O’Hanlon: The Showing Off Must Go On’ is touring the UK until Friday, mickperrin.com/acts/ardal-ohanlon