Frankie Boyle's New World Order

Boyles early stuff was excellent. Really funny. Sadly this stuff is awful. The jokes are too political and contrived, and the program format doesn't work. It's basically a bunch of lefties sat around talking a bit of politics (no-one disagrees) and trying to out-talk the others. Like mock the week, but worse. Saw the first episode of the second series last night - Sarah Pascoe's self loathing monalogue for being white (and how bad and embarrassed she is of that!?) was toe-curlingly cringeworthy. (Doesn't she realise she's embarrassing herself?) They had David Baddeil on to discuss the anti-semitism in the Labour Party, but he wasn't allowed to say much for some so-called gags the others tried to put in and talk over the guy. If you're more left wing than Jeremy Corbyn you'll probably find it funny. Personally I find it a sad cul-de-sac that Boyle has driven his career down and I'd streer clear.

You can tell Frankie Boyle used to be an English teacher. His use of metaphors and lengthy, evocative and vivid sentences to summarise life and politics is quite genius at times and depressingly accurate at others. I also find the right wing reaction to his new material just as hilarious. They're so upset that he doesn't do obvious jokes about Harvey Price or Mel Gibson anymore. How dare he evolve and explore other topics, instead of being the non PC lads comedian they wish he still was.

The show is very laboured. The guests are all of the same mindset, all trying to outdo each other on how 'progressive' and 'woke' they are, how evil Capitalism and white people are etc. They laugh at each other and nod enthusiastically at what each other says no matter how bizarre and unfunny it is which makes it contrived. You will struggle to find any humour, any insight, any intelligence, and it falls flat on its feet.

Your opening and closing monologues are arguably the only funny part of the show, and even they're like a ghost of what you used to come out with.

Giving female comics such a high-profile platform is laudable, but the ones you've had on have largely been awful.

The show is nowhere near as dangerous as it obviously sees itself as being, the topics discussed and the arguments made both trite and lazy.

There IS an appetite for a funny, genuinely transgressive political comedy show but this isn't it - and, gallingly, once upon a time, you'd have made it.

This is leftist propaganda masquerading as comedy.