Want to know RTE's idea of a good joke? Announcing a new television series on Irish comics the day after the first programme was broadcast.
The national broadcasting station yesterday held a photo-call in Dublin to publicise The Green, Green Grass of Home, a six-part series showing Irish comedians returning to their roots; amusingly, the series debuted the previous night. RTE's explanation for this delay in releasing information was that the new year had disrupted arrangements in the press office.
Several of the comics being featured in the new Network 2 comedy slot nonetheless made enough effort to turn up at the Fitzwilliam Hotel where, as is invariably expected of such performers, they contorted their faces into a sequence of poses presumed funny for the benefit of the assembled photographers.
That business concluded, their features relaxed into customary moroseness, comics being notoriously glum when not in performing mode. Of the assembled group, the cheeriest was Anne Gildea - programme three, January 17th, also featuring her brother Kevin - probably because three days after her broadcast she is off on a week-long cruise in the Caribbean accompanied by the other members of her group, The Nualas.
Contractual arrangements oblige her to participate during the week in four performances and one cocktail party. This certainly sounds more entertaining than Ms Gildea's new year which was spent, mid-maquillage, embracing the staff of RTE's make-up department. The Nualas performed a song as part of the station's millennium celebrations but since they appeared at 12.45 a.m., the size of their audience may have been rather small.
They are hoping to attract more people to the 60-plus date tour of England due to start in February after they return from the Caribbean. The tour will feature a new Nuala, Australian-born Josie O'Reilly, replacing Susanna de Wrixon, who is due to take a role in Brian Friel's Living Quarters at the Peacock Theatre in a fortnight's time.
Among the other comics present yesterday morning, none could offer news of a Caribbean cruise.
Meanwhile, Jason Byrne (programme six, February 7th) will be spending the rest of this month recording a new series for BBC Radio 4 and hopes that his contribution to The Green, Green Grass of Home might lead to a separate series.
If it does, presumably RTE will inform us sometime after the programmes have begun transmission.