John O'Sullivanfinds something for everybody in Chasing the Blues with Hector and Risteard, which will be screened by RTÉ this evening
The tone for the documentary Chasing the Blues with Hector and Risteard (RTÉ 1, 10.15pm , tonight) was unwittingly set by the Ireland players and management. It would always have been an irreverent, quirky look at Ireland's Rugby World Cup odyssey in France but the abject failure of the national side guaranteed that the brushstrokes of humour would harbour a darker edge.
It's a sequel in format to the hugely entertaining Chasing the Lions, which saw Hector Ó hEochagain and Risteard Cooper decamp to New Zealand in 2005 for the Lions Test series against the All Blacks.
There is no doubting Cooper (Après Match, I Keano, The State of Us) is the star of this vehicle. His comedic timing, mimicry and withering observations are pitch perfect and introduce a wide range of characters to his audience, some familiar and others who'll raise a chuckle.
The centrepiece of Cooper's screen time is his impersonation of Irish coach Eddie O'Sullivan with the majority of vignettes taking place in a mock-up of the coach's bedroom, complete with outsized Clive Woodward posters, empty wine bottles and in a particular scene, a Tana Umaga T-shirt.
At one point the documentary zips from a Cooper impersonation of O'Sullivan to the Ireland coach during a bona fide press conference - close your eyes and it's nearly impossible to tell the difference.
Certainly one of the funniest moments in the programme sees Cooper don black tie, stand on a balcony and rework the lyrics of Puccini's Nessun Dorma from the opera Turandot. Another would be the phone conversation between Steve Staunton and Eddie O'Sullivan.
Characters like traditional Munster supporter "Gerry Fahy" and his Leinster counterpart "Burkey", are stereotypically funny, so too the England fan who constantly refers to "the Éire". But it is Cooper's O'Sullivan - RTÉ's Colm Murray also pops up a couple of times - that is the focal point of the documentary's satire. It could almost have been retitled, "Chasing Eddie".
Ó hEochagain is typically manic, vacillating from chest-thumping optimist to a beleaguered and broken shadow of his former ebullience. Having posed the question initially, "are we coming in under the radar," in reference to French newspaper L'Equipe's failure to trumpet Ireland's candidacy for outright honours, Ó hEochagain soon realised that the Irish team had entered the Bermuda Triangle.
The Meathman's willingness to accost supporters became a little tedious as it degenerated into a repetitive set-piece. When a little more understated, as in his interview in Spanish with Felipe Contepomi and a brief cameo with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, it made for better viewing.
In that respect the input of journalists Gerry Thornley, Johnny Watterson - yes they are both employed by The Irish Times - broadcaster George Hook and the quietly-spoken Eddie Butler offered a counter balance to the documentary's two headline performers.
It's also striking to note the pared-down access that was afforded Ó hEochagain and Cooper in terms of the Ireland camp. The former manages a few words with Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll and on another occasion Simon Easterby, Shane Horgan, Frankie Sheahan, Alan Quinlan and Stephen Ferris.
There is no footage of the actual games, the ebb and flow of Ireland's fortunes, manifest in Ó hEochagain's soliloquy to camera at the matches. The documentary is eminently watchable, humorous and engaging for the most part. It will have a wide-ranging appeal for an adult audience and being a rugby supporter is not a prerequisite to enjoying the programme.
Ireland's time at the Rugby World Cup in France may have been shrouded in disappointment but this documentary reminds its audience that laughter can cauterise even the most painful memories.
Chasing the Blues with Hector and Risteard will be released on DVD on November 16th.
