Having successfully entertained friends with a series of impressions throughout his school years, Séan Burke took the leap into online comedy in 2012.
"I made my first YouTube video which was '20 Family Guy Impressions'," he laughs. "I was a massive fan of the show at that time and it sort of went viral on Facebook. This is so long ago, it was a time when YouTube links would go viral on Facebook. Completely unthinkable now but that's how it happened."
The Dubliner had never considered a career in the arts, but the idea of following in the footsteps of his comedy heroes from the comfort of his home held huge appeal.
Every BBC series about the universe. pic.twitter.com/pByfozoTpS
— Seán Burke (@SeanBurkeShow) December 10, 2021
"I'm very much a sketch guy," says Burke. "Growing up, I loved Hary Enfield and The Fast Show and sketch shows like that. They inspired me a lot and I think that was the first comedy thing that I really, kind of, appreciated as a kid. Seeing how much they could do with a simple format and a good character."
"Once I started making YouTube videos, I wanted to start making sketches with the impressions and characters or whatever. I started basically learning how to write jokes... up until that point I didn't even know it was an artform!"
These days, Burke has his very own sketch show to his name. When we speak, he is counting down to the second series of his sketch show, No Worries If Not!, airing on RTÉ 2.
Working alongside Irish comics including Justine Stafford, Killian Sundermann, Michael Fry, and Emma Doran, Burke says the show will surprise audiences with unlikely celebrity cameos and some classic Irish humour.
If you don't laugh, you'll cry 🤷♂️🤣#NoWorriesIfNot is back with a brand new season - starring Sean Burke, Michael Fry, Justine Stafford, Emma Doran, and Killian Sundermann 🙌
— RTÉ2 (@RTE2) January 7, 2025
Thursdays at 10.30pm on #RTE2 📺 pic.twitter.com/Q8QNwXGZt6
Although each of the comics have found success with their own individual videos, Burke says that banding together was "a joy".
"I really enjoyed the variety of working with the group, I have to say. I am often on my own - even today, I'm in my shadowy flat on a winter's day staring at a wall - so it's good to say a joke out loud to a person for a change," he deadpans.
"It's really enjoyable because you're trying to make eachother laugh, basically. I find it a lot more efficient as a way of writing because you can test it out in front of a room."
His highlight of making the series?
"Marian Keyes," he says, without hesitation. "What a legend. We reached out to her with a sketch idea and she agreed to it pretty quickly. She was such a joy to film with on the day; she knew all her lines, her comic timing was spot on, she was even riffing on the script - she made it even funnier."
Our sketch show 'No Worries If Not!' is coming back for series 2 in January 🥳 pic.twitter.com/eyi6cifdFL
— Seán Burke (@SeanBurkeShow) November 28, 2024
And his favourite sketch to film?
"The most fun one to film was me, Michael and Killian. It's a sketch called Arse Negotiation, and it's basically an agent and an actor discussing how much to show in a scene in a movie. The outtakes from that could make up an entire feature film. It was the last sketch of the week, we were just crying laughing."
No Worries If Not! returns to RTÉ 2 on Thursday, 9 January at 10.30pm - catch up with season one via RTÉ Player.
