2fm presenter Chris Greene and his long-time collaborator and friend Peter Ganley have just released the first episode of their brand new RTÉ Player show First World Problems in which they cast a wry eye over modern culture.
The phrase "first world problem" has become ubiquitous over the past few years as a lighthearted way of apologising for extremely trivial moaning.
Greene, one half of popular 2fm duo Chris & Ciara, says he and Ganley named their show First World Problems "because what we’re doing is somewhat frivolous, we’re not exactly Primetime, so I guess anything we’re talking about is relatively a ‘first world problem’ – reality TV shows, stupid ads on TV, weird trends…
"We’re not doing a presidential debate or anything."
The comedy duo have worked together for many years, including on the YouTube show Tallafornia Swipe and writing sketch shows for RTÉ and Channel 4. Greene said they were delighted to team up again.
"Peter and I have been doing this for quite a while, we started this on YouTube a few years ago and we just said there’s so much out there to satarize, there’s so much to deconstruct and have a look at and take apart", he told RTÉ Entertainment.
"First World Problems is our latest incarnation of just us being difficult, annoying, wry teenagers about everything that’s going on around us."
The presenter says that there's a "lot of riffing" while filming. "Peter and I sit down, all we’re trying to do is make each other laugh. We don’t have a flow chart of what might be the funniest thing, we’re just messing around, riffing, making each other laugh."
He joked that once they pass over the footage to a group of people "legal say 95% of it isn’t useable and they take the 5% that is useable and that’s what the show is."
What does Greene think the ultimate First World Problem is he hears these days?
"I think it’s when people complain about how long things take. We’re in an age where I can pick up a phone, decide what I’m going to eat, pay for it electronically and have it come to my door but there’s people that I think complain about how long that takes from start to finish. 500 years ago I’d probably have been pulling a plough through a field in order to eat", he said.
The pilot episode of First World Problems is now exclusively available to watch on the RTÉ Player. Subjects include a very misguided seeming partner swap reality show, a bear being made perform at a Russian football match and the term "athleisure". Greene says they have plenty more material up their sleeves for future shows.
"The great thing is with how relentlessly ridiculous everyone is now on social media, on advertising, with weird events that occur..As long as humanity exists, something tells me we’re not going to be short of things to make fun of. Or make fun of is the wrong word, satirize. That’s more intellectual."
Watch the pilot episode of First World Problems exclusively on the RTÉ Player here.
