Deirdre O'Kane is the newest face on RTÉ screens, and she's bringing a whole new attitude to late-night hosting.
Her six part RTÉ One series, Deirdre O'Kane Talks Funny, will uncover the stories behind some of Ireland's favourite funny faces and voices, and celebrate careers which have brought joy to the nation via stage and screen.
The brand new entertainment show will see the comedian sit down with some of the country's most entertaining people to find out what makes them tick and what makes someone truly funny, and with Pat Shortt as her first guest, it's set to be a hit.
The hilarious comedian & actor @Pat_Shortt is the first guest on our brand new show Deirdre O'Kane Talks Funny 🤩🙌
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) November 5, 2020
Here's a first look from Saturday's show where Pat shares what happened when he asked @DeirdreOKane1 to be his support act
Saturday 9.10pm | #DeirdreOKane pic.twitter.com/Ihg4BJiVT2
It's a welcome move by RTÉ, and part of a schedule shakeup that saw heavyweights like Claire Byrne and Sarah McInerney move into prime presenting slots in news. But while moves have been made in news and broadcasting, women in entertainment haven't always been so prominent here.
"It's not like I'm the first", she quips. "I think on my end in entertainment, it’s been slim pickings. I’m delighted that I’m the age I am. I don’t feel I would have been ready for it."
The wry comedian has been in the comedy business for 30 years, with stints on stage, TV, film and, of course, stand-up comedy. But it was this year's Comic Relief spectacular in June – held amid the uncertainty of Covid-19 and just as people were in need of a bit of, well, comic relief – that truly let her star shine.
Even more impressive was that she was a key driving force behind the fantastic show, which was Ireland's first-ever Comic Relief TV special. She'd spearheaded the popular Paddy's Night in Support of Comic Relief shows at the 3Arena, but pulling off the major broadcast meant she spent most of lockdown calling friends, making the most of contacts and sharing her vision.
So, of course she's the perfect fit for a chat show.
But she's a realist, too. When asked if she's excited to helm the new show, she's typically deadpan: "Yes, I am particularly now because all of my live work is gone so if I didn't have it I’d have absolutely no money. The timing couldn’t be better.
"This job has popped up but really that's the only thing. Comic Relief is my great love, it’s something I really wanted to work in. It doesn’t pay me, I just enjoy it. And it was in lockdown so I’d already had two months of holidays because we’d all that beautiful weather."
She says she wasn't planning on taking on anything like the show or Comic Relief. Instead, she had "resigned" herself to trying to write more.
"Comic Relief probably did happen because of the lockdown. I couldn’t say for sure, but we’d been pushing for it to happen for a few years. The fact that all the celebs were stuck at home was definitely an advantage", she adds.
Part of O'Kane's charm is her frank honesty, and the sense that she's far from caught up in the glitz and glamour of celebrity life. Even with a 30-year comedy career and a brand new chat show on the way, she's still honest about her money worries.
"I always worry financially. I'm pretty representative of most artists in that I have a good year, followed by a bad year, followed by a good year, followed by a bad year, followed by a half-decent year, followed by a bad year.
"It’s fine, that’s the nature of being a self-employed artsy person. When you have a good year, usually it’s meant to last for three years! You can’t blow it, you have to have this fund for the rainy day which is always just around the corner.
"I guess people think that you have money because you’re on the telly. Ironically, this is a good year."
And it's not just her, either, as many of her peers are struggling in the same way, she says. "Most of my friends are in a lot of trouble. I’m very worried about my fellow comics who don’t have TV or who are dependent on the live work. They have mortgages, they have small children. It’s really, really tough.
"I don’t know what the answer is. I think that because the Arts Council has been given a big sum of money everybody thinks, 'oh, they’re fine now!’ That is not the case. Not everybody is going to get a slice of that pie."
"Artists are used to being resilient. It's part of who we are."
As is obvious, O'Kane is a born chatter and is particularly good at drawing people out. So a long-form chat show is the perfect vehicle for her. And nabbing one of the prime time Saturday slots is no mean feat.
"It's more conversation than interview", she says. "I certainly have experienced a lot of what [the guests] have experienced and I want to investigate what makes people funny and where that comes from. Is that part of the conditions of your upbringing, your parents, their impact? Lots of people are funny but lots of people are not funny for a living."
O'Kane is coming to the hosting spot at an unprecedented time in hosting, as Covid-19 restrictions mean there will be no live audience to react to or with. But for her, this is an advantage in some ways.
"I was obviously worried about it", she says. "You do feed off that response. But I thought, that's a challenge I’m really interested in because it makes you better. You’re not playing for cheap laughs – you’re not playing for any laughs! You’re relying entirely on your guests and you, and that’s a great thing if you do it well."
Although the energy "was more intense" at first, they soon relaxed into it. "Then it was like having a drink with somebody in my living room – because I did have a drink!"
In a year defined by such uncertainty and unknowns, O'Kane's game attitude is a tonic. As she says about her guests, "You want to be caught off guard!"
Deirdre O'Kane Talks Funny airs this Saturday at 9:10pm on RTÉ One.
