The Gleeson family unite for gas new Irish sitcom ‘Frank of Ireland’

Tipped to be the “next big thing”, for anyone unfamiliar with the show, Frank of Ireland falls within the same vein as series such as Father Ted and Derry Girls. With all the makings of being another Irish comedy classic, the programme has brothers Brian and Domhnall Gleeson at its helm, taking on the roles of Frank and Doofus respectively. The first episode aired last night on Channel 4 and is now available on All4.

Title character Frank (Brian) is a struggling musician, living at home in Dublin with his mother, while Doofus (Domhnall) is his loyal best friend who often finds himself having to deal with the carnage that ensues whatever Frank’s latest bad decision happens to have been that week. 

Kicking off with a strong start, episode one saw Brian attempt to win his ex-girlfriend Áine back, hoping to do so by wowing her with his musical prowess. Unwilling to accept that she’s moved on with a new man – a doctor and mixed martial arts enthusiast, no less – Frank manages to secure his first gig in years… with the “occasion” in question being at Áine’s grandmother’s funeral. A pretty good indicator of what the show and its humour are all about, if that has you smirking then this should definitely be next on your ‘must watch’ list. 

Originally created for Amazon Prime with Catastrophe‘s Sharon Horgan serving as producer, the series won’t be available to stream on the platform in Ireland, however Irish viewers will be able to watch it via Channel 4. Making its TV debut just last night, public reaction to the programme has been mixed so far with reviews varying from “incredibly silly” to “unashamedly funny”.

Speaking to BBC’s The One Show during the week, Domhnall said that they wanted to do something that was “sort of very funny and stupid”. 

“It’s a kind of a strange sort of humour – I’m afraid it’s a lot of toilet humour… that sort of stuff. It’s about a guy in his thirties in Ireland living with his mother, who’s far cooler than he is. He can’t get over his ex-girlfriend and he has a really stupid best friend who he sort of bullies, called Doofus who I play.”

Only one way to see where you stand on the matter, so grab the popcorn and pop it on to decide for yourself.