Oliver Callan said he will be steering clear of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s nightclub video issue in his RTE sketches this Christmas, saying: “I just think it would be unfair”.
The popular impressionist is known for his impressions of TDs and celebrities, and has taken aim at some of the biggest scandals within the Dail in his content over the years.
But as he is putting in the final touches to his Christmas TV and radio specials, ‘Callan Kicks the Year’, the comic said he has made a decision not to use the viral internet video in the material.
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He told Irish Daily Mirror: “Yeah, I just think it would be unfair and we literally made an editorial decision we are not going to do that and there are plenty of political issues, professional issues around that are far more right for comedy than anything like that so we didn’t touch it at all.”
Callan, who is often heard on RTE airwaves filling in for Ryan Tubridy on his days off, added: “The only interesting point you could make is there is an irony that government, particularly Leo Varadkar and Micheal Martin, who were strongest coming out and talking about the breach of privacy, which it was, but they have done nothing to regulate the social media platforms that really make a fortune from all of these massive breaches of privacy and misinformation and spreading hatred and lies for profit across all of these social networks like Facebook and Twitter and all of them are at it and this is something that they have kind of let go.
“There is an irony that it has come back and hurt them and Micheal Martin saying ‘we need tough laws to regulate these people’ and we are going ‘yes, this is exactly what we have been warning about for years. Now imagine a teenager or a child being the subject of this kind of stuff going around the internet. That’s exactly what everyone is saying.”
“But for comedy purposes, no it[video] is not for us."
The satirist and columnist said he has no problem poking fun at the now Taoiseach’s viral ‘fridge’ moment, adding: “His fridge is much more fun from our point of view because it is something he obviously mistakenly shared about his life and it kind of became a gigantic metaphor for his entire career. You know that you have got pre cooked omelettes with no lids on in a grim looking fridge.
“So Francis Brennan does a run down on that and it is very dining etiquette.”
The Co Monaghan native, 41, added: “We have to deal with stuff that just happened recently such as the handover between Micheal and Leo and that is kind of a nice centre point for us and we have a nice sketch opening the show about Leo on his way home as Michael prepares the house for him, kind of a remake of that ESB going home ad.
“And wondering if he really wants to go back giving all of the problems he is going to come into with energy prices and housing and so on.
“So yeah the real world always provides the sitcom characters for us to have the lols with.”
Elsewhere, from giant queues at Dublin Airport to the Wagatha Christie trial, Callan’s comedy news review will revisit some of the biggest scandals and stories in Ireland and abroad this year.
He said: “As I say, each year gets more traumatic than the other, so it will be full of all of the stuff we can laugh about basically.”
Meanwhile, the newly wed said he is looking back on his own year in review with fondness, after finally getting to marry his partner of 10 years, John Lannin in the picturesque Castle Leslie Estate in his home county, after covid delays.
“This is our first Christmas as a married couple," he said.
“As everyone says, it does feel a little different. A little bit nicer, an extra bit better than great. It does feel slightly different and special, it was lovely because we were 10 years together last March so we have been a long time stepping out together so it was nice to formalise it, and one of those lovely days where you have all of your nearest and dearest and every corner you turn around there is a close family or friend to have a hug and have the craic with.
“I was straight back into work but now with Christmas I feel like we are looking back on it all again,” he added.
Callan Kicks the Year 2022 airs on RTÉ One Television 9.25pm Thursday December 29th 2022 and on the RTÉ Player.
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