The Panel (2 Viewers)

[cephalopod]

Was watching this last night with increasing irritation, and about half way through I realised what it reminded me of..some really shitty house-party at which you don't know anyone and a troop of increasingly sweaty and coked up assholes are struggling harder and harder to get their shit heard over everyone else's babble.

And what's the story with the rotating token female panelists whom they all seem to ignore? Jenny Huston last night.

 

[cephalopod]

posted this twice by accident. Mods delete other please.

 

[jane]

Having been the token woman on all-male panels (not The Panel, mind), it can be a bit of a pain. I thought it was just me not being assertive enough, or not having anything interesting to say, but I have heard from some reliable sources who'd listened to/seen these things that there was a sense that when I was speaking, the lads considered it an 'opening' in the conversation and would jsut start talking over me. The thing was, it seemed so natural for them to talk over a woman that they couldn't have been doing it on purpose, and some of these people are people whom I quite like and respect. And I'm not a fucking wallflower. Neither is Jenny!

Didn't see it last night, but I'm glad I didn't. I really like Jenny and it would have pissed me off to see her be ignored in a situation similar to ones I've been in myself.

I've learned a bit more about how to handle myself on a panel, but it's not easy to be the token chick. You kind of have to jump in and take no prisoners, and that means risking being seen as a total wagon. It's easier when the panel is more gender balanced and when the person moderating the discussion is aware of this tendency of people (sometimes other women do it, too) to talk over women.

 

[Vinnie]

The Panel is like a secondary school variety show

 

[cephalopod]

there was a sense that when I was speaking, the lads considered it an 'opening' in the conversation and would jsut start talking over me.

That is exactly what happens on The Panel. But with cock-jockey motormouth Colin Murphy in the hotseat, and his troop of chest puffing baboons it's to be expected.

 

[Gambra]

I didn't see it last night but it was really really good last series but the gf watched it and said that without Dara O'Brian its neither funny nor good.

 

[cephalopod]

I'm the funniest

No I AM!!!

Actually I'm the boss

 

[cephalopod]

Yeah, Dara O'Brien had a likeability and emphaty for guests that is distinctly lacking in Colin Murphy.

 

[jane]

That is exactly what happens on The Panel. But with cock-jockey motormouth Colin Murphy in the hotseat, and his troop of chest puffing baboons it's to be expected.

It's really common. I can say that there are people within RTE who recognise these tendencies and try to overcome them, but they are on the more 'serious' programmes. And I don't find all panels to be that way at all at all.

It is definitely partly down to the presenter because most panelists don't realise that they can have some sense of control over the dynamic of the panel if they're polite to their other panelists.

It's much more fun to be on a polite panel, and you can have actual banter and interesting conversation, as opposed to a load of people vying to say their piece.

 

[cephalopod]

It's really common. I can say that there are people within RTE who recognise these tendencies and try to overcome them, but they are on the more 'serious' programmes. And I don't find all panels to be that way at all at all.

It is definitely partly down to the presenter because most panelists don't realise that they can have some sense of control over the dynamic of the panel if they're polite to their other panelists.

It's much more fun to be on a polite panel, and you can have actual banter and interesting conversation, as opposed to a load of people vying to say their piece.

That's the problem with Murphy, he doesn't seem to helm The Panel, rather he is just like one more guest vying to get his 'funny' quip in. Whereas O'Brien had some authority.

 

[Franco]

Daire O'Briain was the glue that held the thing together. It's all unravelled since he's gone.

It's terrible having to watch Ed Byrne - he's was never that funny but now he's painfully bad. The Ian Baker Finch of comedy.

 

[classic seanc]

O'Brien: 6' 4"
Murphy: 5' nothin'


Simple as that.

 

[jane]

That's the problem with Murphy, he doesn't seem to helm The Panel, rather he is just like one more guest vying to get his 'funny' quip in. Whereas O'Brien had some authority.

It's really funny how the older I get, the more I really understand the importance of 'good management'. Fucking hell. But it's true.

Dara is possibly more confident in a genuine way, in that he is confidence enough in his own wit that he can defer to the panelists. Maybe Colin Murphy lacks that. Also, maybe he is doing way more coke.

I really like Dara O'Briain. He doesn't really need to speak all the time because his face is incredibly expressive, which makes him kinda always funny.

I loved the first series of Don't Feed the Gondolas....Sean Moncrieff did it as well and they were fucking deadly. The later series didn't come within even a whiff of being as good.

 

[cephalopod]

Daire O'Briain was the glue that held the thing together. It's all unravelled since he's gone.

It's terrible having to watch Ed Byrne - he's was never that funny but now he's painfully bad. The Ian Baker Finch of comedy.

It was genuinely painful last night. The first guest, some guy who could memorise a pack of cards was treated with contempt. 'Are you single?' being one of the tasteful questions put to him, and the second guest, hollywood actor, James Cromwell, was treated with a sycophantic reverence, and made them all look like inbred hobbits in his presence.

 

[Yurn!]

oh god. cunt.

 

[Unicron]

oh god. cunt.

Fucking sap.

Are the libel laws here really so fucked that whenever someone made some outragous, negative and obviously untrue statement about someone in the news that the Dara O'Brien did have to say "for legal reasons I should point out that that was a joke, Bertie doesn't rape babies" or was it some poor running joke?

Due to my mishap on Saturday I stayed in and saw O'Brien on Tubridy whilst I was waiting for Match Of The Day, he said the reason he stopped doing the panel was because towards the end he was just flying in on the day of the show and being given crib notes by the producers and he felt guilty becasue he thought it was a bit condescending to the audience.

Mock The Week is terrible though, if they wanted him to do a current affairs comedy show in the UK they should have just given him Have I Got News For You fulltime which is at least marginally better.

 

[classic seanc]

oh god. cunt.

Never liked him. Never ever ever. Who are the goons who liked? I’m sure he’s been upped on this forum before, but there ain’t nothing funny about him. Never was. He’s extraordinarily ordinary.

 

[MDR]

Dara O'Briain always says 'but . . . emm' after he makes a joke. I think it's because he's afraid to let it hang there without being laughed at. Ed Byrne needs elocution lessons.

 

[sweetoblivion]

Having been the token woman on all-male panels (not The Panel, mind), it can be a bit of a pain. I thought it was just me not being assertive enough, or not having anything interesting to say, but I have heard from some reliable sources who'd listened to/seen these things that there was a sense that when I was speaking, the lads considered it an 'opening' in the conversation and would jsut start talking over me. The thing was, it seemed so natural for them to talk over a woman that they couldn't have been doing it on purpose, and some of these people are people whom I quite like and respect. And I'm not a fucking wallflower. Neither is Jenny!

Didn't see it last night, but I'm glad I didn't. I really like Jenny and it would have pissed me off to see her be ignored in a situation similar to ones I've been in myself.

I've learned a bit more about how to handle myself on a panel, but it's not easy to be the token chick. You kind of have to jump in and take no prisoners, and that means risking being seen as a total wagon. It's easier when the panel is more gender balanced and when the person moderating the discussion is aware of this tendency of people (sometimes other women do it, too) to talk over women.

The problem with them having one woman on the panel is that no matter what she does, she will always be the token woman. If she is all quiet and lets them talk over her, she's 'not funny'. If she has to talk over them, in order to be heard, she's 'too ballsy'. When you're the token anything it's hard to break out of that role. Plus because there is a dearth of female comedians in Ireland, people just assume they can't get more than one woman because all female comedians are shit.

 

[sweetoblivion]

Never liked him. Never ever ever. Who are the goons who liked? I’m sure he’s been upped on this forum before, but there ain’t nothing funny about him. Never was. He’s extraordinarily ordinary.

He's only massive in the UK, because of his Fullmooners comedy night.