First look at Frankie Boyle's return to the BBC
Boyle is back on the Beeb in a new iPlayer-only comedy show following his controversial absence from the small screen
It’s Frankie Boyle – but probably not as you have seen him before – making his much anticipated return to the BBC.
The controversial flame-haired comedian is here shown appearing alongside Bob Mortimer in a spoof cookery show sketch the for BBC’s new iPlayer initiative.
The sketch lasts just over seven minutes and, as RadioTimes.com's exclusive clip shows, mocks the forced banter and shallowness of Saturday morning cookery programmes, with lights flashing on and off when banter is “warm and inclusive”.
It is Boyle's first appearance for the BBC since he left comedy show Mock The Week in 2009. He appeared at a Comic Relief gig last year that was televised on BBC3, but his controversial contribution – which included jokes about the Queen – was cut.
Channel 4 then dropped Boyle's Tramadol Nights following outrage provoked by a series of jokes about Paralympic athletes on Twitter in August 2012.
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But his rehabilitation looks set to be complete on 1 June when the BBC is releasing six new comedies for the iPlayer catch-up service – the first commissions solely for the site in its seven-year history.
Other bite-sized gems which will be unveiled next month include a sketch in which Goodness Gracious Me star Meera Syal plays an embittered Bollywood singer.
Another sees comedy actress Morgana Robinson mock various popular TV shows with spoof sketches including an Undateables encounter in which she plays Miley Cyrus. Another skit called Educating Morgana pokes fun at Channel 4 shows Educating Essex and Educating Yorkshire.
Comedian Mickey Flanagan tests his acting skills in his story about a man who kills a fox and becomes an online celebrity.
Another sketch, The Case of the High Foot, matches Reece Shearsmith with Sally Phillips in a take on a Marx Brother spoof.
The last sees Toast of London star Matt Berry perform a very rude voice over of an animal documentary.
“Look at this keen eyed f***r,” he says of the deer as we watch his herd attacked by a pack of wolves, “Where are the yellow bellied bellends,” he adds as the unlucky victim becomes “crippled as s**t” before being “shot to f***”.
The comedy shorts are designed to help pave the way for BBC3’s move online next year, according to iPlayer head of content Victoria Jaye.
But she told RadioTimes.com that iPlayer was able to work as a legitimate content producer in itself too.
“The figures show that 42% of our audience who come to iPlayer, come without anything in mind to watch,” she said.
“It’s fair to say that seeing things first that are new and different on iPlayer is going to be really important, kind of laying a foundation for people who are coming to iPlayer to expect to find new things.”
Asked about swearing and the absence of a watershed she added: “It’s just pretty much in line with what we do fully intend for anything that’s post-watershed. I mean, iPlayer is an environment where you’ve got even more of an opportunity to signpost content for an audience with the click-sign.”
She added that the content had "advisory notes" which acted as a safeguard.
