All the LOL with Graham and his gang
As of today Amazon Prime will be the most sought-after streaming service for those who like a good laugh. For in Last One Laughing - or LOL, Graham Norton puts ten of Ireland’s top comics into a house with a peculiar challenge - not to laugh or smile while the others try to crack them like walnuts in an effort to win €50,000 for charity.
Aisling Bea, Deirdre O’Kane, Catherine Bohart, Tony Cantwell, Paul Tylak, Jason Byrne, Martin Angolo David McSavage, Emma Doran and Amy Huberman are inside the house which is presided over by Graham, the judge who watches in real time, handing out red and yellow cards if the housemates crack a smile.
Last One Laughing originated in Japan in 2016, and since then the show has had versions created in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Colombia, India, Brazil, Canada, Sweden, Argentina, Poland, the Netherlands and Nigeria but obviously the Irish version is the best, made as it is by Kite Entertainment, the people behind a string of comedy hits including the fabulous Anonymous.
Norton says: ‘I did look like a Bond baddie, plotting the end of the world! It took a few minutes to get used to it, because I was by myself in this room, and the comics in the other bit of the house... we’re all used to having an audience! So all of that was a bit unsettling! But then there was so much to watch, because I’m seeing it from every single angle on a big bank of screens. It was like my dream job, it was watching telly for six or seven hours.’
At the rather fancy launch in Dublin last week, Vogue Williams quizzed the cast and revealed some spoilers that we won’t utter here but safe to say that Amy Huberman is a dark horse and everyone should watch out for that rapier-sharp wit of Deirdre O’Kane.
Amy says of her time in the house: ‘Everything and everyone was dangerous! I’ve worked with Aisling Bea before, and I knew that her physical comedy was going to be a slow torture to me, trying to watch her, over a number of hours. And then the look on Deirdre’s face. And her eyes. And the general composition of her head. I would just look at her and go “That is too much”. Because there is just boldness in Deirdre O’Kane’s eyes. If she just caught you with a side look, then that was it. ‘
Only one will remain standing and episodes are available on Amazon Prime today.