The Herald - The Herald Magazine
Frank of Ireland – ‘it is physical, slapstick and Dumb and Dumber’
STANDING at a church altar, the Gleeson brothers find themselves in character, contorted into a peculiar kind of stranglehold which also involves fingers in mouths, two cage fighting enthusiasts and a guitar.
It’s a peculiar set-up and yet it is, in many ways, one that perfectly captures the physical, somewhat slapstick nature of the duo’s latest black comedy, Frank of Ireland, which will air on Channel 4.
Written by Peaky Blinders actor Brian Gleeson and his brother, Ex Machina and About Time star Domhnall, alongside Your Bad Self creator Michael Moloney, it is a curious blend of physical comedy underpinned by delightfully dark humour.
“It is a physical, slapstick and ... if you grew up watching Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber, I think that element of it is important to us and is definitely there,” says Brian, 33.
“But I suppose it’s a kind of a classic sitcom format, really, but you know, structured with an Irish sensibility.”
It centres on Irish 32-year-old “manchild” Frank, who still lives at home with his parents in Dublin – a failed musician,
According to his brother and co-writer Domhnall, 37, Frank can only be described as a “kind of 13-year-old personality that’s never grown up because he’s too comfortable in life and has a temper and expects the world to do him favours”.
“And then we have Doofus,” continues Domhnall with a grin, “who is more like a nineyear-old, who’s younger and looks up to Frank and [is] more naive and more stupid and doesn’t know as much. He’s younger. He’s very innocent...”
Depicting the at-times codependent relationship of the on-screen brothers, the series follows the unconventional pair as they face all manner of misadventures in the wake of Frank’s ex-girlfriend moving on with a new partner.
Normal People actress Sarah Greene plays Frank’s ex Aine, who becomes something of an obsession for him, who hasn’t written or played a song in seven years and five months – the precise length of time since their break-up. However, that’s merely a coincidence, as Frank assures anyone who will listen...