RTÉ announces new TV series from team behind ComedyJOE

The comedy series is from the minds of ComedyJOE all-stars Ross McCarney and Ryan Carrick, which begs the question: 'Why are they writing some of those episodes?!'

That's right! The Irish broadcaster announced Foul Play today (Wednesday, 26 August), a new sitcom from on-the-rise comedians (and my esteemed colleagues) Ross McCarney and Ryan Carrick, and the rest of the team behind ComedyJOE.

Plot details are mostly being kept under wraps for now. That said, we can tease that the comedy show "imagines life at a Dublin-commuter-town GAA club." To paraphrase Ross McCarney, therein lies the humour.

In a statement about Foul Play, Ryan Carrick told JOE: "Is this thing actually happening?! I was only messing when I agreed to it. You can't make me do this.

"Only messing! I'm super excited. I think we've got a really good show that deals with topics that resonate with people in Ireland and will also hopefully provide a few laughs along the way.

"Thanks to everyone who has supported our comedy so far. The best is yet to come."

Ross McCarney added: "So the show is sort of like TikTok and Instagram Reels except it's landscape and better, which is very exciting to me.

"I'm only messing as well! I'm very excited to be involved with Foul Play. I think this will be some of our best stuff yet. I'm honoured to get to do this.

"I think people of all creeds will come together in their enjoyment of this particular television programme."

Content Director of JOE, Ros Madigan, also said: “This is a really exciting project for us at JOE Media Group.

"We only launched ComedyJOE as a standalone brand in February of this year. So to see it go from a digital comedy series to being commissioned by RTÉ is brilliant.

"ComedyJOE has seen over 70million video views in those months, representing a first for Irish publishers in this space”.

Series producer David Atkinson also said of Foul Play: "I'm so delighted and grateful that RTÉ,  championed by Comedy Commissioner Mark Bignell, are taking a chance on a new, emerging Irish brand with new Irish talent.

"ComedyJOE has been growing quickly over the last six months mostly through presenting brand new Irish comics to the Internet, to great success.

"The overall goal of what we're doing is to platform new and emerging comedy talent from across Ireland, and we think this show will do just that.

"It's important to give as many new talent opportunities as we can to let the best of us rise to the top. Can't wait to show you what we're making!"

Most opportune!