Shane Todd talks about his “disastrous” start in comedy and how he delves into the NI archives for a new TV series –

For those of you who haven’t been on Radio Ulster Friday Night at 6pm for the past few months, you’ve definitely missed out on the fun.

Comedian and professional Jack Shane Todd, along with his comedian friend Dave Elliot, have spent the past few months entertaining everyone, with the old-school tunes from the ’90s and 2000s you’d probably hear at a teen nightclub in your youth.

Coinciding with the launch of the shutdown, the Shane Todd Show has become a beacon of light for everyone in tough times, with 30 minutes devoted to unnecessary noise, apart from the hard work of daily newsletters.

And unlike Mike McGoldrick’s familiar alter ego, Sheen argues that he didn’t need to hook up characters to play these songs, he just masked old-school rave tracks.

“I’ve always loved old school dance tunes,” he laughs, speaking to Belfast Live on the phone.

“Then we asked the BBC if we could play the No Limits song one night for our one-off show. They said they got off and we didn’t have a lot of relationships on the show.” We got the answer we got, so we thought we’d keep doing that until we could escape.”

Speaking to us before taping the final episode of his radio series, he admitted that although the blocking was as turbulent for him as it was for everyone else, he found a way to adapt and find comedic mediums. this time.

“I think like all freelancers, I’ve also had to adapt. Over the past few years I’ve been fortunate to have good videographers who can capture and edit my drawings, but since I started closing I’ve had to do it for the first time since I was a student, so It was back to basics.

“But yeah, I’m a producer, I’m not aware of that. I was trying to get a sketch of the day just to follow. Then I have a very small studio at home, so I guess after the first few days of closing down. When I was watching a lot of news, I wanted to Get away from her.So engaging in comedic twists was welcome.

For those who missed his radio show, Shane will appear in his three-part series in October and November, which airs on BBC One.

The series, the first… starring Shane Todd, sees the comedian dive into the safe of BBC archive footage and offer his comedic vision of what he discovers.

This is a sharp concept for a period when more and more people turn their attention to the present and the joys of nostalgia. And whether it’s club dancers in Town Hall in the ’70s, or vacationers in Portsworth in the ’80s, Shane’s commentary is just the right amount of humor and love in a bygone era.

“This process started a few years ago,” he says. I wanted to see archive footage from the 1960s. I thought it would be a really good idea and if I could add snippets of me that look like a comedy party it would still work.

“We re-designed it for the pilot. The BBC seems to have liked it and the feedback has been good. I think a lot of people didn’t see this pilot episode at first, but they repeated it during lockdown. It got more attention, so by the time I commissioned the BBC This 3-part series.

Shane says the project has shown that it has made many discoveries about what Northern Ireland was like in the past and will have great public appeal.

“I enjoyed immersing myself in photographing this archive. I think it attracts a lot of people, just as you always look at photo albums.

“I met all these gems. There was a reporter from the ’60s, James Boyce, who had such a disrespectful style of interpretation. Kind of a guy who was a totally funny character, and he didn’t even understand. It was great finding these items and being able to share them.”

Sheen’s new show is part of the BBC’s autumn programme, which has focused heavily on Northern Irish comedies such as Paddy Ruff, receiving its own Christmas show and showcasing an episode of Stand Up For Live Comedy. The best local talent. Do you think Shane’s sight is particularly healthy now?

“I think the whole snowboard scene in the UK and Ireland, but this comedy scene in Belfast, pound by pound, is better here than in a lot of places. I think I can say this without bias.

“And I think it’s because people here really interact with local comedians. They always go out and see their performance. Whereas, in the past, people would have chosen to come to Michael McIntyre or Peter Kay to come into town, today people pay to meet someone from Belfast or, In my case, Hollywood.

For those who might not be familiar with Sheen’s entry into the world of comedy, he says he became a full-time comedian with a mixture of solid judgment and trial and error.

“I think for years I have always enjoyed watching shows on stands and sketches. I enjoyed watching Harry Anfield and The Express Show and Richard Pryor. Then, when I went to college at the Belfast Met at age 16, I thought more. And the idea of ​​creating more stands.

“But I think in this part of the world you would never want to be yourself. You always wondered if your guys were going crazy. So it took me about 18 or 19 years to go ahead and do my job. My first evening with an open mic.

“At first it was terribly wrong. But it seemed to me that it was important to do it. So I went back in and had another night with the open mic and things went a little bit better, so I just kept moving on. It’s been 13 years. I’ve been doing it full time for six years…”

Before… will air with Shane Todd on Friday 23 October 2020 at 10:45 pm BBC One in Northern Ireland.