Epstein, Prince Phillip and spit roasting in the intro. Nobody would suggest that Frankie Boyle has mellowed.
The set-up was slightly different due to social distancing. The guests, Sara Pascoe, Sophie Duker and Miles Jupp sat around the table, giving the show more of a discussion feel. The lack of audience meant a lack of laughs though and some of the lines certainly warranted more chuckles.
It quickly hit its stride though. After a clip of Matt Hancock talking awkwardly about Chester Zoo, Boyle said: "Of all the things to care about in the pandemic..zoos! If I want to see a depressed 200lb animal trapped in a confined space I'll look down at myself in the bath".
Special guest Guz Khan was both funny and serious about the state of the nation: "You can handle this pandemic as shit as this government has and providing you're willing to pop migrants' boats in the channel the British public will still have your back."
Sara Pascoe revealed that she had Covid after visiting Finland. She blames it on Father Christmas, who she met there. Sophie Duker confessed to a baking addiction and Miles Jupp joked that having time to think during lockdown made him think he was depressed.
Second special guest America's Sara Barron was typically acidic about her homeland and the forthcoming election there, but Boyle trumped her with his line about the current US President: "He's at the limit of how weird a person can be and not die."
Oh, and Boyle was also good on Eammon Holmes after a clip of Holmes on This Morning: “You don’t have an enquiring mind. You’re presenting This Morning! The next item is on jeggings.”
I can't imagine many Tories enjoying this, so maybe it'll get axed in favour of some right wing comedy after this run. And admittedly some of the targets were fish-in-a-barrel. But no other television show is as vicious. It was Boyle at his bilious best.
Frankie Boyle's New World Order, Thursdays, 10pm, BBC2 from Sept 3.
Footnote: Just found a list of writers on New World Order. Good to see they are credited at the end of the show and here is a list.
