Men of the people

Throughout 10 years of reviewing live comedy I have never been known for my love of sketch — and that's an understatement. But when I heard that The Ginge, The Geordie and The Geek had secured a series on BBC2, I was pleased. I'd just seen their latest Edinburgh show and was pleasantly surprised by their consistent shtick and their acting ability. And the sketches weren't too bad either.

In the year since, I have been subjected to even more sketch comedy than usual, thanks to my role as a judge on the panel for Sketchfest, the UK's first contest dedicated to the genre.

It served to remind me just what an oddity the three Gs are: they are alternative by being mainstream at a Fringe that still largely celebrates the avant garde, the clever, the clever-clever and the fashionable. 

On hand to explain the difference is John Hoggarth, GGG's co-writer and director, aka 'the Ghost' (according to the group's website), and a background figure almost akin to The League of Gentlemen's Jeremy Dyson. Hoggarth linked up with the group as part of his foray into writing and directing, which involved a spell as the artistic director of the National Youth Theatre.

"We get genuinely broad audiences," he says, "and for the TV show we wanted three generations to enjoy it. We tend not to use expletives or sexual references and aim to get to the funny without relying on shortcuts."

Though they may not be adventurous enough for some critics, there's no doubt the trio are dexterous. It's big comedy without big egos – uncomplicated, but with plenty of belief. And it's this sense of belief, not just confidence, that caught the eye of Kristian Smith, BBC Comedy Executive Editor.

"There is something gloriously old-fashioned about those boys – they are good, clean fun, which is no bad thing," says Smith. "They want to satisfy a mainstream audience and that is rare around Edinburgh, where there is a lot of niche stuff and career comedy. They are very certain of what they are and that is what makes good comedy for me, no matter what it is."

The group laugh when I suggest they are "dad chic," but they are unabashed to admit that Morecambe and Wise and The Two Ronnies are among their favourite comedians. Style-wise, Smith likens them to The Goons. With all of the above, the distinctive personalities that comprised these acts shone through.

"In Edinburgh, there are lots of sketch groups with confident, middle-class performers who are quite often interchangeable with what they do," observes Smith. "Though their performances are often excellent and the material is strong, they do not necessarily speak to a larger audience."

Their first Edinburgh, in 2009, left them without a deposit for a flat and so they couch-surfed with friends for a while, meeting at Hoggarth's flat to write. However, the sacrifice paid off. "Every Edinburgh has been a step forward," says Graeme Rooney (the Ginge). "After the first, we got an agent, after the second we got a production company, and after the third Edinburgh, Kristian Smith from the BBC approached us."

Paul Charlton (the Geordie) adds: "It sounds funny now, but we had a business plan when we started and said that we would have a pilot within three years of our first Edinburgh show. Because we treated it like that we didn't use any cheats—shortcuts like corpsing—so that it could be used for a TV show."

The group find their premeditated approach amusing now and the irony is that, despite being a fourth-wall sketch group, they are less synchronised than many 'boyband' sketch outfits. Some might say they are unsophisticated by comparison, but they certainly stand out one way or another.