Nothing... despite what you might have read

Channel 4 say 'nothing has changed' over the controversial comedy set amid the Irish potato famine.

Yesterday, the Irish Central website – which has long campaigned against the idea – reported that the broadcaster was not going to be making a show. Cllaims were widely repeated across the Irish media.

However, the line from Channel 4 has not changed since the details of the script commission from Dublin-based writer Hugh Travers was first reported a year ago.

At the time, Channel 4 said the script, entitled Hungry was in the development process and is not currently planned to air.’

And today Channel 4 spokesman Donna Matthews told Chortle: 'We were very clear that this was a script commission – not a pilot or a series – and that there were no plans to air it. Nothing’s changed.'

Travers described Hungry, as ‘Shameless in famine Ireland’ – prompting howls of outrage that a comedy could be set amid such difficult times.

A petition attracting tens of thousands of signatures said: ' ‘Famine or genocide is no laughing matter, approximately 1 million Irish people died and another 2 million were forced to emigrate because they were starving. Any programme on this issue would have to be of serious historical context not, repeat not, a comedy.’

However, many have also pointed to shows such as Dad's Army, M*A*S*H and Blackadder Goes Forth as to how comedy can be set to a backdrop when millions of people lost their lives.

And even though the Hungry script has not been made public, campaigners have not hesitated to brand the show 'institutionalised anti-Irish racism'.

When news of Hungry first broke, Travers said: ‘Well, they say “comedy equals tragedy plus time”. I don’t want to do anything that denies the suffering that people went through, but Ireland has always been good at black humour.’

Published: 7 Jan 2016