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Irish comedian Andrew Maxwell tackles troubled Anglo-Irish history with Al Murray

Dublin-born comedian Andrew Maxwell talks to David Roy about stating Ireland's case on Al Murray's new show Why Does Everyone Hate The English? and the comedy fodder provided by Brexit-era Britain

Andrew Maxwell and Al Murray celebrate Anglo-Irish relations the Irish way
Andrew Maxwell and Al Murray celebrate Anglo-Irish relations the Irish way Andrew Maxwell and Al Murray celebrate Anglo-Irish relations the Irish way

SET your series link now: tonight, comedian Al Murray's new country-hopping History show Why Does Everyone Hate The English? arrives in Ireland.

Having already aired the grievances of France and Wales in the first two episodes, viewers will next witness proud Englishman Murray teaming up with Irish comedy chum Andrew Maxwell.

Together, the duo take on Ireland's pet peeves about our treatment by the folks on 'the big island' over the past few hundred years – from the English love of a good old Irish cultural stereotype to more serious historical bugbears like the Famine, Oliver Cromwell and the violent suppression of our independence.

Believe it or not, the hour-long show is actually great fun: the pair don't even come close to physical violence, even though Murray does kick off his Irish visit by making five-foot-six-and-a-half tall Maxwell visit Dublin's Leprechaun Museum.

As the diminutive Irishman explains, the sunshine he and Murray enjoyed during filming definitely boosted the craic.

"The weather was fantastic," admits Maxwell, who will be back in Belfast next month for a stand-up show at The Limelight.

"And Al is a Hibernophile, he loves Ireland – he loves a pint and a natter and he's a good mate of mine who I've known for over 20 years. So the making of the show couldn't have been nicer.

"He's a proud Englishman who loves his country and I'm a proud Irishman who also loves his country. But we're also comedians, so we know that, ultimately, all that s** doesn't matter.

"It was just fun to be able to take a buddy of mine who I know shares a passion for the good times around Ireland in the sunshine."

Indeed, the summery scenic vibes the pair enjoyed during their potted tour of key flashpoints in Anglo-Irish relations, including Drogheda and the Boyne Valley, proved so relaxing that Maxwell admits it was became almost incongruous to try and discuss the violent history involved.

"It was so hard when were at the site of all these places where there's been a lot of blood spilled and a lot of misery," the comedian winces.

"And there's me and Al messing about in a coracle in the blazing sunshine, going up and down the Boyne discussing Irish history.

"The Boyne Valley is absolutely beautiful. It's so hard to imagine that this bucolic scene is now being celebrated by the burning of tyres on council estates in north Belfast!"

With the ongoing debate over the possibility of a return to a 'hard Irish border' under Brexit – or, to paraphrase the current affairs-savvy Maxwell's recent skewering of the border debacle on BBC panel show The News Quiz, 'a hard British border in Ireland' under Brexit – there could be no better time for the show to be putting Anglo-Irish relations under the microscope.

"The problem that's been all the way through the relations between the two islands has been a giant lack of basic knowledge from the larger island about the smaller island," says the comic, who has been based in England for over 20 years and currently lives in the overwhelmingly pro-Leave county of Kent.

"That's ultimately what we're living through right now. I heard one of the hardline Brexiteers, Andrew Bridgen, who's one of the European Research Group, being interviewed by Stephen Nolan the other day – and he actually thought that the common travel area that was set up in 1922 meant that the English were eligible for Irish passports.

"Even some of the locals I have conversations with, who are all of the older, Brexit-y Sun/Daily Mail variety, they still have access to the internet. They have BBC, ITV and Channel 4 on their tellies, so they could be informed about these things – they just don't care, mate.

"I think it's about 50/50 when it comes to the English: half of them love the Irish and probably have a more healthy love of Ireland than Irish people. The other half don't necessarily dislike us, let alone hate us – they just don't care. They've no idea and they're not interested."

And, according to the Dubliner, our very own DUP's sudden rise to political power under Theresa May's reign has got Remainers and Brexiteers alike scratching their noggins.

"Honestly, it is fascinating to see people of all political varieties on this island trying to play catch-up with what the f*** Northern Ireland is," laughs Maxwell, who points out that Arlene Foster and co are also experiencing their own rude awakening with regard to their staunchly British self-image.

"When the DUP shook that deal out with Theresa May and got their £1.5 billion, The Daily Mail had a Sharpe cartoon depicting a pub full of drunk, stereotypical-looking Irish characters.

"A man walks in and asks 'What's going on here?' and the publican goes 'Oh, the DUP have got their money'. And this is in The Daily Mail, a bastion of British unionism, imperialism and colonialism, an unfettered 'we're with Enoch' kind of paper, the one paper you would think should have at least some understanding of Ulster unionism.

"That's the level we're at. And even the Brexiteers have no interest in Ulster unionism – I mean, they're being lead by a guy [Jacob Rees-Mogg] who's an arch Catholic.

"He's regularly in the betting stakes over here as being in the running to be the next prime minister, yet you're going, 'I still don't even know if that's even possible' – because he's a Catholic."

As for what might happen regarding the actual implementation of Brexit, Maxwell predicts it will involve the standard political tactic of 'delay, delay, delay'.

"I still think they'll just push Article 50 further down the line," he tells me. "Britain will still be in the EU for the European Parliament elections in May and will take part in that, and when that happens it will become essentially a foreshadowing of a people's vote."

Maxwell also believes that the current period of political unrest and the rise of populism across Europe and the developed world is having an oddly positive effect in terms of building an audience for the kind of politically engaged comedy he's become known for over the past decade.

"In many ways, this era that we're living through, whether it's Brexit, Trump or various numpties across Europe, is good because people are suddenly paying attention [to the news]," he reasons.

"Things like the #MeToo movement and #BlackLivesMatter are in the mix as well, and I think that's a good thing."

:: Al Murray’s Why Does Everyone Hate The English? continues on History (Sky 130 / Virgin 270 / BT 327 / TalkTalk 327) on Monday October 22 at 9pm as Andrew Maxwell joins Al to put forward the Irish perspective. Catch up now via on-demand and History.co.uk. Andrew Maxwell performs at The Limelight in Belfast on November 9; tickets via Ticketmaster.ie.