Nob Nation
RTÉ Supporting the Nobs
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| Genre | Satirical comedy |
|---|---|
| Running time | 3-5mins |
| Country of origin | Ireland |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | RTÉ 2fm |
| Starring | Oliver Callan |
| Announcer | Gerry Ryan |
| Original release | November 2006 – present |
| Website |
rte.ie/2fm/nobnation/ www |
| Podcast | rte.ie/radio1/podcast/podcast_nobnation.xml |
Nob Nation is the title of a series of topical comedy pieces broadcast since November 2006 on two national radio stations in Ireland, RTÉ 2fm and RTÉ Radio 1. The programmes are broadcast Monday through Saturday each week. Nob Nation is written and produced by Oliver Callan.
The series features almost 100 characters, including BIFFO, Dame Enda, Garret FitzGerald, and others based on people from Irish and international public life involved in politics, sport and entertainment. All voice acting is performed by Callan. Political leaders Enda Kenny and Bertie Ahern were said to enjoy Callan's attempts at mimicking the other. Two CDs of Nob Nation sketches have been released, in 2007 and a follow-up in 2008.
In 2011, RTÉ paid defamation damages to an 84-year-old gentleman after Nob Nation inaccurately claimed he was running a brothel.
Originally broadcast on The Derek Mooney Show on RTÉ Radio 1 and subsequently on the 2fm Breakfast Show, the sketches were moved to just after the 10:00 news on The Gerry Ryan Show on RTÉ 2fm in January 2007. Nob Nation was then repeated at night on Damien Farrelly's The Frequency on 2FM. One comedy sketch was selected and was featured on Playback on Radio One on Saturday mornings and on The Saturday Show on 2fm on Saturday afternoons. It has also featured on Ireland's most popular radio show, Morning Ireland, on RTÉ Radio 1.
Nob Nation was reported in the Sunday Independent on 20 January 2008 as being Ireland's most popular podcast of the previous year, with figures showing a total of 736,711 downloads on RTÉ.ie between April and December 2007. Nob Nation also features prominently on the iTunes free podcast chart. Following a number of complaints about Callan's portrayal of Taoiseach Brian Cowen "swaying and snorting in booze-filled sing-songs about his difficulties in office", the popularity of the slot has "simply exploded" according to RTÉ, with over 250,000 hits each month and making up almost a third of all downloads from RTÉ.ie.
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