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Joe Pasquale has hit out at TV networks over lack of programming for over 60s, with the stand-up insisting that comedy no longer caters to the age group.
The comedian, 64, shot to fame in the Eighties when competing on talent show New Faces before hitting the variety show circuit and going on to win I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2004.
Speaking about being mentored by comedic giants of the Sixties, Ken Dodd, Bob Monkhouse and Des O’Connor, Pasquale said that there are few names today who are continuing to champion that old-school brand of comedy.
“All three of them were amazing; they helped so many young comics,” he told The Telegraph. “They were the best in the world at the time, they were the gods of comedy.
“To spend time with them was a gift. They took me under their wing and I stayed friends with them all till the very end.”
When asked whether he was “carrying the flame for their era of comedy”, Pasquale said that he felt he was with his fellow members of The Prat Pack – a variety show foursome he tours with, made up of The Chase’s Bradley Walsh, EastEnders’ Shane Richie and actor Brian Conley.
“I think we all are,” he said. “There are 400 channels on telly now, but no one caters for our age group, the 60-plus, with that sort of comedy.”
Pasquale said that the group spend three hours of their show talking about their prostates, adding: “We have bets – who’s going to go first? We’re in Sniper Alley now, waiting for someone to pick us off.”
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Dodd, Monkhouse and O’Connor became prominent figures during the rise of light entertainment in British TV, with all three being given their own chat shows and known for their one-liners and impressive ability to improvise.
Pasquale isn’t the only comedian to speak out about the state of comedy; Fawlty Towers star John Cleese said in 2024 that the TV genre had been ruined by “literal-minded” viewers and that he didn’t know if people could “name more than one or two” modern sitcoms.
“I was reading something about a month ago, somebody was pointing out the extraordinary number of really funny comedy shows that was on our screen in 1991,” he said. “There was something like 30 really funny comedies. And now, I don’t know that people can name more than one or two comedies – and why is that? I don’t know.”
In recent years, Pasquale has focused more on touring and stage work – however, he made a surprise appearance on Beat the Chasers as guest chase “The Maverick”. The comedian used a voice changer and wore a mask while competing on the show before revealing his real identity to surprised pal and show host Walsh.
