Francis Martin Patrick Boyle (born 16 August 1972) is a Scottish comedian and writer. Boyle first gained widespread recognition as a regular panellist on the comedy show Mock the Week from 2005 until 2009. He then created and starred in the Channel 4 sketch show Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights (2010) and BBC Two's chat show Frankie Boyle's New World Order (2017–2022). In 2020, he presented a four-part series on BBC Two, Frankie Boyle's Tour of Scotland. He has toured and released several stand-up specials. Boyle has been involved in public controversies due to his humour.
Early life and education Francis Martin Patrick Boyle was born on 16 August 1972 in Pollokshaws, Glasgow, to Irish Catholic parents from Crolly in County Donegal.Don't be sheepish: Donegal's message to Frankie Boyle (The Belfast Telegraph, 22 September 2012).
He attended St Conval's Primary and Holyrood Secondary School in Glasgow. After leaving school, he worked as a library assistant over the summer and attended Langside College. He then studied urban planning at Aston University for a year before leaving and beginning a BA in English literature at the University of Sussex.
He graduated from university aged 22 and his first job was working in a mental health hospital. He then went to a teacher-training college in Edinburgh and had placements in schools, but by then was performing as a stand-up comedian.
Career
Boyle first performed stand-up at the University of Sussex Student Union, later gaining his big break after performing at The Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh and winning an open-mic event at the 1996 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. His comedy influences include Billy Connolly, Bill Hicks and Spike Milligan.
Television Mock the Week (2005–2009)
Boyle was a regular on the BBC panel show Mock the Week from its first episode on 5 June 2005 until 17 September 2009. A programme in which the panel comment humorously on news stories from the British media, Mock the Week was hosted by Dara Ó Briain, who in an episode of Live at the Apollo referred to Boyle as "the dark heart of Mock the Week". He is known for his morbid sense of humour, which plays on negative images of celebrities, politicians and society (particularly his home country Scotland). On 2 October 2009, Boyle announced via the Mock the Weeks Facebook fan page that he was leaving the show to concentrate on other projects.
Boyle has since criticised both the show's production team and the BBC Trust. He claims the show did not cover enough major news stories and was too restrictive on his risqué comedy act, because the producers and the BBC Trust were afraid of "frightening the horses". He is seen in archive footage of Mock the Week on the 2009 Christmas Special, which aired on 22 December 2009, as a series of "Best Bits and Festive Clips", in a compilation celebrating the show's 100th episode on 5 July 2012 as well as in archive footage on the 2012 Christmas Special, which aired on 27 December 2012.
Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights (2010)
In October 2009, Boyle piloted a sketch and stand-up show for Channel 4, entitled Deal With This, Retards to be produced by RDF Scotland subsidiary the Comedy Unit. Boyle mentioned on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross that the original title of the show had been dropped, due to its offensive nature, and been renamed Tramadol Nights and aired from the end of November 2010. An official page launched via Channel 4's official website, which confirmed that the show's full name is Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights and the series was made up of six episodes. Boyle caused controversy on the show with his comments about Katie Price and Dwight Yorke's disabled son, Harvey.
Frankie Boyle's Rehabilitation Programme pilot (2011) On 21 August 2011, it was revealed that Channel 4 had given Boyle permission to record a pilot for a topical talk show in October of that year, which would be called Frankie Boyle's Rehabilitation Programme (despite the controversy surrounding Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights). Channel 4 head of comedy Shane Allen told the press that "it's very much like Parkinson or Wogan, but with paedo jokes" and that the show would feature Boyle "in a studio, riffing off the audience a bit with some people challenging what he says". The pilot's format is similar to his later Autopsy shows and to Frankie Boyle's New World Order, with Boyle making controversial statements which are discussed and challenged by his guests. It was included on the DVD release of The Last Days of Sodom.
The Boyle Variety Performance (2012)
The Boyle Variety Performance was broadcast on 19 August 2012 and featured Boyle with guests Rob Delaney, Nick Helm, Katherine Ryan and Tom Stade. A few days after the show was broadcast, Boyle attracted criticism after he posted jokes on Twitter about the 2012 Summer Paralympics.
Gasping (2014) In 2014, Frankie Boyle starred in the short comedy film Gasping for BBC Scotland, written by Greg Hemphill. The title refers to an expression in Scottish English, communicative of an irresistible compulsion to do something, such as smoke a cigarette; or, as here, to drink alcohol. The short feature is an at-times-farcical but generally deadpan treatment of a man's attempted recovery from alcoholism.
Frankie Boyle's Autopsy (2014–2016) Frankie Boyle's Referendum Autopsy was released on 28 September 2014, and Frankie Boyle's Election Autopsy was released on 17 May 2015, through BBC iPlayer. Featuring guests Katherine Ryan and Sara Pascoe, Boyle dissected the Scottish independence referendum, 2014 and general election. Frankie Boyle's American Autopsy dissected the buildup and fallout of the United States presidential election, tackling topics such as feminism, entertainment, propaganda, and guns. Special guests include Sara Pascoe, Katherine Ryan, Michelle Wolf, Desiree Burch, and Richard Osman.
Frankie Boyle's New World Order (2017–2022) A show similar to his BBC iPlayer exclusive "autopsy" shows, Boyle returned to TV on BBC Two, with his Frankie Boyle's New World Order, which follows a very similar structure to the aforementioned programmes, where Frankie makes two statements, and discusses them with his guests. The show premiered on 8 June 2017 and was cancelled in 2023.
Frankie Goes to Russia (2018) A two part travel documentary on BBC TV filmed in Russia in the lead up to the World Cup being held there. Featuring interviews with Russian football fans and others.
Frankie Boyle's Tour of Scotland (2020) A four-part travel documentary filmed around Scotland, Frankie Boyle's Tour of Scotland, was shown on BBC Two in early 2020, it also featured Boyle performing work in progress shows prior to a stand-up tour. The stand-up special which followed, Frankie Boyle Live: Excited for You to See and Hate This, filmed in Glasgow, was broadcast on BBC Two in July 2020.
Frankie Boyle's Farewell to the Monarchy (2023)
In a Channel 4 documentary, Boyle discusses historical British kings and queens, comparing them to the modern royal family. Under the name Frankie Boyle: Monarchy, the project was announced in 2022, shelved after the death of Elizabeth II and aired in 2023 shortly before Charles III's coronation.
Radio Blocked pilot (2014) A sitcom set in a small regional theatre starring David Mitchell as a happy-go-lucky writer with writer's block written by Frankie Boyle and Steven Dick, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 5 June 2014.
Journalism Boyle contributes occasional articles to UK newspapers, including satire and opinion pieces for the British newspaper The Guardian. He wrote a regular column for The Sun until 2012.
Books On 1 October 2009, Boyle's autobiography My Shit Life So Far was released, published by HarperCollins. His second book Work! Consume! Die!—a collection of his columns for The Sun—was released in October 2011. Boyle's third book, the political comedy Scotland's Jesus: The Only Officially Non-racist Comedian, was released in the UK on 24 October 2013. As of October 2021, the three books had sold 600,000 copies in the UK for £5million, with My Shit Life So Far as the best-selling of these. Boyle's fourth book, The Future of British Politics, was released 12 November 2020 as one of five essays in the Futures series.
Boyle's first fictional book, Meantime, is a crime fiction novel set in Glasgow in the aftermath of Scottish Independence. It was published in July 2022. The book was nominated for Bloody Scotland's Debut of the Year award for crime writing. Boyle wrote for the book while in hotel rooms after a gig, saying that he would be unable to sleep due to adrenaline. Boyle said at the Edinburgh Book Festival in 2022: "I would much rather, if I could, segue into writing novels and just stay in the house and not travel so much". He said of writing, in comparison to stand-up comedy, that "you don't have to go and sell it to people". However, he said that writing fiction was "equally difficult". He planned to begin writing a second novel over Christmas 2022.
Podcasts In 2024, Boyle started the podcast Here Comes The Guillotine with fellow Scottish comedians Susie McCabe and Christopher MacArthur-Boyd. The podcast ended in February 2026.
He has also appeared as a guest on an episode of Off Menu, recorded live at the SEC Armadillo in Glasgow.
Stand-up career In October 2007 Boyle embarked on a stand-up tour of Britain, playing over 100 dates and enjoying a sold-out run that was extended through until December 2008. Boyle said that he planned to retire from live stand-up before he turned 40, had written his final tour, and planned to do more television work after this. Boyle performed the tour, entitled I Would Happily Punch Every One of You in the Face, between March and December 2010.
On 21 November 2011, at a "Meet the Comedians" session in the Apple Store, Regent Street with Jimmy Carr, Boyle announced he was doing another tour entitled The Last Days of Sodom, despite intending I Would Happily Punch Every One of You in the Face to be his final one. He mentioned the tour would not be as long as its predecessor. His website stated it would run from July to December 2012 with more dates to be added. Tickets went on sale in December 2011.
Live tours YearTitle 2007–2008 Morons, I Can Heal You 2010 I Would Happily Punch Every One of You in the Face 2012 The Last Days of Sodom2015 Hurt Like You've Never Been Loved2019 Full Power 2023 Lap of Shame
DVD releases On 10 November 2008, Boyle's first DVD was released, featuring a sell-out stand-up performance given at London's Hackney Empire and some additional material, including a documentary about the tour, entitled Fuck You Scotland, and some sketches from the BBC Three comedy Rush Hour. The DVD was described by WhatDVD.net as "certainly not one to watch with your grandparents – not unless they are pretty open-minded!"
Boyle has also featured in three DVD compilations of material from Mock the Week. The compilations, entitled Too Hot for TV, include material deemed too offensive for broadcast on TV and uncut versions of several full episodes. Boyle's second live DVD, If I Could Reach Out Through Your TV and Strangle You I Would, was released on 15 November 2010.
Podcast On 16 July 2009, Boyle's first podcast was released. Entitled Mock the Week Musings, the podcast is a recording of Boyle testing the material he has written for Mock the Week to a London audience. Boyle comments on his material throughout and often informs the audience that certain jokes are not going into the show due to their reaction (or lack thereof), and the podcast carries an explicit content warning. The recording includes some audience interaction, with Boyle offering to test some of his new "put-downs" on the crowd.