Après Match

Infobox Television
show_name = Après Match


caption = "Liam Brady" and "Eamon Dunphy"
format = Comedy
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runtime = varied
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starring = Barry Murphy, Risteárd Cooper and Gary Cooke
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country = Republic of Ireland
language = English
network = Radio Telefís Éireann
first_aired = Summer 1996
last_aired = present
num_episodes = -
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website = http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/euro2008/mediaplayer.html?apresmatch
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"Après Match" is an Irish comedy show normally screened after competitive Irish soccer matches on RTÉ. It is performed by Barry Murphy, Risteárd Cooper and Gary Cooke. It was first aired in 1996 at the European Football Championship with "Frank's Euro Ting", although Barry Murphy had performed similar football-related sketches on RTÉ in 1994. Gary Cooke joined the team for the 1998 World Cup.

The show mocks famous, mostly Irish, soccerstars and pundits including Bill O'Herlihy, Eamon Dunphy, Johnny Giles, Liam Brady, Frank Stapleton and Graeme Souness, as well as pundits from the British channels, including Richard Keys, Andy Gray and Jamie Redknapp, Gary Lineker and Alan Hansen. They also mock Irish television and radio personalities such as Marian Finucane, Miriam O'Callaghan, Joe Duffy and Gerry Ryan. The "Après Match" team have sold out venues all over Ireland including Vicar Street, the Olympia Theatre and the Gaiety Theatre. They were less successful with their novelty song for the 2002 World Cup, "Oki Doki Karioki". [ [http://top40-charts.com/song.php?sid=4231] ] Apres match are available to book for events and Christmas Parties through Presence PR - www.presence.ie

Football sketches

2006 World Cup sketches

"Après Match" performed sketches on RTÉ Two after many of the matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. As well as mocking the usual broadcasters, the team interviewed football fans in Germany. There was also a number of sketches following a mock attempt at a takeover by the Gaelic Athletic Association Head Assimilator of Foreign Games of the Match of the Day studios in London and a Father Ted parody of Football Association of Ireland officials and Irish manager Steve Staunton. For the third place play-off match between Germany and Portugal, the team took over full studio coverage, as well as half-time and full-time analysis, as they had done for the corresponding match of the 2002 World Cup.

2006 Christmas special

A Christmas special was broadcast on RTÉ Two on St. Stephen's Day 2006 from 10pm until 11pm. This edition featured highlights of Après Match sketches from 2006, including sequences from the previous summer's World Cup. The stars of the show interviewed the real RTÉ analysts including Ray Houghton, RTÉ commentator George Hamilton and Sky Sports' Chris Kamara. TV3 sports broadcaster Trevor Welch was lampooned, including having his vowels drawn out as he was interviewing fans from participating countries such as Costa Rica and Germany.The broadcast also featured extended highlights of the stars covering the third place play-off of the World Cup between Germany and Portugal.

Euro 2008 sketches

The trio marked their tenth anniversary with three weeks of sketches during UEFA Euro 2008. The tournament marked their biggest contribution yet to RTÉ's coverage of a major tournament. For the first time, Après Match had its own producer, Gráinne O'Carroll, and production team. The real O'Herlihy said that Après Match has played a significant part in what have been impressive viewing figures for a tournament that, in the absence of Ireland and England, he thought might not have generated much interest. He said: "The figures are phenomenal, really. We had nearly 700,000 last Sunday at peak (for Spain vs Italy), the English channel had only about 75,000 at peak that night - they're blowing BBC and ITV out of the water. There's no question that Après Match are part of that, I think they're the best comedy team for a long, long time." For O'Herlihy keeping his composure proved difficult and he was finally sent over the edge by the "Frankly Speaking" interview with Fernando Torres, when Frank Stapleton asked the player if it was difficult for him having the hopes of all of Spain resting on his shoulders "seeing as they're quite slopey". The rest of the panel had difficulty keeping their composure too, with the parodies on Andy Gray and Richard Keys of Sky Sports "often rendering a tearful Graeme Souness speechless". [cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2008/0628/1214600743387.html|title='Après' Match keeps viewers onside . . . Bill'|date=2008-06-28|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher="The Irish Times"]

Video and DVD releases

*"The Best of Après Match 2000" - VHS, 2000
*"Après Match - Live at the Olympia" - VHS, 2001
*"Après Match - Tired & Emotional - The Best of 2002" - VHS and DVD, 2002
*"Après Match - 1994-2004" - VHS and DVD, 2003
*"The Best of Après Match 2006" - DVD, 2006

See also

* "The State of Us" - a similar show starring Risteard Cooper and broadcast before the 2007 Irish general election.

References

External links

* [http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/euro2008/mediaplayer.html?apresmatch "Après Match"] at on RTE Sport VoD Player (does not work in Firefox)