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David McSavage
Born
David Andrews

(1966-02-05) 5 February 1966 (age 58)
Dublin, Ireland
NationalityIrish
EmployerRTÉ
Known forThe Savage Eye on RTÉ Two
Children2
FatherDavid Andrews
Relatives

David Andrews (born 5 February 1966[1]), known professionally as David McSavage, is an Irish stand-up comedian, comedy writer and street performer, known for his television show The Savage Eye.[2]

Early life and family

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Andrews is the son of Annette Andrews and David Andrews, former Fianna Fáil TD and Minister for Foreign Affairs.[3] He is brother to Barry Andrews, Fianna Fáil MEP for the Dublin constituency, Sinead (who works for the charity organisation Goal), Clare and Mary.[3] Former Fianna Fáil TD and MEP Niall Andrews was his uncle, while his cousins include Chris Andrews, Sinn Féin TD for the constituency of Dublin Bay South, and Ryan Tubridy, Irish television and radio personality and former presenter of The Late Late Show on Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ.[3][4][5][6] His grandfather Todd Andrews was active with the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence and his grandmother Mary Coyle, was a prominent member of Cumann na mBan.[3]

Andrews grew up in Blackrock, Dublin and he attended Willow Park School where he played the lead in plays and then Blackrock College where he was also involved in drama.[3] After school, he took a short course in film and TV.[7]

He spent time in the United States, and then taught English in Japan.[3]

Career

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Comedy

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Andrews appeared as a street performer in Amsterdam, Australia, and in Ireland, including Dublin's Temple Bar.[3][7]

He has performed at national and international comedy festivals[8] such as the Kilkenny Comedy Festival. He became widely known in Ireland for his street performance in Dublin city centre; his street act consists of improvised songs often predicated on sardonic speculations about those passing by.

He is best known for the IFTA-nominated 2009 The Savage Eye, a show consisting of a mixture of comedy sketches and satire.[9][2] During its four-year run on RTE, The Savage Eye satirised Irish public figures and society. The programme outraged several individuals, and he contrasted himself against the “mimicry” of the impressionist Oliver Callan, stating that "his stuff is more tribute. Satire is more vicious than that."[10]

In 2008, McSavage devised and featured in Headwreckers, an episode of Channel 4's Comedy Lab show. In 2014 he played a bishop in the film Calvary (2014 film), starring Brendan Gleeson and Chris O'Dowd. He played William Hall, the publisher of Charles Dickens, in the film The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017).

On his comedy style, the Irish Examiner wrote that “McSavage continues to operate outside the mainstream. He has a fearlessness — a knack for saying uncomfortable things — that is rare on the Irish comedy scene.”[11]

Views

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While discussing a comedy sketch on politicians, McSavage (Andrews) was critical of the public's perceived negative attitude towards politicians. He claimed that "for a real leader to emerge he would have to do and say things that are difficult. People see politicians even getting, say, a salary and think, they're bastards, just for getting paid. The politician is us. It's who we are. We get the politicians we deserve."[10] In 2020, he claimed that "the kind of person who wants to be a politician shouldn't be a politician".[12]

In 2014, he accused RTE of "dictatorial censorship" for refusing to broadcast a sketch entitled 'Wild Nuns'. He said that “these things are important. Ultimately you are talking about freedom of speech and who says where the line is. I would be pissed off on somebody else’s behalf if it happened to them.”[13][14] In a 2019 Newstalk radio interview, he agreed with sentiments that Irish comedy had become “too PC.”[15] In a 2021 radio interview, he agreed with the opinion of UK comedian Leo Kearse that “cancel culture is a threat to comedy.” Kearse had previously complained about ‘cancel culture’ after saying that he had had shows disrupted by left-wing protesters and that promoters had blacklisted him for his offensive jokes.[16] In 2020, speaking to the Business Post on the aspect of offence in relation to the content of his material, he said that “the offence thing is funny, because I realised recently that nothing needs to be done. It’s a self-contained, little thing.”[12] In 2021, he named ‘cancel culture’ as a negative aspect to social media, which he believed was changing the nature of stand up.[17]

Personal life

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McSavage met his future wife, Hannah Gnat from Poland, in Amsterdam, and they settled in Copenhagen for the birth of the first of two sons, and stayed there for 5 years. They subsequently moved to Australia, where their second son was born,[7] and later still, in 2001, to Ireland.[7] They divorced after 17 years.[18] In 2023, McSavage mentioned that he and his ex-wife were producing a podcast together.[5]

McSavage was long-term partner to TV actress Fiona O’Shaughnessy until October 2012.[19][18] He appeared alongside O’Shaughnessy in John Michael McDonagh’s 2022 film The Forgiven.

During the 1986 Edinburgh Festival, he was arrested for profanity but the charges were subsequently dismissed in court, following his argument that the word "war" was more profane than "penis".[3]

In April 2016, McSavage was in court for not paying for a TV licence and argued in his defence that he had genuine concerns of how, the national broadcaster, RTE spends the taxpayers money. The judge rejected his argument and gave him the option of paying the outstanding arrears of €115 owed on his TV licence by June or facing a conviction and fine.[20] McSavage failed to pay the arrears on time and was subsequently convicted and fined €125 (out of a possible €1,000 fine for a first offence) for failure to provide an up-to-date fully-paid TV licence and €50 for legal costs.[21][22]

McSavage in 2017 and 2018 described his difficulties overcoming addiction to alcohol and paying his rent due to unemployment.[23][24]

He spent a period of time cat-sitting in the Camberwell area of London during the COVID-19 pandemic.[25]

Awards

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  • IFTA nomination 2010, Best Entertainment Series[26]

References

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  1. ^ Armstrong, Maggie (29 March 2014). "Weekend Review - Lunch With... David McSavage". The Irish Independent. Independent News & Media.
  2. ^ a b "David McSavage: 'There's a monster in all of us'". RTE, 29 Jan 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2021
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Siblings: Barry Andrews & David McSavage". The Irish Times. 12 February 2005. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  4. ^ Mallon, Sandra (23 June 2023). "Ryan Tubridy's cousin David McSavage says RTE star shouldn't have to pay back money". Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  5. ^ a b Mallon, Sandra (5 May 2023). "Comedian David McSavage says he 'couldn't care less' who gets Late Late Show job". Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  6. ^ Sweeney, Ken (23 December 2009). "Cousin Tubridy scared to have me on the Late Late: McSavage". Irish Independent. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d Condren, Mark (23 January 2013). "'I'm always on the f**king outside'". The Sunday Tribune. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  8. ^ MacDermott, Diarmaid (12 August 1998). "Minister's son tickled by private parts arrest". The Independent. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  9. ^ Kelly, Justin (21 April 2017). "Comedian David McSavage bringing his new show to Birr". www.offalyexpress.ie. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Brothers in Arms: Andrews plays the Joker". independent. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  11. ^ Fitzpatrick, Richard (9 December 2019). "David McSavage has turned an unfulfilled film to a stand up-show". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  12. ^ a b Cleary, Andrea. "David McSavage wants it darker". Business Post. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  13. ^ McGreevy, Ronan. "David McSavage accuses RTÉ of 'dictatorial' censorship". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  14. ^ "Raunchy nuns Diet Coke Jesus parody banned by RTE". belfasttelegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  15. ^ Breakfast, Newstalk. "Has Irish comedy become too PC?". Newstalk. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  16. ^ Kane, Anne-Marie. "Does Cancel Culture Pose A Threat To Irish Comedy?". Newstalk. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  17. ^ Nolan, Larissa. "David McSavage: I like having the status of an outsider". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  18. ^ a b Power, Ed (28 July 2013). "'Love of my boys was greater than impulse to drink – so I stopped'". The Irish Independent. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  19. ^ "'Striking Out' star Fiona O'Shaughnessy on her relationship with David McSavage: 'He let me love him a little bit anyway'". independent. 2 January 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  20. ^ Tuite, Tom (22 April 2016). "David McSavage had no TV licence due to 'concerns' about RTÉ's spending". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  21. ^ "Comedian David McSavage convicted and fined for not paying TV licence arrears". TheJournal.ie. 16 June 2016. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  22. ^ "Comedian David McSavage convicted and fined over unpaid TV licence". Irish Examiner. 16 June 2016. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  23. ^ Lynch, Donal (5 February 2018). "David McSavage on addiction, sex and why resentment fuels him". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  24. ^ O'Connor, Siobhan (17 August 2017). "Irish comedian David McSavage admits: 'I'm struggling to pay the rent'". Irish Mirror. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  25. ^ Nolan, Larissa (9 May 2021). "David McSavage: I like having the status of an outsider". The Times.
  26. ^ "The IFTAs Redcarpet 2010...". showbiz.ie
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