''Naked Camera'' is a
hidden camera
A hidden camera or spy camera is a camera used to photograph or record subjects, often people, without their knowledge. The camera may be considered "hidden" because it is not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another obje ...
comedy television show which began airing on
RTÉ Two
(RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...
in 2005. Set and filmed in the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
(mostly in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
), its concept is similar to that of the UK show ''
Trigger Happy TV
''Trigger Happy TV'' is a hidden camera/ practical joke comedy television series. The original British edition of the show, produced by Absolutely Productions, starred Dom Joly and ran for three series on the British television channel Channel 4 ...
'' or the ascendant candid camera elements of ''
The Live Mike
''The Live Mike'' was an Irish television comedy, variety, and chat show presented by Mike Murphy. It was first broadcast on RTÉ 1 on 9 November 1979. The programme featured a candid camera pieces by Murphy himself, with parody songs and co ...
''. Comedians
PJ Gallagher,
Patrick McDonnell
Patrick McDonnell (born March 17, 1956) is a cartoonist, author, and playwright. He is the creator of the daily comic strip '' Mutts'', which follows the adventures of a dog and a cat, that has been syndicated since 1994. Prior to creating ''Mut ...
, and
Maeve Higgins
Maeve Anna Higgins (born 24 March 1981) is a comedian from Cobh, County Cork, Ireland and is based in New York. She was a principal actor and writer of the RTÉ television production '' Naked Camera'', as well as for her own show ''Maeve Higgi ...
wrote the scripts and portrayed the sketch characters. Produced by Scratch Productions for RTÉ, the third and concluding series aired in February 2007.
Character list
There follows a list of recurring characters, the most noteworthy of which is
Jake Stevens
Jake Stevens is a fictional Irish television personality and musician portrayed by the comedian PJ Gallagher. He first featured in the popular RTÉ Two hidden camera television series, ''Naked Camera''. Stevens later achieved his own spin-off ...
. Other characters appeared occasionally.
Crew
A crew of five members stayed incognito at all times during filming.
Celebrity appearances
A number of celebrities made accidental and unsolicited appearances during the third series of ''Naked Camera''. These included the rugby analyst and radio presenter
George Hook
George Hook (born 19 May 1941) is an Irish people, Irish Broadcasting, broadcaster, journalist and rugby union pundit. He formerly hosted ''The Right Hook'' and ''High Noon'' on the Irish radio station Newstalk.
He had a career as a rugby unio ...
, the professional taxi person Tommy Gorman, the blues musician
Don Baker and the
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
presenter
Bill O'Herlihy
Bill O'Herlihy (26 September 1938 – 25 May 2015) was an Irish television broadcaster and public relations executive. He was best known for his broadcasts for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), primarily in the sporting arena. Presenter for 10 ...
. Each was singled out in a taxi.
''Makin' Jake''
Jake Stevens
Jake Stevens is a fictional Irish television personality and musician portrayed by the comedian PJ Gallagher. He first featured in the popular RTÉ Two hidden camera television series, ''Naked Camera''. Stevens later achieved his own spin-off ...
later received his own spin-off show, ''Makin' Jake'', which commenced broadcasting on RTÉ Two in January 2008. It was not commissioned for a second series.
Similar to other comedic acts in Ireland (
Dustin the Turkey
Dustin the Turkey, a character performed by John Morrison is a former star of RTÉ television's ''The Den'' between 1989 and 2010 and from 2020. He has been described as "the most subversive comedy force on Irish television".
A turkey-vulture w ...
,
Pat Shortt
Patrick Shortt (born 12 December 1967) is an Irish actor, comedian, writer and entertainer. His role in the 2007 film ''Garage'' led to him receiving the IFTA for Best Actor.
Career
Shortt toured alongside Jon Kenny as comedy duo D'Unbelievab ...
and
Richie Kavanagh
Richard Kavanagh (born 19 March 1949) is an Irish singer-songwriter.
Despite psoriasis crippling his hands, at the age of 44 he went on to become a singer-songwriter who wrote the song "Aon Focal Eile" which gained national attention in 1996. T ...
), Stevens had earlier released a Christmas single "
Merry Christmas Jakey Boy
"Merry Christmas Jakey Boy" is a single released exclusively for the Irish market in December 2006 by Jake Stevens. Stevens is an alter ego of the comedian PJ Gallagher who features in the popular RTÉ Two hidden camera/comedy style television ...
" in 2006. He performed this single on ''
The Cafe'' and ''
Tubridy Tonight
''Tubridy Tonight'' is a talk show hosted by Ryan Tubridy that aired on RTÉ One for five seasons between 2004 and 2009. The programme featured guest interviews (usually three per show), audience participation and live music from both a guest mu ...
'' in December of that year.
References
External links
''Naked Camera''at
RTÉ Television
RTÉ Television is a department of Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), the Republic of Ireland's state controlled national broadcaster. Its first channel was Teilifís Éireann, which began broadcasting on 31 December 1961. Since the 1960s, RT ...
*
{{RTÉ Comedies
2005 Irish television series debuts
2007 Irish television series endings
Irish television sketch shows