Frank Skinner is a British comedian and probably my
favourite. He is a master of riposte and double entendre, a genuinely
well-educated man from a working class background. And he is a Roman Catholic.He describes himself freely and frequently on his Saturday morning Absolute Radio The Frank Skinner Show as a ‘follower of the Nazerne’ and many stories are based on something that happened at Mass or speaking to the Parish Priest. He conducted and excellent interview with the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, available as a transcript or on YouTube, and has even crossed swords with arch-atheist Richard Dawkins as explained in The Daily Telegraph. He is an alcoholic who has been dry for decades and his life in comedy began when he sobered up and decided to give it a try. He is fabulously rich and once lost a fortune in an economic slump - but recovered. He probably first came to the wide public attention through a show with his good friend and one time flatmate David Baddiel but later through the Frank Skinner Show on TV and Room 101 where his witty banter with a wide rage of celebrities - from Noel Gallagher to Cliff Richard - were always good television.
His stand-up career - which he still pursues - is legendary and I’ve seen him. His routine is good, hilarious in places and he has an excellent rapport with his audience and has a answer for every comment. He is very amusing on his relationships, including with his present partner Kath with whom he has a son Buzz. Their relationship is often stormy - or has been - and the insights into such relationships resonate with any couple. However, the second half of his show deteriorates into what can only be described as filth. He is well known for this aspect of his routine which used to feature from the outset as a cursory YouTube search will reveal.
He has toned things down a lot in recent years but retains a part of his act which, while extremely funny, made my late teenage and early twenties children - no strangers to the live comedy circuit - blush. His Catholicism is always to the fore but I am curious about how he reconciles some aspects of his stand up routine, a divorce and now living out of marriage with a son, with his Catholicism - or who has helped him to achieve this reconciliation. It is perfectly possible to remain a Catholic under most circumstance - including excommunication (which only prevents you from receiving the sacraments) - on the proviso that you do not receive Communion. He does; I have seen it on TV.
I am not judging and would readily concede that he is probably a ‘better Catholic’ than most, including many seemingly pious people who are regularly at Mass. Undoubtedly he is a Better Catholic than me. But, unless I have missed something - and that is quite possible with the present reforming Pope - there has not been some wide-scale relaxation of the ‘rules’ regarding eligibility to take Communion.
He remains my favourite comedian and personality. I am glad that he is not afraid to proclaim is faith and that he is, undoubtedly, on the side of the angels. I do hope that he has properly understood his faith and has not been misled or made the wrong assumptions about what is expected of a Roman Catholic.
