Cartoon capers continue on the hill

By Martina Purdy
BBC NI political correspondent

The new DUP culture minister, Edwin Poots, is set to make his debut on the Folks on the Hills radio series next month.

As the assembly members prepare to return to Stormont, those other Folks on the Hill will be back on 8 September.

The animated programme celebrates its fifth series

The man behind the voices, Sean Crummey, has been rehearsing the new minister's voice, but admits Mr Poots' tones are proving challenges.

"It's a difficult one," says the French teacher turned satirist.

Mr Crummey, whose hero is comedian Rory Bremner, has a style of humour that has been compared to James Young by some local politicians.

As well as bringing the characters to life, Mr Crummey writes most of the scripts.

He admits his favourite voice is Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly and sources suggest Mr Kelly thinks the mimicry is spot on.

After years of stalemate, Mr Crummey said devolution brings new challenges, but insists it is also bringing plenty of new material.

Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley feature strongly in the series

"A lot of people have said to me you are going to be out of a job now that an agreement has been reached, but I don't really believe that.

"I think there will always be the undercurrent of the green and the orange, if you like, the nationalist and unionist undercurrent. And there'll be normal politics to make fun of."

He cites the new relationships now being built up."You just have to look at Ian Paisley Junior and Gerry Kelly as junior ministers."

The new radio series will see Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness meeting the Pope - and will feature the politicians appearing on a spoof edition of the television series, The Apprentice.

The show's producer, Owen McFadden, is delighted the television series is celebrating its fifth birthday.

He reveals there will be at least one new animated character on the new television series.

Mr McFadden said Tony Blair will be back, but so will his successor as prime minister.

President Bush is a popular character

"One of the most popular relationship in the series has been the Bertie Ahern-Tony Blair relationship and the various phone calls that they've had through the years and that's always been a kind of friendly, jocular relationship.

"We can't imagine it's going to be the same between Bertie Ahern and Gordon Brown so that's going to be quite good fun."

And just to prove there is life after politics, the former UK Unionist MLA Robert McCartney is also back in the new television series which begins on 16 November.

But what do the real-life politicians make of their characters?

Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP MLA, says he is a fan of the show, as is the DUP leader Ian Paisley.

"Some of the humour in it is absolutely excellent. Of course, as a leading character on the show, I get a little bit of a dig - but if you can't laugh at yourself, well, then you have no sense of humour."

Iris Robinson is sure to add some discipline to proceedings

But doesn't it bother him that he is portrayed as conniving, super-ambitious and not to be trusted?

"Not in the slightest," he insists. "Because everyone who knows me for real knows that isn't the real Jeffrey Donaldson at all."

The SDLP MLA Alex Attwood says he is enjoying the latest storylines which show the Sinn Fein leader, Gerry Adams, feeling isolated, and alone after devolution and disappointing results in the Irish elections.

"It does dig at the politicians in a way that some of them go 'ouch'," he said.

Does it make him go "ouch?"

"I think every politician might say 'ouch' but I think every politician should say to the Folks on the Hill - thanks very much for the publicity. Keep going."

The Folks on the Hill can be heard on BBC Radio Ulster from 8 September - 13 October, and can be seen on television from 16 November to 21 December.