Top 10 Brutal Frankie Boyle Jokes

To get us started, the grouchy Glaswegian is handing out some apparently indispensable advice, during his 2012 “The Last Days of Sodom” tour. A lot of us have had awkward conversations with ex-partners, but Boyle cuts straight to a worst-case scenario, and flips the situation on its head. While STDs and HIV are no laughing matter, Frankie’s got it covered.

Next, an especially infamous joke which sparked a high profile feud between Boyle and Katie Price. Frankie rarely has any qualms over offending TV personalities, so here he takes a shot at Katie, and at her disabled son Harvey. In its entirety it is a harsh few lines indeed and, as newspapers and broadcasts gave the gag unprecedented coverage, the incident triggered a censorship debate as well.

To another joke loathed by the press, and another which severely split opinion. The Royal Family are often in Frankie’s sights, and this time he’s targeting 2007’s Concert for Diana. For Frankie, the event had precious little to do with what the princess stood for - and he’s quick to explain why, leaving the rest of “Mock the Week” speechless.

When you go to a Frankie Boyle show, there’s always the risk that he’ll single you out - and heaven help you if he does, because no heckle will save you from Boyle’s ferocious wrath. In this case, he hot-seats a couple of audience members, and ruthlessly dismantles their physical appearances - managing to get a ‘your mum’ joke in for good measure.

From the very first line of this next joke, it’s clear that Boyle’s on precarious ground, but the Scot ploughs on regardless. Tackling depression and suicide in typically brazen fashion, he takes both complex issues and first pushes the boundaries of what’s acceptable, then pushes them a little further. The whole thing finishes with an account from an earlier show, and more merciless treatment from Frankie.

John Terry sits firmly toward the top of Frankie’s ‘people I don’t like’ list, and the former England footballer has been subject to many a brutal routine. In Boyle’s own words. But that’s just the set-up for Frankie’s fiercest attack on the controversial defender, who soon finds himself as the central character in an especially messed up anecdote. If there is a line, Boyle crossed it a long time ago.

Frankie takes on UKIP next, and predictably pulls no punches. Parodying Nigel Farage & co. with a rant on ‘the good old days’, Boyle’s version of the past gets progressively worse and worse. What starts as an angry guy changing up his accent, ends in a Polio-fuelled fleecing of all the harshest aspects of modern British history. You get the impression he could go on all night.

For all Frankie’s apparently unflinching social commentary, there is often a political point lurking behind the jokes he makes. Here we see him dismantle the idea of charity, taking aim at aid organisations, and gap year volunteers. He digs deep at how patronising charity drives can be, demolishing many a stereotype in the process, and even has a pop at “Comic Relief”.

To another politically-charged routine, but this time focussing on the alledged involvement of politicians in pedophile rings. For Frankie, it’s no surprise that the government is routinely linked with sex scandals, given how merciless ministers appear to be in other aspects of their job. And, as with most of his material, Boyle’s very much aware of the controversy he’s touting - not that an awkward silence would ever stop him in his tracks.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honourable mentions:

The Mermaid
“Frankie Boyle: If I Could Reach Out Through Your TV and Strangle You I Would” (2010)

Lines You Wouldn’t Hear in a Superhero Movie
“Mock the Week” (2005-)

Mark Speight’s Note
“Frankie Boyle: Live” (2008)

While Frankie threw caution to the wind a long time ago, here’s where he decimates all remaining boundaries. Assuming a demonic role and reinterpreting the words of Michael Jackson, Boyle mans an unforgiving onslaught against the one-time Prince of Pop. The shocked faces in the audience tell you everything you need to know, as Frankie delivers his darkest joke ever.