Peter McDonald

Can Moone Boy get any better? This week we were treated to a spot of obscure Irish sporting history as Martin's dad Liam (Peter McDonald) relived his greatest moment of sporting triumph with a grudge golf match against the devious bank manager who'd done him down in the prime of youth. This centred on a handball match, which had nothing to do with the sport that had us transfixed in London 2012 and all to do with a kind of squash played without rackets. It was an excuse to give some of Moone Boy's excellent support cast a turn in the spotlight and they swung it with aplomb.

Radio Times review

Moone Boy specialises in unlikely events, but the handball duel in this week's episode takes some beating. It's also a thoroughly deserved chance for Peter McDonald to go centre stage as beleaguered dad Liam Moone. When his former rival for Deb's affections comes calling - as a debt collector - it reopens old wounds. And the lack of family cash puts a crimp in young Martin's dreams of a Sega Mega Drive...

The ensuing showdown, as ever, combines all the sheepish delights of retro with the sharpness of a modern family sitcom. All this plus a quirky cameo from Simon Day as a sepia-tinted golfing champ.

Moone Boy: the satisfying middle ground where stupid meets feel-good.

Money's too tight to mention in the Moone household. Which means Martin (David Rawle) has to get a job if he's ever going to own a Sega Mega Drive, 'the single greatest thing my little eyes have ever witnessed.' So he heads to the golf club, where Chris O'Dowd's charming comedy drives us into the heart of a green-eyed rivalry between Martin's dad Liam (Peter McDonald) and his nemesis, the devious local bank manager, which stretches back decades. Cue flashbacks with very tight shorts.

Going back a few years to 1990 was the second series of Sky One's Moone Boy which catapulted us right into the time that Ireland was gripped by World Cup fever. Both Martin Moone (David Rawle) and his imaginary friend Sean (Chris O'Dowd) are obsessed with the tournament and want to stay in and watch every minute of the match. Even Martin's mother (Deirdre O'Kane) is gripped with the action and only his father (Peter McDonald) remains unconvinced by the joy of the beautiful game. So the Moones remain dejected when they are forced to go on holiday by Mr Moone. Martin is so frustrated that he aims to hitch all the way back to Boyle, but ends up being taken in by a Romanian family. The only problem is that Martin has to watch the clash between Romania and Ireland at the house of said family meaning he finds it hard to show any joy when his team wins the match.

The first series of Moone Boy was a glorious treat that Sky One gave to us back in 2012 and I was worried that this second run couldn't live up to it. Thankfully, I was wrong and by the time we saw Mrs Moone screaming at her TV, I knew we were back in safe territory. Incredibly funny, Moone Boy also rings true primarily when it deals with the dynamics of the Moone family and the characteristics of Martin's three sisters. O'Dowd employs the period setting to maximum effect as he focuses on an event that we all remember and then creates as many comic scenarios as he possibly can. Young David Rawle is perfect as Martin, combining the wide-eyed innocence of a young lad with superb comic delivery. O'Dowd himself is better used as a writer than star with Sean's presence becoming seemingly unnecessary in every episode. Alongside Rawle, it is some of the other younger cast members who really shine namely Aoife Duffin as Martin's sister Trisha and Ian O'Reilly as his extremely enthusiastic friend Padriac. Ultimately Moone Boy is a joy to watch as it's a comedy that's actually funny and one that presents realistic characters in an identifiable situation.

Sporting their matching knitted bobble hats, Martin Moone (David Rawle) and his imaginary friend, Sean Murphy (Chris O'Dowd), make a welcome return for a second series of O'Dowd's enchantingly bonkers semi-autobiographical tales of growing up in small-town Ireland. It's summer 1990 and Ireland is gripped by World Cup fever - all except Martin's dad (Peter McDonald), who packs his clan into a van to head across the county border for a holiday filled with football-free adventure. At least, that's his plan...