Willie O’Dea is not impressed by RTE’s clown

CHARLIE Chaplin once said that being a clown placed him on a “far higher plane than any politician”, but it was not a view shared by the former Minister for Defence.

Fianna Fail deputy Willie O’Dea said he was not impressed after he was followed by a clown around the streets of Dublin after leaving the Dail last week.

The 60 year-old party stalwart said he was unaware that he was being filmed for an episode of the RTE hidden camera show The Fear, where unsuspecting members of the public are accosted by bizarre characters.

He’s no stranger to comedy, having given the thumbs up to The Rubberbandits song in his honour, but he wasn’t laughing at this escapade. “I’ve no idea what it was about. I was walking along the street and some guy came along and took a photograph. I have absolutely no idea what it was about,” he said.

Asked if he was amused, Willie said: “Not particularly, no. It’s a terrible thing when you can’t walk along the street without someone following you for a stunt.”

While he appears to confront the clown in one picture, he said he was simply turning around to walk the other way. Presenter Jennifer Maguire said the clown was looking for a job as finance minister and is a new character in the show.