THEY may be better known for their exploits in the boxing ring, but Tommy McCarthy and Tyrone McKenna have been branching out recently and now they have written and starred in a comedy short they hope will pack a punch.

'The Spar' is part of a local series that has been commissioned in a bid to unearth fresh local talent and the West Belfast duo didn't need to be asked twice to submit their own script.

Their 'Whiskey N White' podcast has proven extremely popular, leading to some live audience shows, while McCarthy has also proven to be a hit on the local comedy circuit.

It's a detour from the serious business of prizefighting, but the lifelong friends have turned some bizarre life experiences into a script they hope will lead to a full series should the public like what they see when the initial series of Comedy Shorts begins this Monday on BBC1 at 11.35pm (also currently available on iPlayer).

"Jason Butler (Producer/Director) from Nice One Productions got in touch to say the BBC were on the lookout for new, scripted comedy and if I'd be interested in writing something," Tommy explained.

"Me and Tyrone had loads of ideas, so we went away and wrote this show. When we sent it back, they loved it and then he passed it onto the BBC who also liked it so we got the funding for a pilot episode that is out now.

"Depending upon the response from the public, we could end up turning it into a series. We have a six-episode series written, so the pilot is just to give people a feel of what to expect. It all depends on how this is received, but anyone who has seen it has loved it, so the feedback has all been positive."

The plot centres around both boxers who are in need of cash and the offer of a paid sparring session from their manager (played by Dan Gordon) sounds ideal, but unbeknown, the other fighter, Declan (Abdul Seesay) is not the novice they were led to believe.

To ensure they get paid without the physical damage they fear from the imposing Declan who holds all the advantages in size and strength, they must find a way of escape whilst also holding up their end of the bargain.

It's not a huge surprise that boxing is central to the story considering they have been involved in the fight game from they were young, boxing out of St Oliver Plunkett before forging successful professional careers. 

"Tyson and me are best mates from we were 12 years of age and we are both boxers, so that will obviously be a strong theme throughout it all," Tommy outlined. "People think we're both a bit nuts, but we have had so many mad things happen to us in life and have loads of stories, so turning it all into a scripted comedy format was easy to do.

"It's loosely based on our life experiences, so it is a bit of a dramatised version of the things me and Tyrone have gone through."