Friday, July 29, 2016 — Anh Do loves to paint portraits and he loves getting to know people.  Premiering Wednesday August 24^th at 8pm, the eight-part series, Anh’s Brush with Fame combines the two.

Australians love Anh Do for his comedy, his best-selling books and his work in film and TV, but not many know he’s also a passionate painter.  In fact, Anh was a finalist in the 2014 Archibald Prize where he created a memorable and vivid portrait of his father.

In this series Anh gets up close and personal with a number of Australian celebrities as he paints their portrait.  Signing up to sit in the chair are Amanda Keller, Jimmy Barnes, Magda Szubanski, Craig McLachlan, Anthony Mundine, Kyle Sandilands, Kate Ceberano and Dr Charlie Teo.

For Anh to do his best work as a portrait painter, he needs to find the soul of the person, so while painting, he digs deep into their psyche and discovers what makes them tick.  As he talks through their life, childhood and formative years, along with the humour, Anh unearths their deepest darkest secrets.  Our celebrities also share private and rare archival material, such as personal photos and videos, which further paints a very different picture of them.

It’s a journey for both the artist and his subject.  As Anh chats to them and discovers more about their past, this affects the way he paints their portrait. He also bonds with them as they find they have shared experiences and hardships. It’s a cathartic, emotional ride between the two of them as they share laughter, tears and exclusive stories.

The emotional journey that Anh and his subject are on, leads to the final big reveal – when the celebrity finally gets to see their completed portrait. Will they like Anh’s version of them? It’s a dramatic moment of truth each time.

Anh’s Brush with Fame screens Wednesday 24 August at 8pm and on iview.

*sigh*

Ok, yeah, this at least has some vague reason for existing, as Do actually is a halfway decent painter. But c’mon, what the fuck’s next? Bob Downe explores celebrities shoe collections to find out the truth behind the showbiz facade? The Sandman carries us through the psychologically profound world of famous folks’ bathmats? Plucka Duck takes your favourite television personalities back to the nightclub toilets where they did their first line of gak?

Meanwhile in actual comedy, The Katering Show team are answering foodie questions over at goodfood.com here and here. Yep, you know times are tough when we’re directing you to actual words on a screen in the hope you’ll laugh at them.

Lord knows that never happens here…