Cooking in the Kitchen

Audrey’s Kitchen is back on ABC2, and we believe this news should be filed under “good”. Last year’s run of two minutes (fake) cooking episodes in which Working Dog creation Audrey Gordon (Heidi Arena) put together actual edible meals while dispensing casual racism and thinly veiled insults was one of the more impressive comedies of the year and has been pretty much in constant repeats ever since. So more of the same? Please pass the plate.

Yes, we know it’s nothing original. Yes, it’s the kind of comedy Working Dog can do standing on their head. Yes, it’s only two minutes long. But this is the kind of non-flashy, solid bedrock material Australian comedy needs if we’re ever going to restore Australian comedy to its rightful place as “something people watch willingly”.

Australian comedy can’t survive solely as destination viewing. We need to have fun stuff that travels under the radar, that people can stumble on and enjoy and think “I’d like more of that”. By being short, funny and to the point, Audrey’s Kitchen is perfect for that, and it’s a spot-on parody of cooking segments as well. Here’s hoping it leads to bigger and better things – in all manner of directions.