Oh, We’ve Got Questions

Press release time!

Jan Fran and Wil Anderson Question Everything

Forget fake news, here’s a true story: Question Everything, is a brand-new quiz-panel show from the mind of Wil Anderson that aims to give facts their swagger back. Hosted by Jan Fran (The Feed, The Project) and Wil Anderson (Spicks and Specks *fact check result: false), the eight-part series premieres Wednesday 18 August at 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.

In a world dominated by fake stories, false claims, scams, frauds and outright lies, Question Everything will dissect the news, sort the real from the rumours, separate fact from fiction and flatten conspiracy theories back down to Earth. Helping Jan and Wil question everything each week will be a revolving panel of up-and-coming comedians with the occasional big name thrown in too. At least that’s what anonymous sources close to the show tell us.

Question Everything is the show for anyone who has ever been lied to by the media. So, all of us. It’s also a show for anyone who believes the information and rumours sent to us through social media news feeds, WhatsApp or has had to mute a family member on Facebook. So, all of us.

From the team behind Gruen, Question Everything will give audiences the tools to understand everything they see, read or sometimes share without reading. Viewers will be immunised against fake news, unless they refused to be immunised because they think it’s all a plot by Bill Gates to install 5G in their brain.

Jan Fran says “I cannot wait to get started. Question Everything is our chance to take a microscope to all the misinformation that we are bombarded with every day to see where it starts and how it spreads. At least, that’s a rumour someone sent to me on WhatsApp.”

“I’m excited by the chance to showcase Australia’s best new comedy talent, and also make history as the first comedy news panel show on the ABC. Please don’t fact check that,” adds Wil Anderson.

Nick Hayden, ABC Head of Entertainment says: “I don’t usually trust press releases. They’re spin from the media elites trying to sell you something, wake up sheeple! But Question Everything truly will replace all the fake news in the world with facts. I read that on Facebook.”

Question Everything will air Wednesdays at 8.30pm from Wednesday 18 August on ABC TV and ABC iview.

So it’s Gruen, but about the news, and with a panel of comedians? When the only logical comparisons are “breakfast radio but with pictures” and “every other panel show ever made”, you know you’ve got yourself a winner.

There is at least one element of this show that’ll come in handy when it comes to following the news: if you need practice in believing two contradictory things at once – as many of us have to do when being told by the Murdoch press that “Scott Morrison is a great leader” while also having memories of what Morrison has been up to these last few years – simply re-read the parts where this features “a revolving panel of up-and-coming comedians” while also being “from the team behind Gruen“.

No doubt this will feature comedians that count as “up-and-coming” as far as the ABC is concerned. But considering many of the usual names have already announced on social media that they’ll be writing for this show, how much “up-and-coming” comedy this will feature – as opposed to the usual Gruen gags Wil Anderson will be dropping to let the children know playtime is over – is an open question.

Mad as Hell aside, ABC comedy has largely delivered the same old over the last few years. We’ve seen various shows excitedly presenting us with subtle variations on the same kind of bog-obvious yet utterly forgettable “satire”. This is going to be a news panel show, not a new talent showcase: changing the front-of-house staff doesn’t mean much if it’s the same team out the back churning out the product.

So here’s a question: with the old stuff clearly impressing nobody, when will the ABC give someone new a go?