April Fools

Press release time and geez there’s been a lot to announce this last week.

Urzila Carlson Unleashes New Sketch Comedy Series on ABC

Get ready to dive headfirst into the brilliantly chaotic mind of comedy powerhouse Urzila Carlson when her brand-new sketch comedy series Urzila premieres on Wednesday 29 April at 9.25pm on ABC TV, with all episodes available on ABC iview.

Urzila is gleefully outrageous, capturing Carlson’s fearless, no-filter approach to comedy in full flight. Each episode mashes up razor‑sharp stand‑up with cheeky, fast‑firing sketches, many of them plucked straight from the wildly funny stories she riffs on during her live shows. The whole thing crackles with mischief. It’s a TV series powered by two decades of stand-up comedy chaos: bold, boisterous, and unmistakably Urzila.

Joining her on this energetic ride is her handpicked ensemble of rising comedy talent: Bron Lewis, Carlo Ritchie, Andy Saunders and Anisa Nandaula. Together, they bring a fresh, contemporary edge to the series, showcasing a dynamic mix of character work, cultural commentary and laugh out loud moments.

Original and unapologetically funny, Urzila is a vibrant new showcase for one of the world’s biggest comedy stars and an exciting spotlight on the next wave of performers already shaking up the comedy scene.

Sketch comedy? In 2026? On the ABC? There’s an entire generation of television viewers acting like the ABC just announced Pot Black was returning to prime time. Good thing it’s unapologetically funny, they wouldn’t have much room for the comedy if each sketch was followed by an apology.

There’s even a trailer of sorts – you know it’ll be hilarious because it’s filmed in portrait ratio:

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Gruen. Back. 29 April. ABC. End of Ad.

Our society no longer has the attention span necessary for a full press release so let’s keep this short: Gruen is back Wednesday 29 April at 8pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.

Wait, that’s still too long. How about we say Gruen’s back! Or maybe we just go with Gruen!

Please read the following message one word at a time between scrolls on your phone.

Gruen.

Back.

ABC.

Wednesday 29 April at 8pm.

Ads. TV. Online. Everywhere.

Wil. Panel. Everyone.

Pitch. Ads. Everything.

Gruen.

Australia’s favourite multi-award winning, multi-award losing, longest running (probably now that Neighbours has bitten the dust again), and most importantly, the only show about advertising is coming back for an 18th season.

But wait, there’s more. The show is new and improved. Zero calories. Full of protein. Contains collagen. Active ingredients. No artificial colours, flavour, or intelligence. And is guaranteed to be on free-to-air or your money back.

Host Wil Anderson said: “We were really hoping that the end of the world would stop advertisers, but it turns out that we live in hell, and they’re selling us snowballs.

“It’s heartwarming to think that all the children that were conceived during the pilot episode of The Gruen Transfer are now old enough to serve in World War Three. Can’t wait to see the recruitment advertisements.”

Unfortunately, as a modern media consumer you have already forgotten the core message at the start of this release so to reiterate: Gruen. Back. Wednesday 29 April at 8pm.

Ugh. Who would have thought a Gruen press release would be as smug and unfunny and disconnected from reality (what do drones have to do with advertising?) as the show itself. Way to stay on-brand guys.

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And this one contains some actual news!

Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont Spelling Bee returns for a triumphant third season, with Sam Campbell as new Assistant

Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont Spelling Bee returns for a joyfully chaotic third season on Wednesday 29 April 2026 at 8:35pm on ABC TV and ABC iview. 

Following two breakout seasons and host Guy Montgomery taking home the Logie for Most Popular New Talent, Australia’s favourite spelling competition is back for round three. 

The 10-episode season delivers new games and a brand new assistant. Comedian and gloriously self-effacing oddball Sam Campbell steps into the role of TV’s most unserious sidekick, bringing a disconcerting presence that baffles contestants and audiences even more than the wordplay itself. 

Each Wednesday, Montgomery and Campbell will test four of the nation’s sharpest comedians as they battle it out across five high stakes spelling rounds.  

Vying for the most prestigious prize on television – a one-way ticket to defend their title on the next episode – this season’s all-star lineup includes Hamish Blake, Melanie Bracewell, Myf Warhurst, Charlie Pickering, Andrew Denton, Urzila Carlson, Anne Edmonds, Matt Okine, and Nazeem Hussain. 

New challenges this season include “Noah Thing or Two”, where comedians must spell pairs of animals boarding Noah’s ark (some may exist only in Campbell’s imagination); “Mixologist”, which sees an extremely uncoordinated Campbell attempt bartending while contestants guess and spell his mystery cocktail; and “Do Feed The Birds”, where competitors attempt spelling whilst dressed as ducks and pigeons. 

Transforming everyone’s least favourite high school activity into a fast-paced, offbeat and extremely wholesome panel show, Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont Spelling Bee continues to prove there’s a whole lot of fun to be had with the alphabet.

Aaron Chen was a big part of the funny part of this particular game show. No doubt the format leaves plenty of room for Campbell to put his own stamp on things. We’re still looking at what TV insiders like to call “a major shake-up”.

But at least we’ll have Andrew Denton appearing on a word-based game show for the first time since Randling destroyed his presenting career! Seriously, this alone should be receiving stand-alone news coverage across all media outlets.

Denton seen in public with words for the first time since their career-ending break-up! Someone get the Daily Mail on the blower.