Bean Is A Carrot, Author at Australian Tumbleweeds - Page 49 of 52

And it’s goodbye from him

Hamish & Andy's announcement that they will cut back to a weekly show next year to give themselves time to work on other projects was big news yesterday, but so far the details of what the other projects are, what they'll do in their weekly show, when the weekly show will air, and who will replace them in the drive slot have not emerged. So let's indulge in a little speculation...... Read More »

A rough morning

Melbourne's Channel 31 has a well-deserved reputation for making the sort of comedy you just don't see anywhere else. One such show is Morningshines, which started on Channel 31 on 6th August and airs every Friday at 10pm (it can also be downloaded from the show's website).... Read More »

The least worst we could expect

Week two of Yes We Canberra! was always going to be the real test. The Chaser had got rave reviews and high ratings in week one, so were bound to get a big audience for the second episode…but they’d had less time to write and film, and their stock of pre-written material was dwindling –... Read More »

Game before laugh

Panel games in this country are generally slanted more towards the game than the panel. Giving funny answers to questions isn't exactly frowned upon, but it's not the point of the show either – the point is the game.... Read More »

Domestically challenged

Hannah Gadsby is one of the better stand-ups on the Australian scene at the moment, but her recent programme for the ABC's Artscape strand, Hannah Gadsby Goes Domestic, seemed a bit like a first... Read More »

From podcast to broadcast

Unless you're a bunch of mates having a laugh or foolish enough to think there's serious money to be made from the world of podcasting, you're probably making podcasts strategically. I.e. you're “talent” trying to get a paid gig by proving your worth through a podcast, or you're a broadcaster trying to build an audience for a team or concept through a podcast. The latter strategy appears to have paid off for the ABC with the podcast Is It Just... Read More »

Milsom making a play to be our Tina Fey?

It was inevitable that at least one of this country’s female comedians would attempt a Julia Gillard impersonation sooner or later. Sure, someone from Double Take did it last year, but with Gillard now running the country there’s a gap in the market – an opportunity to fill the shoes of Anthony Ackroyd, whose Kevin... Read More »

Old News is Bad News

Earlier this month I argued that it's quantity, not quality that seems to be the watchword at the offices of GNW TV Productions, makers of Good News Week. Now TV Tonight has brought us the news that over-extending each episode by an hour isn't the only way GNW saves on production costs - they film two episodes in one session, saving them money on studio hire and staff fees - at the expense of... Read More »

A comedy fan in The Lodge?

We've argued before on this blog that The Gillies Report deserves a DVD release. It was enormously popular at the time, it won a Logie in 1986 for Best Light Entertainment Series, it's fondly remembered by those who saw it, many of the sketches still stand up (there are plenty on YouTube), it's a significant series in the history of Australian comedy, and now it seems a future Prime Minister once sat in its audience. What more could you... Read More »

Four Lions, Five Wimps

British comedy legend Chris Morris was at the Sydney Film Festival last weekend attending the Australian premiere of his film Four Lions, a comedy about suicide bombers. And as part of the festival he was interviewed in front of an audience by The Chaser's Julian... Read More »