We honestly thought Clarke & Dawe would never end. Two men, a couple of chairs, a great script – the perfect satirical format. Things were looking a bit shaky for John Clarke and Bryan Dawe towards the end of the Howard years, when Gerard Henderson was banging on about left-wing bias in comedy and shows... Read More »
The ABC has confirmed that John Clarke – yes, the funny one – passed away over the weekend of natural causes while hiking in the Victorian Grampians. He was 68. It’s hard to underestimate the size of this loss. As a mentor and friend he was an invaluable part of Australia’s comedy scene, and his... Read More »
Yesterday, TV Tonight reported that Channel 9 sitcom Here Come the Habibs, now two-thirds the way through its first series has been renewed: Nine has renewed its new sitcom Here Come the Habibs! for a second series. The series launched to 1.25m in overnight metro viewers, although Nine cites almost 3 million nationally including repeats... Read More »
Remember prank phone calls? A relic of the pre-caller ID era, they – in their “is your refrigerator running?” form – were the kind of prank comedy mostly performed by bored teens and idiots. Yes, some people managed to elevate them to something above the moronic norm (the “Red” calls, The Jerky Boys‘ early work),... Read More »
Pretty much from the first moment we heard about Here Come the Habibs, the big question was “is this going to be the sitcom that destroys Australia”? Ha ha no fuck off with that slow news week crap: the real question was “how is this going to be any different from any other comedy show... Read More »
In the lead up to Here Come the Habibs, the first Australian sitcom Channel Nine has made in the 21st Century, it’s been hard to know what’s worse – the articles stirring up outrage: Because most people don’t realise I am of Lebanese descent, I have sat around many tables where friends of friends have... Read More »
Obvious statement: Sometimes the media don’t pick up on the right angle when they report a story. That was almost certainly the case when OUTRAGE occurred at this year’s MICF about a “rape joke” told by stand-up Ray... Read More »
Amongst the former Open Slather writers not to contact us about the recent writer's cull was Doug MacLeod, who's previously written for Full Frontal, Fast Forward and various other well known... Read More »
We don’t usually bother with The Last Leg, as despite the all-Aussie host – that’d be Adam Hills – it’s a UK show and as such outside our sphere of interest. But recently someone pointed this out to us: Sure, Hills makes a very good point, but… is anyone else just a little creeped out... Read More »
So a few days ago this happened: A comedian appearing in this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival has come under fire for telling an audience member to “die” after they staged a silent protest in response to a joke about rape. Ray Badran, who is appearing at the festival for the first time, has been... Read More »