Right-wing shock jocks have long been a target for ridicule, but the new Audible comedy Riot Act is so much more than a satire. It’s a funny, well-plotted sitcom full of believable and interesting characters. Basically, it’s the sort of sitcom we should see – or hear – more of in Australia. Co-written by Mark... Read More »
Wherever the exciting future of Australian comedy is, it may not be at the ABC. For a certain type of comedy at least. Appearing on a panel recently at Screen Forever, “Australia’s premier event for screen industry professionals”, Rick Kalowski, Head of Comedy at the ABC, is reported to have said: “It’s your responsibility as... Read More »
Everyone likes it when the cast and crew of a favourite old TV show reunite for a one-off special, right? But was a reunion of those responsible for the Andrew Denton-produced current affairs/comedy hybrid and new talent initiative Hungry Beast (2009-2011) something anyone apart from those involved with Hungry Beast asked for? We’re going to... Read More »
Hey, we’re back for 2019! And given that comedy never sleeps these days, here’s our round-up of all the comedy you may have missed or deliberately avoided so far this year. A Rational Fear Dan Ilic’s A Rational Fear has been an off-again/on-again satirical radio show and/or podcast for the past seven years, being revived, shelved or re-worked... Read More »
So what’s all this then? Comedy Friends: At Tonightly, we're looking for good new comedy voices to contribute to our show. If you think you are one, or know one DM me your email address. #tonightly #contributors pic.twitter.com/IUXrZhpGqu — Dan Ilic (@danilic) May 31, 2018 It’s safe to say it’s a little… unusual… for an... Read More »
What an amazing night of politics that was! A divisive leader replaced, many too overjoyed to go to bed. But when they did they slept soundly, because they knew that everything would be fine from here on in and that this sort of thing will never, ever happen again. [INSERT A LOUD RECORD SCRATCH HERE,... Read More »
So when we crawled out of bed this afternoon, what did we find but a wall of stories telling us this breaking news: Australian satirist Dan Ilic has been “fired” by Al Jazeera youth network AJ+ for recording an audition for The Daily Show in an Al Jazeera studio. The former star of ABC TV’s... Read More »
You know what the problem with satire is? Eventually someone upstairs goes “hey, if all the kids are getting their news from comedy shows, then our news shows should have some comedy in them!” And then you get crap like this: If the new Friday night show is approved, it will include elements of 7.30,... Read More »
First, an apology: We honestly thought we’d covered Back Seat Drivers (Tuesdays around 10pm, ABC2) back when it first started a few weeks ago. But then we realised we only thought we’d covered it because it was exactly the same as a dozen or more equally forgettable shows we’ve dozed off to over the years.... Read More »
When did we get so massively oversensitive about comedy? That’s one of the questions that sprung to mind when we watched Shock Horror Aunty the other... Read More »