He’s as Australian as fish & chip on a beach of pebbles, he’s got a comedic resume longer than something really long, and credibility up the wazoo, and yet Ben Elton polarizes people like salt & pepper. His new show for Channel 9 is being heavily promoted (and it has a great lead in from Top Gear UK) so we should expect big things. Those that attended the launch of Ch9’s 2011 catalogue said Elton delivered a killer 10min stand up set as a part of introducing the show… which is great and all, but unless he’s going to deliver the same kind of killer stand up set each week, this has ‘trouble’ written all over it. I want it to succeed – Australia has a history of some great TV comedy. It also has a very full box of TV comedy failures. The press release reads:
Ben Elton Live From Planet Earth, Channel Nine’s brand new, 100 per cent hilarious, canny and exhilirating comedy, premieres Tuesday, February 8, at 9.30pm.
Written and fronted by world-renowned comic, writer and director Ben Elton, this fresh and intelligent comedy with attitude will feature guest stars, top comedians, new faces and “out there” performers. And they’ll all need plenty of nerve because the show is live, filmed in front of a studio audience.
Elton will be supported by an ensemble cast of comedy performers including AFI Award winner Paul McCarthy (Comedy Inc., Totally Full Frontal) and Genevieve Morris (Comedy Inc., City Homicide) as well as a host of fresh new faces. They will perform character monologues and sketches throughout this live television event.
Ben’s quirky brand of humour will flatter the audience’s intelligence and maybe even leave them a little better informed about current affairs and pop culture as the performers fly by the seat of their pants. Throughout each hour-long program nobody will know what’s coming up next, from stars to stand-up and side-splitting skits. What unfolds over the series will be a mystery to everyone, including Elton.
Elton says: “People keep asking what’s it going to be like. I say I’ll tell you when we’ve done it. If I knew exactly what was coming there wouldn’t be any point going through the trouser-clenching, exhilirating business of doing it live.
“One thing I do know is that I Iove working with my brilliant ensemble cast who are really bringing the characters to life, adding something special of their own to each one. Our humble aim is to bring something fresh and exciting to the great Australian comedy landscape.”
The passion, excitement and upredictability of Ben Elton Live From Planet Earth will remind Australians why they like to watch no-holds-barred live television .
Ben Elton Live From Planet Earth – 9:30pm Tue ,Ch9
I eagerly await your review….
You know you’ll get it, too… 😉
It seems to me it’s most likely to be like watching a British version of the old Andrew Denton, when he was still funny, but with less of the immediate familiarity required to make it an ongoing laugh fest.
Or maybe like Warney without the warmth and intelligent discourse … heh.
I do have it on VERY GOOD AUTHORITY, that if Julian Morrow from the Chaser makes an appearance on any of these upcoming Ben Elton shows, both before & after filming; Morrow plans to yank Ben Elton’s jewls as hard as he can before spitting on the other comedians. HONESTLY, MORROW IS DISGUSTING it would not surprise me one little bit that he does have the tendency to spit on fellow guests on the Live from Planet earth show.
I loathed this show with a passion. Went in with a totally open mind and had to turn it off. Kept popping back to it to give it more of a chance. Even a pathetic old Hale and Pace “Downunder” was a tad funnier……
knew it’d be bad from the desperate ads, but wow. Emma Leonard is about the only thing funny on it.
the gorgeous Felicity Ward might wanna give this a chance, I think RJHH ought to come back instead.
Started to watch Ben Elton, only lasted 15 minutes. The show was F#&cking pathetic and weak as piss. I have have a prediction it will only last a couple of weeks
I am beyond words as to how bad this so called “comedy” show was last night. Channel 9 should be ashamed!! Ben Elton should be ashamed!! I’m sorry, but how can any Australian network sink money into a poorly written, terribly ‘acted’ and horribly hosted program?? It’s time we put the fart and knob jokes to bed…I’m bemused as to what the demographic is for this show?? Primary school? nah, even 8 year olds can only take so much!
Another waste of Television funding; I’m switching over to SBS.
that bloke who was dressed up as Elaine Front was ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC, maybe instead of this interview with Elaine Front crap, maybe they should have a cegment where the comedians spit on Julian Morrow & say things about his mum then see how HE likes it. By the way, Morrow plans to harass other comedians at some other gig on this Friday down at Ultimo. Plans to slag off about their mothers.
I can’t believe all these comments are so opposite to my feelings. I LOVED the show, which was not promoted enough, because I discovered it by accident. It was so intelligent and hilarious, reminding me of Tim Minchin, who everyone loves, minus make-up and song. I think a lot of people with tats (that’s a large number now)
are getting online revenge on Ben Elton’s take on the intrusion of the image industry into every nook and cranny of our bodies. We need his poliltical brand of humour – please don’t drop the show early. What other comedian dares to engage us in the funnest ways with issues to do with injustice in school and medical funding by politicians plus commit the heresy of knocking the burgeoning beauty industry? Also, the other comedians on Planet Earth were unusually good. The critical response makes me wonder if he has enemies in high places. I only hope that others will watch the next episode without prejudice (would be a miracle).
Looking at Colleen South’s comment, I’m wondering if she’s somewhat a Julian Morrow fan. Because honestly, this stuff is almost as bad as the type of crap Morrow often comes up with. Maybe Colleen South has Julian Morrow lick every nook & cranny of her body each night in bed or something. I’d still love to know who that bloke is who dresses up as Elaine Front. I only monitor this program so that I can add various comedians to my AntiChaser antic list to use against Julian Morrow next time he appears on the ABC Local Radio station for each Friday afternoon gig at Ultimo called TGIF. The only really good part about Ben Elton’s show, apart from AntiChaser Movement benifit, is when it finally ends & I then watch Ramsey’s Kitchen nightmares. Suppose Colleen South is now going to read this & then cry to Julian Morrow to tell him that AntiChaser Movement have now learned to monitor Live from Plannet Earth along with all the other stuff we monitor.
dear oh dear ‘Claire’, no need to inflict your sexual fantasies about myself and Julian Morrow on the readers and myself. I don’t know who Julian Morrow is as I’ve always found Chaser too male adolescent in its’ cartoonish pricks at the establishment as effective as an episode of Jackass. So there you go – we agree on something, but I’m not raging as you seem to be from Ben’s anti-tatoo, anti-private school, anti-waste of government money better spent on health refleshingly political humour. This week, again Ben Elton dares to knock a few sacred cows in his much more mature and substantial way. His digs at mothers needing tanks to do errands will be unlikely to arouse the fury of his anti-tatts jokes because mums with young children will probably be asleep when the show screens, except the deviant ones who take a pushbike or station wagon to kindergarten instead. Bets on, the critical response improves now Ben’s attacks were against rampant consumerism and subsequent environmental problems. Unlike last week’s targets (the mega-expanding ‘beauty’ industry), messages about environmental awareness is no heresy, but rather pc, even if nonetheless valid..
Claire, Colleen – your input is appreciated. As entertaining as your comments are though, please – no more (on this Morrow subject, anyway).
Hi Coleen, sorry about the insult regarding Morrow. Perhaps you’d like to become part of my AntiChaser Movement? If you do, all you have to do is email me. However, Steve, I’m glad you haven’t shown Morrow this material, because if you did, he’d probabily come looking for me. Once again, Colleen, sorry if I caused you any harm. I’m a coffeehead & sometimes, coffeeheads say & write unusual things about their enemies because they know those enemies won’t be shown the things which are written. However, with this roling coverage of the NZ Earthquakes, I hope they still put Ramsey’s kitchen nightmares on. Once again Colleen, sorry about the comparison between you & that horrible bloke. I’ll be nice in future. I tend to find it QUITE EASY to be nice to people who are antiChaser.
I’m ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED that Channel 9 decided after the rolling news coverage to ditch Gordon Ramsey for the Ben Elton Show. But then again, that’s typical of Channel 9, if a major event occurs, they ditch the top quality shows as Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares & replace it with crap. However, I liked Ben Elton’s double meaning when it came to the chicken breasts. Also, that Throat Lolly song, maybe Strepcils should use the song as part of their future advertisements. Just my oppinion anyway. I’d still love to know who that bloke is who dresses as Elaine Front. You can tell just by the voice, that ain’t a chick doing the impersonation. Same as that bloke trying to do the Julia Gillard impersonation. ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC. But anyway, that’s just my oppinion. Not necissarily that of the antiChaser Movement, other regular commenters on this website or other coffeeheads & Chef Ramsey fans.