Paul holds court for one last time as host of Good News Week
Good News Week has come and gone before. It’s even flipped networks from ABC1 (back then, just the plain old ABC) to Channel 10 (who axed it, then brought it back when the US writer’s strike did havoc with their schedule). It’s appeared in differing formats – Good News Weekend, GNW Night Lite, & Good News World – and saw hundreds of local and overseas comedic and music acts, as well as actors and politicians, sit behind it’s various desks and partake in some of the most bizzare parlour games on TV.
Given the support it offered many comedians (for some like Wil Anderson it was the first regular TV gig he got before scoring the hosting role on The Glass House) it was fitting that the final show was taped in front of a live audience at the Melbourne Town Hall as a part of the 2012 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. It was also fitting to enjoy the line up of talent involved beyond host Paul McDermott and team captains Mikey Robbins and Claire Hooper: Wil Anderson, Cal Wilson, Frank Woodley, Jason Bryne, Corinne Grant, Stephen K Amos, Carl-Einer Hackner, Tom Gleeson & Randy.
As a live show it was pretty funny. As an edited TV event, it was all the fun bits of a number of the live shows edited together, and a great reminder what the classic format can offer when given enough rope. Some great gags, biting satire, one-liners aplenty, the most noisily performed mime ever, and, importantly for many fans, Paul got to sing. It seems for all the stick people give the GNW franchise it delivers shows like this that remind us about all the good things we like about to mourn it as it leaves.
Farewell Good News Week. I have enjoyed you in your many formats, many timeslots and duo of networks. Thank you.