A fourth season of Mad As Hell has been confirmed for some time, but now we have a date: Wednesday September 24th, 8pm on ABC (no “1” this time). Like season three, it will run for 10 episodes. (or one and a half swimming pools)
It’s going to be a jam-packed end to the year for Shaun (and those who love Shaun’s work), with other work he’s been involved in likely to air, plus the launch of his book. More info to come!
Some time ago, we re-posted a Fan Q&A with Shaun from 1999, which had featured on the first known website dedicated to Mr Micallef.
Now, 14 years later, we post the other half, originally posted in 2000. No ground-breaking news obviously, but a nice little walk down the memory garden path. Even Gary got a question!
Chelsea asks:
What’s the writing process like for you? Do you see something ridiculous on a street corner and mentally convert it into a sketch, or is it more that you have to sit down at a desk, start with a character in a costume and put them through the motions of funny?
Shaun —
Bit of both I suppose. I’ll tend to write whether I have an idea or not. Usually something ends up on the page worth keeping. The best things though are the ideas that pop into your head fully formed and you just have to write them down. The second best ideas are those that pop out in conversation without really thinking about them – a line or a phrase will just fall out of your mouth and surprise the speaker as much as anyone else. Then you jot them down word for word and find a place to use them later.
Lindell asks:
Gary, do you have any ambitions as to comedy performance, or is the writing your best mode of expression? I’m very much a fan of your writing, any plans to write a book, novella, collection of recipes?
Gary —
Yes Lindell, I’d love to (as you say, and quite accurately) perform comedy but Shaun won’t allow it. He’s quite insecure and feels that if I were allowed to (as you say) perform on the show I would reserve my best material for me. Of course this is ridiculous. I would always give him my best material, leaving me to die in the arse. I have no plans to write anything else, and hope to return to my previous occupation of kitchen hand at the “Empress of India”, Payneham Rd. St Peters. But thank you for asking.
Mab asks:
Is Roz single??? 🙂 (Absolutely *lurve* the show! Can’t wait for season 3!!!)
Shaun —
I couldn’t possibly comment on that (the first bit). Glad you like the show and are looking forward to the third bit of it.
Cathy asks:
Hi Shaun – do you have a single favourite sketch or moment from the show that you think worked best, or that you most enjoyed doing/writing?
Shaun —
I really liked ‘Filthy Stinking Poms’, although it did rather turn out looking like the Royal Family, which we didn’t know about at the time. My favorite though would have to be Spiffington Manse.
Cancerboy asks:
How open are you guys to suggestions for jokes/sketches, etc? If somebody has written something that they think would suit the style of the show would you read it and seriously consider it?
Shaun —
Yeah, but generally we prefer our own stuff.
Gropogi asks:
How come we never get to see the final episode of Season 1?
Shaun —
Just bad luck Gropogi. The scheduling the first time around just dropped it from that week and the second time around it was dropped because of the Paralympics. It’s a pity too because it’s got some good stuff in it. Anyway a mystique will develop around it now and it will be remembered more fondly than it should.
Liv asks:
Hi Shaun and Gary, your show is the FUNNIEST thing I’ve ever seen!!! I was wondering, what kind of shows do you find yourselves watching on tv at the moment? Do you get into comedies or try to stay away from those, in case you accidentally copycat a particular gag/style?
Shaun —
Thanks Liv – I tend to avoid sketch comedy for the reason you suggested. We might pick up on something or get all paranoid about something that’s a bit similar to what we were planning to do (for example Rove had a joke on Monday which is a bit similar to one we were planning on doing next week – ah well…) Me? I like Frasier. Gary? He likes The Royale Family.
Sheryl asks:
What do you guys think of Stan Zemaneck and Beauty and the Beast? I’ve heard Stan bag your show on more than one occasion (presumably after your brilliant piss-take ‘Ali-Baba and his Forty Thieves’).
Shaun —
I thinked he bagged me on TV and radio before Ali Baba went to air. That’s his character I guess, to complain about such things. The show probably isn’t his cup of tea. A lot of people don’t like it.
Dale asks:
How did you get into the Harry Hears You commercials for Bankwest, Shaun?
Shaun —
Found out about them, eh? Just the usual Dale – the agent rang and said there was an ad up, I auditioned, did some improvised schtick, got the gig. I did the ads in one week. It was fun. No lines. Lots of ad libbing. We made it up as we went along. Like in the old silent film days.
Marguerite asks:
Will we ever see you do stand-up, or live theatresports or comedy Shaun? I think you’d be grouse!
Shaun —
I’m thinking of touring with a live show (avec Francis) in the second half of the year. [2001] It’s called “An Audience In Front Of Shaun Micallef and Francis Greenslade”. No doubt potential backers will dissuade me of this title. I used to do theatre sports but gave it up when a comedian called Geoff Kelso balled me out in front of about 100 other actors and told me to not give up my day job. I’ve never really recovered.
Brian Lee asks:
Although I am only 12 years old I am a great fan of your show. I was just wondering what is a normal day in the life of Shaun Micallef.
Shaun —
Tuesday is pretty much a normal day for me. Sometimes Thursday.
Tess asks:
I’m really looking forward to seeing your sit-com Welcher and Welcher Shaun, and wondered how you felt about the canned laughter that comes with the sit-com territory?
Shaun —
I can’t stand canned laughter. We don’t use it in the Micallef Program – if only one person laughed at a joke that’s what you hear.
Today is Shaun’s 52nd birthday. We already made a start on the cake…
We fondly remember Welcher and Welcher, Shaun’s foray into the sitcom world, which had some brilliant moments (amongst a few awkward ones). So in very exciting news, Shaun let it slip in a recent chat that he was writing another sitcom!
This is what he told us:
“It’s about a boy who befriends a giant robot. The working title is: Amazing Flying Power Child and it stars myself and Rebecca Gibney.”
So, there it is, explained only the way Shaun could! It’s likely more (or anything) will be announced if and when Shaun gets a green light from the ABC to go to production. Something to hope for in 2015?!
Despite that fact that it won’t be available until October 6th, there’s been a bit more information recently on Shaun’s next book “The President’s Desk”. During a conversation last week, Shaun was kind enough to share some information about it with me, as well as appearing with Francis on stage at the Williamstown Literary Festival to delight the audience with a reading.
Shaun says it’s a book you can “dip-into”, with each chapter revolving around different American Presidents, with the desk being a central theme. He pointed out that just like people now days can watch a film in any order (with the power of time-shifted TV), so too can you read this book in any order. It’s a bit like a history book, with “some bits made up” to be more interesting.
A lot of the ideas in the book seem to have been hanging around for a while, with parts of the book having been “played out” with Kim Gyngell at the Festival 2 years ago, as well as some of it being published as part of Tony Martin’s former website.
Shaun prefers to only shop a book to publishers when it’s complete, for fear of promising something he later feels is a bit rubbish.
At the Willy Lit Fest, he read a part of the book pertaining to the last voyage of the HMS Resolute (which later became the Resolute Desk, used by the President in the Oval Office) and the crew’s penchant for dugongs (or is that mermaids?). Francis countered with an excerpt from the chapter on Reagan, which seemed to be Shaun’s soapbox for how he felt about actors as people (ie. selling their whoredom)!
He didn’t have a copy of the finished book to show at the Fest (it’s being printed overseas), but he did produce a mini-replica, which was presented to the Hill family, who’d travelled from Newcastle to be in Williamstown!
The book also has a glossary of pro-nouns and a biography of Shawn Micallef (ie. the Canadian one who writes about architecture and spaces).
All in all, we can’t wait for October!
You know that behind every great host and every great show, there’s a great cast and crew.
For season 3, Mad As Hell squeezed every moment out of its 28 minute timeslot, which meant that we never got to see the credit list – something we completionists hate!
And since the ABC failed to add it to their new, but less informative, website, here it is for you… The Mad As Hell Season 3 Credits:
Presented By
SHAUN MICALLEF
FRANCIS GREENSLADE
ROZ HAMMOND
AND
TOSH GREENSLADE
VERONICA MILSOM
EMILY TAHENY
STEPHEN HALL
Written By
SHAUN MICALLEF
GARY MCCAFFRIE
MICHAEL WARD
TONY MOCLAIR
ALASDAIR TREMBLAY-BIRCHALL
DAVID M. GREEN
SIMON TAYLOR
Well that’s a bit rude, but half true – indeed, this website has turned 4 years old!
For any web-related thing to last and continue to be updated for more than 8 weeks is pretty extraordinary, so thanks to your support over the past 4 years and of course thanks to Shaun, for giving us things to write about!
(Unfortunately, we never got our “Hey dickhead, you’re 3!” card last year.)
The show that really reminded the mainstream audience on how good Shaun really is might be in the rear-view mirror, but that doesn’t mean it’s forgotten. Seasons 2 to 4 of Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation are available to purchase through iTunes (albeit at a cost of AU$136 for all 54 episodes).
Also on iTunes is Mad As Hell Season 1 and Season 3 (but not Season 2) and Shaun’s Who Do You Think You Are episode. His ‘Quiet Word’ with Tony Martin is also noticeably absent.
It’s all but confirmed – Shaun’s next book will be entitled “The President’s Desk” and be available from October 6th this year.
We published a possible excerpt in a previous post, and now Shaun, in conversation with Francis Greenslade, will be discussing it at the Williamstown Literary Festival, probably with a reading or two – can’t wait!
David M Green, long-time Shaun fan and now a writer in the Mad As Hell team, got to talk to Francis Greenslade last year. You can listen to the whole thing on David’s website or iTunes, but here’s some things we learnt (in relation to Shaun):
Francis first saw Shaun on stage, doing a sketch called “The Incredible Low-Fat Ice Coffee Carton”. Both being members of the Adelaide University Footlights, they would often arrive nearly an hour and a half before rehearsal, just waiting for the doors to open.
It was Shaun and Gary who got Francis onto TV, specifically Full Frontal, and did so by getting him in as an extra for a sketch they had written.
He comments that The Micallef Program was “a joy” to work on, and says there hasn’t been a more seemless and hysterical sketch comedy show in Australia. Meat Boy is his favourite sketch. Everything was written before filming began, allowing plenty of time for the cast to prepare (especially when compared to Mad As Hell).
They also talk about one of the sketches filmed for Season 2 of Mad As Hell, which never went to our screens, called ‘Blather’. The question remains if this, and other unaired material for the show, will ever be released.