Alex Casey 
Now that The Block NZ is back, Alex Casey recaps a marathon four hours of Mark Richardson television. Home renovation juggernaut The Block NZ returned this week, bringing with it two incredibly harsh realities. The first is that I’m going to feel very conflicted for the next few months as I wipe the mould off … Read more
After spending a week in Wellington, Alex Casey reflects on the highs, lows and celebrity sightings in the windy city. Last Sunday, I wrote a piece about my weird relationship with Wellington, and what I was hoping to get out of a whole week in the windy city. Although I didn’t find the weird giant baby at … Read more
The final in a week-long series chatting to Wellingtonians about what they’re up to in the windy city, Alex Casey talks to Cameron Harland of Park Road Post about New Zealand films, video nostalgia, and the best surf spots in Wellington. “It’s got a real shining vibe, eh” says Cameron Harland, general manager of Park … Read more
Today, as part of a week-long series chatting to Wellingtonians about what they’re up to in the windy city, Alex Casey talks to Rebecca Stewart of Pomegranate Kitchen about social enterprise and doing good in the community, one meal at a time. It’s 8am on a Friday, and it doesn’t take long to start talking … Read more
Today, as part of a week-long series chatting to Wellingtonians about what they’re up to in the windy city, Alex Casey talks to Jo Randerson and Thomas LaHood of Barbarian productions about making theatre on the fringe. Here’s the beginning of a comedic Wellington setup for you: a viking and a clown walk into a … Read more
Next in a week-long series chatting to Wellingtonians about what they’re up to in the windy city, Alex Casey talks to fashion entrepreneur Pinaman Owusu-Banahene about bringing Africa to Wellington, growing up in a matriarchy, and the slow death of fast fashion. For someone who once thought fashion was shallow, Pinaman Owusu-Banahene’s iridescent turquoise outfit is an … Read more
Next in a week-long series chatting to Wellingtonians about what they’re up to in the windy city, Alex Casey talks to Choice Bros head brewer Kerry Gray about the Wellington brewer scene, stag semen and why his bar will be a haven from Trump. “Kiwi drinking culture got fucked up because everyone wanted to get fucked up,” says … Read more
In the first in a week-long series chatting to Wellingtonians about what they’re up to in the windy city, Alex Casey talks to ProjectR director Jessica Manins about the robot revolution, the future of film, and the best secret places to have a wine. It’s kind of fitting that when we showed up to see … Read more
Before launching into a week-long series exploring all that Wellington has to offer her, Alex Casey reflects on a childhood spent travelling ‘over the hill’. I have a confession: Wellington used to make me sick. Like, literally. Growing up over the ranges in the sleepy, sometimes scary, sometimes fancy cheese shop town of Featherston in … Read more
Alex Casey spends the afternoon watching a master at work: the one and only Dan Corbett, TVNZ 1’s enigmatic metereologist. The good thing about Dan Corbett is that you don’t know if he’s talking about the weather, or if he’s tracing the movements of a Cockney gangster on the run. “Here comes the mean geezer,” … Read more
Alex Casey delves into the endless relevance of The Handmaid’s Tale, arriving exclusively on Lightbox today. I first encountered The Handmaid’s Tale during high school English. They were simpler times, when you could buy three full size (!) Moro bars for $2 at the tuck shop, and the world didn’t feel like it was absolutely, 100% … Read more
With voting for TVNZ’s New Blood webseries competition underway, panelist Alex Casey rounds up the top 10 finalists. You know how fancy overseas countries have a pilot season, where all the exciting brand new shows battle it out to get picked up by networks? New Zealand has finally put on its grown-up pants with TVNZ’s … Read more
Alex Casey peers into the abyss of New Zealand celebrity YouTube channels, and rounds up five of the best. There’s nothing more I love than cracking open the old jar of chocolate chips in the pantry and zoning out on YouTube to someone talking to a camera in their bedroom about their moderately entertaining lives. … Read more
The Handmaid’s Tale is already the most talked-about new shows of 2017, and it’s coming to our shores exclusively on Lightbox from June 8. Alex Casey tells you why you should be psyched. Adapted from Margaret Atwood’s terrifying dystopia first imagined in her 1985 novel, The Handmaid’s Tale is a too-real vision of the future. … Read more
For Shortland Street’s 25th anniversary week, Alex Casey interviews the soap’s longest serving extra. In Ferndale, Dr. Mary Tompkins is a god among mortals. She was there when Luke Durville died of a brain bleed. She was on duty when a gunman unleashed hell in the cafeteria during the Christmas party. She treated a pilot after … Read more
Alex Casey watches The Bachelor NZ’s ‘Women Tell All’ special, and finds a fittingly tame end to the season. Will we ever forget the moment that Naz stomped onto The Bachelor NZ’s Women Tell All stage last year, brandishing her manicured fingers like knives and effing and jeffing up a storm? It was better than … Read more
Alex Casey delivers her final rankings for The Bachelor NZ season three, including old croissants, a winner and drone shots for days. So many days. Look, I’m tired. I’m more tired than Lily huffing her way up a hilly driveway to meet Zac halfway because the Suzuki Swift probably ran out of gas. I’m more … Read more
Alex Casey explains why you should make Top of the Lake your gloomy weekend binge-watch. Here’s the truth: we should all be screaming about Jane Campion’s masterpiece Top of the Lake all day everyday, because it’s some of the best television to come out of New Zealand ever (apart from this and maybe also this). Filmed … Read more
Alex Casey tackles the ninth week of The Bachelor NZ, including paddle boards, rejection and some gnarly dads. Just like Zac, I too have a pain in my heart and a pain in my stomach – and not just because I’ve been eating at least a tube of Colgate Optic White a day to try … Read more
Alex Casey reports back from the Techweek’17 ‘Breaking Stereotypes’ panel with a bevy of useful life advice. The room for the Breaking Stereotypes panel was built to inspire, from the shaggy aqua rug to the bespoke mismatched seats, to the wall art that literally said “inspire”. ‘Twas the middle of Techweek’17, the coffee was steaming, … Read more
In the midst of Techweek’17, Alex Casey talks to The Next Billion’s Priti Ambani about shining a light on the women in tech. We had only been talking for five minutes, but engineer and company co-founder Priti Ambani had already taken me on a journey into exponential technologies, big data and the future of work. … Read more
Alex Casey tackles the eighth week of The Bachelor NZ, including some extra feedback from Real Pod special guest Anne ‘The Champagne Lady’ Batley Burton. Off we went this week to the beautiful islands of Khao Lak where the waters were pristine, the sand was sizzling and Dom was a beach goth dressed entirely in … Read more
Moon TV’s ‘Non Celebrity Traffic Island’ marooned a group of regular folk on a traffic island in Remuera. Here, we share some useful survival tips from the harrowing social experiment. Being marooned on a reality TV show is hard yakka, just look at Nikki Kaye in Fish Out of Water, or The Bachelorettes fighting over … Read more
Alex Casey tackles the seventh week of The Bachelor NZ, including a freaky massage, puppet kisses and a torturous ice bath challenge. Before we race into the power rankings like a rogue raccoon into an animal cafe, we need to talk about wtf was going on in The Bachelor NZ land this week. The dramatic … Read more
Like a true blue aging reality starlet, the Bravo logo has had a bit of work done in order to attract more men. Alex Casey asks the men of The Spinoff if it has worked. The more observant reality fiends among us may have noticed that Bravo, presumably inspired by the tanned and tucked talent that … Read more
Alex Casey sits down with Anika Moa ahead of her return to television in All Talk With Anika Moa season two. Warning: contains burps, swear words and tangents about flaps. Interviewing Anika Moa is a little bit like attending a celebrity roast, except she’s the celebrity and you are the one getting mercilessly roasted. She’ll … Read more
With the penultimate season on Lightbox this week, Alex Casey does a deep dive into Reddit to find all the Psycho references in prequel series Bates Motel. As the Scary Movie franchise has demonstrated, nothing gets the party started like a pop culture reference, however slight or heavy. Bates Motel, both a prequel to and … Read more
Alex Casey talks to comedian Ed Gamble about his time impersonating a prince on Almost Royal, and how to catch a catfish. The BBC America series Almost Royal follows the aristocratic sibling duo Georgie and Poppy Carlton – supposed descendants of the royal family – as they travel to the United States to meet the … Read more
In a tell-all appearance on The Real Pod this week, ex-Bachelor Jordan Mauger revealed how he chose the winner of season two, among other confessions including when he really wore the earpiece. Jordan Mauger, star of The Bachelor NZ season two, has revealed to The Spinoff that he flipped a coin to decide who was … Read more