It was a world first that fostered some of our finest young talent, so what the hell happened to TVNZ U? Five years since its closure, Alex Casey takes a look back at the little youth channel that could. Simon Dallow appeared to be holding a dildo, Tim Batt was eating cat food straight out … Read more
Tonight, in Los Angeles, the New Zealand podcast phenomenon The Worst Idea Of All Time comes to a close. Tom Augustine pays tribute to the show that took a terrible idea and transformed it into art. You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live … Read more
Sam Brooks marks the halfway point of the comedy festival with two slam-dunk shows from Billy T Award winner Guy Montgomery and Snort regular Donna Brookbanks. Guy Montgomery: Let’s All Get In A Room Together It’s hard to sum up why Guy Montgomery is special as a comedian. He mixes the affability of the popular … Read more
Comedy co-editor Natasha Hoyland ended up in hospital as the opening nights of NZ International Comedy Festival’s second week were kicking off. So she asked the comedians to review their own shows in her absence. Hello, Natasha here! Coming to you live from my death bed. This time of the week I usually do my … Read more
Spinoff Comedy co-editor Natasha Hoyland heads to the Basement Preview Show for a first look at the acts performing there over the course of the comedy festival. The Flick Electric Co. Comedy Gala is happening tonight in Auckland, which means it’s officially time for the NZ International Comedy Festival! To celebrate, I went out to … Read more
You might know Guy Montgomery from winning the Billy T Award a few years ago, from his smash-hit podcast The Worst Idea of All Time, or from TV3’s Fail Army. Sam Brooks talks to Guy about his career in comedy and what he plans to do in New York. Sam Brooks: Are you ready to be … Read more
Melbourne Comedy Festival: lots of shows, lots of cool people, fewer audiences. Auckland comedian Donna Brookbanks shares the second installment of her Melbourne festival diary. Read Donna’s first diary entry here. Dear Diary, Today I woke up. Last night, Alice [Snedden] and I did our show to eight people! That’s 58 spare seats! I had … Read more
Melbourne: better public transport than Auckland, better laneways, better bars. But here’s one thing the two cities do have in common: a comedy festival. We enlisted Auckland comedian Donna Brookbanks to report back on her Melbourne festival experience. Dear Diary, Today I woke up. It’s so much fun sleeping in a single bed again! Sometimes … Read more
The “proudly stupid” clip show Fail Army, hosted by Guy Montgomery and Joseph Moore, returns tonight on TV3 at 10pm. Guy Montgomery teases what punters can expect from the much-anticipated second season. The first thing to know is that Fail Army arrives in New Zealand as a finished product. The show arrives mixed and graded, … Read more
‘Reissue’ is an occasional column which will bring back a print feature from the vaults. Today: Duncan Greive looks at the origins of Tim Batt and Guy Montgomery’s cult podcast hit Worst Idea of All Time ahead of a live record for the Comedy Festival. Photography by Reagen Butler. Originally published in April’s 1972 magazine, sponsored by … Read more