Mar 30 2025

Champagne Comedy Podcast op-shopping in Marrickville

What happens when the ChampagneComedy.com admin and podcast co-hosts meet up in Sydney? Head to the dental surgeon in Marrickville Road – made famous by Tony and Mick (and Tom Panos).

Feb 17 2025

Champagne Comedy Podcast on Location – “It’s The Vibe”

The Champagne Comedy Podcast attends the Working Dog conversation at the AACTA Festival, held at HOTA on the Gold Coast, Saturday 8th February, 2025, as well as the 25th anniversary screening of “The Dish“.

Feb 13 2025

Vale Philip Brady

It would be rude of us not to acknowledge the passing of veteran radio and TV personality Philip Brady who passed away aged 85, only days after announcing his retirement in early February.

With 67 years of experience under his belt from working with Graham Kennedy and Bert Newton during the golden era of Australian television, up until his long running nostalgia show on 3AW ‘Remember When’ with Simon Owens, Brady also contributed to various bits and pieces of The Late Show, usually being the butt of the joke.

While we can’t post videos of all the appearances, we can at least provide you with screenshots of his doings.

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He was also generous enough to chat about his time on The Late Show when he invited me to chat on his ‘Remember When’ radio show and plug the Champagne Comedy Podcast, especially when I asked him if it was his ‘pressed fruit bowl’ in the Muckraking Mystery Tour window.

Vale.

Feb 09 2025

A very important question.

Feb 01 2025

Working Hard In The Green Guide

It’s rare for all of the Working Dog team to be in the one(ish) location and give an interview to talk about themselves. However, The Age‘s Debi Enker won the meat raffle and spoke to Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy, Michael Hirsh, Santo Cilauro and Rob Sitch about their nearly 40 years collaboration. Starting with the origins of The D-Generation, to their TV works, and movie developments, the team just keep their head down and plough through their ideas, working hard like dogs (oh, that’s how they got their name!)

This is all in celebration of being the recipient of the Longford Lyell award at the 2025 AACTAs.

We strongly encourage you to read the Green Guide feature via The Age / Sydney Morning Herald‘s site via a paywall… or read the back-up pdf version (thanks to CC fan Peter Phoebe) … download here.

Jan 30 2025

It’s The Vibe at HOTA

Photo: Working Dog / The Age.

In celebration with the Working Dog team being honoured with the Longford Lyell award at the 2025 AACTA Awards on the Gold Coast, Rob Sitch, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy, Santo Cilauro and Michael Hirsh will be front and centre for a panel ‘In Conversation’, hosted by fellow HYBPA?  and TGYH  cast member Ed Kavalee.

They’ve created some of the most entertaining experiences on the big and small screen and yet it’s rare to hear straight from the (Working) Dog’s mouth. This year’s Longford Lyell award recipients: Working Dog, comprising Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy, Rob Sitch and Michael Hirsh, will be in conversation with Ed Kavalee (Have You Been Paying Attention).

The wide-ranging discussion will cover where it all began, how they have remained friends, and how they have managed to turn a passion for comedy into a thriving creative production entity. Their range of projects speak for themselves: The Castle, The Dish, Russell Coight’s All Aussie Adventures, Frontline, The Hollowmen, Utopia, Thank God You’re Here, The Cheap Seats and Have You Been Paying Attention?

 

Working Dog… It’s The Vibe – on Saturday 8th February 11am at HOTA on the Gold Coast.

Link: https://www.aactafestival.com/program/working-dog…-it’s-the-vibe

—

Also at the AACTA Festival on Saturday 8th February at 6pm: the 25th anniversary screening of Working Dog’s The Dish.

Join us in celebrating 25 years of The Dish, the heartwarming and hilarious Australian classic brought to life by the legendary Working Dog team—Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy, Rob Sitch, and Michael Hirsh.

This special anniversary screening also honours the extraordinary achievements of Working Dog, this year’s Longford Lyell Award recipients. Over the decades, they’ve given us some of the most entertaining experiences across film and television, from The Castle and Utopia to Have You Been Paying Attention? Set against the backdrop of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, The Dish is based on a true story of how a small-town Aussie team and their iconic Parkes radio telescope helped broadcast one of humanity’s greatest achievements.

Featuring unforgettable performances from Sam Neill, Kevin Harrington, and Patrick Warburton, the film is a testament to Aussie ingenuity, humour, and teamwork. Don’t miss this chance to revisit a remastered cinematic gem and celebrate the creators who continue to shape Australian screen culture.

 

Link: https://www.aactafestival.com/program/25th-anniversary-screening-of-the-dish

Yes, I will be attending. So if you miss out, I’ll report back via the Champagne Comedy Podcast.

Jan 28 2025

Have You Been Paying Attention 24-7

Just when you can’t get enough of the weekly news and events, why not have access to the quick wit of comedians responding to those moments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

The ever-popular and multi-award winning quiz show Have You Been Paying Attention? is now available to watch as a FAST (Free ad supported streaming TV) channel, streaming all episodes on rotation from the very beginning. That’s over 315 episodes!

How can you watch this? Via 10Play’s app, your smart TV, or https://10play.com.au/live/have-you-been-paying-attention.

 

Dec 21 2024

Review: Working Dog on Demand

Here’s something from the news desk we did not expect:

Working Dog have announced via their social media accounts that they have launched a brand new ‘On Demand’ streaming service of their library – both television and film – Working Dog On Demand: watch.workingdog.com

While I have everything they have released on physical media, lots of their catalogue is now out of print and filling the shelves at op shops and eBay stores. Even some of their titles that were on iTunes and Google Play have dropped off the radar. We get the odd e-mail from fans like yourselves asking ‘where do we go to get a DVD as my ex kept it from me’ type situation.

Being that ChampagneComedy.com is a fitting place to review their new service, get ready for our rundown.

My initial reaction after discovering this news of this service was excitement, instantly thinking “How are they going to stream The Late Show? The D-Generation? The Panel?”

Currently on their site at the time of this review, the following are available to watch – after purchase:

While some of their catalogue on the site is currently missing (The Late Show, D-Generation, Funky Squad, The Panel, Santo Sam & Ed, Pictures Of You, The Campaign, Audrey Gordon, Blunderbirds <- that’s an obscure one!) Working Dog have mentioned more will come soon. Again, at the time of this review, the following pictured have links to current streaming services (free & paid):

When you click into those shows, there are direct links to where you can view these programs, such as Stan, Netflix, Apple TV, Prime Video, YouTube, and 10Play.

But what I was keen on was to own a copy of their 2016 adult animated series Pacific Heat, which was shown on Netflix worldwide, but restricted to Foxtel in Australia. Pacific Heat has never been released on DVD nor a deliverable digital service like iTunes, so I decided to buy this nugget for this review (since I owned the others on DVD).

Registration was quick and simple, receiving e-mail notifications instantly. Just an e-mail confirmation, followed by setting up my name and password. Once logged in, I clicked on Pacific Heat, and found the cost to be $17.99 for the entire series (13 episodes) or $2.99 for each individual episode. Currently, Working Dog are only accepting secure debit / credit card payments, or a promo code if you have been provided with one.  After the purchase, I received an e-mail receipt, and confirmation that the show was ready for me to stream instantly through their site.

Now, to watch this, I am using a Mac desktop and Google Chrome browser. There is a rundown on their site on what the minimum requirements are to view this service. There is a complete detailed listing here. One surprising thing is that you are limited to a maximum 3 devices for 1 account. There are options to remove any device which you can access via your account, so if you need to watch via your smart TV, tablet, phone, computer but you are out of options, just remove the unwanted devices.

Just like other streaming services, if you stop anytime through your viewing, you can pick it up where you left off. All your purchases go directly into your library as well, so you can skip and visit any part of your purchase.

All their video is DRM protected, which prevents me from even doing screenshots for reviewing purposes, but I can show you the resolution menu, which everything is provided in 1080p and lower, depending on your bandwidth.

As with every streaming service – you are paying for the unlimited access, and not ownership.

Some stray observations from me:

  • Currently with Utopia, you cannot buy streaming access on their site if you reside in Australia. This is due to streaming rights from other paid subscription services. We assume this will change when those rights have expired.
    • UPDATE 21/12:
      To test the geo-blocking on this, Champagne Comedy Podcast host Alison (who is based in the UK) has tried accessing Utopia, in which she was successful.

  • I have not purchased Frontline on demand as I own the first print DVD run, but judging by the recent remastering release on iView, the music might be different from the VHS / DVD versions due to licensing rights.
  • The 1991 documentary A Coffee With Ozzy is already available and free on their official YouTube channel, but we’ll see if it becomes embedded within their service.
  • Will Working Dog include their audio library? IE Music From The Panel? Any radio serial? Archived podcasts?
  • Registration is free so you can log in and explore. If you want to watch something, check out the trailer icon that appears in the show description which will have a video pop up. If it’s what you like, then purchase away.
  • UPDATE 21/12 v2:
    More from Alison: While the prices are tailored to the UK, it says I can get Any Questions for Ben? on Apple TV and that’s not the case in the UK.
  • UPDATE 28/01/2025:
    Funky Squad, All Aussie Adventures S1 – 3 + the Celebrity Challenge are now available to buy SVOD.

While I have no idea what and when they are releasing more of their catalogue,  I am keen to find out, and will update what we know, here.

Nov 08 2024

Things of Stone and Wood 35th Anniversary Show

Here’s something a little different for you from ChampagneComedy.com: Photographer / Pop Culture Lover / Live Gig fan Tim Chuma attended the Things of Stone And Wood 35th Anniversary performance on behalf of the site to see what ‘Melbourne cliches’ he could get out of the gig.

Things of Stone and Wood 35th Anniversary Show
Corner Hotel, Tuesday 5th November 2024

“I just ran out of Melbourne cliches!”

It must be said that some jokes have legs, both the band and the venue used The Late Show parody clip to promote the show and The Sharp does sell skivvies at their shows on the merchandise table. I saw Frente at the venue last year and regularly say hello to Angie Hart usually when I see her over at the Lomond Hotel after JVG Radio Method on RRR FM. That is where Greg Arnold was on the Sunday before the show promoting the gig and talked about how he did not mind playing the big hit as it is the reason people still remember the band.

The band’s original heyday was in the 1990s before I had finished high school and I didn’t really start going to see bands until 2003. Going back and looking at the Inpress archives on the Music website there were a lot of gigs every week at places at the Punters Club (now reopened), the Tote and the Espy. Dan & Al used to have 13 shows they could play per week according to Dan Warner. (I am going to see their Christmas show this year as usual.)

Having seen a lot of so-called “heritage” acts as house photographer at the Caravan Music Club when it was open in Oakleigh, the musicians involved have not stopped playing music in the intervening years and it is often much better so see them now than back in the day as they have more songs and experience. This was the case here even with the songs I did not know so well they still got the crowd pogoing along (I had a seat) and handing out musk sticks to share.

Greg Arnold talked about his first synth-metal band and offered to buy back any photos of the band. He also said he once fell through the stage at the Corner Hotel when it was a lot more run down than it was now and risked it by playing the exact same song.

The band did one folk set and one more rocking set. I only got photos from the first 3 songs but it was pretty much the same on stage for the whole show.

I enjoyed the day and may have done so a bit more if I did not go out to the Pulp Fiction 30th anniversary by the Tarantinos band the night before as I kept almost falling asleep in my chair. The band is well worth going to see even if you do only know one of their songs and just want a good show to go see.

Link:

Oct 05 2024

Working Dog merch and a Frontline surprise!

the late show shirt

The Late Show T-Shirts are now available at Working Dog’s store!

Working Dog productions has released an online store featuring merchandise from its popular shows and movies — including The Late Show!

The “Straight to the Pool Room” collection includes The Castle and All Aussie Adventures shirts ($55), and an homage to the original ABC The Late Show Cap (“Gotta Get That Cap!”), which costs $39.95.

UPDATE: The Late Show T-shirts are now available!

Matt Fulton has ordered and received said cap which he’s happy with.

The differences between the original Late Show cap and the 2024 Working Dog version include:

  • This one doesn’t have the white embroidering on it; it is a print.
  • There’s “Working Dog Official Merchandise” wording at the back, to distinguish between this and any potential knock-offs.
  • The original ABC version had green under the cap rim.

Other merch includes Nation Building Authority (Utopia) staff lanyards, The Cheap Seats and Have You Been Paying Attention? mugs, and the option of a digital gift card if you don’t quite know what your loved one might like from the array of delights on offer.

No word on The Late Show shirts but we will wait patiently! UPDATE 7/10: We didn’t have to wait long! The Late Show Shirts are here!

In other Working Dog news, it surprised us with remastered versions of Frontline episodes to celebrate 30 years since its debut! You can stream them all on ABC iView.