COMEDY QUIZ FANS, IT’S TIME TO PAY ATTENTION
They may take the mickey out of each other on screen, but the stars of Have You Been
Paying Attention? are actually good mates. On screen, Tom Gleisner manages the chaos of Channel 10’s comedy quiz show while regulars Ed Kavalee and Sam Pang take pot shots at their intrepid quiz master.
“When we’re filming we don’t really have a chance to just enjoy each other’s company socially, so it’s nice to do it in the off-season,” Gleisner tells Weekend.
“Sam and I played a few holes of golf a couple of weeks ago.
“He’s a far better golfer than I’ll ever be so I made sure there were no cameras involved.
“It’s a show we really love and even though it’s been a long break, we’re ready and raring to go.”
The two-time Logie-winning series returns to our screens on Monday, just in time to poke fun at the drama of shows such as
MasterChef and House Rules.
Gleisner promises a few newcomers will make their HYBPA debuts this year. In its six seasons, the show has helped elevate the profiles of comedians including Urzila Carlson and Dilruk Jayasinha.
“A couple of our producers have been seeing every show at the (recent) Melbourne International Comedy Festival and there are a couple of names from that. We even have a few international names this year,” he says.
So how do the producers prepare overseas
guests for a show as cheeky as HYBPA?
“Before anyone is even asked to do the show we’ll send them a link to a couple of episodes,” Gleisner says.
“It’s always fun having someone from out of town who may not watch every episode of The Bachelor.”
Speaking of Bachie, Gleisner looks forward to covering the reality dating show’s upcoming season starring rugby union player Nick “The Honey Badger” Cummins. “There will be plenty of Bachelor and
Bachelorette action ahead of us, plus Sophie Monk on Love Island. We won’t want for love-struck 20-somethings,” he says.
“I’ll be watching every episode – purely for research purposes.” Have You Been Paying Attention? returns on Monday at 8.30pm on Channel 10.