We Interrupt This Broadcast launches 7.30pm Tuesday, February 28, on Seven and 7plus.
From MAFS to MKR, The Masked Singer to MasterChef, Squid Game to SAS Australia and The Block to The Bachelor; nothing is off limits with a team of more than 25 of Australia’s top comedy writers ensuring We Interrupt This Broadcast is accessible for everyone.
A fast, furious and long-overdue sketch comedy series, We Interrupt This Broadcast reboots and revitalises a long-standing and near-forgotten Australian tradition: taking the piss out of everything, including ourselves.
We Interrupt This Broadcast showcases eight of Australia’s top comedy talent: Christie Whelan Browne, Bridie Connell, Michelle Brasier, Adele Vuko, Duncan Fellows, Greg Larsen, Ben Russell and Bjorn Stewart.
Speaking to Mediaweek about producing We Interrupt This Broadcast, Helium’s Mark Fennessy said that now was the time to lighten the mood of the nation.
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“Comedy has been overdue for quite some time. With Covid, the world’s lost three years and that has left us all pretty serious. The world’s changed a bit, and I just think it’s great to be able to step back and have some much-needed absurdity and silliness.
“I’ve made a bit of sketch comedy before, it’s quite a joyous process from a producer’s perspective. Comedy is by far my favourite genre – it’s very difficult to get right. It’s probably the hardest genre to sell in the market. For broadcasters it’s the unicorn: they love it, but they’re afraid of it in a sense. All power to the Seven Network for fully backing it, they’ve got an incredible legacy and heritage of success with comedy.”
We Interrupt This Broadcast takes its inspiration from whatever viewers can find on their TV – be it on free-to-air, streaming services, or the occasional fictional show.
“Not only are we having fun with the genres and brands and franchises that everyone’s familiar with, but some of them are completely made up,” said Fennessy. “There are fictional shows and fictional personalities, as well as ones that we already readily identify with – whether that’s Married at First Sight, or MasterChef, or Border Security, or a series like Squid Game. For a comedy writer and a comedy production team, it’s manna from Heaven.”