Ben Elton to host live comedy variety show for Nine
Comedian Ben Elton is to produce, write and host a live variety show in a major coup for the Nine Network.
Live From Planet Earth takes the British-born comedian, who has since relocated to Australia, back to his comedy roots. During the 1980s, Elton compered the breakthough alternative comedy series Saturday Live in the UK. He also wrote comedy series including The Young Ones and Blackadder.
Live From Planet Earth will be produced by Fremantle Media Australia which announced a partnership with the WA-based Elton earlier this year.
Nine described the show as “100 per cent comedy and 100 per cent live. It is a studio-based variety program hosted by Elton with a cast of regular sketch performers, plus guests, comedians, comedy music acts and international stars. Elton will also be delivering his world-renowned stand-up routines and his influence will be felt throughout the program as he revels in the producing, writing and performing roles.”
great get by 9, thought he could have been the new host of the new “rove”
will be a great show
This could be quite a smart move by Nine. Stick it in the Hey Hey slot, and they’ve got live variety across the whole year.
wow. i am impressed by something that channel nine has done!
what a way to start the week!
Time will tell if it turns out to be a “major coup” but in the meantime it looks to be generating the right kind of positive PR.
This will flop. You read it here first. Ben Elton’s comedy is dreadful. His books are amateurish and predictable. The Ben Elton-written episodes of Blackadder were the worst – Richard Curtis was the brains there.
Is it 1986?
I love how it is considered a ‘coup’. I love how one comedy show is such a big deal. In the UK, there are new comedy shows featuring amazing comedians popping up every week.
True he produced some major hits, but keep in mind he did do We Will Rock You….
I suppose for the comedy starved in Australia, like myself, anything is better than nothing.
“In the UK, there are new comedy shows featuring amazing comedians popping up every week”. There’s also many spectacularly unfunny comedians such as Russell Howard (his recent performance on Graham Norton’s show was unfunny and uninteresting). I think franksting sums it up perfectly re Ben Elton, perhaps if it were the 80s this would be interesting.