Last week, Shaun Micallef and his Mad as Hell team said good night. And bam! After 10 years and 15 seasons, the world’s best TV show was gone. So I contacted the man to complain. And to reflect on Mad as Hell and its SBS predecessor, Newstopia.
CMT: In 2008, you said, 'Actually, the idea of a news parody is as old as TV. To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't have thought there was much life in it.' Were you surprised by the longevity of Newstopia and Mad As Hell?
Micallef: Newstopia lasted three seasons and would have gone to a fourth (with a live audience) had not a celebrity panel show on Ten [Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation] intervened. Mad as Hell - which started after the Ten show finished four years later - picked up where Newstopia left off. The news parody had given way to news satire; jokes about what was being said on the news rather than how they were being said. All the news presentation jokes had been played out by then. We needed to at least scratch the surface rather than skim across it.
CMT: Research shows that many people are avoiding news, that trust in news is low, and that people are finding alternate pathways to news. It shows a lot of people use satire (Stephen Colbert, The Chaser, The Betoota Advocate) to get news, and that comedy can be as good a source as news for knowledge gain. Did you get the feeling people were getting their news from you?
Micallef: God, I hope not. We only give enough background to set the joke up. We’re not trying to inform anyone or have them learn anything. That’s not our job.
CMT: Do you think satirical news shows play an important role?
Micallef: I used to think not. I think when we spoke last time that I thought satire created the illusion of action; that because we were laughing about something or someone they would soon be put to rights - but, of course, that only happens if we turn off the TV and take to the streets. I didn’t think satire was important at all. I’ve changed my mind a little since Mad As Hell finished. Quite a few people have reached out to let me know the show helped their mental health over the last ten years. That’s something.
CMT: More generally, do you think news and journalism remain important?
Micallef: Oh yes, that’s very important. It’s not at all what we do. We just riff off their work. But everyone’s a comedian or a commentator these days. All you need is a social media account. Not everyone can be a journalist.
CMT: What has the response been to you announcing Mad as Hell is over, after 10 years and 15 seasons?
Micallef: It seems a lot of people are sorry to see it go. That means we got out at the right time. There’s nothing worse than outstaying your welcome.
CMT: You've written a memoir, Tripping Over Myself, A memoir of a life in comedy. Does it cover your legal background?
Micallef: No. I left all that out thinking it would be too dull. I think I made the right choice.
CMT: Can you mark some Ethics, Law and Justice essays for me?
Micallef: Sacha, I wouldn’t have the gall, having just scraped through on most of my subjects when I did them. I was too busy doing Footlights revues.
Sacha Molitorisz, UTS Law
This was featured in our fortnightly newsletter of 30 September - Read our newsletter in full here. To subscribe, click here.