Shaun Micallef’s Eve of Destruction, ABC review: more like this please

Shaun Micallef’s known for giving pretty much everything a go. Sketch comedy, sitcoms, movies, tonight shows, dramatic acting, documentary hosting, radio, comedy albums, theatre (sketch comedy and plays) writing fiction (both short and long), upcoming children’s book author – you wouldn’t be at all surprised to find a stack of paintings or some sculpture out in his back shed. So a chat show is not all that surprising. But what kind of chat show is Eve of Destruction?

It’s not quite as silly a question as it sounds. Micallef might be one of this country’s foremost comedians, but he’s not afraid to get serious when the mood takes him. He’s made documentary series on faith and (not) drinking; later this year over on SBS he’ll be at the head of Shaun Micallef’s Origin Odessey, where he’ll travel the globe with a bunch of local comedians exploring their overseas origins.

So even with the hook of Micallef asking people what they’d rescue from their house if it was seconds away from destruction, it’s perfectly possible that this could have been a serious chat about the importance (or lack thereof) of personal possessions. It’s not like the ABC would say no to a second bite of the Enough Rope apple.

So it’s a relief to be able to say that – based on the first episode at least – Shaun Micallef’s Eve of Destruction is very funny indeed. The ‘what possessions would you save’ angle isn’t much to work with, but it’s enough for Micallef to go to town. And it doesn’t hurt that his two guests are more than happy to come along for the ride.

The first guest is Stephen Curry, who Micallef has worked with off and on for a number of years and who occupies a slight similar space in that he can be both funny and dramatic to good effect. The interview is engaging, though hardly insightful: what makes it work is the constant, building side jokes and digressions. They’re both comedians who can sell a joke with an expression, making this a rare chat show segment that you need to watch as well as listen to.

Second guest Felix Cameron, AKA ‘that kid off Boy Swallows Universe‘ seems like a more traditional choice, but in a pleasant surprise he’s also pretty funny. Micallef never talks down to him, but never lets him get too far ahead of himself either. Cameron knows he’s funny, which is often a good way to stop getting laughs, but Micallef lets him show off his skills without getting in over his head.

Micallef has been working on Australian television for three decades now, and it’s safe to say production budgets have not been steadily going up over all those years. If you ever look at his early sketch shows – his work on Full Frontal, or The Micallef P(r)ogram(me) – it’s amazing (by today’s standards) how much they were willing to spent to make a joke work.

On the other hand, this show is literally one set with three chairs: if you’re expecting any of the traditional talk show settings (house band, opening monologue, etc), be prepared to be disappointed.

Of course, when you’re as funny as Micallef you don’t really need those things. He’s been rattling around Australian television for the aforementioned three decades, and this series only runs eight weeks. If they can get one of his celebrity mates that he knows he can work with on each week that’ll be a pretty solid foundation to build on.

Annoyingly but unsurprisingly the guest list is largely secret, with only Rebecca Gibney, Mary Coustas and cricketer Usman Khawaja having been announced so far. No matter: this kind of solidly entertaining, extremely cheap programming is the kind of thing the ABC should be doing a lot more of.

And if Micallef’s talents would perhaps be better spent on scripted comedy … well, hopefully he’ll get the chance to make some more of that in future too.

Shaun Micallef’s Eve of Destruction premieres on 14 August on ABC, with episodes airing weekly on Wednesdays at 8pm and on iView. Watch the trailer.