Spicks and Specks makes TV comeback at right time as light relief during COVID-19 pandemic
Spicks and Specks is back in full force Sunday night and the good news is the cast had so much fun producing their new specials, there’s been serious talk of more.
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“Times are really tricky in the world right now and I think a little bit of Spicks and Specks might be just what people need,” host Adam Hills says to his team captains and good mates Alan Brough and Myf Warhurst.
That was six months ago, when the trio reunited in Melbourne to film a series of specials for the popular ABC music quiz show.
It was long before coronavirus began its march across the globe.
Long before we desperately needed the joy that Spickers – as Hills affectionately dubs the show he helmed from 2005-2011 – brings.
The good news is the trio has had so much fun producing the specials, there’s been serious talk of more.
“It’s very early days,” Hills tells News Corp Australia.
“Originally there was talk of filming another 10 episodes later this year. I would have had to work around the Paralympics, but now they’ve been called off.
“We don’t know if we can have live studio audiences. It’s all up in the air. I think what’s been interesting with this lockdown is that people straight away said ‘let’s put some content out, let’s put some stuff online’. This is going to go on for a while, we’ve got plenty of time to work things out. Myf, my manager and I have just had a few little messages about what we could possibly do. My feeling was for me to get back to Australia, get over my jet lag and then work it out.”
When we chat with Hills again, he is back in Australia.
In fact, it’s day 11 of quarantining in his Melbourne home, after completing filming on The Last Leg – the late night talk show he hosts in the UK.
It was touch and go as to whether the 49-year-old would be able to wrap up the season and make it back to wife Ali McGregor and daughters Beatrice and Maisie before Australia closed its borders.
He jokes it’s like being in the doghouse – he’s sleeping in his daughter’s bedroom, using her bathroom.
There’s a sign on the door that says it’s for Daddy Pigs only – as in Peppa Pig, not a reflection on Hills’ cleanliness or hygiene standards.
He’s not hugging his wife or kids.
“It really is like I’m in trouble for something I haven’t done, so hopefully this means I’ve got one up my sleeve,” Hills laughs.
“And I’m allowed to do something inappropriate in a few months’ time. I’ve already had the punishment.”
He’s certainly got some punishing exercise planned once he’s out of the “doghouse”.
Hills admits he’s no avid pounder of the pavements, rather spending much of his time behind a keyboard, but he joined a disability rugby team in the UK.
Every Tuesday he’d head to Warrington to play with his Warrington Wolves teammates for a few hours. He’s been missing that outlet, but like so many clubs across the world, his team’s come up with innovative ways to stay bonded and fit.
“They’ve sent the whole team an exercise regime that involves spelling out names using exercises. For example, A is 15 Press Ups, B is 50 Star Jumps, C is 20 Crunches … and so on. Two days ago I had to spell out South Sydney Rabbitohs, and it nearly wiped me out,” Hills explains.
“It’s really good motivation – we all post it on our What’s App group so we’re still training and pushing each other.”
Hills relished getting back in the groove of Spicks and Specks.
“The Last Leg is brilliant – I love making it in London, but we pretty much have to write an hour of comedy every week, depending what is in the news, and then do it live,” he says.
“To be honest, spending time with Alan and Myf was one of the most enjoyable parts of returning to Spicks and Specks. There was always such an easy chemistry between us. The best bit for me was the first day back, walking into the make-up room – Alan and Myf were already in there and within 30 seconds we had each other in fits of laughter.”
That easy chemistry is on display in spades as Hill, Warhurst and Brough are joined by Killing Heidi’s Ella Hooper, Nic Cester from Jet and comedians Joel Creasy and Sarah Kendall – marking the decade that brought sexy back and a crazy frog made it into the charts. The 2000s that is, for those of you playing along at home.
“The first reunion special that we made was great but it took about four hours to film,” Hills shares. “It was stop and start, it was fun to film but a hard slog. And then we got together to do the recent four and Alan and Myf and I looked at each other and went ‘Oh, this just feels like an old episode of Spicks and Specks’ because we weren’t throwing quite so much into big set pieces. So, yes it’s genuinely as much fun as it looks.”
But don’t expect him to hand the hosting reins over and take a spot answering questions anytime soon.
While he’s asked countless music questions, Hills confesses he would fail terribly as a contestant on the panel.
“I always get invited to people’s quiz nights because they go ‘you hosted Spicks and Specks, you must know all the answers’,” Hills says. “But no I don’t. I read them off a card and nine times out of 10, once I read the answer I forget because that wasn’t my job. I was like a translator – Myf and Alan spoke this amazing language of music knowledge and I spoke it a little bit so I could translate for the people playing along at home.”
* Spicks and Specks 00’s Special, 7.40pm, Sunday, ABC
Originally published as Spicks and Specks makes TV comeback at right time as light relief during COVID-19 pandemic