Melbourne International Comedy Festival: Puppet Wars! My beef with Agro

COMIC troublemakers Sammy J and Randy have opened up about their new television show, romance rumours, and a beef with former puppet star Agro.

Umag - Jamie Dunne's puppet Agro in the back of Dunns car. Pic Mark Cranitch.

COMIC troublemakers Sammy J and Randy have opened up about their new television show, romance rumours, and a beef with former puppet star Agro.

The popular duo have written, and will star in Ricketts Lane, a six-part series which casts Sammy as a hopeless lawyer, and Randy, a gambler trying to win back his ex-wife.

It airs on ABC-TV in June.

“I don’t want to bandy around the phrase ‘the future of Australian television comedy,” Randy told Confidential.

‘I’d be hesitant to say ‘the most groundbreaking work of the past two decades’,” Sammy added.

Randy: “I wouldn’t want to throw out terms like ‘Logie award winning.’

Sammy: “I certainly won’t say ‘the defining comedic moment of our generation.’ But we will.”

Randy: “And we’ll stand by our comments.”

Caught in the act: Australian comedian Sammy J and puppet Randy indulge in some questionable street art in Melbourne's CBD.

Meanwhile, their hit show at the MICF, nightly at Hi-Fi Bar until Sunday, proves the Sammy and Randy partnership is standing strong, and includes a song about a supposed tryst.

Sammy said: “Television executives at unnamed networks have said over the years: ‘But, clearly, you guys are an item.’”

Randy: “We’re like any great comedy duo — Laurel and Hardy, Daryl and Ozzie, Ann-Marie and ... actually, don’t use that. I have a moratorium on mentioning that little f---er.’”

He is referring to former Channel Seven puppet Agro, who co-hosted a children’s television show with Ann-Marie Biggar.

“Every interview I do runs with the headline ‘No Strings Attached’ and a mention of Miss Piggy and Agro,” Randy sighed.

Sammy: “Whereas, I enjoy discussing my similarities to Ann-Marie Biggar. I got called Ann-Marie at school.”