‘It’s been nice to offer something a bit brutal’: Shaun Micallef on the end of Mad as Hell

Throughout the political turmoil of the past decade, a deceptively simple sketch show has soothed with uproarious caricatures, incisive parodies and delicious absurdity. So it is hard to believe that, beyond this week, Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell, so beloved by a fan base that has remained unchanged in viewing numbers since the beginning, will be gone.

The host insists the shock exit is unrelated to the change of government. Rather, Shaun Micallef wants to make way for new talent.

Shaun Micallef will step down as Mad As Hell host after the current season.

“We didn’t feel like our job was done [when Labor won the election] and throw our hands up and say: ‘Well, balance has been restored to the universe! It’s time for us to go’,” says Micallef, laughing.

“I just felt like 11 years and 15 seasons was a good summer. I’ve always felt it’s important to know when to get off before the audience starts readying the rotting fruit. There are limited resources here at the ABC and I wanted to hand over the mic to somebody who was younger. Perhaps a show that has more than just the attitudes of my age group. I’d like to see more of a younger and more diverse bit of programming.”

He’s offering his services to new talent brave enough to fill the space.

“I’ve been fortunate to have had my own stuff over 30 years, and that’s hard won these days,” he says. “There are some people who I know are talking to the ABC – I won’t put the curse on them by mentioning them by name – but they’re perfectly capable of doing their own stuff without my input.

“But if I know anything after this amount of time, I know how to make a weekly show. A lot of people come into it and they go, ‘I’ve got this great idea!’ but by episode five they’ve run out. The thing you need to know to have a career is how to get past episode five.”

Mad as Hell doesn’t stick to a format but its chaotic, improvised feel is a ruse. Until this final season, which is “getting a bit looser”, admits Micallef, the scripts have been so drum-tight even applause from the studio audience was cut to make way for more jokes.

“I’m leaving [the audience laughter] in now,” he says. “There’s a sense of abandon. The cast is just clearly ad libbing and I’m not even trying to be a proper news host any more. I’m just laughing. I may as well be in the audience.”

Some viewers have jestingly accused the show of becoming “more savage” in its attack on public figures. Micallef disagrees.

“People have said: ‘You’re burning your bridges.’ I’m not sure that is right,” he says. “We’ve always been like this. Maybe it just feels more uncomfortable for that leftie ABC audience to see us bagging a Labor government.”

Micallef says each member of the ensemble cast is deserving of their own show.

“They’ve probably turned down work to do our show,” he says. “Christie [Whelan Browne] continues to have a career on stage. Emily Taheny is one of the best actors in this country. Tosh Greenslade is fantastic. Francis [Greenslade] does many things besides this show. Stephen Hall is a modern-day Peter Sellers.”

For Micallef, who this week winds up Shaun Micallef’s Brain Eisteddfod on Ten, a book tour to launch his autobiography, Tripping Over Myself, begins next month. He and his writing partner, Gary McCaffrie, are exploring more non-comedic projects, such as their 2003 series, BlackJack.

Thankfully, Micallef says appearances on the celebrity reality circuit are out of the question. “All those reality shows aren’t about anything,” he says. “They’re just about the frailty of humanity and how sad some people are inside.”

He promises a typically nutty Mad as Hell finale, with “a stupid song at the end” to honour the show’s place, however small, in the political landscape. “It’s been nice to offer something that’s a bit brutal and ultimately hopeful. It’s nice to have been a part of that conversation.”

The final episode of Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell airs on Wednesday, September 21, 8.30pm, on the ABC and ABC iview.

Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.