Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell and Back

by Shaun Micallef, Gary McCaffrie

2019 marks the tenth season of Mad as Hell and Shaun Micallef’s twenty-first year in comedy. What better way to celebrate than with a comprehensive collection of the funniest scripts and scenes from Micallef’s long TV career? These pages not only feature the highlights of Mad as Hell – dubbed ‘the best 30 minutes on Australian TV’ by the Sydney Morning Herald – but also favourites from Full Frontal, The Micallef P(r)ogram(me) and Newstopiä. With perenially wicked wit, Micallef and his co-writer Gary McCaffrie usher us behind the scenes with hilarious footnotes to their most loved sketches.

Genres: Humor

372 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2019

About the author

Shaun Micallef has starred in television, films, stage shows, radio and several books. He also has won four Logies, an ARIA and an AFI but, admirably, hasn’t let any of this go to his head.

Reviews

[Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of some of the best sketches from Shaun and his longtime writing partner Gary McCaffrie, along with some comments from them both along the way. If you are a Micallef fan, then you'll want this book!

One thing to note, the print edition has a selection of colour photographs in it, however the eBook (at least the Google Play variant) doesn't even have greyscale versions of them, so something to bear in mind.

[Sam Still Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone who hangs around my blog even on the most casual of occasions will know that Shaun Micallef is my favourite satirist and comedian (although in this book he does explain that Mad as Hell is more of a comedy show about current affairs rather than satire). This book is a collection of sketches written by Micallef and Gary McCaffrie for the silver jubilee of their sketches.

I remember watching Full Frontal when I was in school and my friend and I used to discuss who that grey-haired guy was in the background who sometimes said a few lines. As the internet was young at that time, we had to read things like the show credits and TV Week to work out his name. Eventually Shaun got a billing on Full Frontal and the rest is history. Milo Kerrigan, Nobby Doldrums, Fabio (the most beautiful man in the cosmos) and David McGahan and his role of Roger Explosion all entered the Australian psyche. (Probably also because the internet was still too slow and young). There are a few sketches from this period in the book but unfortunately none for these characters as in my opinion, they must be seen to be believed.

Shaun and Gary’s next project was The Micallef P(r)ogram(me), so titled because each of the three series had a different title – The Micallef Programme, The Micallef Program and The Micallef Pogram. This was in the style of a talk show with a difference – the difference being that the characters were fictional and hence, a lot funnier. The book covers some of these interactions with Shaun as well as the sketches. The most memorable of these sketches for me is included in the book (Pharmacy as a Career), so I can say I now have it on VHS, DVD and as a printed book.

The book leaves out Micallef Tonight which is kind of unfortunate for hardcore fans and those who don’t understand where the catchphrase, ‘into the bin!’ comes from. Possibly that’s because Channel Nine expected a real talk show with famous people, and not one with added goats and product reviews while riding a bucking bronco. There is then sketches from the criminally underrated Newstopiä, which was a wonderful news satire (sorry, comedy) that bit. This then led back to the ABC and Mad As Hell which is the best show on free to air television (also the only TV show I watch). Relive some of the most glorious sketches and characters, such as Ian Orbspider, Rear Admiral Bobo Gargle and Draymella Burt. There are also highly important announcements from Lois Price, high in the sky for Mad As Hell. These brought back a few memories, not just of the show but the crazy world of Australian politics. (I actually had to revise my Prime Ministers).

Overall, it’s a wonderful silver jubilee and well worth it for the fans. If you aren’t watching Mad As Hell, you should be.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com

[Ben Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nobody touches Micallef and McCaffrie for dismantling comedy and putting it back in the most ridiculous order possible. Only loses something for Australian references that can be impenetrable based on the quick turnover of MPs. Release the paperbacken!

[Nicholas Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great selection of Shaun and Gary's scripts covering all of Shaun's onscreen career (for the sketch based comedy and skits - there's no Welcher & Welcher or the exPM, for instance). Both writers give some background to the various stages of Shaun's career and what the show was like (but this is only perhaps 5-10% of the book, the rest is pure comedy scripts, each covering maybe two pages or 90 seconds).

The writing style is matched to Shaun's penchant for performance with a hint of surrealism or a stretched metaphor at the outskirts. I love this stuff, and I loved the scripts. Fantastic stuff.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've seen Shaun Micallef on TV and you like his humour you will like this book. Otherwise don't bother. It's not a good introduction to his humour - you need to see his facial expressions to really appreciate his humour.

[Nick Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seems a bit excessive, doesn’t it?

[DJ Sandals · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Micallef, but having seen the sketches so many times, reading the script on its own doesn't really add anything to the experience. I was hoping for more footnotes and backstory on each sketch, but there wasn't a whole lot on offer in this book.