Thank God You’re Here is back on screens after 14 years, with a new door, new comedians, new set-ups, and a new host — stand-up star Celia Pacquola.
Although she never appeared on the show the first time around, the 40-year-old comedian, who welcomed daughter Eleanor last August, is well acquainted with the format, and attended a taping the first time around.
“One of my best mates, (comedian) Felicity Ward, who I was living with at the time, was on it,” she says of the series, in which performers step through a door and straight into a scene, forced to improvise their way through it.
Pacquola went along to cheer Ward on, not long after meeting with the show’s production company Working Dog, which was sounding her out for a potential appearance of her own.
But then the show abruptly finished.
Why?
“Well, they did four seasons, and each was 10 episodes or so, so it was a lot,” Pacquola says.
“Each episode has four performers, and I think they ended up getting to the point where a lot of people had done it, so I think they went ‘Let’s shelve it for now, and if we ever bring it back it will be at a time when there’s a new crop of people’.”
Fast forward a decade and a half, and that’s precisely what they’ve done.
And Pacquola, who in the years since has cemented herself as one of the country’s most in-demand comedy stars, has bypassed having to actually appear (“I was terrified!” she admits) and is now taking over the hosting role from established comedian Shane Bourne.
She’s tight-lipped about who will walk through the famous door this time around, but has let two names slip: best mate Luke McGregor, with whom she co-starred on the hugely successful ABC comedy Rosehaven, and rising comedy star Aaron Chen.
“It’s outrageous that some of the people that are now absolutely incredible performers were in primary school when the show was first on 14 years ago,” Pacquola laughs.
“(Aaron) is one of them — he’s very young.
“But Working Dog, for the last 14 years, have always had their finger on the pulse on the comedy scene, discovering new talent and nurturing them — a lot of them have appeared on shows like Have You Been Paying Attention?“
The time was right to thrust them through the door, with previous judge Tom Gleisner (who’s also behind Working Dog) considering Pacquola, with whom he co-stars on the critically acclaimed Utopia, the perfect person to guide them to their destination.
“There are so many people who are just coming up who are so talented and unique and excellent, like Aaron,” she says. “He’s one of those people where you think ‘What would Aaron Chen be like going through the blue door? How is he going to react?’
“It’s heaps of fun.”
Some old favorites will also be returning, including radio host Fifi Box, who was the first person ever to walk through the door, all the way back in 2006.
As for Pacquola, although she’s slightly “bummed” she never got to appear the first time around, she’s thrilled to be taking part as host, determined to be there for the performers as they take those first tentative steps towards the unknown.
“My job is to be a warm set of hands that pushes you out of the plane,” she says.