Peter Helliar
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| Peter Helliar | |
 Peter Helliar during the 2008 Australian Grand Prix Celebrity Challenge
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| Born | June 16, 1975 |
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| Occupation | Comedian Television Personality |
| Website www.rovedaily.com.au |
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Peter Jason Matthew Helliar (born June 16, 1975 in Melbourne) is an Australian comedian and television personality.
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[edit] Early life
The third of four children, Helliar grew up in Bundoora and attended Parade College. He played in the same Australian Rules Football team as AFL players Daniel Harford and Blake Caracella.[citation needed] His mother worked in a bank, his father in administration for the Scallop Industry.[citation needed]
[edit] Early career
Helliar initially worked the Melbourne Stand-up comedy circuit in the mid nineties, performing in various venues and the annual Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
In 1998 he became a regular on Melbourne community television Channel 31's weekly variety show The Loft Live, hosted by Rove McManus and including other well known Melbourne comedians such as Dave Hughes, Kim Hope, and Dave Callan. He appeared as a live on-screen guest as well as scripting and recording skits for live playback.
[edit] Commercial Television
In 1999, television station GTV9 signed Rove McManus to host a weekly live program called Rove, based largely on the comedy / talk show model developed on The Loft Live. Comedians Corinne Grant and Dave Callan along with Peter Helliar were used as "sidekicks". The show received lukewarm reviews, and was discontinued after one season.
Network Ten picked up the show in 2000, now called Rove Live. His role includes appearing in segments such as My Charader, and other live and pre-recorded "bits". However, the show was revamped for 2007, with Pete now acting as Rove's main sidekick alongside, Dave Hughes and Carrie Bickmore. He also presents his very own segment "PeteSpace", an obvious parody of MySpace.
Peter Helliar also appears in two other programs created by Roving Enterprises:
- SkitHOUSE; a half hour weekly sketch comedy show,
- After The Game (2004) with Peter Helliar as host, screening after the AFL Football match on Saturday nights. An earlier timeslot was used from 2005, and consequently the program adopted the new name Before the Game. The program also has regular panel members: comedians Dave Hughes and Lehmo, and sports personalities Andy Maher and Samantha Lane.
In 2006 Helliar was crowned "Australia's Brainiest Comedian" after defeating other notable comedians such as Frank Woodley and Dave Hughes. Helliar said after winning "I think that if I can win this then comedians definitely need to get smarter". He also has appeared on numerous Fernwood (Australian women's only fitness centre) commercials, where he is featured trying to sneak into the centre by appearing in drag, along with appearing in Leggo's pasta sauce commercials speaking in Italian.
In 2007, he announced on Before the Game that he would no longer be a part of the Before the Game show as of next year. Although he no longer appeared as a regular panelist, he continued to make guest appearances, mostly in character as Strauchnie.
[edit] "Strauchanie"
From the 2005 AFL season, Peter created an alter ego called Bryan Strauchan which initially debuted on Before the Game. Bryan Strauchan is supposedly the last pick in the 2004 AFL National Draft, yet to get a game for his new club Collingwood Football Club (Peter is a big Collingwood supporter). For the role, Helliar dons a blonde mullet wig as a stereotypical Australian bogan footy player "wannabee". The comedy is achieved by self effacing humour, puting Bryan in situations that highlight his weight, lack of fitness and general inability whilst his egotistical personality and delusions of grandeur mean he is completely unaware of these weaknesses. Since the character has experienced raised popularity and profile, and has arguably become a bigger celebrity than Peter Helliar, Strauchanie has made several subsequent appearances across different media. Helliar is currently considering releasing a new movie based on the character planned for release in 2010.[citation needed]
[edit] Radio
Between 1998 and 2000 he was a regular guest on the ABC's national youth network Triple J.
In 2002, the Austereo radio network signed Peter Helliar to appear alongside TV colleagues Rove McManus and Corinne Grant on the weekly program Saturday Morning Rove, broadcasting from Fox FM every Saturday from 10AM to Midday having been pre-recorded the day before. In 2004 the program moved to Friday mornings allowing live phone callers, and was re-titled Rove Live Radio. It was discontinued at the end of 2004.
In 2004, Peter Helliar was signed to do the breakfast shift on Austereo's Sydney station 2Day FM with Judith Lucy and Kaz Cooke. The program was discontinued after its first year.
Still signed to Austereo, Peter also appeared on the Melbourne based The Arvo, a daily program broadcast out of Fox FM between 4PM and 6PM and networked to other capital cities. It was discontinued in June 2005.
As of July 2005, Peter Helliar was still currently contracted to Austereo. Pete now does his own show called Pete's Show which is on 10am - 12pm on Fridays.
Filled in for Merrick and Rosso, along with Rove McManus, in their breakfast daily show on Nova 96.9 whilst they were on holiday. Pete recently filled in for Kate Langbroek on Hughesy & Kate on Nova 100, while Kate is on Maternity Leave. It was announced by co-host Dave Hughes that Helliar would be making appearances on the show every Thursday morning.
From 2008, Helliar with Myf Warhurst will take over the Triple M Melbourne breakfast spot from The Cage, who will finish up in November 2007.[1][2]
[edit] References
- ^ Comedian Helliar takes on new radio gig - AAP, 4 Oct 2007
- ^ Martin's Get This gets the chop - The Age, 16 Oct 2007
