Real Stories

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Real Stories
Format Comedy
Starring Host
Jennifer Adams
Announcer/Narrator
Greg Fleet
Performers
Hamish Blake,
Andy Lee,
Ryan Shelton,
Tim Bartley
Country of origin Australia
No. of episodes 8
Production
Running time 30 minutes per episode (inc. commercials)
Broadcast
Original channel Channel Ten
Picture format 576i (SDTV)
Original run August 22, 2006 – October 10, 2006
External links
Official website

Real Stories was an Australian comedy television show which first premiered at 9pm on 22nd August, 2006 on Network Ten. The season ran for eight episodes ending on the 10th October, 2006. The program was a parody of current affair shows on television, and was hosted by Jennifer Adams, a former reporter on the Seven Network. The inspiration for the show came from the incredibly popular We Can Be Heroes, which aired as a six part series in 2005 on the ABC.

The show followed a standard current affairs format. Fake story segments in the show starred Hamish Blake, Andy Lee, Ryan Shelton and Tim Bartley with voice-overs provided by Greg Fleet. The show originally started as a project for Channel 31, the Melbourne's community television station, as a collaboration between Roving Enterprises and Radio Karate. Hamish and Andy had appeared on a number of other Network Ten shows such as Rove Live and 9am with David and Kim, to promote their show.

It was confirmed on the popular Network Ten television show Thank God You're Here by Ryan Shelton that Real Stories will not be returning for a second season.

Contents

[edit] What you think

While not featured on the television show in the first week, "What you Think" is Real Stories' version of the traditional current affairs viewer feedback segment. Currently only existing on the Real Stories website, its appearance in the second week of the show is currently unknown but it is assumed to be a part of the second episode. What you think includes a 'viewer' poll even though no viewer question was asked during the first episode. The first question asked was "Have you ever visited a street accountant, but would never reveal it to anyone? Even an internet web poll?" Even though there is no possibility of actually voting YES, the values listed are YES as 98% and NO is the remaining 2%.

An incomplete list of the web polls follows:

  • Episode 1 'Webpoll': Have you ever visited a street accountant, but would never reveal it to anyone? Even an Internet web poll? YES 98%, NO 2%
  • Episode 2 'Webpoll': Have you ever pashed an out of control, drunk police officer and loved it?" YES 90%, NO: 10%

[edit] Stories

The following is a list of stories which have been featured on the show with a brief description for each one.

[edit] Episode One (August 22, 2006)

  • Paperboy Recruiter: A behind the scenes look with Australia's most passionate paper boy scout.
  • Street Accountants: A look at the sordid world of street accountants. These illegal and unregistered accountants menace the streets and night soliciting for work
  • Odd Medical Conditions: celebrating a hero who cares for those with odd and mis-fortunate medical conditions. These people have been forgotten and shunned by the cruel world we live in
  • 70 Years of Jumping: looking back on the 70 years since the invention of jumping, also catching up with Australia's ‘Mr. Jumping’, the man responsible for popularising this innovation in Australia

[edit] Episode Two (August 29, 2006)

  • Hopkin Brother Fun-nerals: A look at the Hopkins Brothers, who hope to make funerals fun by using such gags as speech bubbles and hand buzzers on the deceased.
  • Modern Day Noah: Wayne Foster thinks he received a message from God in his spaghetti, and is trying to collect two of every animal on earth and build an ark.
  • Grounded for Life: The 27 year old man who has been grounded for 15 years because his Dad fell into a coma the day after grounding him.
  • Policey's Week: When young police cadets graduate from the academy, they hit the Gold Coast for a week of drinking and fun.

[edit] Episode Three (September 5, 2006)

  • The Jesse Martin Cover–up: In another Real Stories exclusive. They reveal for the first time that the famous, round the world solo yachtsman was not really alone.
  • H2Flow: In New Zealand, a small country off the east–coast of Australia, a water wasting campaign is underway as a matter of crucial national importance.
  • Tribute to a Re–enactor: Australia’s greatest ever crime re–enactor for a crime watch style show has just died. We pay tribute to this fine craftsman and remember his work.
  • Princess Mary Hate Club: Two people who run Australia’s smallest and most unpopular club.

[edit] Episode Four (September 12, 2006)

  • Celebrity Sex Tape Director: We reveal that so called celebrity sex tapes are actually slick productions and big business. We meet the Aussie director who has worked with some big names.
  • Man Dog: We were there to witness the troubled transition of a dog who has become a man via a new surgical technique. A deeply moving story of love.
  • World Board Games Championships: The highs and lows of the World Board Games Championships as a Commonwealth Games official looks for a new event.
  • Window Washer Scam: The guys who wash windows at traffic lights make a lot more money than you think. Our surprising investigation into this shadowy world of tax–free grey areas.

[edit] Episode Five (September 19, 2006)

  • Church Reviewer: What exactly makes a great reviewer of church services and rabbis? An age old question. We meet Australia’s most influential ecclesiastical critic.
  • Broken Chain Email: In yet another exclusive, we see the extraordinary consequences of not passing on a chain email. A story that will both alarm and shock you and your family.
  • Legalising Crime: Tasmania’s new law to legalise theft has halved its crime rate, but there are problems. Big problems. Actually the problems are bigger than anyone could’ve predicted.
  • 525,599 Minutes Silence: The small yet patriotic Aussie town that observes a minute of silence for every digger who died. This leaves only one minute a year to chat. We were there for that one minute.

[edit] Episode Six (September 26, 2006)

  • Hey Dad..! The Movie: We follow the process of turning Australia’s longest running sitcom in to a feature film.
  • Shakespeare's New Musical: The story of a director and actors that perform a newly discovered a Shakespeare Musical called "The King Hath Farted".
  • Institute of Sayings: After the government cut funds for the Australian Institute of Sayings, we are given an insight into their day-to-day work, and how important they are in our society.

[edit] Episode Seven (October 3, 2006)

  • Backyard Disaster: A couple of battlers struggle with a TV network after a botched, 24–hour backyard renovation. A story that is both inspiring and a lesson to us all.
  • The Skill Tester Epidemic: It’s the youth – and they’re at risk again. Addiction to skill testers is the number one new risk facing Australia’s at risk youth.
  • Fat Binge for Comedy: A brave comedian’s moving battle to put back on the pounds after an illness ruins the only routine he has.
  • Bird Call Centre: Aussie call centre jobs at risk again. This time it’s not foreigners, but birds that are being trained to answer phones. When will the outrage end?

[edit] Episode Eight (October 10, 2006)

  • Male Order Bride: Getting an Internet bride from Russia goes horribly wrong for an Aussie loser. And learns, it pays to read the fine print.
  • Underground Choir: We go undercover with renegade kids who hold clandestine choir practices when it is banned from their school.
  • Life Writers: A millionaire hires two comedy writers to make him funnier. This unique insight into the latest corporate craze, is of course an exclusive.

[edit] Guest Stars

[edit] Podcasts

After each episode, edited highlights of each of the stories where available to download from itunes as a podcast. Also released where unaired video and audio clips, most memorable were Toby Masons's mayday messages in full and the trailer for the proposed Hey Dad!...The Movie.

[edit] DVD Release

Ryan Shelton, appearing on the October 30, 2006 edition of radio show Get This told hosts Tony Martin and Ed Kavalee that a DVD of the first series was to be released on May 19, 2007. The 2 Disc release contains all eight episodes and includes the following special features:

  • "Making Real Stories" - A Featurette
  • 2 x Audio Commentaries on selected episodes - With the Creators - Hamish Blake, Andy Lee, Ryan Shelton & Tim Bartley - With the Creators' Creators (their Dads) - Noel Blake, Mick Lee, Alan Shelton & Tom Bartley
  • Extended/Deleted Scenes
  • "The Greystone 2800" - the award-winning short film that inspired Real Stories
  • "The Mangina Monologues"
  • Tony Martin's "Real Audition"'
  • Hamish & Andy on Rove Live
  • "More from the characters of Real Stories"
  • Outtakes
  • "Incredibly Random Real Stories Story Selector"

[edit] External links