“I would say the big thing that’s given us a refresh for this series is that there’s a whole new generation of kids that have that have grown up with Spicks & Specks repeats on ABC Kids. They’re now turning 19 and 20 and they’re excited to come and watch the show live or watch it on TV,” Adam Hills recalls.
“I was in Sydney at the beginning of the year, and this guy served me at the bar, and he was like 19, and he said, ‘When are you bringing back Spicks & Specks?”
“I said, ‘How do you even know what Spicks & Specks is?’ And he said it was the last show he was allowed to watch before going to bed.”
For year Spicks & Specks was screened as the most kid-friendly show to transition between daytime ABC Kids and ABC TV Plus adult evening programming.
“The repeats started in about 2012, 2013 so, anyone that was born in like, what are the say, 2005 they were eight when those shows were on, they’re now 20. We’ve filmed two shows, and the biggest cheers we’ve got from the audience are from the 20 year olds! They can’t believe they get to watch Spicks & Specks live!”
“We can ask a question about Running up That Hill by Kate Bush and the 20 year olds will know it from Stranger Things”
Music and online platforms which have also embraced retro music have also brought generations together.
“Luckily, there’s an amazing phenomenon on Tiktok over the last few years, whereby songs from the 70s and 80s are getting a renaissance. So, we can ask a question about Running up That Hill by Kate Bush and the 20 year olds will know it from Stranger Things, or because it’s been in something on Tiktok. So Tiktok and Spotify have given us a way into finding the music that everyone’s got in common.”
Filming of episodes, currently underway in Melbourne with Myf Warhurst and Alan Brough, sees this season return to its original 30 minute format, following a number of seasons at 60 minutes.
“It was an ABC decision, but I’m really happy for it, because I think the show was written to be a half hour show, back in the day. It’s been so much more fun to write because you’re not trying to think, ‘How do I flesh this out for 45 minutes?’ You need something slightly more physical and visual in a 45 minute show,” Hills explains.
“It zings a little more in half an hour”
“We’ve got a whole bunch of new writers and researchers, but there’s still about three or four of us that have been here since day one. We kind of feel like the old hand in the rocking chair going, ‘Let me show you kids how we put this show together!’ But it zings a little more in half an hour, I think.”
Recently-added game Secret Song, introduced in 2022, returns this season.
“I spend the show dropping clues about a song that the teams have to name at the end of the show. That’s given us a kind of a new lease of life, comedically, because it gives us a licence to come up with some really ridiculous clues, but some really funny kind of visual moments as well,” Hills continues.
What guests can we expect this year?
“We’ve got TISM doing one of the closing numbers. All I’ve heard is that it involves baby oil, and it’s going to be messy. I didn’t even know TISM we’re still doing stuff!” he laughs.
“We’ve got Johnny from the DMAs, which I’m really excited about. We have old favourites like Dan Sultan, Ross Noble, Hamish Blake…. Phil Jamison from Grinspoon, Rebecca Barnard and without giving him too much away, I think Brian Mannix might be making an appearance somewhere along the way.
“A lot of it is about showing off new talent”
“But a lot of it is about showing off new talent, like Alma Zygier is an amazing jazz singer who closes our second episode, and just like knocked the socks off everyone in the room with her performance.
“So there’ll be a lot of people watching the show, discovering new talent, which I think has been our internal remit.”
Spicks & Specks returns 7:30pm Sunday June 9 on ABC.