''The Debaters'' is a Canadian radio comedy show hosted by Steve Patterson. It airs on

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of C ...

, Saturdays at 1:30PM and Wednesdays at 11:30AM,

Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small por ...

. During each episode, two debates take place between two sets of two contestants. The topics are deliberately comedic, including "Apples are better than oranges" and "Darth Vader was a bad father". The winner is chosen by audience reaction at the end of the debate. Each season has approximately 33 new episodes. These are recorded in front of live audiences in studios, theatres and clubs across Canada. In 2011, the radio series also taped a number of episodes for broadcast as a television series on CBC Television, but did not get a second season.

History

The show was created by

Richard Side Richard Side is a Canadian writer, producer, and actor known as the creator of ''The Debaters'', a radio and TV comedy series on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Career Side has appeared in episodes of '' Supernatural'', '' Psych'' and ''E ...

and was first broadcast in September 2006, replacing the long-running comedy show ''

Madly Off in All Directions ''Madly Off in All Directions'' was a Canadian radio comedy show that aired for several years on CBC Radio One, featuring comedian Lorne Elliott. It formerly aired on Sunday afternoons at 1PM (1:30PM in Newfoundland and Labrador), as well as on Sa ...

''. It was produced by Side, along with Phillip Ditchburn and Anna Bonokoski. Whereas the first season was entirely hosted by

Shaun Majumder Shaun Vincent Majumder (born January 29, 1972) is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his role on '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes,'' where he worked from 2003 until 2018. He won a Gemini Award for his work on the series in 2006. Earl ...

, the second season featured a succession of guest hosts, including

Sean Cullen Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as '' Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglic ...

Elvira Kurt Elvira Kurt (born December 9, 1961) is a Canadian comedian, and was the host of the game show '' Spin Off''. She hosted the entertainment satire/talk show '' PopCultured with Elvira Kurt'', which began on The Comedy Network in Canada in 2005. Tha ...

Patrick McKenna Patrick McKenna (born May 8, 1960) is a Canadian comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Harold Green on the television series '' The Red Green Show''. Early life Patrick McKenna became interested in Second City when a high-school teac ...

, and Roman Danylo. As of the third season, the regular host of the show is Steve Patterson. Performers who have appeared on the show include Irwin Barker,

Ian Boothby Ian Boothby (born June 8, 1967) is a multiple Shuster Award, Harvey Award and Eisner Award nominee and an Eisner Award–winning comic book creator best known for his work as the lead writer on '' Simpsons Comics'' and ''Futurama Comics'' for M ...

Charles Demers Charles Demers (; born 1980), sometimes credited as Charlie Demers, is a Canadian comedian, political activist, voice actor, and writer. He was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, but self-identifies as Quebecois. Writing Demers has published f ...

, Gary Jones, Deborah Kimmett,

Andy Kindler Andy Kindler (born October 16, 1956) is an American comedian and actor from Queens, New York. He played the character "Andy", a fellow sportswriter and friend of sportswriter "Ray Barone" (Ray Romano) on the TV show ''Everybody Loves Raymond'', w ...

, Patrick Ledwell,

Marc Maron Marcus David Maron (born September 27, 1963) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, actor, and musician. In the 1990s and 2000s, Maron was a frequent guest on the '' Late Show with David Letterman'' and has appeared more than forty ...

, Patrick McKenna,

Mark Meer Mark Meer is a Canadian actor, writer and improvisor, based in Edmonton, Alberta. He is known for his role in the ''Mass Effect'' trilogy, in which he stars as the voice of the player character, Commander Shepard. His voice is featured in a numb ...

Darcy Michael Darcy Michael is a Canadian actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his stand up comedy, his viral tiktok accoun@thedarcymichaeland his role in the Canadian television sitcom ''Spun Out''.Greg Proops Gregory Everett "Greg" Proops (born October 3, 1959) is an American actor, stand-up comedian and television host. He is widely known for his guest appearances on the U.K. and U.S. versions of ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?''. He has also voiced the ...

, Lara Rae,

Simon Rakoff Simon Rakoff (born August 30, 1960) is a Canadian comedian who began performing professionally in 1978. A veteran of the Canadian comedy scene, he has performed in every province and is widely regarded as one of the quickest and cleverest Canadian ...

Dan Redican Dan Redican (born 1956 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian comedy writer and performer and puppeteer, best known for his work with the comedy troupe, '' The Frantics.'' As a founding member of the troupe he has worked since 1979 on numerous stage ...

Derek Seguin Derek Seguin (born 1972) is a Canadian stand-up comedian."Standing together through standup; Derek Seguin is among a host of Quebec comics who have built bridges with bilingual performances". ''Montreal Gazette'', March 13, 2014. Of mixed French Ca ...

Erica Sigurdson Erica Sigurdson (born 5 November 1974) is a Canadian comedian, writer, producer, and haberdasher. Sigurdson has Icelandic ancestry. She is a two-time Canadian Comedy Award nominee, a Leo Award winning comedy writer and is regularly featured on ...

, Ron Sparks, Scott Thompson and Mary Walsh. In 2011, the series also taped a number of episodes for broadcast as a television series on CBC Television,"Welcome to the Debaters". '' Calgary Herald'', September 19, 2011. but did not get a second season.

Format

Each show is 30 minutes in length, and consists of two 15-minute debates. Two stand-up comedians are given a topical and sometimes complex matter to debate. One serves as advocate: the other takes the contrary view. The live audience ultimately decides who won the debate, based on a mix of "funny and fact", by applauding for the performer they thought did the best job. The comedian that gets the loudest round of applause wins. There are four rounds to each debate: the first allows the comedian to state their position on the issue, which is followed by the "bare-knuckle round" where the two debaters spar with each other directly. This is followed by the "firing line" round where the host quizzes the debaters on their knowledge of the subject (where they can either provide the correct or most amusing answer), concluded by a one-minute summation. The live audience then votes by applauding for who they thought had the best combination of "laughs and logic".

Episodes

Awards

* The "''

Monotheism Monotheism is the belief that there is only one deity, an all-supreme being that is universally referred to as God. Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxfo ...

vs.

Polytheism Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. Polytheism is a type of theism. Within theism, it contrasts with monotheism, t ...

''" debate featuring Ron Sparks and

won the 2010 Canadian Comedy Award for Best Program or Clip. * The "''

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpris ...

is Canada's Greatest Actor''" debate featuring Cullen and

Eric Peterson Eric Neal Peterson (born October 2, 1946) is a Canadian stage, television, and film actor, known for his roles in three major Canadian series – '' Street Legal'' (1987–1994), '' Corner Gas'' (2004–2009), and '' This is Wonderland'' ...

also won the same award, in 2015. That episode is also one of the only double length debates (just one debate for the entire episode). * The show has also received several other Canadian Comedy Award nominations for both the radio and television series.

References

External links