Thank God You're Here
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''Thank God You're Here'' is an Australian television improvised comedy program created by
Working Dog Productions Working Dog Productions (originally Frontline Television Productions Pty. Ltd.) is a film and television production company based in Melbourne, Australia. It was formed in 1993 by actors Santo Cilauro, Rob Sitch, Jane Kennedy, Tom Gleisner, a ...
, which premiered on 5 April 2006 on
Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...
, where it aired for the first three and from the fifth season onwards; the fourth season aired on the
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
. Each episode involves performers walking through a door into an unknown situation, greeted by the line "Thank God you're here!". They then have to improvise their way through the scene. At the end of each episode a winner is announced. It was the most successful new show in Australia of 2006, attracting an average of 1.7 million viewers after the first few episodes. The show was originally hosted by
Shane Bourne Shane Jerome Bourne (born 24 November 1949) is an Australian stand-up comedian, actor, musician, and television host. Early life and education Shane Jerome Bourne was born on 24 November 1949 in Melbourne, Victoria. He was raised by his mot ...
and judged by
Tom Gleisner Thomas Edmund Gleisner (born 24 October 1962) is an Australian comedian and producer. Gleisner co-founded production company Working Dog Productions and currently hosts Network 10's ''Have You Been Paying Attention?''. Early life and educati ...
. After a fourteen year hiatus, it was revived for a fifth series, hosted by Celia Pacquola and featuring a guest judge each episode. The format is sold for recreation in a number of countries. The sixth series of the show aired in 2024. The series won’t screen in 2025 due to production fatigue.


Synopsis

Each contestant is dressed in appropriate costume, has some brief banter with the host, and is then invited to "walk through the blue door" onto a hidden set. They are greeted by the ensemble cast, in character, with the line "Thank God you're here!", and must then attempt to improvise their role in the scene. Typically they will be asked in-character questions by the ensemble cast and challenged to provide information about the scene, including the names of characters or objects. At least twice during each episode (to cover set-up and costuming for the live audience), footage is shown of each of the four participants performing a challenge, often on location, which was filmed earlier in the week. These include a commentary booth where the contestants have to comment on an unfamiliar subject, an office where they are being interviewed or interrogated (by police, customs officials, etc.), showing customers things for sale (cars, boats, pianos, houses, etc.), or advertisements (e.g. slimming products, housing developments, etc.). The other characters in these scenes are generally played by members of the ensemble cast. The third series also introduced an additional segment in which Gleisner highlights a "real life" ''Thank God You're Here''-style situation, such as the infamous
Guy Goma BBC interview On 8 May 2006, the television station BBC News 24 wanted to interview technology journalist Guy Kewney about the ''Apple Corps v Apple Computer'' legal dispute''.'' By mistake, the BBC let Karen Bowerman interview Guy Goma (born 1969), a Congol ...
and frequently, that of politicians forced to improvise answers under pressure. Finally, when all the contestants have played in a scene by themselves, all four enter a final scene together for the "all-in group challenge". At the end of the show, the judge declares a winner; this choice is entirely at the judge's discretion, and is largely arbitrary. Honorable and dishonorable mentions are also given, usually to contestants who do not win so that the judge can comment on their performances. The winner receives a trophy in the shape of the programme's blue door logo. There are variations on the standard setup: occasionally the greeting will be slightly changed to better suit the setting (e.g. "Thank the gods you're here!" for a scene featuring
Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9 ...
s or "Thank God you're alive" in a scene featuring a car accident), and often an alternative entrance will be built into the set. These are often used for comic effect, as in the aforementioned car accident scenario where the contestant ( Matthew Newton) climbed through the back of the set and emerged from the door of a wrecked car embedded in the wall of a second-storey flat.


First revived series

The fourth season introduced a different segment, where Gleisner points out that he believes an Australian cricket player is able to endorse anything, and presents a falsified advertisement where a retired Australian cricketer ( Damien Fleming) attempts to endorse an also falsified company of a completely random field (such as a French restaurant or sewage processing plant). Running gags in these segments include the cricketer comparing selecting such a company with his medium pace bowling, the use of "jargon" which actually is completely made-up, comparing the reliability (or other value) with his own bowling style, and a man named "Steve" who is called upon to agree with this previous statement ("bit like my bowling, eh, Steve?")


Second revived series

Since series 5, the format of the show has been tweaked slightly as the performers no longer participate in any "during in the week" scenes, which were in previous seasons filmed on-location with the ensemble cast. In addition, the role of judge which was originated by
Tom Gleisner Thomas Edmund Gleisner (born 24 October 1962) is an Australian comedian and producer. Gleisner co-founded production company Working Dog Productions and currently hosts Network 10's ''Have You Been Paying Attention?''. Early life and educati ...
, is now fulfilled by a rotating special guest judge each week, whose remarks after each performance are more brief.


Ensemble cast

Although their parts are thoroughly scripted, the actors who interact with the guest stars in each scenario are drawn from an ensemble of experienced improvisational actors. Improvisation experience is preferred so that the cast can react appropriately and immediately to the improvisations of the guest stars, though in most cases this improvisation is limited. This ensemble was also used in many of the mid-week assignments, fulfilling the roles of customers or members of the public with whom the guests must interact in a real-life setting. The following are regular ensemble cast members who have appeared on the show: Several special guests have also appeared, either playing themselves or as part of the ensemble cast for a scene. Special guests have included Damien Fleming, Dan O'Connor, Melissa Tkautz Natalie Bassingthwaighte,
Kate Ceberano Catherine Yvette Ceberano ( or , born 17 November 1966) is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the rock, soul, jazz and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. Her single " Bedroom Eyes" re ...
, Alan Fletcher, Kimberley Davies,
Matt Welsh Matthew James Welsh (born 18 November 1976) is an Australian swimmer who is the former world champion in the backstroke and butterfly. He took two golds in 50-meter butterfly and 50-meter backstroke, during one hour, at the World Championships ...
,
Mark Holden Mark Ronald Holden (born 27 April 1954) is an Australian singer, actor, TV personality, record producer, songwriter, and barrister. He was a pop star in the 1970s and had four top 20 hit singles, " Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" (May 1976 ...
,
Ryan Moloney Ryan Moloney (born 24 November 1979) is an Australian actor, known for his portrayal of the fictional character Jarrod "Toadfish" Rebecchi in the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' from 1995 until his departure in 2025. Career Moloney's first ...
,
Simon Burke Simon Gareth Burke (born 8 October 1961) is an Australian actor, active in films, television and theatre. Biography Simon Burke began his career at the age of 12, starring in Michael Cove's ''Kookaburra'' (1974); a painful look at a dysfuncti ...
, Greg Evans, Nikki Webster, Mick Molloy, Todd McKenney, Poh Ling Yeow,
Grant Denyer Grant Craig Denyer (born 12 September 1977) is an Australian television and radio presenter and motor racing driver, who has worked for several television networks, including Seven Network and Network 10, mostly serving as a presenter. He previ ...
, Miguel Maestre and
The Veronicas The Veronicas are an Australian pop music, pop duo from Brisbane. The group was formed in 2004 by identical twin sisters Lisa Origliasso, Lisa and Jessica Origliasso. In 2005, the Veronicas released their debut studio album, titled ''The Secr ...
. Other guests including Jane Hall,
Andy Lee Andy Lee may refer to: __NOTOC__ Sportspeople * Andy Lee (American football) (born 1982), American football punter * Andy Lee (boxer) (born 1984), Irish boxer * Andy Lee (footballer, born 1982), English footballer for Bradford City * Andy Lee (footb ...
and Don Burke have appeared as mock presenters in the locational challenges.


Appearances


Episodes


Show promotion

Host
Shane Bourne Shane Jerome Bourne (born 24 November 1949) is an Australian stand-up comedian, actor, musician, and television host. Early life and education Shane Jerome Bourne was born on 24 November 1949 in Melbourne, Victoria. He was raised by his mot ...
and judge
Tom Gleisner Thomas Edmund Gleisner (born 24 October 1962) is an Australian comedian and producer. Gleisner co-founded production company Working Dog Productions and currently hosts Network 10's ''Have You Been Paying Attention?''. Early life and educati ...
appeared on '' Rove Live'' on 11 April 2006, to promote the show after the first episode had screened. After an interview with
Rove McManus John Henry Michael 'Rove' McManus (born 21 January 1974) is an Australian comedian, television and radio presenter, producer and media personality who has received three Gold Logie awards. He was the host of the eponymous variety show '' Rove ...
, they participated in a game McManus called ''Where The Bloody Hell Have You Been'', a play on words of the Australian tourism campaign, " So Where The Bloody Hell Are You?". In this game they had to perform, without preparation, a situation involving a funeral, and the reading of an improvised eulogy, following exactly the same format as ''Thank God You're Here''.


Music

The main theme is " Come Anytime" by
Hoodoo Gurus Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1981 by Dave Faulkner (songwriter, lead singer and guitarist) and later joined by Richard Grossman (bass), Mark Kingsmill (drums), and Brad Shepherd (guitar, vocals, harmonica). Th ...
. A piece used throughout the interludes of the first season of the show is "Don't You Know Who I Am", performed by Small Mercies. In the second season, new music was also used in addition to the main themes: * "Reminder" by Kisschasy * "Pellet Gun" by Small Mercies In the third season, more new music was used in addition to the main themes: * "Everlasting" by Horsell Common * "Beautiful Disguise" by Tokenview


Production and broadcast schedule


First Network 10 iteration (2006–2007)

The final episode of Season One, in which the actor Angus Sampson won, had 2.13 million viewers nationally. The second series of the show ran from 6 September to 8 November 2006, at a 7:30 pm
AEST Australia uses three main time zones: Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST; UTC+10:00), Australian Central Standard Time (ACST; UTC+09:30) and Australian Western Standard Time (AWST; UTC+08:00). Time is regulated by the individual states a ...
timeslot. The ratings for the second season place the show in the top three shows watched in Australia boosting the ratings of follow-up show ''
House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
'' on the network and placing the show up with ratings juggernaut '' Border Security: Australia's Front Line'' which broadcasts on the
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
. ''Thank God You're Here'' received an average of two million viewers every week. For the last episode of 2006 (8 November), had received ratings of 1.85 million viewers nationally. The first episode of Series Three was filmed on 21 June 2007. Guests for this episode included
Stephen Curry Wardell Stephen Curry II ( ; born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player and point guard for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Chef Curry", he is widely regarded as the ...
,
Josh Lawson Josh Lawson is an Australian actor best known for his role as Doug Guggenheim in '' House of Lies'', Tate in '' Superstore'' and as Kano in the 2021 film ''Mortal Kombat''. Early life Lawson grew up in Brisbane, and attended St Joseph's Coll ...
,
Peter Helliar Pete Jason Matthew Helliar (born 16 June 1975) is an Australian comedian, actor, television, radio presenter, writer, producer and director. He is best known for his work on television as a former regular co-host of '' The Project'' on Network ...
and Cal Wilson. Series Three had begun at the same 7:30 pm time slot on Wednesday 11 July 2007.


Seven Network iteration (2009)

In late 2008, it was announced that a revival of the show would be made which would air on the Seven Network instead of Network Ten. With Global Television Studios in Nunawading getting ready to shut down, Series 4 started filming at Melbourne Showgrounds in Flemington, in the shed normally used as the Poultry Pavilion. With the move from Nunawading also came a move from Global to Cutting Edge as the broadcast provider. Shooting started on Thursday 19 March 2009, in front of a live studio audience of 500 people. At the recording of episode 2 on 26 March, Tom Gleisner told the audience they could not find an available studio big enough for all their sets and large studio audience, so started looking at other types of venues, and found what they needed at the showgrounds. Portable buildings were set up outside the pavilion for use as offices, dressing rooms and other production amenities. Another vacant pavilion was used to house the audience before taping. The new venue was an issue for audio, as there was no soundproofing, so the nearby railway line often interfered with scenes, and Gleisner remarked that if it had rained, they would have been "stuffed".


Second Network 10 iteration (2023–)

In April 2023, Network 10 confirmed that a fifth series had been commissioned as a second revival of the show. Celia Pacquola was announced as the host and it was revealed that the series would feature weekly guest judges, a new ensemble cast and a "new generation" of special guests. The second revival was also filmed at the Melbourne Showgrounds.


Logie Awards

* Most Outstanding Comedy Program Logie, 2007 * Most Popular Light Entertainment Program Logie, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 (nominated)


Release


Home media

All series of the show have been released on DVD in Australia. Season 1 was released on 8 November 2006, Season 2 was released on 23 August 2007, Season 3 was released on 28 November 2007 and Season 4 was released on 5 November 2009.




Streaming

All series were released on
Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...
's catch-up
service Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a ...
10Play in June and July 2020.


Board game

In early December 2009, the "Thank God You're Here" board game was released. It contains 70 different scenarios which can be acted out in the home, in a similar format to the show. The board game is being distributed in selected stores only, including What's New.


International versions

The format has been sold to
Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
for worldwide distribution and has subsequently been sold for creation in 18 countries including the United States. International versions are required to use the same sketch premises used on the original Australian version and if one wants to alter one of their episodes in some way, such as taping a Christmas-themed episode, they must go through
Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
for permission to do so. * The original Australian version entered repeat broadcast on 13 January 2015 on
Foxtel NXE Australia Pty Ltd, trading as the Foxtel Group, is an Australian pay television company that operates cable television, direct-broadcast satellite, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April ...
's Comedy Channel. * The Czech version of the show, "Konečně jsi tady" was first aired on TV Prima on 4 March 2007. The show was later put on hold to change it to better suit the Czech viewers. * The Dutch version, "Gelukkig Je Bent Er" broadcast its first episode on
RTL 4 RTL 4 (Radio Télévision Luxembourg 4) is a Dutch free TV channel; it is the most-watched commercial station in the country, popular especially with those aged between 20 and 49. RTL 4 is a general entertainment channel with infotainment, televi ...
in late September 2006, followed by "Gu' ske lov du kom" on Danish TV3 a few days later. * The German version, "Gott sei Dank... dass Sie da sind!", piloted in July 2006, premiered on 30 November 2006, in primetime on German channel
ProSieben ProSieben (, ''sieben'' is German for "seven"; often stylized as Pro7) is a German free-to-air television network owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media. It was launched on 1 January 1989. It is Germany's second-largest privately owned television company ...
, produced by local Fremantle daughter Grundy LE, but managed only to attract a small audience. It was cancelled after 6 episodes. * The Russian version of the show, "Slava Bogu, ty prishyol" was first aired on STS channel on 24 September 2006. Five seasons with the last shown in 2010 spring have been produced. The premiere of the updated show was held 26 October 2018 at 22:00 * The Swedish version, "Tack gode Gud" was first aired on TV4 on 21 March 2007. It follows the same format as the Australian version and regularly uses similar scenarios. * The American version was picked up by
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
after a pilot was shot on 9 November 2006, overseen by Rob Sitch, who flew to Los Angeles. It was hosted by American actor and comedian David Alan Grier and judged by Canadian actor and comedian
Dave Foley David Foley (born January 4, 1963) is a Canadian actor, stand-up comedian, director, producer, and writer. He is known as a co-founder of the comedy group The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of television, stage and fil ...
. The program premiered on 9 April 2007 with two back-to-back episodes (including the pilot). It followed the Australian format closely, with the additional quirks of the guests swearing they had not seen the sets or costumes at the start of the show, and host Grier appearing in a cameo for one scenario each episode. Though it managed to attract some fairly high-profile guests, including Tom Green, Fran Drescher and
Wayne Knight Wayne Elliot Knight (born August 7, 1955) is an American actor. In television, he played recurring roles such as Newman on the NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (1992–1998) and Officer Don Orville on the NBC sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' (1996 ...
(who appeared twice), NBC announced it had cancelled the show after just seven episodes on 14 May 2007. * The British version premiered on 12 January 2008 on ITV. The show was made by
Talkback Thames Talkback Thames is a British television production company, a division of Fremantle (company), FremantleMedia (now Fremantle), part of the RTL Group, which in turn is owned by Bertelsmann. It was formed by the merger of Talkback (production com ...
, a
FremantleMedia Fremantle Limited (), formerly FremantleMedia, is a British multinational television production and distribution company based in London. The company was founded as Pearson Television in 1993 when publishing and education company Pearson ...
company. Paul Merton was both the host and also featured in his scenes.
Hamish Blake Hamish Donald Blake (born 11 December 1981) is an Australian comedian, television and radio presenter, actor and author. Since 2003, he has worked with Andy Lee as part of the comedy duo Hamish and Andy. The pair have performed live and on ...
appeared on the first two episodes. * The Vietnamese version from season 6 does not have a true judge – the host also takes charge of pressing the buzzer to end the scene. Instead, audiences in the studio are the ones who make the decisions by voting for contestants after each of the scenes has finished. In addition, during the first 7 seasons, Trấn Thành or Trường Giang may work as the substitute host in case Xuân Bắc is unavailable due to scheduling congestions.


References


External links


Official ''Thank God You're Here'' website
* {{Network 10 programming 2006 Australian television series debuts 2007 Australian television series endings 2009 Australian television series debuts 2009 Australian television series endings 2023 Australian television series debuts 2000s Australian comedy television series 2020s Australian comedy television series Network 10 original programming Seven Network original programming Logie Award for Most Outstanding Comedy Program winners Television series by Fremantle (company) Television shows set in Melbourne Australian English-language television shows Improvisational television series Australian television series revived after cancellation