It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast last week. They might welcome back guys to TV Reload. My name is Benjamin Norris and this is your podcast to get all the inside goss on the popular TV shows you may be watching from around the world. Underniably, our TV sets are a major part of our home entertainment, and yet very little is
known about how our favorite shows get made. So each episode I've been finding guests that want to dive just a little bit deeper to the shows they're currently making, so that you can hear all their exclusive stories and gain access to the biggest names in Australian television. I want to thank you for downloading or subscribing to this podcast however you've found me. I love hearing your feedback, so make sure you leave a review or a comment
on your chosen podcast platform. On today's podcast, I have Julian Crest, the executive producer of The Block Australia, which starts Sunday week on Channel nine. The Block is a huge show for Channel nine and it's the cornerstone of their lineup every year. This season is set in the family friendly Melbourne suburb of Hampton East. The new series features five house is designed and built in the nineteen
fifties and located in the Aptlee name Charming Street. Julian is one of my favorite TV producers in the country and this season he's been told by Channel nine that yes, it's the most explosive season yet in terms of drama. I've been told it's a little bit like the nineties Aarn Spelling series Melro's Place, which for me, I think sounds pretty amazing. We will find out how the houses are chosen, how the cast was chosen, and why they have decided to build these five houses so close together.
Julian will tease us with his thoughts on the cast, and we will find out who is Queen B and why that might change as the series goes on. Plus, we will get plenty of exclusives from behind the scenes of The Block Australia, which premiere is on Sunday, the sixth of July at seven thirty on Channel nine, and then you'll be able to catch up on nine. Now anyway, let's bring Julian into the podcast and I hope you really enjoy this very revealing look at the Block for
twenty twenty three. Hey, Jules, how are you?
I am great, thank you, excited to be here.
I am so ready for this season of the block. I feel like in Australia as it gets colder, we need to be warmed back up by this show. Because it's been on television for twenty years. That familiarity is really important to us as viewers. It's nostalgic.
Yeah, it's kind of you to say that. I must say that I'm as surprised as anybody that we're still doing this show after twenty years. It's quite extraordinary really, but we're thrilled to be bringing this series to the screends soon because it really has been one of my favorite shows to make.
I kind of imagine every year how you make the decisions to change locations. I mean last year was the tree change and then this year coming back to Hampton. What sort of decisions get made? Is that something that Channel nine decides? Is that something that you decide? Do you have a team of people who chooses these locations.
I work really closely with one of my oldest friends, Julian Brenchley, who is our architect. He's instrumental in finding property for us through a network of contacts. We also have people just randomly send us properties that they think you could be suitable for the block, so we do get to look at quite a few possibilities each year. I think the thing that we're looking for is something that sparks our interest because we haven't done it before, you know. I think that's part of the secret to
the success. The longevity of the block and the fact that we're still even here twenty years later is very much because each and every series is so different from the last, or anything that we've done. For example, just going back over the last couple of series, as you mentioned, last year was a tree Change series, which we did because we felt and I think we were right that
people were generally talking about a tree change. You know, before we brought that show to air, Australians were in the wake of the pandemic talking about either doing a tree change or at least discussing the kind of romance of what that could look like for them if they were to do it. The Block came on at the right time to give them a chance to see what
that might look like. And I think that the reason why we've pivoted back to what we're about to put to air now with this new series is because of all the properties we looked at, this one kind of sparked our interest creatively because we think it taps into another conversation that's happening now. It's the example I would use is the couple who may have just renovated their apartment in North Fitzroy or in Surrey Hills or Alexandria, and now they've got two young children and they can't
live there anymore. They are looking to the suburbs. They're looking to somewhere where are good schools, but they can't afford to buy a renovated house. So they buy an old, unrenovated nineteen fifties home that needs a full renovation, complete makeover to turn it into a modern family house. And they are going to then extend themselves to buy it.
And then they're going to roll up these sleeves and they're going to start pulling it apart and pulling it back together again with all of their blood, sweat and tears into creating something special for themselves and their family. And that's a story that just plays out across Australia every day. People who are aspiring to do that or in the middle of it, or who have done it themselves and now want to watch a bunch of young, hopeful people have a crack at it in a competition.
I think is something that will resonate with an audience, and so that's what we're hoping for with this current series.
It's so bizarre because you're right, these are conversations we're having every day. I spoke to one of my best friends just before and they've just had a newborn and they've realized that they're no longer can fit into their apartment in Elwood, and can they buy a house in Elwood?
Not really the climate that it is now, but they could look Corefield East, or they could look a little bit further out and find some of those homes that maybe our grandparents used to live in a good block and a good location, but need to be done up. I mean, this was a conversation I had today. So you're on top of it.
Yeah, I hope.
So.
I mean, it's something that I've done a few times myself, so I know what it's like. And walking into these houses was just I knew immediately that this is where we should make the block. The houses were literally untouched it felt like Nana just passed on. They were still decorated in the nineteen fifties, and I just thought, Wow, this would be incredible for blockheads to come in. And
we did something that we haven't done before. We usually spend a few months pulling these houses apart and getting them ready for the renovation that will take place when the contestants arrived, you know, doing structural works and that
kind of thing. These houses were so incredible to walk through when we first found them that we made the decision not to do anything to throw the entire renovation onto the contestants and our builders in the twelve week period from day one, so we didn't do any preparation work that created this kind of full time walk vibe. So the contestants don't walk into houses that present as a building site, which is what you've often seen in
the history of our show. They walk into them exactly like they were when I walked into them, and then they have to kick off and start from there. And that created a whole new level of content for the show that's really exciting.
Another thing that you do very well is the cast. And you know I because I'm talking television all the time. I'm always talking to people who love television, who want to be on television, and they asked me for tips, and after we chat it last year, I kind of tell you how many people wrote to me and said, how do I get onto the block? Next time you speak to Juliane, tell me what it is that I need to do. I mean, you're not supposed to tell people what to do. I always just say, be yourself.
What are some of those things that you're looking for when people are sending in their videos? What kind of personality types you're looking for?
Yeah, I think casting is just a really interesting subject and it's endlessly fascinating to me because I know that we've got it right often. But I can't tell you how. I can tell you that we've got one of the great casting directors working intelligent in Lucky Price, who is also series producer on the show, so he is intimately involved with what needs to happen. I mean, he's going to be responsible for this cast. But he doesn't just
deliver them to us and walk away. He delivers them to us and then comes to work to produce the show. So he really can't afford to get it wrong because it will make his day job a complete nightmare. But I honestly, you know, while I give him enormous credit for the choices that he makes in going through tens of thousands of applications every year, I think that there's a pure, definable science to it. I think it's a bit of a gut feeling, you know when you've got
it right in casting. And I'll give you an example. You know, the hottest film in the world right now is Barbie, and people are lining up around the block to see it, and a lot of that's to do with Margo Robbie and Ryan Gosling and the chemistry between them. Now, you could have chosen any number of great actors, even Academy Award winners. You could have put Kathy Bates and Gary Oldman in those roles. They're great actors, but that
film would have tanked. You just need to know, you need to have a sense of who's right for the role. And with the block, I think it's important to remember that it's not a show about trade. He's going to work. I mean, yes, we've had trades people in the show, but we often pitch them against others who have little
to no renovating experience just aspire to doing it. It resonates with people who are watching the show who have no renovating experience to see people like Fill and Amity, you know, have a crack at it, and I think that that's part of the reason for the success. There's always a couple doing the show that are a touch stowne to somebody who's watching it. What we're looking for
is willpower, energy, enthusiasm, and a real competitive streak. We are now in the fortunate position where we're often casting people who have applied for the show many, many times and not gotten on it. There's a couple in this year's series, Kylin Lesley from Memory. I think they were on their eighth and final application for the show and
finally got on. It's torture, right, But we're lucky enough to have people like that who are applying for the show over and over again, and eventually we go, well, if these people have taken the time and effort to apply to be on the block eight times, then they must have something of a competitive spirit that they will bring to this that will really help us make a great program. And so we're like, all right, let's give
them a shot. Apart from the fact that when they first applied, I think their children were babies, and now their kids are in the application video literally begging us to cast their parents so that they will stop making these damn videos. So that worked for us too, but we also mixed it up this year. One of our contestants for the first time is an architect, and that's
a fascinating story. A young architect just sort of starting out, but architects, people who study architecture, formed some pretty strong views about what they think should work and what's right. And of course this young architect came up against our architect who'd already made some decisions and had some pretty strong views about what it should be, and that made for some great television as well over twelve weeks, as
you can imagine. And then, of course we've got two young sisters from Melbourne, both single, who live together, share a flat and have no renovating experience and no idea.
I've watched episode one spoiler alert, and I just thought that was so funny when they both turned up and they were like, we have no experience whatsoever. And then even in the first challenge you can see that they have no experience but that really speaks to my heart because that would be me.
Yeah, and a lot of people, well you know, the trolls will tell me when the episode goes on air, how dare you put these people in this terrible position? They're going to just fall flat on their face. But let me ask you this, when you watched episode one, were you interested to think about what might happen over the next twelve weeks with these young women and how they would respond to Absolutely.
I Again, I'm going to be really honest about this. When I saw them turn up, I was like, I can think of all of these people that live and breathe building homes, and they're going to spew when these women say this. However, in episode one, I was the most interested and the most engaged with those two women, and that would be because I relate to them. Not everyone might relate to them, but I related to the struggles that they were going through, and they were the most engaging.
They're wonderful people. They really do have great personality and a great competitive spirit, and not just they're not there for the money. I mean that's the people who applied to be on this series of the blog didn't do it because They thought it was a chance to make a lot of money because they watched really gifted renovators in Tom and Sarah Jane last year make twenty grand, and then they applied to be on the blog this year.
So of course, you know, i'mar and Oz made one point seven million, so you know, of course there's a chance of making life changing money. But I don't think that's the reason why Elijah and Liberty wanted to be on the block. They wanted to test them to see if they could renovate, to see if they could build a house, because they'd never done anything like that before in their lives. They wanted to have a genuinely life affirming situation thrust upon them as sisters and see how
they manage under that pressure. And that's the reason why we put them on the show, because we were fascinated to see how they would respond under those you know, that enormous challenge of building a house from scratch. And that's what was fascinating to me when we were filming in those first few days in the episode that you saw, and I was lucky enough to spend the next twelve weeks you know, with them, watching to see how they responded week in, week out, and the results are nothing
short of astonishing. And you will get to see all that unfold in the coming months as well, And I think it's incredibly exciting to watch. And yeah, I'm thrilled with the way the series has turned out.
I always wonder what the effects of previous season does, you know? And it's very interesting that you're talking about how people saw that Tom and Sarah Jane didn't make anything more than twenty K. What does that do? Do you think that the viewers get frustrated and that you'll change the reserves? The reserves? My god, you know, what can you do? Like as in, because some viewers were so upset about that last year, does that mean that the reserves are going to be lower this year? Like?
Can you change that kind of stuff? Like how does that work?
Well? Yeah, people say the reserves weren't right last year because Tom and Sarah Jane made twenty but Amar and I was made one point seven with the same reserve. So that's real estate, right. I mean, I think that's another reason that the show remains successful is because the audience do understand that we have no control. You know, this isn't a show that's been spoon fed to them by producers who are manipulating everything behind the scenes. We've got no bloody idea how it's going to turn out.
You look at Scott cam on auction day, you look at his face, you can tell that he is petrified. He gets physically ill, as do I, as do the other uses on the day of the auction. And it's not because we're worried about our jobs. We know when we turn up on auction day that the show that we're making on that day for tomorrow night is probably going to be one of the highest rating shows of the year. So our jobs are secure. So why are
we so nervous. We're nervous for the contestants because we don't know how it's going to turn out, and we have to stand right there with them. And these people have become really important to us over three months of working together. We just want them to do well because we feel like they deserve a big reward for all of their hard work. And when that doesn't happen, I completely understand the audience saying, well, that's not fair, you
set the reserves to high. I'd get that because I feel that at that time, as well, but when I'm standing there watching one couple walk in and take one point seven million dollars in cash above their reserve price, and then the next couple only make twenty, I can't really blame the reserve price.
And you know what I want you to know, because I'll never forget being in my lunge room with the amount of screaming that was happening. We had a room full of people different ages that it invested in this show, and I can't think of any other television that we have at the moment that's appointment television like this, where an audience literally feels like they're involved, like it's magical in a way.
Yeah, I think that's right. I mean the other element to the Block that makes it different, apart from the fact that the endgame is impossible to manipulate, is that we don't eliminate contestants. Put the Block up against every other reality show that you can think of, you know,
Big Rather survivor the you know Everything. They eliminate, so people that you really like or come to like and enjoy watching aren't there next week because the judges have decided that their kremberula wasn't quite up to par and they're gone, and you're like, oh, that's a shame. I really liked Ben and you know, I like watching him, but with the block, which is why, you know, we really do have to kind of get casting right. We need to choose people who the audience wants to watch
for three months. But the reason why all those people in that room at the end, we're you know, watching the show with you were finding it were so engaged was that they had spent three months watching Tom and Sarah Jane build that house and they loved them. They
love Tom and Sarah Jane as I do. They're beautiful people who deserve to make a million dollars and they made twenty grand and they were so graceful about it that it brought a tear to all of their eyes, not only on the day but when the show went to air and ever since, despite that experience, Tom and Sarah Jane remained very close friends of all of ours. And Tom was happy to come back, and he's a significant part of this new series as well.
I'm obsessed with the two of them. I remember I went for a set visit to the houses last year and met them both and they were just as delightful in real life as they were on camera, because you do show people for who they are. I was devastated when they didn't get to get all the money, but I just thought, what an amazing couple to show that they didn't let her get to them. And then what then happened was the reward is they've been given a job on the next season of the Block. Magnificent.
Yeah, no, they are bloody awesome and I think people will be thrilled to see Tom by his trade in this new series.
I also love that the houses are back closer together, no offense to the tree change. Loved it. But with the houses so far away, it wasn't like you could just walk over to the other house and have a guernsey and have a bit of a barney like. They were so far away that sort of stopped that from happening. Did you decide in a new way to bring them much closer together so that it would escalate some of the drama that we're used to seeing.
Yeah, very much so. These five houses, but they go round a corner, and that meant that we were able to pull down all of the fences in the backyards and create one single backyard that they all had to share, and the idea concept behind that was that it might lead to know, to more interaction with the contestants and therefore more dramatic moments in the show. But I could never have predicted how much drama we would get out of that.
You is, Julian, and I couldn't.
It is.
The show melrose Place was about these young people that were incredible. They were living in a very close space and I felt like as soon as I have turned up on the set of the twenty twenty three series of the show, I was like, oh my god, this is going to be like Melro's Place. There's going to be some drama going on.
It's funny you say that, because when David and I pitched the show to the network that melrose Place was the inspiration for the block. We said to the executives, this show will be a cross between melrose Place and Survivor I Love It and People. So that was the show that we referenced.
Well, I feel like Ding ding Ding. I've won some prizes here. But the thing that I heard about this series as well was I heard that there is a bit of tension between the women, So you got what you wanted, But I heard that the Queen Bee's status of the group kept changing, and the dynamics of who was right and who was wrong was also changing. Am I onto something here? Is this what we're going to expect to see?
Yeah? Without giving too much away, what I found fascinating. The block is such an intense pressure cooker environment. It's such a heightened challenge and experience where what would normally transpire in real life over two years, such as renovating a house to this degree, would be probably an eighteen month to two year project. The fact that we packed that into twelve weeks. It's not just the renovation, it's all of the other things that would happen over two
years in real life. So we have a situation with this series where there are immediate bonds and friendships created and alliances created between neighbors in the first two or three weeks of the show, which then get completely flipped on their head in the middle of the series, and
then completely flip around again before it's over. For that much, for that much personal kind of connection to transpire that quickly, you're best friends with somebody, and three weeks later you were saying she's dead to me, and then three weeks later they're trying to patch things up, and now she's saying, well, I'm now best friends with her. Who makes best friends in three weeks and then three weeks later says they're dead to me. Only on the block is that going
to happen? It never ceases to amaze me what can happen on the block, Which is why after twenty years, I'm still excited to be making it. Otherwise, I mean, if I honestly, if we were still making Big Brother after twenty years, I think we would have walked away, you know, it just the novelty would wear off. But somehow with the Block, for us as producers, it just
doesn't wear off. You know. It's genuinely exciting for us every year to be to meet all these new people and to see how they go about renovating a house and playing this big game of monopoly with real money and real tools over twelve weeks. That we're addicted to making the show, so we're thrilled that people still want to watch it so that we can keep going around year after year and making a new one.
But the thing I want to know from you is when this kind of drama happens. Do you try and work out who is right and wrong? Is it impossible to pick sides or no?
Hell mae?
Do they try and get you guys to intermediate that.
My view is everybody's right and everybody's wrong. We try and keep our fingerprints off the show as much as we can. It's very much made in a documentary style. There aren't that many constructs in the conceit of the show. All you have to do is deliver a room on Sunday and maybe go to a challenge each week. Apart from that, the contestants run their own race. They make their own decisions. They decide where they're going to go
and when they're going to go. We don't tell them that they have to go and choose their tiles this morning. We tell them that it would be sensible to do that because they need to deliver a bathroom on Sunday. But they make the decision about where they go and when they go and how they do it, not us. We just follow them with the cameras and if they decide that somebody's dead to them, that's fine by us.
Oh Am, I laughing. I really missed this last year. I felt like some of the drama was quite isolated to the houses. Like we saw with Sharon, the drama was sort of inside that house and it wasn't so much with everyone else because I love the building, of course, but I just love the juicy drama and what's wrong with me?
Well, I'm glad you do, because there's a lot of it coming your way.
How much of what we read or what we have read about this season of the Block is true? Ah?
Well, that depends whether if you're reading the daily mail, probably not much. But throw me something. What have you read? I'll give you a true or fault.
Are you going to back some familiar faces this year at the end of the season to celebrate twenty years of the Block? Or are you going to wait till next year for the twentieth season of the Block? What's the clarity on that.
I think that we have so much content this year with these people. By the end of this season, the contestants from this year will be familiar faces. I don't think that there's even room this year with these five teams to fit anybody else in, because these five couples can pretty much use all of the oxygen in any room you put them in. So I think the answer to that is we will wait for our twentieth season of the show. If we're going to do something like that.
What about Scottiecam? Is there a possibility that this could be Scotty Cam's last year?
Scott Cam is very committed to the block. It's become a really important part of his life now. He loves making the show and I think that he'll be there for a few more years. Yet.
The last one I'll ask you, because we could do this all day, is the next series locked into Dalesford for next year.
The location of next year's series. If anybody tells you that they know where it is, they're lying because I don't know where it is yet.
It's just the ones that I was looking at today and someone said, you know, Dalesford is happening, and you've already locked it in. And the reason and you've locked it in for January because you and the crew are sick of working in the colder conditions.
It's a plausible story, right. I will say that if we were going to go to Dalesfoud, we probably would want to start earlier because that winter that we went through in the Massidon Ranges last year was absolutely brutal. It makes sense, it does ring true, it's just not true.
And do you get bothered by these stories? I mean, is this just good publicity for the show because everyone's talking about everyone's talking. Oh my god, this will be the last time we see Scotty Cam. We've got to tune in and watch this series because you won't be here again. Is that good publicity? Or does that somehow upset you guys in some way?
Why it doesn't hurt? I think Scott would find it really amusing that you know, there's a story saying that he's decided that this is it or he's resigned or whatever. To be honest, I don't think it hurts. It's better to be talked about in a very saturated media landscape with so many opportunities to watch different shows and streaming platforms and reruns and there's just so much going on to have the level of interest from journalists that want
to even write these stories. Whether they're true or not, I think is good doesn't matter to us. People will just be pleasantly surprised next year when Scott Cam turns up again.
Do you know what's really funny? And this sounds mean, and I don't mean to be mean, but sometimes I laugh at mean things. Is that another producer who works on another show, another big friend that's been on television for a long time, They were like, we can't get people to talk about this series in the media, and that's really interesting. That goes to show you where that format is at that time, where the Block hasn't even started, and there's so many stories out there, and you're right,
that comes down to public interest. You know, you kind of want to be talked about.
Yeah, I mean, I can only guess that the editors who are choosing what goes on their homepage are choosing these stories about the block knowing that they may not even be true. They're choosing it because they know that that is clickbait. They know that there is a hunger out there amongst their readers for stories about the Block. That is a very encouraging thing for me to know.
You know, we love it. The more stories we read, the more we realize that the editors are trying to feed an audience that is interested in our show, and that in and of itself is enough for me.
I also heard really early on that you know, we were going to get a new You judge joining the show, coming along with SHANEA. Blaze, Darren and I did hear that Neil was taking the season off, So it took a while for us to find out. It was Marty Fox, who I think is a great choice from what I've seen so far. What can you tell us about him for this season? Like, is he going to offer something completely different to Neil? Like what's going to happen here?
Of course he is, because you know, he and Neil are very different people. Neil comes from our background of being a very high profile editor of interior design magazines, and Marty comes from selling houses. He's a very sharp, very talented real estate agent. It's no reflection on Neil that Matty's there. Marty's only there because Neil couldn't do all of this series and called me and said that
he had, you know, for personal reasons. He just wasn't going to be able to do it all when he was really disappointed about that, as was I. But the idea of Marty Fox coming in and feeling in for Neil really came from looking back at where the show started. You know, for the first three series of the block, there was only one judge, and that was John McGrath, a real estate agent. That's where the show began. It's
then evolved when we added Neil. It evolved further when we added Darren and Shana as John McGrath wasn't able to be the judge on the show once we'd moved to Melbourne because his base was Sydney. So Marty seemed like a natural choice because he reminds me a lot of John McGrath. You know, he's super smart, he knows
real estate inside out. He's a specialist in this area and nothing is going to get past him because he is looking at these rooms each week purely from the basis of whether they are going to appeal to the buyer that he knows so well, and it was an interesting perspective to add. And he's also a really fun, interesting, opinionated guy, and I think that the audience is going to absolutely love him on the show.
Did you notice, though, by changing the judges a difference? Do you think we're getting a different result in your opinion? Only, do you think by changing this judge we're get to get a different outcome?
No, I don't. I have enormous respect for Neil I think that you know, people say, oh, I have interior design experts judging a real estate show, and I say, well, Darren and Shana and Neil have all bought and sold property, They've all renovated, They've all had to do it for themselves.
They've all had to take properties to market. They work really hard and study the market that we're doing each year, whether it's a tree change or Hampton, and their interest when they're judging is about whether it's right for the market. It's not whether it's just their own personal opinion. They often and choose winning rooms that they personally wouldn't have themselves or don't particularly like, but they feel that they're
right for the market. So I think that those the judges that we've had have always done that really well. But I think that Marty's involvement in the show has brought a real fresh perspective to it, and it was really interesting to hear some of his comments about what is right for the market, and those comments different from what Neil would say. Yeah, absolutely, Does it mean that a different team is winning the rooms in the weeks that Marty's there in place with Neil, I'm not sure about that.
So One of the last things that I want to quickly do with you is I want to get like a sentence on how you describe these new teams. The promos are out, and by the way, the promos are very good this year. They literally make you feel like you know these people within their thirty seconds. It's crazy, but I'd love to know your little snapshot on them. So if we start with Eliza and Liberty.
Just just really fun. You know, they came to it with a sense of wonder. They were amazed that they got chosen and were so grateful for the opportunity. They really didn't know what they were getting themselves in for, and that's immensely clear in the show, and I love them for it.
Now, the two of them got a lot of experience with, you know, being a producer themselves. Was there any issue with them self editing? Like, were you worried about that casting people who are producers in a show like this or do you think because of the nature of the show, being that it's twenty four hours a day, no one could possibly keep up a facade or self edit like that that eventually it would switch off.
Well, I mean, Sharon's a professional actor, do you think that she was self editing. You can't do the Block and spend three months pretending to be something that you're not. It's just not possible. Nobody has the skills to manage that pressure and be thinking about everything they're saying all the time, and self edit can't happen.
Kyle and Leslie, what do you think about these two?
They're the team that tried eight times to get on the block, so you know, it's fantastic that they got that reward. But like everybody else, even after being dedicated fans and watching every series and begging to come on the show, when they got on the show after about a week, they said to me, like everybody else does, Juels, we knew this was going to be hard, but boy, we didn't know it was going to be this hard.
There were there were moments, but to be to be fair, everybody at some point twelve weeks said, I don't know if I can handle this. I think I'm out.
I feel like they know you well enough to know your face and I can see your face when people say it to you that they're going to leave, and your face just wouldn't change. You'd be like mm hmmm. Because you know, just to sit and.
They go back to work, exactly right.
Okay, So Leah and Ash? What about these two?
Yeah, just larger than life couple. Really, they're just perfect for our show. She I don't mean this in any way to be critical, because I love Leah as much as anybody I've ever had on the show before. Her lack of a filter is just something to behold. She thinks something and before she's even finished the thought, she said it, and sometimes it really rubs people the wrong way, but she owns what she says. And Ash is a
great knock about bloke. They're wonderful parents. They've got beautiful children. They're made for each other. But you know they're noisy, and noisy is good.
What about Christy? Christy and Brett?
Yeah, so they're really interesting to me, and I really loved having them on the show. They're more of the couple that they love to stir the ship. They think it's hilarious to what how things they say may be taken or may unfold, and that's fun. You know, I'm going to call it. They're shit stirs in a really fun way. And they were great. But they're also super bright, you know, he's a safety officer, she's a project manager.
They're not to be trifled with, and they've got an enormous amount of energy and competitive spirit, which is what the book block always needs. They were fantastic on the show.
What state were they from again, South Australia. South Australia. Okay, yeah, I.
Don't know what they put in the water there, but South Australia has thrown up Alisa in Lossandra and Christian. That's fantastic.
I love that teas. I love the teas. And then the last of all, we have Steph and Jim.
Yeah, so she's the architect. He's a super bright guy. He's in tech startups. What is amazing about them is that they're very young, but more importantly so, I think they're twenty six going on twenty seven during you know, I think they turned twenty seven in show, but they've
been together since they were thirteen. The strength of their relationship together you wouldn't expect from people that young, you know, because at twenty six, yes, they've only been married a year, but they've been together for fourteen years already, and that's a substantial amount of time. So what I loved about
them was that as a team. I think they people would underestimate them, but they are as strong as any team that we've had, just because they know each other so well and they just they really present as a united front, and they were very competitive and are in the middle of some of the biggest stories that happened across the series this year.
It's really funny that you say that, because Steph was really lovely when I met her, but I loved her like a radar on me. So she because we're coming into her home right with the media, so she was like, oh, Hi, hey, you going. She was on the surface being really lovely, but I was like, she's the Amanda Woodward of Melrose Place. Here. I feel like she's going to be the one to watch.
One hundred percent. Yeah, And being an architect, it's just such an interesting thing for the audience to see how an architect goes about doing a blog. It's completely different to how a plumber goes about doing it.
Alrighty, last two questions I have for you is you also are correcting or acknowledging some drama that was created two years ago allowing them to see the plan aboard? Are there other big changes like that that we're going to see this season that you can talk about at this stage.
I'll hint at one. I mean, I've told you about one, which is that we didn't do anything before they started, and that is why the promo has that time walk storyline, because the houses are exactly like they were in nineteen fifty. The other change that we made. The hint I will give you about that is that Tom from Tom and Sarah Jane figures prominently in this new series. So why would that be.
Well, we'd have to give this to one of the journalists that writes for the Daily Mail, because that'd probably that'd probably weave that together faster than I would. I can't even imagine. Is he personally involved or is it to do with conflict over the build.
He is in the show as a regular character, this series working force, and.
What a perfect person to do it. Some of my favorite Tom moments of last year, you know, was when he went sort of a wall and would just start painting the fence and just being himself. He'd be outside of that little caravan and his underpants. He was a loose unit, like you know, he is that he is who he is, and that's what makes good television. And then also the first episode we get a Disney Plus theme. Does that mean that you yourself have free Disney Plus at home?
I wish, because with an eight and nine year old, Disney Plus gets a proper workout in my house. I go to say, it's become a pretty solid go to. My nine year old and I are equally fans of Star Wars and watch them regularly. So yeah, it was wonderful to have Disney Plus come on as a sponsor for this series. But no, it didn't. They didn't give me a freebee.
I just thought it was fantastic, Jills. The last question I ask you is something I asked everyone who joins the podcast. Can you give us something of a behind the scenes secret or maybe something we won't see, maybe a funny anecdote from your experience this year of filming The Block twenty twenty three.
For anybody who's watched The Block previously, they probably have realized that whenever anything does happen behind the scenes, we put it in the show. We tend to break that fourth wall. If somebody falls over in the middle of, you know, filming, it usually makes the cut. Anything that makes us laugh or makes us cry, usually gets put into the show and not ends up on the cutting room floor.
That is the best. Can I just say that's thank you so much for coming on the podcast and being so generous with your time. Just as good a chat, as good at that's not even a word, Just as good as last year, like and you blew it out of the park last year. It was very funny, very entertaining, very insightful.
Thanks and appreciate it. I appreciate the support. I'm glad. I'm glad for your interest in the show too. It's great