It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload, the podcast last week they light Welcome back guys to TV Reload. As you may know, 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. Undeniably, 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 the want to dive just that little bit deeper into 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 found it. 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 actor presenter Roger Corser here to talk about his hosting duties of Network ten's second series of The Traders. Roger Corser is an Australian actor best known for his portrayals of characters in Underbelly, Doctor, Doctor Five, Bedrooms,
amongst other scripted dramas series. We have obviously seen him some very iconic roles here in Australia, but if I'm honest, I was a little shocked last year to see him as the host of The Traders, But as he found who he is in this franchise, I've kind of really come to love and appreciate him taking some chances within this role. The Traders features a group of contestants participating in a game similar to the party game Pluto, as they all stay in this sort of historic luxury hotel.
During this stay, three contestants are selected by Roger as the Traders and must work together to eliminate the other contestants in order to win, while the other remaining contestants, known as the Faithfuls, are tasked to discover and banish the Traders by voting them out in order to win
the grand prize. It's a lot of fun. I will find out what conversations Roger had with the producers and if he used any influences like Rocky, horror pictures, show or Clue the film to build a heightened role of
his personality. Roger will also talk about what makes a good Trader what he would do if the game was flipped and he was actually one of the Traders or the Faithfuls will impact the latest series and find out how adding familiar faces from other reality shows and actors has changed the game in some ways for a lot of the players. Plus, we will get plenty of exclusives from behind the scenes of The Traders, which starts this
week on Network ten at seven thirty on Sunday nine. Plus, you'll be able to catch up on ten Plus if you miss the launch episode. Anyway, guys, let's bring Roger into the podcast and I really hope you enjoy it's very insightful look into the Traders for TV reload.
Hi Roger, and good to be with you.
Very excited, welcome back to The Traders.
Yes, season two. It's always nice. When you were a one hit one night, the second season's always good.
It's a sign that things are going okay.
Yes, I mean you can always do better, you know. Then that's what we're hoping for this year. Look, we've had a bit of a bumping interest, especially from the overseas contingent. You know, the Brits. The Brits. Brits are loving us.
They are absolutely loving the format. But you know, I've seen episode one, which starts on Sunday night, and I have to tell you it really does feel like you guys have leveled up.
Yeah, their challenges are bigger, I think also being a new format last year, I mean everyone didn't know really what to expect. I mean, players and production was our first time around doing it, and you know, and you can sort of change things in the second season. You can review it and go which bits can we tighten up and which bits do we amplify and so forth. So yeah, and also this year around we added some
dare I say, some career you know, reality contestants. It's been spent in the last ten years getting around several shows and so forth and making a career out of it. And look, they know how to bring the gameplay, the drama, and they know, you know, they might be painted as a certain role, a villain or so forth, but they don't care. They kind of know that's what they're there for. And they do make good television. I've got to say, well.
I have to. We're going to get into Luke and Ash in a minute, because I feel like they're the king and Queen of villainry and leaning into villainry and making it extraordinarily likable. So we'll get there in a second. But you know, last year it took me a little while to get used to you being a host of this show. And the reason why was because I was like,
I've actually i've met you before. I've been in your audience as Australia has been for a long time as Roger Corser, and it's quite different to who you are as Roger Corser on this show. Was there many conversations about what sort of parts of your personality you wanted to bring to this role.
Finally my schizophrenic self could come bipolar and everything, all the just different facets of my life. No, look, I've been asked before to host. You know, I feeled in a little bit on some Morning Telly, which was definitely kind of me. I'm not a cue anyway, because it's a kind of a genre. The thing that is really
kind of who done it? And mixed a little bit of eyes white shut with those masks and knives out and some very kind of theatrical in a sense that I kind of liked the fun Pluto aspect to it. So we said yes, but look, it wasn't off the off the bat, you know that we said we're going to kind of do a bit of a kind of
a quasi kind of character. It just sort of naturally went that way because we just I was sitting down with with Matt Lovecas who's the writer of this show, does a fantastic job, and we hit it off just with kind of the references we could use in some of the speeches, and then just to make it work, we're like, want, you know, funny little puns and gags, what if it's my hotel and what it's been handed down in the family, And it just lent us to be able to say a whole lot more sort of
ridiculous stuff. So we went with it, and we were waiting for the producers to pull us up and go, guys, that's just you know, running off the rails here, but they never did, so we just so, look, it's probably the worst plot of character I've ever done, because it starts off with some place and it ends up somewhere else. So over the course of the first series it's a
little up and down. I think, you know, I may lose the accent a little bit here and there, so we didn't know what we were really doing, but we're just having fun doing it, so we kept doing it.
Well, you know what I kept thinking of. I kept thinking of the movie Clue with Tim Curry, and I was thinking, I wonder if Roger said yes to this and then went Because we're about the same age, so we probably watched that growing up. I wonder if you went back and watched Tim Curry's role and sort of lean into some of that butlery it's not a real word.
But yeah, yeah, well it's definitely that element with Tim Curry. I mean, I probably not Clue, which I should have a lot more. We did do the cludo. We kind of reference, if you know, Colonel must in the drawing room with a candlestick, that that kind of you know, sort of fadulous lends itself to a kind of a
camp kind of fun thing. Even more, one of his other roles, like a frankenfurd I said, it's it's a lot less obviously, but that kind of mischievous host of the manner, you know what I mean, And you know, welcoming the guests into their place and then doing horrible things things to them and having a great time.
Doing it with size white shot, Horrible Things more, Yeah, yeah, hung in cheek, murder mystery.
More, you know, a little bit rocky horror, you know what I mean, without without the pants down of stuff that show. Yeah, lening it, leaning into that and just having a fun old time and just you know. And then we just found this sort of synergy with some of the challenges and we just sort of because I have to want to want to try and be entertaining instead of just being kind of droll because you have to explain the rules.
I mean, then we're going to just sort of dress it up and a little bit of fun. So, for instance, last year, there's a there's a scene on a tarmac with the planes, and that was literally we made that up five minutes beforehand because this safety officer had this electric motorbike and the intro was just going to be
standing the tarmac. But because top kind of just come out, we have these sort of planes sitting on the tarmac and I'm like, oh, well, that's in the trailer is him roaring up the tarmac in a leather jacket on a bike trying to look cool. And I said, I can pretend to look cool and fail dismally. So we got this stunties sort of electric bike. We had a
kind of bomb and jack. What we did that. I got someone to run out at the service station and get some bad rip off ray band sunglasses and whacked them on and we just sort of wet with this kind of theme and we were allowed to do that all the way through. We're just sort of like, oh, this matches the challenge, so let's just ham it up. And it kind of. I mean some reality TV can be a little bit earnest and serious. It's all dramatic, dramatic all the time, and I just think it's a game.
We're playing a big, wonderful game. You know, it should be fun and so the drama will come absolutely and you see that when it gets intense as well, and people can get a bit shirty with each other, but you also want to have those lighter moments. And if that's because they they're laughing at me a little bit, I don't mind it. It's fun.
I love that you have that ability to, you know, be the butt of the joke as well. I think that that shows part of your true character. That's the real Roger Corsa that can take themselves a little less seriously.
Yeah, I mean it's whatever's good for the you know, you got to entertain them. Hopefully we're doing that. And look, I think there can be a lot of nerves that people there, that these cameras in their face, and that they ease into it pretty quickly, but always giving trying to give them the unexpected and instead of coming out always being the authority in knowing it all you look a bit ridiculou some of the things I'm wearing and saying and doing it.
Glad you're aware.
So it starts off. It starts the challenge or the management you know. And mind you, I don't mind having a go with them as well. So I mean I sort of I give as good as I get, you know, well, point out if people are failing or you know, being a bit ridiculous or or whatever. And you know, we try and make moments in the management room at least have a few light moments, because it does get sometimes pretty dark pretty quickly.
Did you watch some of the other hosts now of the show, because I mean Alan Cumming has taken it on in you know, one of the other successful versions of this franchise around the world and that sort of after you'd already attempted this role, do you know what I mean? Like I wondered whether or not you were like, oh,
Alan's now doing that. I'm going to borrow some of this because all I will say about season two, which people haven't seen yet, is that you are nailing this more succinctly, like I think you fully have worked out how to do it. And then I wondered whether you borrowed some of the elements.
We watch some pieces, not specifically for their delivery style. I think some of the you know, you just the format. I mean, the producers definitely did for what do they do for challenges? What do they do for that? And also we have rights holders that you know, because it reginally a Dutch format, and you know, they don't want all the versions to be radically different from each other
because they've got a bitlet of brand. And so when people watch the show and you know, this is what happens now, people watch The Survivor or The Traders or you know, Big Brother or something, and they'll watch multiple versions from from different places, and they need to know that, you know, it's still what they expect. And then obviously there's it's great to see the differences. So yeah, so we would watch and see how they did some challenges and so forth. But yeah, look it's it's a lot
easier when you're a grand the castle. They really lent into the castle kind of you know, met medieval gould of you know, witch is in dungeons and that kind of that kind of gear. And he played at Bilman. He's a brand actor as well, you know, but he had some pretty fantastic tart from memory. Yes, so but I sort of played more I suppose the villain or the Bond or sort of version the manner. Everyone's got
their own kind of way of doing it. And I mean I originally watched the Dutch version that we've got a subtitle, and I watched all that first season and to understand the hold the gameplay. But there's there's versions everywhere. There's the Key. We has got a version I think coming out now as well.
Everyone's got their own version. But I like that we have an Australian take on it as well. I also think it's interesting that we did like a full civilian series to start it, and then when we saw what they did with it in the UK, with blending recognizable faces with everyday people. We we really haven't seen that that much, you know, and it's interesting to watch civilians, everyday people competing on a show against people that they're
already familiar with, you know. I think that adds something quite juicy to it.
There is another level. I mean, yeah, we're used to some you know, the celebrity master chaff, you know, where you bring everyone's you know, or celebrity get you out of here. But the mix it is different because it does sort of almost threw some players off the game. If you've seen the first episode, you know, the Annabel was quite taken it back and saying we'll rock up to the the train station with her, and you know,
sort of star struck a little bit. So they're like, oh, I'm going to be playing this sort of game of reception and having to form allegiances and friendships and clicks with people with people have done it, and I've seen how they've done it before and perhaps you know, stab people in the back and do all those sort of wonderful things that show promotes. I think they sort of went, oh wow, you know, it's I would say uneven playing field.
But they've got some pros and they are the professional reality too condestines in there with first timers as well. But I've got to say the reason that we're getting success in the UK with our version and some people are saying that the gameplay is superior to that to the British version, I think is you know, end of mold shy. I know how to cast, you know, they've been doing this for many years. They've got a big
track record with this genre. They know how to bring the right people together, some that are going to get on, some that are not a wide demographic demographic of people that might not necessarily ever be in the same room together, and sort of throw them all in and sort of see what happens. It's a wonderful sort of social.
Experiment, that's what it is. I mean, reality TV works best when it is that social experiment that fly on the wall. You know, how are people going to behave? And this shows format leans into allowing people to be the worst version of themselves sometimes, which I think is the psychology of that is also extraordinarily fascinating.
Yeah, the game aspect allows you to mean, you know, it's not myself playing a character, but there's people and they're playing a character. People are hiding what they do for a living because they think they perceive that there'll be a disadvantage to them if they do have instance in law enforcement or they're a lawyer. So some people are straight up with it, but other people think, oh, you're going to think that I'm going to be too
good at this game. Probably never in questions with some pable, but.
You can be too good at this game and that ruins your game, do you know what I mean?
Like, oh, I mean did last year Alex who won it? I mean, I think a lot of people didn't know who she was until about episode seven because she was a classic flying under the radar. And really it's a brilliant strategy because you don't ruffle the feathers. You let you know, the fantastic sort of characters burn brightly and then burn out and get shot like that. In our game, it's sort of people self titledselves as a traitor hunter,
you know, if we've had a bit of success. But if you do that too well, you're going to be murdered.
The last thing that I would say, I would not be declaring anything, you know, I'd be leaning into my you know the stupidity of it, you know what I mean, Like I've.
Just done Lark or someone else's.
I don't even know how I did that, you.
Know, yeah, yeah, exactly because people you know, this is the thing. Look, the second season compared to the first, people have seen that, So maybe there's a little bit more strategy. Even with our first time is on Telly. You know, they've seen the formats and I mean, I think Annabel And in the first episode says that no one is more more versed on this game than May.
I've seen every English speaking version of it. I've listened to every podcast that mentions it, and so you know, she had a game plan down and she's a fabulous character. St that really isn't that amazing.
We get to see some players like Giton, who's a very well known actor as you know, and we get to see some of these heroes of reality TV. But one thing I want people listening to this podcast to know is that we very quickly connect with everyone that's in there. It's not as though you're watching it and you are going to stick to watching those people you already know. I actually think that these people are ready to play and are very interesting in their own right.
And they have to audition for the show, and you know they're going to bring their best selves and it's just like an actor winning a role, you know. I mean, it's just their first one. They're they're the stars of the future. It's just this is the this is their first gig. And some people are just you know, they print really really well, you know, they they make they sort of crack me up. Sometimes there's things that they totally unscripted come out of their mouth, and it's just
it's really fun. I'm going to say there's this second season again I said before, but I think it's funnier. I think there's more moments in there that just that are that aren't scripted and when we try the gags and with the puns and things in the little speeches, but there's just some moments that just happened. Because I think there is the drama and some people don't get on and there is the friction and that type of thing, but the people also do get on really well and
they have a great time. Some of the challenges are really fun, and sometimes they fail just terribly at them, but they're frustrated, but they're also having an incredible type. There's one moment on the lake with a boat and it just goes beautifully and horribly wrong and there's a sinking ship. I don't know all how we' supposed to do this challenge there. We just went with it and it just became something else and it was fun. But the failing's fun and it's all everyone's having a great time.
And then obviously as we get deep into the season, then you know the game place has come on and where where Look? I can't obviously can't say too much, but we have an ending this year which has never been seen in any version ever. The stakeholders from the real version were shocked our particular ending because the ending is very different depending on the mix of people you get at the end Traders and faithful, and you know, there's different there's a whole big rule book of how
it can go at the end. If you're left two traders and one faithful, one faithful, all faithful, all traders, you know, like how many there are, There's all these different sort of things. You're going to go down a subsection for how we're going to play this end game out, and we got to a scenario they're like we haven't aught of that, so it's it's kind of a real big water cooler moment at the end. It's going to be It's going to be great.
Reality TV also works best when you don't know who the winner is, Like I think the shows that do work out more interesting for the viewer is when we don't know who's going to win, or we don't know how it's going to end, and it feels uncontrolled, And I think.
Can I say there is no better example of this season? We didn't know In fact, we sort of we kind of had to pause the last and what are we going to do now? I don't know? What do you think we should do?
Come back in a week, we know what we can do?
We don't. Yeah, it was we were flying by the seat of our pants, and I think that's going to come across going like you're not going to see it coming at all?
Do you watch a lot of I mean, I know who Ash Pollard is, I know who Luke Talkie is, I know who all these people are. But did you know who they are and then when you found it they're involved? Did you have to go and do some research and watch some like highlights reels like how much did you know of some of these familiar faces.
I think some people are just become yeah, personality as they sort of transcend being on a reality TV show. They've just become a personality in their own right. So Ash definitely I understand because she'd been on a celebrity gets you out of here. That's probably one of the kids. My kids love that show, so that's on, you know, especially when it was on sort of in summer, you know what I mean, every one time in school holidays
and that show is differently. They love watching that and we've had some friends that have done the show as well.
So you don't want to do that one because you've said no to that, Yeah, I ask you.
I ask that question. I'm not really great with heights. I don't know about editing parts of animals, which should be I just don't don't know about that. So I think, yeah, the heights thing. I don't want to jump at a plane or a helicopter or what if they do.
But that makes you the perfect person for that show. No one, of course, any of those things. If you wanted to Ben, it's crap I.
Don't want to do. When I saw Shane warn squeal and scream. It was like a big, big, tough, izzy cricketer, you know what I mean. Like it was like, wow, yeah, it's really they're really making people. I think he was afraid of spiders or snakes or something. But yeah, so I knew Ash from that. And then I'm probably more of a stuff that I've watched because I fancy myself a bit of a chef, So I have watched a lot of Master Chef over the years, and I can't
I seen all of the sort of Survivors. I've got friends though, that are mad fans of Survivor and will watch every season, some other active friends of mine that really that's the kind of show that they dig. And I think we have all the best elements of that, sort of the clicks and you know, fake friendships and so forth. Sort of a Survivors sort of in our show, but amplified.
It's interesting a different setting. What about Ginton though, because you'd worked with him in the very first season of Underbelly, which is such an iconic series it just still penetrates the these days. I mean I rewatched the first season of Underbelly recently and it is still magnificent. Television, and
both of you are so iconic in that series. So to find yourself in this position, were you able to connect with him as your old co star and have a chat or were you trying to put some distance there?
Yeah, we discussed it. Look, I honestly don't think some of the producers knew the connection, because some did. I think some did after that, No, like, it's fine, it's fine, But I did question. I go, you know, it was kind of a springboard for both of us that series, you know, and they're like, oh, what's that. Some of the some people are already in their late twenties and that are producers, you know, and you're going, that's right.
It was fifteen years ago. So but I was really conscious not to look like I was giving anyone an advantage. But not every guy. And I know who the traders are. Oh yeah, so you have to have a poker face because I noticed this year one of the tactics of some of the people on there was at the banishment, someone's getting grilled or they really asking big questions of someone. A couple of smart players wouldn't be watching the reaction.
They turn around and watch my reaction to see if I was smirking at what they were saying, or there's someone's you know, trying to excuse themselves. Oh, I'd never been doing that, and just to see if I'm kind of like not buying their story and if you've got a shit. I was getting looked at it, so I was like, it was a pretty smart move. So I sat to put the poker face on the whole time.
So I can't I can't play an advenage for guy, and I can't play an advantage for anymore because I've got to not give the game away.
But what about the choicing of that though? Like as in is there many conversations about who is going to be who? Because you just go around and tap people. Surely that's not you, Roger Corsa picking those people you told who to tap? What process is there and are you involved? Do you get to help you?
You'd like to think that I had all the power in the game, but I do. I don't know. There's no they do tell me beforehand, There is conversation. Its very hush hush, like this is a I mean, you cannot let the group know what what's going to happen, and the actual of the traders that the ceremony that we have takes a lot longer than what you see on television. I do a dry run first. I go around and I tap everyone on the shoulder, one after the other hand, I say, they've all got their masks on.
So by the time you see it, they've had the masks on for up to fifteen to twenty minutes. So disorientated, they're hot, the lights are going, you know, they're getting a bit agitated, and they've kind of lost They don't have any power or any control. So it changes very quickly from the cocktail party they were having before, and everyone's having jokes and fun and having a drink and everything. And then I go into this and the masks have
been on for twenty minutes. I go around and tap everyone in the shoulder, and then when I just say, right now, we're doing it, and my tone changes with them, and I was like, you know, very direct, and you know. And then I go around and I go around four
or five times. I go back the wrong way, and I stop, and I touch parts in my clothing and make noise, and then I clear my throat and then I'll move fast quickly, and then I'll stop again, and then eventually, after about three minutes, I'll tap the first person, but usually as I'm going past and not stopping, and so they're all thinking that hearing these things are going a bit nuts. When those masks come off, the tone just changes instantly to what it was. Everyone has just freaked out.
I love the torture element of this show. I'm a sicko. I'm a sicko, I realized because I like all of the confusion that you're creating through that. And then how long are they there for? Because it's a very punchy show. It happens very fast, so I'm assuming that you're there for like three weeks. I mean, these people have their phones and everything taken away from them while they're going to their rooms at night. Sounds more like prison than it does like a night at the hotel.
Yeah, all of they've got they've they've they've got streaming TV. Thank you.
They can watch all of your shows. They're all in their rooms watching a back catalog of Doctor Doctor.
That's that's exactly that's exactly right. They had their force to watch only my prof shows. Now they get you know, they got an on sweet hotel room and and you know, and they've got to streaming TV, but they don't. They get a phone a couple of times a week to call home Proof of Flying, and we shoot six days a week, so they're working six days a week and in the Sunday off. I think as opposed to last year where they kind of were locked in the rooms, I think they were sort of taken out more on
some supervised day trips. But they do. They do if the producers are there and they are told not to continue the game, if the cameras are there, So they are locked in their room just so they are one hundred percent involved in this game, and they are deep in this game and when they come out, that's all they're doing. So it's it's a really intense experience for them.
Well, before you go, I need to ask you what makes a good traitor?
Well, I mean seems pretty obvious, but being able to lie and you know, I keep several lives going. I think you know that's the friends. They always could have multiple girlfriends at once and it's like to too many stories to keep up, you know, I mean, honesty is the best policy. I think, you know, they're quite good. Ones are quite crafted. They think three, three steps ahead, and they're planting. They know they just can't come up with a fantastical lie about someone out of blue. They
start planting seeds. You know, they're thinking, it's like a chess game. They're thinking three steps ahead because and they might follow through with that. And we see that with one of our traders who starts planning some seeds and then doesn't act on it until like two sort of banishments later. But then it seems authentic because it's not just out of the blue. Oh well, you had suspicions before, but it was all being planted there to deflect off them,
So you know, it is. It is a good It does take someone that has got a lot of strategy and can keep their cool, you know, and keep it up because some people can't.
It makes me wonder, you know, what do you think if it was flipped on you, would you be a better trader or would you be a better faithful It's.
A lot simpler, it's a lot simpler game plan to be faithful because you just tell the truth. You know, you stick to your one story and you think the truth will save me. But it is incredible advantage in the game to be a trader because you cut out one way of being exited from the game. You're not going to murder yourself, so or you'd be pretty silly to anyway, but yourself offered. Well, you can be falsely accused and banished in a banishment even though you're not
a trader, and you can be murdered. So there's two ways to go there. So you do have an advantage and you can't. You can manipulate the game a little bit more as a trader. So I think if I was really serious about trying to win, you'd want to be a trader.
What is something from behind the scenes, something that we won't see, something of a behind the scenes maybe secret from your time making The Trader season two?
Well, I mean I had a full time sketch artist following around, you know, just just doing portraits, which you will see fine art work to varying degrees of success. Maybe next time I shouldn't choose some of the art students from the local school because they have a bit to learn.
Yeah, there's a portrait in the main room there. They forgot to paint my chin in. They took it off an old publicity shot, and I don't know.
Ran it through AI, and that's what AI came up with it. Ai isppothed to paint you in a good light. But maybe I can pass that off as my dearly beloved past twin brother that passed away early, something like that.
But Burnett, I'd say, Burnett, I am going to say, I am such a big fan of you. I have been in your audience for an extraordinary long time. I think I even saw you in a musical years ago, so I've been there from the start. But I just think you're fantastic in this role. And I'm so excited that we're getting a season two of this and I actually look, we're already looking forward to season three, so so am I.
I'm happy for the renewal, tell you that, but I appreciate the support. Thank you so so much.