THE ONE TRICK THAT SAVED I'M A CELEBRITY AUSTRALIA 🎬

been watching for as long as I can remember. He grew up with journal's parents who commented on television and from there his passion and knowledge of the box is exponentially profound. Ben not only has a cool name, but he has an eye for content and an understanding of storytelling that has industry leaders partnering with him and his ideas. So what makes today's guest tick Well, We're about to find out with some exclusive content on how these shows get made.

have a job, and I still love telling stories. So that's a good starting point for twenty twenty one.

developed some original content. But we also ITV is a company that has four thousand titles in its catalogs, so there are programs of all genres around the world that we benefit from having that IP and so we have a very collaborative development process where we all pitch in what's the euphanism. We try to help out networks with their challenges and problems. Help me help you by buying

one of my todes. So I think if you're going to drill down on my specific corner, which is as silly as I'm a Celebrity in matters Hell and as serious as Who Gets to Stay in Australia, which is a documentary series, per I.

is the art of capturing a moment. As for the confected world, where particularly with some reality shows, they're more or less scripted and they're more or less more dramality than genuine moments. For a lot of reasons. It's delivering on the fairy tale that is with in Australia in the world. Once when there's an authentic moment that you capture on camera while you're filling a documentary with a various small budget, low key crew, that's really satisfying as

well and everything in between. We had to dabble with a scripted comedy earlier in my tenure here about five six years ago. I love that, you know, the great thing about access is that they do what they're told. In reality and documentary, you're capturing what happens rather than

prescribing its. It really just depends, you know. And this coming Sunday will be the live finale of I'm a Celebrity Getting out of Here, having pre recorded the series civilized Action beckons for our magnificent seven Julia.

their life, because it ticks all those boxes. If you're a storyteller's story, if you're a joke tellers jokes, if you want the big scale set pieces with very limited scope for failure that the four hundred and fifty crew you have that, do you want real moments between people you get that as well. So that program, I mean, I've done it seven times now, It's the one program I'll always go back to.

relatable to everyone because we understand those jeopardies. I mean, we provide sort of the extraordinary environment that encapsulates it, you know. I think story is story, you know, and I think if it's clear, if there's an objective there, if there's a purpose, I think it's another phrase I use quite a lot of what's the purpose of this scene or this moment, How does this contribute to the to the overall story. Sometimes you don't know in the time,

you know. Sometimes I mean on twenty four hour Turnaround program, you've got to we all call it as we see it because that character. ARC love to say that we design that, but of course I think it just happens accidentally. And if we've been able to capture those key moments that contribute to that, that's probably the best representation of

that type of program we can have. It just depends on the program, Benjamin, matter of whether it's a program where access so that they don't know the cameras are there, but they're comfortable enough to share their fears and the things that they're basing. That's important to do that in that passion with a big program under a huge pressure

kind of celebrity and some of the other programs. You're creating an environment where they can they can roam freely, but you also need them to be motivated to share of themselves and scenarios. In the middle of the season four, when it was a long season, it was hot, we were very strict about diet and we just broke them. So that's interesting. They're disinterested, depressed celebrities, state of talk, but waiting for their next meal break. So you know, we learn as we go.

some time. What was it that you did to the format to make it seem you know, ready for Australian audiences, Like, what are those noticeable differences between those two franchises.

we had to do it in another country. It had and you know we couldn't just do it in our own backyard as a starting point, because you genuinely needed to go on that adventure and be that fish out of water. The UK culturally, they're happy to embrace something which is a tenuous jungle, you know, because it's all about the humor, and they are fish out of water in that. You know, they don't see snakes as commonly as we do. Its biders, so it works, So it

was a matter of getting value for the broadcaster. Choose my phrase, put it up on the hoist, you know, let's look at the program and what we can do to make it work for broadcaster here now, the strongest interest we had was in twenty fourteen, my first year here from Channel ten. Stephen Tate and Beverly McGarvey showed it renewed interest and so we scattered at Jungle in South Africa and he was over there for The Bachelor, so we linked up with him and to escaped there

from ten. But we needed to make it work as a sick week or seven week or eight week strip. She had never been done anywhere, and so I came up with a creative with the team that ten commissioned, and without getting into the detail of it here, it was very different to what you see now because everyone told me that the three weeks of the UK show it nearly kills the crew and it nearly kills celebrities. It was so intensive. Even with a massive crew of

five hundred, it's full on. So we couldn't simply just go, okay, right, we'll just double what they do. But afterwards commissioned and we had our first production meetings. First create a meeting with Beverly, she formed the view that my creative or our creative at the time, was just too complicated for a season one and it would baffle rather than educate the audience. She was right, she was right, keep it simple, stupid. So we roll the dice. We extended the program to

a six week run. We were warned that it's going to affect the caliber of people you could get. We don't know whether what happens after that three week mark. After that three remark in the UK, they are deplete, they've done, they've run their course, and that's when they come out. And we figured it out. We figured, you know, we had very strong support from ten Stephen Tate here, you know, and I was part of our development with

the whole team, working Hillary Innis and Lara Hopkins. We had the great Peter Abbott on board as our guide as well. But the thing is it was uncharted territory and so we cast it. We honored the format, we honored the diet that they would prescribed. We launched well, and celebrities struggled, And I think about the closing up to the two week mark, we had Laura Dundervitch ready to walk, so to the point where she was packing her things inside. Our production people were getting ready with

a suitcase detector to our hotel. But then this self chain of events suddenly Chrissy Swan and Joe Creesy they were done. They were going, well, I'm not saying if you don't stay here, So then we had three potentially walking.

them some more, do we give them a break. We pull them out and give them break, bring them back in again. And we had this wonderful intel from the UK. We had the wonderful Oli Nash, who's like Yoda, who's done all the UK series. And what we did was the Oli Nash called the UK, came back to us and said, I want to try something. And at the end of that second week, when everyone was at a lowe, they bumped in a little Twitter game who was this

set about. It's a simple game where you read out what was said about people and you have to guess who it was tweeted about. And it was like watering a plant because suddenly, for the first time, all of those beautiful people in that original cast, who had no idea whether they were being watched, whether the series was tanking, whether they were being humiliated, they had no idea. Suddenly they had this tiny little output from the outside world.

They're talking about us, they love us, and it turned things around. It just got them through that hump. It's not just that, but they kind of hung in there, you know. And then this weird thing that happens every year, this kinship happened. We had marsh Brady and Laura Dundovich and Christy Swan, all these people that didn't know each other and they connected, you know, and the premise of the show, which is you do silly challenges to win food for your camp mates, which I wasn't sure it

would stack up for Australian celebrities. I wasn't sure they'd just go fuck that, but they did. They worked for each other. We got over that hump, and we got over that three week camp and that four week camp, that five week camp, and that six week camp. We had a fantastic finale. And here we are getting towards the end of season seven.

favorites in that regard, all of them. Barry Hall, Joel, you know, it was just a beautiful thing. Freddie Flint tof season two on with with Alex. I have to give him due difference as well, because he's the best executive producer for reality TV that I've ever met, and he's grown the format and he's been a stut and his forecasts have all worked. And so seasons two, three to seven, eight, nine, and hopefully ten is the Alex Show. But that original cast, and it took a few years.

You know. I think it took Shane Warne's kids to talk him into doing it, and he didn't need to do it, but he did it for his kids. And the material benefits that have come from the series for all manner of celebrities, I've been really happy with. We've had our first celebrity baby, Lauren Brandt, and Barry Hall

had people's career has been revived in radio. Barry Hall was doing a toilet paper ad within four weeks of coming out, So I think people now recognize that there are material benefits for it, and I think we've been good at retaining the core authenticity of it. Peter Abbott said back in the day, he said said there's about Big Brother as well, it's an unproduced show. Now that seems odd to say it's an unproduced show because there are a minion producers on the show, but he's right.

You create the bubble, you create the environment, whether it be a Big Brother or I'm a celebrity, and then you guys figure it out when you're in there, and it's what you make of it. And you know, when you're talking about production and why haven't they got your meds there on time? Or why is it so hot? Or why is my bed? So what are the producers doing that? You know, we can't use that, that's not part of But when you talk to each other, you know,

positively or negatively, that's really interesting content. And it's set at the start of our conversation. You know, the conversations I'm proudest of when you see people from the opposite world sitting down having debates and discussions around things that politicians can't resolve, and they don't resolve them. They give each other a perspective and they acknowledge each other's point of view and kids there. You know, kids don't watch

Q and A, they watch this. It really makes me proud when I see those things, and when you do see those things. Nothing to do with me. It's got nothing to do with Alex, It's got nothing to do with the four hundred crew. It's two people who've been placed into an environment where they can have that conversation.

It's not about having lots of lots of meetings, having very clear direction, being able to be a good traffic crop yes no, yes, no. To invest in the people that are doing the things that you want. You know, I mean Alex would be the first to say, is his head of trials, his head of art. All those people are creative geniuses in their own right, and they're

in an environment where they can shine. You know, they know that they can make decisions and they can creatively push the boat at a little bit knowing that you know he has their back. But then you know there's the network relations being able to sort of communicate, you know, knowing when to escalate, when you know when to share, when to overshare, undershare, so that the network is involved

and isn't surprised by things happen. You know, Alex is celebrated for being the guy that is outrageous and controversial, but he'll also defend someone if he thinks that there's a celebrity there who's going to be stitched up by a conversation or if there's an undefended accusation by one celebrity to another celebrity, and there's a real decency with that, and it's it is very easy to get caught up into the excitement of the controversy or or the conversation is.

But he'll be the one that will defend that celebrity to the hilt when there's none of us will ever get to wear but controversies that happen behind the scenes where you think, okay, you know, how are going to deal with this content? And you know, if you're in the bubble, you can't defend yourself, if the press is teeing off on what you've done in the in camp, you can't defend yourself. Abb you can defend usself because or ash because you know they're out. You know it's

a pre recorded programs, so they can do that. But Alex is a defender of the cast member who is just being themselves in that environment. He stands by the show when they come out and so you know, I don't think he's got he's had too many white feathers in the mail from celebrities since he came out. I mean, Petty Fluer wasn't happy for about twenty four hours, but that was more about her competitive spirit. And then twenty four hours later she was, you know, she'd recovered. It

was just her competitive spirit. But she was the same on Hell's Kitchen with Marco Pierre White three or four years ago, where she just she's just one of these beautiful, unfiltered people that was convinced she was going to win. Why wouldn't you, Why wouldn't I win this? Look at me? So I honestly to getting out of here. She had the same conviction, like how could I not? How could I get something wrong? It's me, you know which how

do you manage that? You don't detach from them like I think you let always be the thought of him for a conversation. You don't pressure them, You treat them decently and then check in. So in the example of um a celebrity, Yeah, when she got catapultar fifty feet through the air into a dark, inky swamp, when she thought she was going to survive, Yeah, she wasn't very happy as we wrapped a towel around her. When she came out, she composed herself for the interview, and I

thought she gave a very honest interview. And yeah, she was, you know, in the debrief that we always do with Alex and with seven Tate from ten. You know, she was a bit negative in that, but it was more that she was angry at herself. You know. Now twenty four hours later she was sending texts to Alex and to Stephen and apologizing for her conduct. And her conduct wasn't bad. She was just disappointed. And I texted her because I knew of Mihale's kitchen and I was also, yeah,

doing this show, and she was lovely. She was sweetness and light and you know, just so I think, you know, if you treat people courteously and respectfully and don't just disappear, then when the cameras aren't on, then it's harder for them to hate. I suppose.

other platforms. What is compelled Channel nine to trust millions of dollars with ITV or Warners or another company dominate their schedule for a period of time And so is either the back to the future response, which is Channel seven going for the those heritage brands, or and every now and again there'll be a breakout kit, you know, perhaps it will be Holy Moly, perhaps it'll be something else.

So I think that it's very, very challenging because we don't sit down as a family on seven thirty on a Wednesday night because we don't to miss the startup on and celebrity. We watch it when we want to. So it's important that TV is judged that way now and that's a real challenge for all the networks that one minute past nine. We are accustomed to checking those ratings, as are the advertisers who have invested in those programs, and we all either have a great day or a

terrible as a result of that. But twenty eight days after that we have more meaningful data because people cherry pick and watch it when they wish. But the fairy tale is the same. First reality show I executive produced was Farmer Wants a Wife back in two thousand and eight, and I remember it was series three, and I try to change it up from series two because I thought Australia knows this format, so little nuance changes in the scripting, and Paul Franklin changed everything I did back to how

it had been in series two and one. And the phrase is was to sell them the fairy tale, you know, and he's right, you know, it's the if you're watching the Bachelor or the Bachelorette, class is going to change, the circumstances are going to change, the twist might change, but you're there because you want to believe in the fairy tale. So how that's package, whether it's Love Island as a comedy, whether it's a putting show meets Ninja Warrior on Holly Moley. You know that at the base

of it is a premise which has not changed. I wish you and I could figure out how to create buzz because also every now and again there's there's some buzz and that gives you the mask singer, some cute little format out of career, and of course it's you know, the breakout hit of the last couple of years, you know. So I think that's going to continue to happen, and that comes from a brave broadcaster or a production company

taking an idea and exploding it. But it is hard to generate buzz because it's very financially risky to put a lot of money into something that had him in number four. And I wish Australia was more like the net villains where they put their pilots to where and they put another pilot to air and then from there you can develop programs on there. But it's just too small a market and it's too expensive a medium to

do that. So it's the age old pub argument about whether TV dictates taste or tastes dictate TV.

are dictating that. I mean, the show did start out with trying to genuinely find two people to get to stay married, and now it's kind of evolved into I think what audiences need or want, Like, you know, it's not like the producer like how much more outrageous can we try and make this show? Like it's it's audiences are tuning in for this stuff.

the what if you know? And you're right, those first three seasons were all about that moment, you know, imagine meeting someone at the Altar, and they did a beautiful job of it. And as it progressed and became a script show, you know, it became bigger and bigger, and casting became noisier and noisier. That yeah, I mean, I've never made the show, but I've heard I don't enough people who work on it that they wrestled with the level of I guess, either grubbiness or controversy that they

should have. And it was a genuine debate between the network and China in the ball, you know, And I think that I reckon probably for the future series, I'll start getting back to the core values of it. Because with any of those formats, whether it be Bama Wants a Wife or on a celebrity if he starts go down a certain area and that does have an impact or outstairs as welcome, going back to core values is

always a good thing. And I reckon, you know, I don't know if they can make it cart crash here this year than last year, but I reckon they'll go back to the way. If you know what, if you could meet your prescribed partner at the altar, that would be interesting. So yeah, part of it was by design. I think part of it was also by just the development of it.

it's the highest rating series that you've done. Ultimately, does that mean that that's going to change the way that reality television is made or do you think we will go back to live content.

of that. I think the show is live and dangerous in the sense that there's Chris and Julia and the things that you watch just happened in that day. I think that's the DNA of the show. Could you do it without that? What we've proven that you can? Will we do it again that way? It depends on a lot of other detail. My heart's in Africa. My head says, yeah, we could do it here again, but it will come

down to price. There's a cost in both locations, not looking to Rosie for overseas travel at this stage, and also whether we can get that side because we're genuinely doing the show in someone's backyard, so they'll have to be happy for us to come back. But what do you think? You've seen the live versions of both of those franchises, as well as the pre recorded version of both those franchises. What do you reckon?

at home in Australia. Certainly to me has been more warm and more enjoyable than from what I can remember, So I think I'm a Celebrity does seem to work with it being pre recorded. There's other shows that are now prerecorded where I think the audience really does need to be there to make the decisions along the way as to who stays on the shows. You can eliminate them, and you've eliminated them fairly and it's been a great

thing to watch. But you know on other shows where it it's designed that you know it's colluding, you know, it can come across as being quite sinister. So I enjoy the involvement. I think that the television should be aspirational, but I think that we need to be inclusive. That's when the viewers feel more connected, is when they are a part of it. So the short answer for all of that is I think that these shows, some of them work better as a pre record and some of them don't.

guess with honestly, to get me out of here. The content on the premise is not reliant and being an African jungle, hence the running joke the so called jungle, you know, and I would question whether the chemistry of this year is because the cast would comfortable be closer to home, or whether the cast were just good because they were you know, you never really know until they throw them together whether they're going to click or whether

they're going to jar. But they we just looked at each other each day behind the scenes and just went, wow, there was something very special about this cast. And you know how you know, the producers prepare a little bump in games and secret challenge and we were just canceling them. We were saying, why are we doing anything to this cast? Just let them do what they want to do. So the cast is special.

habitatic destruction. And we'd recorded this hilarious cold open to the last season of un Celebrity involving green screens and Christian Julia doing something funny. And then the day before we went to where we just as a group went, well, hang on, we should just wave to Australia and say here we are, we're thinking of you. Maybe you can have a laugh, you know, and we did. We did something very simple like that. Christian Julia is saying, we're

thinking of you. If we can do nothing else but make you laugh for the next hour and a half, then you know, hope you've done a bit and that, and that's how we were greeted. You know, Season six and seven have been to where in extraordinary circumstances, and so you know, it's just really pleasing that people have smiled at the program and they still like.

we can make mistakes in point to it. And there is a stake there because people do want to do well in it. But basically we're just there to give people a laugh. So do we announce that you're in the next series. Do we do that now or do we disguise as something.

So I was in consultation with lawyers about the Privacy Act and immigration law, and then the phone was either ringing with that lawyer or was ringing with alex Or Trent, the head of Trials, And I think in the space of five minutes I became versed in immigration and privacy law.

I also learned a lot about the viscosity of elephants, not so in the I'm a Celebrity lab they were trying to perfect slipperiness of snot because they had this Trials' snop coming out of an elephant and they couldn't quite get it slippery enough but thick enough, you know, And so you know, you know, you kind of look look down from Abovey's off and you go, it's a funny

old job, isn't it. But in the space of minutes, I was trying to get my head around Claus nine of the Privacy Act and then the pressing issue was whether we could get the snots slippery enough. That's a day in my life.