Ben Elton Live From Planet Earth was a great idea poorly executed and written by an average comedian. Unfortunately it is clear that Ben Elton doesn't really get Australia humor very well. Or at all. Many of his jokes just weren't very funny, and it is a shame that others weren't brought into the fold early on when it was clear the show as going to bomb. There were lots of great moments in the 3 episodes that aired, and credit must go to the resident team of sketch performers on the show, especially Lyall Brooks and Olivia Stambouliah who stood out for their versatility and ability to make average material appear good, but in the end, the material from Ben just wasn't funny enough, was often too crass for no good reason, and served not just to tarnish the reputation of Ben Elton himself, but the wonderful performers who tried to bring his material to life. I certainly hope people like Olivia and Lyall and the other sketch performers go on to enjoy successful TV and film careers despite their association with Live from Planet Earth.
Ben Elton Live From Planet Earth was a great idea poorly executed and written by an average comedian. Unfortunately it is clear that Ben Elton doesn't really get Australia humor very well. Or at all. Many of his jokes just weren't very funny, and it is a shame that others weren't brought into the fold early on when it was clear the show as going to bomb. There were lots of great moments in the 3 episodes that aired, and credit must go to the resident team of sketch performers on the show, especially Lyall Brooks and Olivia Stambouliah who stood out for their versatility and ability to make average material appear good, but in the end, the material from Ben just wasn't funny enough, was often too crass for no good reason, and served not just to tarnish the reputation of Ben Elton himself, but the wonderful performers who tried to bring his material to life. I certainly hope people like Olivia and Lyall and the other sketch performers go on to enjoy successful TV and film careers despite their association with Live from Planet Earth.
