THE creator of Wilfred and Lowdown has a new show, Agony Uncles, in which male
celebrities talk about sex and relationships.

How long has the idea for this show been kicking around?

Since 2004. I had a newspaper column called ”The Wise Guy” and it was kind of like
a lad’s version of Sex and the City. At the time I’d been single for many years and I
wanted to educate women about how men actually behaved in relationships and
what went on in their minds when they were dating. I thought it would make a good
TV show so I did a pitch document and I didn’t get much interest … I kept rejigging it
over the years and each time I made the sizzle reel better – I got more people involved
and finally in 2010 I went to the ABC and they went for it.

Who do you see as the audience?

My ambition would be everybody. People say that I make stuff that’s cult – well that’s
not my ambition. I don’t want to be cult. I want people to watch stuff that I make. To
me it’s a celebration for men of how they deal with relationships – finally the truth is
out. For women it’s a behind-the-scenes insight into the locker room – what men talk
about.

Guys talking about sex could go horribly wrong. How important was the
input of your female co-producers, including your wife, Amanda
Brotchie?

So important. Amanda was the creative consultant and I’d be sometimes surprised by
some of the things that were considered misogynist or were a bit too wrong. We’d
have a few debates. Sometimes I’d put my foot down and say, ”Even though you
think that’s offensive, I think it’s important it goes in there.” And also you want to
make an impact. I really want this to be as authentic a representation of the male
voice as possible.

Was it at all awkward working on a show like this with your wife?

Amanda and I have a long-standing working relationship so if we have creative
disagreements it doesn’t tend to have much impact on our personal life.

Why did you choose to interview celebrities rather than the man in the
street?

You need to know how to tell a story with a beginning, a middle and an end with
jokes in between and I find entertainers have a greater sense of how to do that than
your average person in the street. It wasn’t that they were famous, it was that they
were good storytellers and had the guts to say what was on their minds.

Did anyone have regrets?

A lot of them can’t remember a thing they said. Yesterday I had a conversation with
Ed Kavalee and this journalist apparently said, ”You’re very brave in Agony Uncles,”
and he goes, ”What do you mean brave? What did I say that was particularly brave?”

How different is this from its sister show Agony Aunts, which airs later
in the year?

The guys talk about relationships in a jokey kind of way but the girls are taking this
really seriously. It doesn’t matter that we’ve got all these great comediennes talking
about relationships – I haven’t even touched the sides with how much I’ve thought
about relationships compared to them. It’s a serious business.

Do you think you’ve discovered the difference between men and women
after doing these shows?

I think it’s quite profound. And I think men should really think about relationships a
lot more than they are or the war is always going to be written by women. They’re
just like 10 steps ahead of us. It’s like we’re a C-grade team playing against a bunch of
international stars. We’ve got no hope.

Greg Hassall – SMH – March 18, 2012