Myf Warhurst -Spicks and Specks: All I Have To Do Is Turn Up.

Myf Warhurst phoned in for a chat. She’s back on the telly with Spicks and Specks. The show turns twenty this year and Myf got nostalgic, she spoke about getting the job and her favourite guest moments – Frank Woodley and Chrissie Amphlett ranked high up on the list.  Plus, Lisa got excited about some new games added to the show

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Seven thirty Sunday on the ABC, Spicks and Specs returns.
Myth Warhurst is joining us this morning.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hello, good morning, homely, good morning.

Speaker 3 (00:10):
I am excellent, lovely to talk to you.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Took to you.

Speaker 1 (00:13):
Look, it's been twenty years since some since Picks and
Specs started, twelve seasons across those twenty years, cancelations, different hosts,
all the stuff. But can you believe it?

Speaker 3 (00:24):
I can't. It's I Look, I feel still feel the
same age as when I started. And although I don't
look at on the outside, that's mentally I'm still I'm
still yeah at that age. Physically, yeah, physically things to
drop in ways that I never expected. It's terrifying, but
it's also it's also very normal and we should embrace it.

(00:44):
But yeah, having having to having to watch you know,
yet my younger self on the Telly, that's corac. I
still put two thousand and five episodes up and I'm like,
oh my, I was weary.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
I was wearing that jumper. Hey, Myth, twenty years. How
many could you tell us how many quiz Night invitations
you've had since since you first started off?

Speaker 3 (01:07):
When I first started, I had lots of quiz Night
invitations because I used to love going to quiz nights.
It was fine, you know, like that was kind of
how I cut my teeth, and I was really proud
of everything I knew and I was really good at
it because I was working in radio. And now I'm like,
oh no, no, because there's too much pressure. People are
expect me to be amazing. But the good thing about
Spicks Inspects is because I'm so old, the people who

(01:30):
write the questions, we don't know the answers, but they
I feel comfortable because I know that they'll put some
things in there that I can answer. They know what
I'm good at, so I don't feel too left out
because I'm you know, I'm not in a finger on
the pulses I was back in two thousand and five
when I obviously was working in radio and you know,

(01:50):
going out every night of the week these these days
when I filmed, when I filmed six Inspecs, that's my
social life, which is beautiful because I catch up with
everybody and it's a fun time. Like everyone that comes
on the show has a great time. Not too late
exactly exactly, I've got to drive home there. We don't

(02:13):
go out. It's just it's great. It's such a it's
the best job in the world, to be honest, and
I'm whispering, but I don't. I don't want anyone else
to know.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
Secret.

Speaker 3 (02:26):
All I have to do is turn up. I turn up.
No research beforehand, because we can't I can't really know,
and then so just turn up, be fabulous, have have
have some fun with my friends.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
And you keep mentioning two thousand and five. The thing
about Spicks and Specs is it was the idea of
the show was so one hundred percent up your alley.
Do you remember when you were when you first heard
about it, and did you think this is this is
for me, this is mine? Or was it where you
approached and it was given to you.

Speaker 3 (03:01):
I was approached and it was a weird thing. I
remember it because I was doing radio at the time.
I was working at Triple Jay, and I remember I
got a call in the studio saying from someone un
known him Telly, who said, can you come and do
a like a screen tech or like an audition for
this niche ABP show. And they're like, they were like, oh,
it's tomorrow. You just have to go along. So I

(03:23):
went along, thinking, oh, you know, this is fun, and
it was. It was actually fun. And I met Adam
Hills for the first time, so he obviously already had
the job. And then then I got a call a
day later and they said, can you film on you know,
two days later.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
Oh my gosh.

Speaker 3 (03:40):
I didn't have a chance to think about it. Someone
dropped out or didn't want the job, and they put
me in at the last minute. So I was the
second pick, but that's fine, and I didn't I didn't
even really think about it. And then the first show
went to air like two weeks later, and my mom said,

(04:00):
did you get a copy of that on videotape at EHR?
Because that's how old it was, and because it was
so bad, I think she thought it was never going
to go anywhere. So here we are, seventy five years later,
steel around. But I just didn't know. I wasn't prepared
for what it was, which is probably a good thing
because I didn't think about it too much. Yeah, I
did it, and we were in the time and there

(04:22):
was no social media as well, so I know we're
that old again, and we were allowed to develop and
get better as we as we went along, and they
kind of left us.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
That, Yeah, we've lost that. And it's all right because
the first choice was Jackie. Oh and she's done nothing
so good, too fine.

Speaker 3 (04:44):
Looking to be honest that you're doing fine. But I'm sure,
I'm sure she's not. She's not too bothered. But yeah,
it was. I feel like it was kind of made
for me because I had so much knowledge in my
head and it was a way to it was a
way to use it. It came to something, you.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
Know, Yeah, your passion. I love that.

Speaker 1 (05:03):
Yeah, yeah, had any it would have been some of
your favorite memories over there the years.

Speaker 3 (05:09):
Oh gosh, so many and yeah, and I don't remember
as well as everybody else because it's been repeated so
many times. People the audience know it better than I
do because I don't watch myself. Yeah, so I and
it was twenty years ago, and the memories a bit
blank in a few spots. But yeah, I think just
moments like when Frank Woodley, like comedian Frank Woody, he's

(05:33):
on the show. He he would he imitated Little Nell
who was in the Rocky Horror Show originally, and she
did this TV performance in the UK where Obaye the
top came down when she was doing that swim dance
and which is all very controversial at the time, so
he recreated that. And I think moments like that that
were the funniest things I've ever seen where I laughed

(05:53):
so hard I just lost my mind and he ended
up doing them.

Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yeah yeah.

Speaker 3 (06:00):
But then also, you know, a few scollops popped out
during that that were you know, pictelated in hindsight, but
it was. It was just so funny and so natural
and brilliant. And then you know, musically, sitting next to
someone like Chrissy Amphlet who's now no longer with that,
you know, and for someone like me who grew up

(06:20):
in a small country town and you know, Boys in
Town was written about her growing up in Geelong and
having dreams and wanting to get out, and you know,
like meeting icons like that from my childhood was just
it was so wonderful and I was so lucky.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
If I can't remember there, it was Sydney on Melbourne.
I remember being in one of those cities in a
coles one day and I turned my wife. I said,
there's Alan from Spicks and Specs, so and like there
are a TV star, you know, right there, and how
do you go, how have you gone? Have you had
lots of fanboys and girls over the years come up
and say today.

Speaker 3 (06:50):
Over the years, But yeah, most viewers of Sticks and
Specs are really respectful. You know, they'll they'll come up
to me in a chicken shop and just say it
really quietly, you know, thanks so much for what you do.
And it's lovely. Like I imagine other celebrities probably get beat
out in the car and you know that would coop.

(07:10):
But everyone's really nice because I think most people love
the show. And even if they turned out not very
nice as adults, they were kids watching it because it
used to come on and ABC two just after in
the night Garden when the kids had to go to bed,
so they grew up with it as well. So it's yeah,
it's been a really lovely experience. And not all jobs

(07:31):
are like this, Like you know, people can be very
critical of what you do and have very strong opinions
about what you do. But I feel like we've been
around it so long and we're so much a part
of the furniture. People are really generous with us on
this particular show. Look, it's differ and elsewhere and other things,
but it's just I'm very lucky. It's nice to work
on something that people like, and as you know, in

(07:52):
this day and that doesn't really exist anymore.

Speaker 2 (07:56):
Only positive people.

Speaker 1 (07:57):
Well, we look forward to sing you back on the
screen seven thirty on Sounday I am particularly looking forward
to the new game will a I Am, will be
revealed on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (08:10):
Unreal. Thanks together, Okay, okay, we'll walk.

Speaker 1 (08:16):
Teveryep happy twenty years.

Speaker 2 (08:20):
If I if I spot you in a call somewhere,
I'll come up and say hello really quietly.

Speaker 1 (08:24):
Thanks you