Steve Newall: Flicks.co.nz editor on the second series of Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee

Comedian Guy Montgomery’s popular game show has made the leap across the Tasman.

The second season of Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee started airing on Three and ThreeNow this week - and an Australian version of the show is set to launch on ABC.

Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall unpacked the appeal of the series - and revealed what political figure he'd like to see make an appearance.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talk SEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
A little bit of food fighters there with My Hero
and we actually have permission to play that song today
here from the show. Trump didn't have permission, Well, they
didn't ask for permission, and they weren't very grateful that
he played the song. Is that right, Steve? The song.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
We'll get to Trump in just a second, Okay, but
first of all, I'm really humbled by your choice of
that song. Before my microphone switched on. Yes, I accept
this with a grateful open heart. And also you are welcome.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Good to have you with us.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
Hey, so Trump has got history in using big pieces
of popular music at his rallies. Yeah, totally, because you're
you know, you're setting a tone. Like like any kind
of use of a known piece of music in a
public setting, it's an implied endorsement, right, Like, maybe it's
not when you're just filling time between a couple of

(01:12):
speakers or a couple of bands or something like, that's
just background noids. But if you're walking someone on in
this case, Robert IF Kennedy, Robert of Kennedy Jr. To
My Hero, this is as Kennedy pulls out of the
US presidential race. You're kind of implying something and the
food Fighters on into it. A spokesperson told Billboard magazine

(01:33):
the trade publication of the US Food Fighters were not
asked permission, and if they were, they would not have
granted it. Appropriate actions are being taken against the campaign,
so it will be a seasoned assessed but also they're
going to try and get some money out of them
for a public for what the I guess what the
implied association costs. Yes, and that money will be donated
to the opposing campaign.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
Right, And look at the end of the day, when
it comes down to we're going to see this more
and more, especially leading into November. It's probably quite simple
to reach out and just check it's okay if you can.

Speaker 3 (02:02):
Yeah, I think so. I think possibly on some occasions
it might be a bit trolley, but I think with
the one like, clearly they're trying to connect Kennedy to
the title and rousing anthem of that song before the
chorus of My Hero began playing. Trump described him as
I don't think too many of you people have heard
of him. He's very low key. He's a very low

(02:22):
key person, but he's highly respected. He's a great person.
I've known him for so long, for the past sixteen months.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
We'll be talking to Maureen Callahan about him after eleven.
She has some interesting thoughts there. Hey, Guy Montgomery is back.
He's got his new season of his Guy mont Spelling Bee,
which is.

Speaker 3 (02:41):
Always a market. We're never gonna get used to saying
it's terrible name, but I'm never gonna get sick of
saying it. Look, this show is one of the two
places I'd really like to see Donald Trump go because
his inarticulate way with the English language is kind of
made for a spelling bee, which, if you haven't caught
this show in its first season here or in one
of its live incarnations, it's kind of an excuse for

(03:02):
Guy to run a retrostyle kind of game show panel show.
It literally is a spelling bee, but also to be
a real malevolent bully of a host. It's kind of
engineered from both to be like reveal the people's you know,
comedians can't spell. This is the probably the kind of
core thing we've actually.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
Learned educationally, not at all, not at all.

Speaker 3 (03:24):
But then boy, that agree of punishment that he will
hand out to them for any perceived in fraction as severe.
The show traveled a bit internationally live. He normally does
it off the side of comedy festivals he attends in
Australia or the UK. And I think this is one
that we need a TV statistician for. Has there ever
been a New Zealander before who has had flagship versions

(03:45):
of their TV show with the same name, Guy Montgomery's
guymont Spelling Bee, but different versions airing in Australia and
New Zealand at the same time. There's an Australian version
of the show hosted by Guy on right now looks
the same set, looks very similar. Australian comedians are a
different co host And here in New Zealand, the first
episode of the new seasons just started on three. We

(04:06):
can stream it on three now, I don't I can't
think of a previous.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
The time was a New Zealand show called pop Stars,
which revolutionized music and manufactured groups on the TV.

Speaker 3 (04:20):
But Peter Erlich wasn't franchised. He should have been. You
could franchise ili very good point.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
Now I'm thrilled for Guy. He's such a nice guy. Too.
So when you see him be so kind of would
you call him?

Speaker 3 (04:34):
I stole that from one of the Australian Flicks writers
who I was very pleased. I tasked her with writing
on the show and I thought a bit of it
was like, God, I hope they're going to like it.
I had that weird Key week cultural cringe and all
I was doing was commissioning someone to do some work
and have an opinion. But nevertheless, and they liked it.
And that's where that's where malevolent came from. And I thought,
you get it.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah, nice, Thank you so much. Oh where can we
watch Guy Mont?

Speaker 3 (04:58):
That's that's on three and it's all the app that
he used to call the incredibly intuitive and easy to
use three now app, which actually has had an upgrade.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
And is now he's getting a little bit better.

Speaker 3 (05:08):
He was bart in the hand that feeds for a
while there.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
Yeah, thank you so much. People. Catch up next week for.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
More from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin. Listen live
to News Talks It'd be from nine am Sunday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.