ABC Nurtures New Comedy

Editorial Review

The ABC launches new comedy series Very Small Business, another gem from the team that brought us The Librarians.

Editorial Review

Very Small Business is the next cab off the rank for husband and wife team Wayne Hope and Robyn Butler. The comedy pair is collectively writers, actors, directors and producers. Last year they had a good run with Librarians, in which Butler played the condescending, always-right Frances O'Brien. Hope had a small role as her rarely seen long-suffering hubby.

This time the tables are reversed, as Hope moves to the spotlight as Don Angel, a bloke who is all spin and no success. Angel runs Don's World Wide Business Group, a facade of a company with lots of phones and no employees until Ray Leonard (Kym Gyngell) foolishly arrives looking for a job.

Angel somehow manages to sustain businesses in dog washing, mugs, party supplies, juice, security systems and more; all without any expertise, profit or management skills. He hasn't filed a BAS for 11 quarters. Suitably, the show's catchphrase is: “You have to give Don Angel credit, because he hasn't got the cash.”

Hope was also the lead actor in Stupid, Stupid Man, TV1's “men's mag” comedy that the ABC recently screened.

The style of Hope and Butler's comedy is always idiosyncratic. Like Frances O'Brien, Don Angel will be another central character who somehow tries to fly under the radar. In a 9:30pm Wednesday timeslot, it should be a good fit following on from The Hollowmen, which moves to 9pm as of this week. Both shows continue the ABC's 'light entertainment' Wednesdays. In fact, so happy is the broadcaster with Hollowmen, it will flow directly out of the first six episode run into another.

Also appearing in Very Small Business are Emma Leonard (Blue Heelers, Lockie Leonard), Queenie Van de Zandt (City Homicide, All Saints) and Sally Cooper (Neighbours, Simone de Beauvoir's Babies). Others to appear include Marg Downey, Rod Mullinar, Geoff Paine, Jeremy Kewley, Ian Bliss and David James.

After they finish their run with Very Small Business, Hope and Butler will return their focus to a second season of The Librarians, a show that netted them a nomination for best sitcom at the prestigious Rose D'Or Festival in Switzerland. They were up against heavyweights including The IT Crowd and The Mighty Boosh.

Many of Australia's best comedies come from writer / performers (Kath & Kim, Summer Heights High, Fast Forward, The Chaser) and it looks like the ABC is nurturing another bright team here.

Very Small Business premieres 9:30pm Wednesday, 3 September on ABC1.

David Knox for Citysearch, August 2008

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