Nine axes Ben Elton’s Live From Planet Earth

Ben Elton’s Live from Planet Earth has been cancelled without its fourth episode airing.

Nine announced the decision following last night’s episode rating around 200,000 (update: reportedly 189,000)  metro viewers in a later slot after being moved because of coverage of the New Zealand Earthquake.

Most commentary has suggested that Nine had contracted a minimum of four episodes from Fremantle Media with an option for more.

The first episode of Live From Planet Earth rated just 455,000 metro viewers with the second declining to 384,000.

The announcement from Nine said:

“Ben and his team have done a fantastic job uncovering new Australian talent and we appreciate all of their hard work and dedication. We are all very proud of the show but unfortunately it has not found the audience we had hoped for. We thank Ben and all the cast and crew for their commitment and wish them all the best.”

Michael Healy, Nine’s director of TV, said: “Comedy is always risky, and live comedy is the riskiest of all. We are pleased to have taken the chance to support the local industry.”

Ian Hogg, CEO of Fremantle Media, said: “We have immense respect for Ben. Through our development deal, we look forward to some exciting comedy and drama projects in the future.”

February 23rd, 2011 at 6:11 pm

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Comments


  1. Stacey
    23 Feb 11
    6:27 pm

    2. suprise suprise.. I did like the barbara from bankworld chick’s interviews though – sorry can’t remember her name on the show..

  2. Inq
    23 Feb 11
    8:40 pm

    3. Such a shame. It could have, no, should have been so good.

  3. Inq
    23 Feb 11
    8:50 pm

    4. Oh – and I blame channel 9. Only they could screw up such talent so massively.

  4. Kimberley
    23 Feb 11
    9:12 pm

    5. I am annoyed and ashamed that Ben Elton has been axed after only 3 episodes. The show had not yet fully hit the strides but Ben and all the caste had really started to find their feet in only 3 episodes.
    The media frenzy and vitriolic critics were baying for blood when the show was first released. They showed that the tall poppy syndrome was alive and well. They proved that Australia’s media are nothing but a bunch of self important, pompous prats who like to cut people down unless they are crawling in the gutter with them and Ricky Nixon.

  5. Jim Aitchison
    23 Feb 11
    9:18 pm

    6. Nobody, seriously, would want to watch a train-wreck after an earthquake, eh?

  6. Not For Nine
    23 Feb 11
    9:20 pm

    7. I think this show would have survived on SBS or The ABC. It wasn’t the correct fit for 9, nor would it have worked on 7 or 10. (It’s an audience thing…)

    Hey ho, 9 will have to continue pumping out regurgitated US tripe. Unlucky Ben, chin up and perhaps have a chat with SBS…?

  7. Marcia Salinas
    23 Feb 11
    9:51 pm

    8. Shame…it was wayy better than the american rubbish we have to put up with…O’Brian, Leno, Letterman….why can they get the chop?

  8. Ben
    23 Feb 11
    10:40 pm

    9. Settle down Kimberly, the show was just shite.

  9. JM
    23 Feb 11
    11:15 pm

    10. It wasn’t the Tall Poppy Syndrome. It wasn’t twitter blood-lust. It was just that the show was terrible. Like painfully unfunny, jokes recycled from the 80′s, sketches going way too long, unlikably, irritatingly terrible.

    The real shame is that now the networks will run away from investing in GOOD sketch comedy. “Oh no, we tried that, it doesn’t work”. Tragedy.

  10. Too much swearing
    24 Feb 11
    12:51 am

    11. I would like to be able to watch something without the constant swearing. Turned off by the “F” word and it was on too late. Take out the swearing and put it on at 8:30 and youv’e got a goer

  11. Aidan
    24 Feb 11
    8:27 am

    12. It really was Gawdawful shite, I mean really… bum and tit jokes? A fat, farting chef with witty lines like “that was sickening…. sickeningly good” – wow, champagne comedy!

    Shame the disaster went for two more episodes than it should have!

    RIP LFPE

  12. traceyw
    24 Feb 11
    8:33 am

    13. Tall poppy syndrome, the media or channel 9′s fault …. no .. seriously the fact is the show just wasnt funny, and i am a Ben Elton FAN. No influence from media is going to cause less then 200,000 people watch a tv show, there is a choice for people when it comes to tv shows, if you dont like, dont watch it .. and that is being shown quite clearly that people dont like it .. simple!

  13. Kingston
    24 Feb 11
    8:50 am

    14. It’s not tall poppy syndrome. It’s a lack of respect for the intelligence of the Australian audience. I would like to think we have evolved since the days of comedy company and full frontal. You can’t just regurgitate ‘witty’ observations like “rich people are different to poor people” or “school girls speak incoherently” and expect anyone to tune in. It’s not our first BBQ – how about a little originality or, I don’t know, humour?!

  14. Hmmmm
    24 Feb 11
    10:20 am

    15. I think ben should have taken more risks, gone with something a bit more unpredictable and off the wall. Perhaps that sort of comedy only works on ABC or SBS and then if successful there, more to Nine or Seven.

    It was a good idea just not well executed.

  15. Ron Jeremy
    24 Feb 11
    10:59 am

    16. Agree with most of the others here.
    It wasn’t the critics, or twitter that killed the show, or “tall poppy” syndrome.
    It was the fact that the show was complete and utter rubbish!

  16. Paula
    24 Feb 11
    11:12 am

    17. It’s sad, but at the same time 9 has a track record for rubbish comedy. Ben definitely would have been better served on either Go, SBS or even ABC. Oh, and maybe if there was content that wasn’t pure smut and was actually funny.

    I miss the Micallef Program/Programme/Pogram

  17. Ben
    24 Feb 11
    12:40 pm

    18. The question that needs asking though – does anyone consider Ben Elton a tall poppy? Or a tall anything?

  18. CK Cash
    24 Feb 11
    1:39 pm

    19. Another failed experiment for the Nine Network…please don’t try next to do something like David Tench….man that was bad!

  19. Renee
    24 Feb 11
    1:50 pm

    20. Well, how’s Channel 9 supposed to know what’s funny after Hey Hey pulled all those ratings last year? What a very fickle Australian public…
    P.S Hadn’t seen any of the show until that clip up there… Yea gods…

  20. Yvonne
    24 Feb 11
    2:01 pm

    21. Have to throw into the mix that none of our TV stations give shows a chance to grow anymore if they don’t rate form day 1 then they are axed….

  21. another agency guy
    24 Feb 11
    2:02 pm

    22. I actually applaud Nine for keeping it on for so long, Seven & Ten would have dropped it after its first outing, or just moved it to a later time slot on a different day – which would have had the same effect anyways because the people who DID actually like it probably would not have followed it around the schedule.

    In all fairness though, and speaking as a fan of Ben Elton, it quite simply was not funny. I didn’t see the first show, tuned in for the 2nd and lasted about 8 minutes before I had to turn off….it was rubbish, he was even less funny than Rove, and that’s saying something.

  22. Ben
    24 Feb 11
    2:07 pm

    23. The quality of the background and set was awful.
    You compare to Graham Norton show or other good chat shows/comedy.
    It had potential but it felt close to production quality of Warnie show.

  23. Paul
    24 Feb 11
    2:14 pm

    24. Puh-lease, don’t go wheeling out the “Tall Poppy Syndrome” non-argument. Ever notice how that phrase is only ever wheeled out to defend mediocrity?

  24. Elizabeth
    24 Feb 11
    2:20 pm

    25. LFPE should have been called DOA – Dead On Arrival.

  25. ronreedie
    24 Feb 11
    2:27 pm

    26. Okay! It wasn’t too flash! But, it was improving. Shows like this need to have the time to grow into itself. Now, that is not going to happen with Australian commercial television.
    Goody, goody……more Two and a half Men re-runs! If 9 keeps running this damn show, they will end up with three men!

  26. #@$*
    24 Feb 11
    2:34 pm

    27. It did well to last as long as it did. We have great writers and performers in this country, but because Ben Elton wrote everything, they were sadly unable to express their talent. Let’s hope, if they get another chance, they’ll be able to showcase their own material. Bye bye for now Ben….I’m sure you’ll pop up again somewhere soon !! Just not too soon please ! We need time to recover !

  27. Checkside
    24 Feb 11
    2:39 pm

    28. It just wasn’t funny. Actually, I don’t understand how anyone sat through more than five minutes of this rubbish. Seriously, not one of Elton’s books or programs have been in the slightest way amusing to anyone with more than a Grade Six education for more than two decades.

  28. macca
    24 Feb 11
    3:53 pm

    29. have to agree with ronreedie-LFPE wasn,t flash but was improving and needed more time-the good gets sorted from the bad eventually….and ?Genevieve who played the interviewer looks the goods as a comedian and has flair. Some of the young kids showed promise as well.

  29. Trevor Trevorsen
    24 Feb 11
    8:03 pm

    30. Thankfully I didn’t view Ben’s piece of resistance, but if the above Julia Gillard “sketch” was indicative, the axing was just and humane. “Moving forward”… so July 2010. Even Lionel Logue would have difficulty getting these words out: “Come back Daryl, all is forgiven.”

  30. Cambo
    24 Feb 11
    8:39 pm

    31. FremantleMedia stumbles….who’d a thought?

  31. Brendan
    25 Feb 11
    10:57 am

    32. Wrong tv channel, wrong time-slot, wrong mode (ie better off recorded) and needs a mix of experienced performers in skits mentoring the rookies. Ben should be in some of the skits too. He’s to be commended for promoting younger,less-experienced performers.

  32. Brian Towers
    25 Feb 11
    10:59 am

    33. The comments say it all, in my personal opinion Ben Elton is simply a whining condecending psuedo semetic pommie smart arse who is under the dilusion he has a handle on humour … and is too dumb to realise he is not funny to any sophisticated listener in 2011. Get out of the kitchen Ben Elton, I doubt that is your given name …. show us your passport !!

  33. marg
    1 Mar 11
    8:17 pm

    34. Ben Elton is a great writer, unafraid and funny. It was great to see some emerging Aussie talent on his show. Was surprised to see the show on 9- doesn’t have the audience to appreciate political satire and original ideas.Hope Ben takes the show elsewhere. Not looking forward to watching 20 to 1!

  34. Grechie
    2 Mar 11
    10:01 am

    35. We Aussies are good at TV (sometimes), we are good at sport (most times) and we are damn fine at music. We also produce our fair share of funny bastards. (Peter Helliar, if you are reading this, you ARE NOT one of them).

    Will Anderson and Adam Hills kick goals on Aunty – Hamish and Andy are actually quite amusing too. Josh Lawson, Carl Barron – these guys are piss funny.
    I mean even that konk “Hughesy” does pull a funny line out here and there.

    So why is that when we need a comedy show on mainstream TV it is given to another foreigner? (If you have to, give it to Bob Franklin!)

    Ben Elton is a loud-mouthed, unfunny Pom who has written an occasionally okay book. He is not, to anyone with half a corn kernel for a brain, the man to give a prime time comedy show to. He was relevant in 1986. Still unfunny, obnoxious and irritating, but perhaps a little more relevant.

    The show was crap. SBS or ABC ? Please. It went two episodes too long.

  35. Jim
    4 Mar 11
    2:35 pm

    36. Good riddance. I can’t believe some comments are actually defending Ben and putting down shows like Letterman….Ben Elton’s show was full of out-dated jokes and rushed sketches. Amy Winehouse? Who the hell cares about her anymore? Jokes about the size of chocolate bars? Wow. It was embarressing to watch.

  36. chester
    4 Mar 11
    10:11 pm

    37. Girl Flat should be a spin-off …the rest was total rubbish

  37. Darren
    6 Mar 11
    12:41 pm

    38. I agree with most people here, it was really bad and i’m english and a Ben Elton fan.
    I missed the first show, watched the second and switched off the third. I actually didnt mind the bits where Ben was on but he was let down badly by everyone else with the exception of one person, the lady from the bank adds. I loved her. The idea of offering an opportunity to up and coming new talent was a good idea but there was no talent. When it came to the sketch in the last show with three talentless chicks in short skirts singing a terribly written song that was the end for me. As for Girl Flat, what where they thinking, woeful bloody woeful.
    Shame, as someone else said “It should have been good”

  38. marg
    7 Mar 11
    11:20 am

    39. So surprised at all the negative responses about the show. If I don’t like a show, I usually switch the channel, and don’t worry too much about writing about my dislikes. Ben Elton has certainly pressed some buttons, resulting in such passionate reactions. ‘On ya Ben!

  39. ben is funny
    9 Mar 11
    9:48 pm

    40. Bens stand up was classicly good. the rest of the show tho?
    The 2 schoolgirls…..boring.and not funny.
    Girl Flat..utter tripe.
    LAme ass standups comics…….yawn

    Quality was not there.

  40. Doug
    12 Mar 11
    1:30 am

    41. It was like the 1980′s channel 2 show “Tuesday Night Live The Big Gig” presented by Ronnie Corbet

  41. Doug
    12 Mar 11
    4:41 am

    42. My comment doesn’t sound right, The Big Gig wasn’t presented by Ronnie Corbet. I should have said “It was like “The Big Gig” (an old show) being presented by Ronnie Corbet (an even older show)

    “The Big Gig” was a great show and so was “The Two Ronnies” but Corbet on his own had too much putting-himself-down type humour which Ben seems to have copied to a ‘T’ – even the camera angles

    I like the previous comment that it was less funny than Rove, right with you on that one! Contrary to some comments I thought “Girl Flat” was one of the better parts of the show

    If you’re going to put on a show you need to be confident and come out swinging your best shots. Not many people are going to wait and see if its better next week. For some reason I am reminded of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy” when the robot has the answer to life the universe and everything and says “You’re not going to like it, you’re really not going to like it”

  42. Channel Surfer
    21 Mar 11
    12:13 pm

    43. You have to look at the viewing public and what they like…unfortunately it’s My Kitchen Rules or Masterchef…anything more involved or in need of thought is too much. Ben works in the UK because, in my opinion, audiences are used to his comedy and humour, which is why 2 and a half men work’s so well in Australia…we follow the US far too much…intelligent humour of any kind doesn’t work well on Australian audiences….no matter how intelligent the above comments or industry experts are, there are hundreds of brilliant TV show ideas that don’t make it onto the airwaves because they don’t fit what the TV audience is happy with….who are very content with the drama and engagement of who makes the best main course and whose kitchen does indeed rule. When you have the prospect of a failed souffle de bacalhau being the highlight of someone’s evening it’s hard to compete with. Well done to channel 9 for the effort but once again we see what the viewing public are content with…..and it’s not a lot. I would look at what’s caused the dumbing down of the Australian viewing public….and ask the question…will there ever be a need for clever content or the same formulaic rubbish that passes for evening entertainment these days….

  43. Mike
    22 Mar 11
    9:17 am

    44. I watched all three eps and enjoyed it. It was a bit awkward and un-funny at times, but it’s LIVE, people!

    To the naysayers, it was never going to be perfect after just a few shows (does anyone remember Rove’s first few shows?). Some more fine-tuning was in order, yes, but the show didn’t get the chance.

    Elton lifted his game on ep 2, cleaning up some of the toilet humour and even acknowledged this live on air. Ep 3 was NEVER going to pull a decent audience that late at night after the earthquake special.

    I can’t help but agree with the “tall poppy” argument – the moment any new Aussie show comes on, the critics came out blazing. Canal Road, anyone?

  44. Brendan
    22 Mar 11
    10:10 am

    45. The fact that Ben had to tag one of the skits with “Nothing like a little satire..” or words to that effect, pretty much says it all. Wrong audience. Hopefully, he will rework some of the content and its presentation and look to alternative tv stations.

  45. Biz
    22 Mar 11
    2:59 pm

    46. @Brendan – exactly!! Every time Ben rolled his eyes at the audience and put on his best “explaining to the kiddies” voice to tell us that “it’s just satire folks” – i wanted to punch someone!

    I managed to last for about half an episode when I had switch – just…wow