Spicks & Specks has always been about the most interesting branches of the music world. The stories, facts and gossip they can pull out of their players have consistently made for fascinating and riveting telly.
Take Stéphanie Kabanyana Kanyandekwe, who this season showcased what it’s like to be a musician and composer living with synesthesia (a condition that in Kanyandekwe’s case causes her to vividly see visual manifestations of sounds). A truly fascinating and wondrous celebration of what would otherwise be largely unknown to viewers of the show.
Some guests are as much a part of Spicks & Specks furniture as the host and captains themselves. The constant returnees like Denise Scott, Brian Mannix, Dave O’Neill and Missy Higgins are like family for the show, so it’s always a little crazy when they come back.
Here, Higgins tells of just how much performing has changed for her since becoming a mum.
This year saw a first for the series and a whole new level of team rivalry, when comedians and divorced couple Rhys Nicholson and Zoe Coombs-Marr were placed on opposite teams. OK, admittedly the two are both openly gay and the event was a protest stunt against the ongoing difficulties for marriage equality at the time, but it was indeed a legal marriage. It’s not exactly Fleetwood Mac levels of tension, but it’s a bloody good laugh.
One of the more interesting sides of the show has always been getting the behind the scenes stories from the industry that you just don’t get anywhere else. Those peeks behind the curtain that can exceed expectations and even shatter illusions are a cornerstone for the Spicks & Specks format. When someone like Sensible J recounts being a guitarist on live TV show and opens the story with “I don’t even play guitar,” you know it’s going to be good.
The Substitute round is arguably the show's most popular segment. The game that sees contestants singing popular songs and switching out the lyrics for an obscure book they’ve never seen before has been a fan favourite for years now.
But what’s more fun than seeing a musician with a phenomenal voice take on the challenge? Seeing a comedian with a not-so-phenomenal voice have a crack, of course. Add some aquatic erotica to the mix, and you’ve got yourself an instant classic. To quote Tom Ballard “apologies to fans of... music.”
The full comeback season of Spicks & Specks is available now on ABC iView.
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