Dave Hughes brought the house down with his quick one-liners and topical zingers at the 2017 TV WEEK Logie Awards. The funnyman is back this year, to open the prestigious awards show and probably make a few gasp-worthy jokes.
Over the past few years, the comedian surprised the audience with hilarious jibes in his opening monologue. So how is he planning to live up to the hype and shock the stars – and the viewers – in 2018?
“To be honest, I almost dread the phone call asking if I’ll open the TV WEEK Logies,” Dave says. “It’s weird, because it generally goes well – but I dread it.
“Once I’ve agreed, I’ve got to keep up to date. You want to hit as many topics as you can, but make sure they’re not too old by the time you get there. So, there’s a lot to think about. There’s a lot of lying in bed or standing in the shower or driving along somewhere thinking, ‘Sh*t – I’m opening the Logies!'”
Comedian Dave is guaranteed to be a hoot.
Dave continues, “Then I’ll test it [the jokes]. Anything current on TV I can fit into my routine, I’ll try out. I’ve even said to some nonplussed punter in a dodgy little comedy room, ‘You’re Karl Stefanovic.’ He’ll go, ‘Why am I Karl Stefanovic?’ and I’ll be like, ‘Don’t worry, I’m trying something here – just watch the Logies.'”
Live Voting for the 60th TV WEEK Logie Awards is now open! To cast your vote in the 10 ‘Most Popular’ categories, click here.
Of taking swipes at the audience, Dave tells TV WEEK he hasn’t made any major ‘enemies’ yet.
“Generally, they’re pretty happy about it. You’ve got to break a few eggs to make an omelette. But I don’t think I’ve made any enemies from anything I’ve said at the Logies.”
However, he did have some phone-calls after last year’s opener.
“Last year was pretty interesting. I got messages from the likes of Grant Hackett [the former Olympic swimming star] and even the Channel Seven boss [Tim Worner, whose controversial personal life provided material for Dave]. We had a quite cordial conversation. He said something like, ‘I heard you’ve heard I’m not happy about that.’ Everyone mentioned was fine, despite a bit of controversy.
The 47-year-old comedian reveals, “That Tim Worner line came very late, actually – it was on the day of the broadcast, literally 15 minutes before the show was about to start. I said to the producer, ‘Tell the cameraman I’m going to do this.’ He said, ‘Are you sure?’ and I said, ‘Yep, I’m gonna go for it!’ It was a good one.
“I was happy that one worked. Sometimes you do a joke that’s 20 years old and sometimes you do one that’s five minutes old. You never know. But you can’t go hunting for applause, because if you don’t get it, you’re disappointed. It’s a bottomless well when you’re hunting for compliments. I’ve done it for many years!”
The 2018 TV WEEK Logie Awards are due to be held at The Star Gold Coast, in Queensland, on Sunday, July 1.
You can cast your vote here.
