Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell

While Micallef hosts the program, a number of other cast members appear as a variety of characters.[3][5]

Notes

The program was commissioned without a pilot and the first series of 10 episodes originally screened from May to July 2012.[8] The show was renewed for a second series of 12 episodes which aired in 2013.[9] A third was announced in January 2014 and consisted of 10 episodes, shown weekly from 12 February 2014.[5][10][11] A fourth series premiered later in the same year on 24 September 2014 and the fifth series premiered on 11 February 2015.[12] A sixth series debuted on 11 May 2016.[13] The show's seventh series commenced on 21 June 2017. An eighth series debuted on 31 January 2018,[14] with a ninth series running from September 2018.[15] A tenth series was confirmed for July 2019 by Micallef on Twitter in December 2018[16] and it debuted on 26 June 2019.[17]

At the ABC 2020 Upfronts, Micallef confirmed that two series would be produced in 2020,[17] starting with Season 11, to air in early February.[6] The second half of the eleventh season saw the show taping without an audience, due to social distancing requirements amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[18] The twelfth season was scheduled to commence August 5;[19][20] and began by recording new episodes without an audience.[18] A special Christmas episode will be broadcast on 20 December 2020.[21]

Bill Shorten's Zingers

A regular segment during the early period of Bill Shorten's tenure as Leader of the Opposition. Micallef would play a short video clip of Shorten delivering a pun, dad joke or similar, usually when he was criticising the government, after which "Zinger!" would appear in bold text on the screen with a roaring sound for humorous effect. The segment was noticed by Shorten himself, as he referenced it in a press conference when attacking the government on its funding cuts to the ABC, after which he said "I tell you what, I tell you Shaun Micallef, I'm as mad as hell and we’ll fight for your show."[22] This was made a zinger in the subsequent week's episode of the show.

Lamentable Puns

Micallef and "junior sub-editor" of the Daily Telegraph, Chris Lorax (played by Tosh Greenslade), go through a series of front page and article headlines of the newspaper. Micallef shows the headline in question for Lorax to explain, much to Micallef's bemusement over both the headline and Lorax's justification for it. Lorax usually responds to Micallef's bemusement with "It’s just a bit of fun."

HYPERthetical

A segment where Micallef moderates a debate between several people about a hypothetical issue. This segment is a parody of the ABC show Tomorrow Tonight which was hosted by Charlie Pickering and Annabel Crabb.

Darius Horsham

Spokesperson (sometimes stylised as "$pokesb0rg") for the Minister for Finance, Mathias Cormann. Speaks in a thick Germanic accent in a parody of Arnold Schwarzenegger and seen aggressively chewing on a cigar - in reference to controversy caused when Corman and Joe Hockey were filmed smoking cigars after delivering the 2014 Federal Budget. When asked by Micallef to elaborate on a point made, or is otherwise criticised, he usually responds with "Don't be an economic girly-man" or some variation. Cormann himself, presumably in reference to the character, referred to Bill Shorten as an "economic girly-man".[23]

Dolly Norman

The simple speaking and thinking speechwriter to politician Jacqui Lambie. Often includes short film clips of Lambie saying something seemingly nonsensical or offensive, to which Norman responds by explaining what Lambie "really meant".

Lois Price

Played by Emily Taheny A play on the "traffic chopper" on morning television programs reporting on traffic conditions, only Lois Price reports on current events. She usually signs off with an advertorial before saying "I'm Lois Price from Mad as Hell."

Tosh Greenslade

Played as himself. Micallef will usually introduce him as "Tosh Greenslade in a wig and glasses to talk about ..." (to which Greenslade's intro is usually "exactly right, Shaun") to explain the "reasons" behind government policy using novel concepts for humorous effect. In one episode, for example, Greenslade "explained" the government's asylum seeker boat turn-back policy using the layers of a lamington. Micallef then signs him out with a variation of the line "that was Tosh Greenslade in a wig and glasses talking about ...".

Casper Jonquil

Played by Tosh Greenslade. A parody of a talkback radio shock jock and listener who complains loudly and unintelligibly.

Vice Rear Admiral Sir Bobo Gargle

Played by Francis Greenslade Sir Bobo Gargle is Vice Rear Admiral in the Australian Navy. He appears on the show to discuss Australian and international maritime matters. Sir Bobo Gargle usually ends his interviews by releasing the Kraken.

Larry Sideburns

Played by Francis Greenslade. Often appears as a plot character in sketches as well as other segments of the show and is portrayed as an entrepreneur trying to monetize his next big thing. Often featured alongside his wife who is often spoken over.

Draymella Burt

Played by Emily Taheny Draymella Burt is a spokesperson for the Liberal Party. She is best known for her brutal quips at Shaun about his left-wing bias.

Brion Pegmatite

Spokesperson for Peter Dutton. He finds it painful to show remorse, pleasure and compassion, and is often seen wanting vengeance against Scott Morrison and other members of the Liberal Party, especially when leadership is brought into question.

Tamara Happenstance

Tourism Australia ambassador. Portrayed as a character wearing an Australian outback hat with corks dangling off the sides, as well as an apron with ‘G’day’ written on it with an image of the Australian flag. She often ends her sentences with common Australian tropes such as “put a shrimp on the barbie you bastards”.

• Newstopia

• Official website
• Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell at IMDb