New Zealand finally has a late-night TV talk show! Sure it’s not on TV, but to be fair neither is Newshub.
Robbie Nicol (aka White Man Behind A Desk) has been called the “Kiwi John Oliver” by the Sunday Star Times and a “satire genius” by Dame Jacinda Ardern. Now he is joining the New Zealand International Comedy Festival to pitch the show that’s eluded Aotearoa for centuries – a late night, TV, political, comedy chat show that does not suck.
Robbie Nicol’s Late Night Pilot has played to sold-out crowds at the Basement Theatre featuring guests like Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick, economist Bernard Hickey, and TVNZ’s Jack Tame.
“It’s been such a joy to create a new show every month at the Basement Theatre,” says comedian Robbie Nicol. “The audiences have been so enthusiastic and generous. I think New Zealand is a little starved for satire, especially with the current three-headed Cerberus style government we’ve got at the moment. I just hope we can provide people with a chance to laugh and feel a little less alone facing the challenges of the world.”
Whilst it has proved hard most difficult to find any faults with the current perfect government, Robbie will be attempting to find some criticisms to level at the powers, that be through the mediums of chat show monologue, on-stage sketches and good old-fashioned millennial whinging.
Nicol has written for Taskmaster (NZ & AU), 7 Days, and Paddy Gower Has Issues, but all that is for nothing if he can’t convince fancy TV execs to give him his own show. His work has been recognized nationwide, having received the award for Best Web Show 2015, at the New Zealand Web Fest, Best Newcomer 2017 Wellington, at the NZ International Comedy Festival and SPADA’s New Filmmaker of the Year 2017, with the Candle Wasters.
Late Night Pilot is produced by Tim Batt and co-written by Finnius Teppett and Robbie Nicol.
Join Robbie and special guests this May, as he frantically tries to sell out as fast as humanly possible. You can also catch Robbie hosting The Great Comedy Debate on Friday 17 May.
ROBBIE NICOL’S LATE NIGHT PILOT
Basement Theatre, Auckland
Wednesday 8 – Saturday 11 May, 9:30PM
Tickets start from $28 and are on-sale now from the Comedy Fest website.