200 episodes out of the Box

This week Australian Television Podcast
“Boxcutters” hit its 200th episode with special guest Myf Warhurst.

Created in 2005 by Josh Kinal, Brett Cropley and Ross McQueen -now replaced by John Richards- the podcast is produced each week at 3RRR Studios in Melbourne. With their regular banter on television news, gossip, reviews and interviews it has become a guilty pleasure for television fans and the industry.

Commentator Josh Kinal spoke to TV Tonight about their milestone and what it takes to talk telly for 4 years.

“The 200th episode has been looming over our heads for a long time. We were trying to work out what we could do to make it special,” he said. “There were lots of ideas floating around but in the end we thought it would be best to just do what we do in the best way possible.

“Boxcutters regular and Channel 9 journalist, James Talia, called in for a brief chat. Myf Warhurst came in to the studio to talk about Spicks and Specks and we had a policeman in to tell us why Rush and City Homicide don’t have real Victorian Police uniforms.

“My favourite part of the episode, though, was all the messages we got from well wishers.”

They included Margaret Pomeranz, Peter Hitchener, Craig McLachlan and Tim Ferguson.

Kinal says upkeeping the show requires a lot of work. He watches around 20 hours of television a week that he wouldn’t ordinarily watch.

“I used to sit at work with a dual monitor set-up and have a show going in the corner of one screen while I was working on another. But that’s not a great way to go either. I believe that TV shows require our full attention and I just wasn’t being fair. Still, some weeks it’s hard to find the hours to fit it all in,” he says.

Amongst his highlights this year he notes an interview with actor Genevieve Lemon, director Ray Punjer, Tom Elliot’s views on “the end of television as we know it,” and sitting down with the ‘Godfather of Podcasting’ Leo Laporte in the US.

“Also this year we’ve started getting donations from listeners to help with our increasing costs. The response we’ve had from the Boxcutters family is moving. It means we’re doing something right.”

After 4 years Kinal says it finally feels like the industry is recognising the love, if sometimes cynical, that emerges from Boxcutters. To maintain such consistency, especially without remuneration, requires a true passion for television.

“When we started, podcasting was really new. People didn’t know how to download podcasts or even what they were. I think the networks were a little bit nervous about investing publicity and assistance for a show that came out of nowhere.

“Now, though, we’re getting more guests, we’re getting great talk in the industry and word of mouth means that when we approach people to appear on the show they know what we’re talking about. It’s been a long journey and there’s still so much more we can do.”

You can check out their new podcasts every Monday at boxcutters.net.