Talkin’ ‘Bout Amanda Keller

“My first on-air television job as a fully-fledged reporter was Beyond 2000. I was there for a couple of years so I assumed that’s how television worked,” declares Amanda Keller.

“Since then I’ve discovered you’re lucky if you get two weeks on a show before it’s axed. We did 17 episodes in this series, it’s such a shock to the system.”

The series in question is of course Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation, TEN’s hit panel show in which Keller is resident Baby Boomer.

The show has proved something of a TV renaissance for her and a commercial hit for host Shaun Micallef. So far the show hasn’t been “slagged off” by journos because Micallef carries “good will” amongst the media.

“I’ve been on many shows, rightly or wrongly, where it’s been the opposite. It really does make a difference. You read reviews that give people permission to enjoy it,” she says.

“Being the old moll that I am, it’s such a shock to be on a television programme that’s lasted this long,” she laughs.

That’s Keller’s trademark self-deprecation. It slips nicely into the show alongside Micallef. But humour and irreverance wasn’t always her style. As she told TV Tonight, it took an old friend to bring out her penchant for comedy after Beyond 2000.

“Andrew Denton, who was a university friend of mine said, ‘You’ve shown you can do that, but why don’t you show the other side to your personality?’ So that’s why I joined him on his Channel Seven programme. But I’d never done stand-up or been comedic in that sense, so I had a segment that was based in reality, sourcing weird things from around the world. At least it was something real that I could hold up and make some observations about. I didn’t have to come up with comedy out of thin air, which I’ve never done.

“So it was a safe intro into a comedy television show, really.”

In addition to her breakfast radio work on Sydney’s WSFM 101.7, her CV includes an appearance on Dancing with the Stars, an acting stint on SBS’ Swift & Shift Couriers and fronting ABC’s quirky nostalgia show, Mondo Thingo, which ended after 30 episodes.

“I loved that show. If they’d given us a second year we would have changed it and mutated it to have a stronger second year so I’m disappointed we didn’t get another chance to have a crack at it.

“Our content was quirky and interesting, but the hard thing with television now as a viewer is that you’re not allowed to do boutique programming anymore. You have to make a show that everyone wants to watch. And if it doesn’t rate a million you just don’t get a place for it, and I find that very disappointing.”

Co-hosting breakfast radio with Brendan Jones while raising a family, Keller says she is now more selective about projects she is offered. While Generation was another untried format, the team both on and off screen proved irresistable.

“I thought if we’re all going to fail what a great team to be with,” she says.

“But I say no to quite a lot things because I’ve got a fulltime job already, it just happens to be at a sparrow’s fart end of the day.”

In the final two episodes of Generation she is paired as a Baby Boomer with Jimmy Barnes and Kerri-Anne Kennerley.

In a special costumed finale each team dresses according to their era with Keller and Kennerley as Marilyn Monroe and Dynasty‘s Krystle Carrington. Charlie Pickering and Wil Anderson are Back to the Future‘s Marty and Doc, Josh Thomas resembles a member of My Chemical Romance and Josh Lawson is Harry Potter. Shaun Micallef looks like he has stepped out of The Cure.

Rather than seek another ongoing solo role, Keller now prefers to bounce off another. Micallef’s inimitable style is a perfect fit.

“He’s often perversely esoteric and high brow but you never don’t ‘get him.’ He takes you places that you wouldn’t normally go on a television show.

“I read somewhere where Shaun said, ‘I’ve always enjoyed the cleverness of the written word.’ But going on Thank God You’re Here liberated him. And this is a nice combination of both things I think. He’s got a funny script to work from but we’ve seen how hilarious he’s been when he’s ad-libbing, so it’s the best of both worlds.”

Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation airs 7:30pm Tuesday August 18 and September 1st on TEN.