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Small Tales & True sees the light of day

A rarely seen comedy from Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope is dusted off and given another lease of life.

It’s been a while since’ve heard from Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope (The Librarians, Very Small Business) but both have been quietly plugging away on not one, but two new TV projects for 2012.

Meanwhile they have also released episodes of the rarely seen 1998 comedy Small Tales & True on iTunes, the show on which they met playing husband and wife.

The series, made by Artist Services for the Comedy Channel, was co-created and written by Butler, Matt Cameron, Roz Hammond and Bob Franklin who all met the previous year on the Eric Bana sketch show, Eric.

The mockumentary was anchored by George Negus and starred Butler, Roz Hammond, Franklin, Hope, Stephen Curry, Sophie Lee, Colin Lane and Genevieve Morris. A roll call of comedy names….

According to Butler and Hope, “If our calculations are correct, about twenty-seven people saw it. Several of them were reviewers who were sent a VHS -yes that’s right a VHS- of the show.”

The Sydney Morning Herald said, “Think The Castle meets Spinal Tap. Think Australian humour at its softly cynical best. It’s this cynicism,  often wrenchingly dark, that gives these shows their moments of brilliance.”

Artist Services later took the series to the ABC, but it didn’t bite. After Artist Services was sold to Granada Media Australia, the master tapes sat in a box until Butler and Hope’s company Gristmill, has now acquired the rights.

The whole series is now available on iTunes for the “bargain basement price” of $9.99.

New technology is proving a win for talent to reach audiences with The Librarians also on Hulu in the US.

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