Returning: Kitchen Cabinet

Season Three of Kitchen Cabinet with ABC political commentator Annabel Crabb begins soon, finally in a new prime-time home on ABC1 rather than ABC2.

Crabb again invites herself to the home of a sitting federal politician, this season dining with Minister for Families, Community Services, Indigenous Affairs and Disability Reform Jenny Macklin, Opposition Communications Spokesman Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy, Shadow Minister Sussan Ley with Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Trade Craig Emerson, and Independent Senator Nick Xenophon (ABC says Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott were unavailable to appear on the program).

Forget spin; Kitchen Cabinet spends time with our political leaders to bring out the anecdotes, personalities and quirks that tend to be lost in fast-paced modern politics.

“Kitchen Cabinet brings out a side of politicians rarely seen before,” says Jennifer Collins, Head of ABC Entertainment. “Who could ever forget Joe Hockey’s Bart Simpson duvet last season?

It’s a view reiterated by ABC1 Controller Brendan Dahill. “We are absolutely delighted to have Kitchen Cabinet on ABC1 and at its helm the admired, accomplished and Logie-nominated Annabel Crabb,” he said.

But the final word to Annabel: “Counting vanilla beans as a legitimate work expense has been a personal career dream all my life*,” she says.

“But the best part of Kitchen Cabinet is being able to leave the crazy battleground that politics has become, sit down with someone and hear their stories. There are some absolute crackers in Series Three already, and I can’t wait to share them with ABC1 viewers.”

* No need to raise this in estimates, Senator Abetz. Annabel loses every single receipt.

8pm Tuesday July 2 ABC1