Live blog - John Safran’s Race Relations

Beverley says:

10:05pm | 21/10/09

Your comment:I know my comment will seem closed minded but after thinking carefully about the show I have made the conscious decision not to watch it tonight. I have always been supportive of JOhn Saffron’s productions but this one just does not sit comfortably with me -  I could not make myself watch it, even the curiosity factor was not there. I do not think I am getting narrow minded etc I just feel enough is enough with John and am starting to wonder if the whole thing is getting to be an attention seeking issue.

simon. says:

10:08pm | 21/10/09

Funny. Original. Painful. Out of control. It will impress and offend everyone at some stage. Wish we had more Australian TV like it.

Nick says:

10:17pm | 21/10/09

I’m still waiting for it to broadcast here in Queensland, Simon’s comment in making me more hyped for it.

Daryl says:

10:17pm | 21/10/09

I agree Simon, with all the one dimensional stuff on commercial TV it is good see something new that will certainly get a reaction

Sarah says:

10:18pm | 21/10/09

Cringe-worthy, but entertaining and thought provoking. More programs like this are needed on the ABC. The other channels should be trying to keep up with edgy comedy/satire, and stop pandering to a base level understanding of life.

John Thomas says:

10:20pm | 21/10/09

Loved it. We need more people like him!  Ooooooooo Bbbbbbama Oh yes.  Makes me realise why Im attracted to Eurasians!

Shane From Melbourne says:

10:21pm | 21/10/09

Funny yes, but hardly anything offensive or controversial about it.

Andrew says:

10:24pm | 21/10/09

Very funny, but not ludicrously hilarious. Has amazing potential; could easily be the best thing of his career. Next week’s ep looks brilliant

Scott says:

10:26pm | 21/10/09

More Please.  It’s great to see that we can still produce comedy like this. Daring, bold, original, and hilarious. Makes a lot of other stuff i’ve seen in the last couple of years seem pale in comparison.

mike says:

10:29pm | 21/10/09

Excellent, intelligent, funny television. What a thrill to watch something as edgy and fresh as this. Australian TV lacks punch and if you don’t like shows like this, just don’t watch them…what a dull world it would be if everything kept it safe!

Peter Barns says:

10:30pm | 21/10/09

Not particularly funny, edgy, original or out of control. Very contrived, one joke spread out over 30 long, long minutes. Not a patch on, for example, the Footloose parody or getting into an exclusive club as Slipknot.

Hamish vettice says:

10:38pm | 21/10/09

Through it’s successes and misfires, the abc dares to broadcast shows the majors would not dare.

Good on you abc

C Brame says:

10:54pm | 21/10/09

Good decision on the timeslot as i dont think the oldies and wowzers wouldve sat through Spicks and Specks and Hungry Beast to watch it. I loved it. Still carries the same charm that won me over with Music Jambaree and Vs. God. Though I doubt it wouldve recieved the same preemptive reaction had he still been with SBS.

Stacey says:

11:00pm | 21/10/09

At LAST!!  Something that actually IS cutting edge and not just branded as such.  John Safran you have BALLS OF STEEL and I’m very, very proud of you.

M says:

11:06pm | 21/10/09

Very good.  Only wish there were more programmes in this vein.  Nothing offensive to me.  More More!!

saba says:

11:26pm | 21/10/09

Thought it was hilarious. Would have shocked the oldies. Good to see Obama was put to good use.

D-man says:

12:07am | 22/10/09

Good show. The world needs more of this stuff. The world needs to lighten up.

Andrew says:

12:50am | 22/10/09

The most intelligent show on Australian television for some time. The ABC has done itself proud.

Sue says:

02:42am | 22/10/09

What’s all this garbage about offending the oldies?  I’m a woman in my sixties and I thought it was hilarious.

The Beast says:

08:02am | 22/10/09

In fact, the Beast…errr….beats it….hands down. Truly. Sharp, fast, very pointed, and to the moment.

A lot of effort went into both.  Prefer the Beast - far more subversive without trading on other people’s good nature. Just fast sharp satire, plus the odd smashing forehand of fact.

PW says:

08:25am | 22/10/09

Democrats, Republicans, Jews and Palestinian’s should be happy. Obama had a ‘hand’ to play in bridging the peace divide. I thought the show was great. Dont watch it if it offends you.

SH says:

08:46am | 22/10/09

worst show ever!!!!!!! john safran wants to be sacha baron cohen. it was completely contrived!!!! poorly set up and staged, not at all a documentary.
he hasn’t got balls of steel he has a production budget! it was so lame and fake- the scene with the doctor was horribly scripted! and it was sooooo scripted!!!! just disappointing ! and the obama thing was just low brow. some people have been saying that it is intellectual humour- soooo wrong, this is just underpants and masturbation.

Comedic clown rescue says:

09:19am | 22/10/09

Oh no. Not Sacha Noam Baron Cohen. Jeez. Now, he was seriously unfunny. And boy, did he go on and on and on. Hmm. Mebbe SH is on to something, accidentally.  Fad undergrad humour - repeat same joke 500 times, pretend fall over laughing 500 times. Funnnnneeeee.

Avanothergo says:

09:54am | 22/10/09

Guess they should have popped a disclaimer in the credits, you know the sort of thing, “No live undies were used in the making of this programme”.

Interesting attempt at sustained fakery, though disjoint and as others have said too drawn out. Maybe - just maybe - it’ll improve.

As shown, about as funny as Shaun Micalleff on a good day. Don’t go for him much either. OK. All episodes in the can are they? Let’s see ‘em and move on. You can keep the 11c.

Di says:

10:14am | 22/10/09

It’s a bit scary!! I hope he hasn’t really upset those women whose property he stole and whose privacy he violated. And what about the unborn babies who won’t know the medical history of their sperm donor? And I hope he hasn’t hurt the feelings of the black people that he pretends to be one of and the various other people who look a bit like his victims. It’s great entertainment but there is an ethical question about hurting people.

Karateka says:

02:08pm | 22/10/09

Loved it. Of course some people will be offended - any joke will offend someone somewhere while everybody else is laughing.  Saffron has the ultimate defense; no one is sacred. If you are happy to have a good laugh at someone else’s expense and prepared to cop it sweet when it’s your turn on the stocks, this show could be your cup of tea.

Rus Watson says:

04:53pm | 22/10/09

What do you mean oldies won’t like it?  Us oldies grew up with Alvin Purple and full frontal nudity on prime time TV in the ‘70s.  John Safran could have gone a lot further if he’d really tried.

Pete says:

02:18pm | 23/10/09

I’m not sure about this one. I’ve enjoyed JS in the past, finding his shows current, funny and edgy but this seems a bit blatant.
I don’t think it was necessary to steal all those underpants, the ‘experiment’ could have worked without being so base and invading peoples privacy. It was just a cheap grab at being controversial.
I’ll keep watching but I’m hoping for more.

Lobi says:

04:56pm | 23/10/09

If you don’t find this funny then you probably sing in a choir or breed show dogs. Safran along with Lilley are this country’s best comedy talents by far. Hungry beast is humourless and painful and should be thrown to the dogs.

Tina Tio says:

02:41pm | 26/10/09

He’s a complete moron….......I hate him. He should be ashamed of himself, he doesn’t make documentaries he makes rubbish. Same jokes, same theme, nothing new or edgy…..just Safran with a huge budget and nothing new to talk about!...All he is about is confronting religion, race in the mean time by humiliating and taking the piss out of groups of people and their morals and beliefs…His so called open minded or cutting edge….it’s the same stuff he’s being putting out there and it’s been going on for years… When will it stop?.....when will he get off our airwaves and TV channels…

Patricia says:

07:38pm | 07/11/09

John Safron’s Race Relations show is disgusting and anti-semitic….....coming from a jew you should be ashamed of yourself.  Your program should be banned and in my opinion creates more anti-semitism. You want to shock people but instead it is shocking!

Zara says:

10:54am | 12/11/09

I won’t play any gigs or make any plans for Wednesday nights because of
‘Race Relations’ is so worth staying in for.
John Safran is shameless,extremely talented,riveting and a true courageous rebel.  I’ve loved his work since ‘Race Around the World’ (when he went streaking in Israel) and only hope that he has a long career doing what he does best,subverting the dominant paradigm.

EE says:

11:33pm | 25/11/09

Its like this show was made just for me- as a Eurasian woman with a Jewish fetish, consumed by all the hang ups that I presume a Jewish guy would have about dating me, I am absolutely fascinated by every ridiculous thing that John does because its stuff I have been dealing with/ thinking about since I became aware of yellow fever. Crazy!

Rod Pryor says:

09:46pm | 09/12/09

phuced up not funny pathetic really

Rod Pryor says:

09:50pm | 09/12/09

didn’t get it is he a comedian REAlly!!

Drew says:

02:28am | 16/12/09

I found it hard to tell if John is a comedian playing a roll or if he truly is this mentally ill and self obsessed.
I just finished watching all 8 episodes over the passed 8 weeks. Over all I think the show says less about cross cultural relations and more a autobiography of John Safran.
The show is portrayed to be very intimate about John’s own issues with finding love. I cringed more than laughed. I usually find it hard to listen to John on triple J because he acts very sheltered and childish, but this show has given me reason to feel compassion for him and maybe take another look at his pathetic rantings. The show portrays how crazy-weird he truly is but also we get to see him a bit more personally, responding with very normal and appropriate human emotions in very awkward situations.
Of course there is always the possibility that his show was all bullshit adding to the long list of other Jewish conspiracies.