Gag Bringers

Peter Helliar and Merrick Watts have been big names in Australian comedy for years, and they've been good mates for even longer than that. Helliar has had a thriving career as part of shows like Rove, Rove Live and Before The Game, as well as hosting The Trophy Room and even acting in the feature film I Love You Too, alongside Brendan Cowell. Merrick Watts is of course best known as one half of the formidable comedy force that is Merrick & Rosso. The duo started in stand-up when they joined forces for a one-off comedy show in 1996. It was an immediately successful partnership and they went on to work consistently in the media, appearing regularly on triple j in the late-'90s and on their own syndicated radio programs, podcasts and TV shows, Planet Merrick & Rosso on pay TV and Merrick & Rosso Unplanned on network television. In short, Merrick & Rosso were a comedy phenomenon.

And while they continue to be the best of mates, Merrick & Rosso have parted ways professionally, each forging their own separate comedy – and acting – journeys over the last few years. “Merrick's done a bit less stand-up over the last few years because the Merrick & Rosso show was just so enormous,” says Peter Helliar. “Getting back on stage and standing by himself for half an hour was a little bit foreign to him, but he blew me away with how he was back on the horse and doing it beautifully – he was loving it.“ Helliar agrees that for Watts, being on stage without Rosso must feel like he's lost a limb. “With Rosso, he had that great safety net so I think he really enjoyed the challenge of getting back out there and I think Rosso's going through a bit of the same. They're both enjoying the challenge of doing a solo show and they're doing really well, it's great.“

Unlike the Merrick & Rosso shows, Watts and Helliar's stand-up shows at the Sydney Comedy Store will be more like “a tag team” says Helliar. “It's a split bill, basically. We'll flip a coin and one of us will go on first. It's not like we're on stage together like a Merrick & Rosso show. It's two for the price of one.”

Helliar and Watts's friendship outdates both their comedy careers. “He's the first guy I met in comedy actually, before I even started,” says Helliar. “He's great company, Mez, he's always made me laugh off stage and on stage, so it's good to do a tour with a mate.“

And there's no competitiveness between the two of them about who is funnier, says Helliar. In fact, he says in the comedy circuit in general, “Everyone's supportive. Most bills you share you might watch the other people and generally people have a bit of feedback. If you've got a good enough relationship with them you just say, 'Hey have you thought about doing this gag?' You give each other gags and other ways to try things out. It's pretty cool.”

And their backstage banter is best kept between the two of them, he says. “We're both Collingwood supporters, so we generally talk about that a lot – thankfully off stage.” On stage though, Helliar says this series of shows will be “a mixed bag”. “I'm a dad – I'm married with three kids. That sounds really drab but I subvert it and have fun with it. I'm not trying to teach anyone a lesson, I'm not evangelising you. You won't learn a thing!” he laughs. “Yeah, that's a promise.”