Guy Williams reckons this is his worst comedy pitch ever
Despite that, the New Zealand comedian has managed to ink two international deals and his unique brand of satire is set to go global.
Guy Williams is embarrassed to say what his latest comedy pitch is about.
The new Three Now series, New Zealand Tomorrow, delves into the quality of Canterbury town Waimate's drinking water, “which, as a comedy pitch, has got to be one of the worst," Williams says.
"I'm embarrassed to even say it out loud," he told RNZ's Afternoons.
Despite that, it's been sold to an international company.
Helsinki-based distributor Rabbit Films has snapped up the rights and will create a comedy show based on the format called The Unusual Report.
And his original series New Zealand Today, which won a NZ TV Award in 2024 for Best Entertainment Programme, has dropped on Netflix.
New Zealand Tomorrow is a “combination of journalism and comedy”, Williams told RNZ’s Afternoons.
WhileNew Zealand Today looked at a different subject in each episode, the entire season of New Zealand Tomorrow is dedicated to Waimate’s water woes, something that happened by chance rather than design.
“I'd never been to that part of the country, so I was like, I've got to go there and do a story. And someone just told me that it told me there was a wallaby sanctuary there.
“So, we just started there, we went on one trip to film it. And it just opened up a literal gold mine and everyone joked about 'don't drink the water'.”
It seemed like a local joke at first, he says.
“But it's not a joke, water issues are a big deal in South Canterbury. And it just opened this Pandora's Box and I just couldn't stop pulling that thread.”
While there’s been plenty of conventional reporting on nitrate in South Canterbury’s water, Williams says he brings a human-interest angle to the story.
“The amount of original journalism done by me, thankfully, is very little, but I'm able to package it to a broader audience, a comedy audience.”
He feels bad for “real journalists", he says.
“That's the premise of the first episode, that all the journalists have been fired. It's like last year, 300 journalists at TV3 or people who work in the newsroom lost their jobs.
“And weirdly my show, which is a parody of journalism is still going, which is a dire sign for journalism and for our democracy.”
