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Weeks after the Kyle and Jackie O Show got ousted from the airwaves, Hamish & Andy star Hamish Blake has given a surprisingly revealing insight into the realities of working with his mate Andy Lee on their hit podcast.
Hamish – who met his funnyman friend on his first day studying maths and physics at university – told Mark Bouris’ Straight Talk that he and Andy are like-minded but “extremely different” people.
“Somehow we’ve got enough in common that we completely understand each other and enough not in common that we are our own kind of unique people,” he told the broadcaster in a deeply insightful chat.
In a surprising admission, he said the pair have always joked that their partnership is like a “nuclear reactor”.
“We have to notice cracks before someone else does,” Hamish explained. “If we don’t notice the cracks it could be catastrophic.”
Hamish told Bouris he loved Andy “a thousand per cent”, describing their connection as a special love “forged by fire, because you’ve been in places that only the other guy would understand”.
Hamish reflected on the demise of the Kyle and Jackie O Show, revealing how he and Andy have navigated their own changing circumstances over the years.
“On a partnership level, that’s sad because no one ever wants it to end,” Hamish said, referring to the collapse of Kyle Sandilands’ and Jackie O’s on-air relationship.
“You always are aware that ‘hey, we’re going to have extra pressures on us because our relationship’s in the open’, and that carries with it every single day – when you’re on radio… you don’t know what you’re going to say every day.
“So it’s a huge trust exercise with the person you’re on air with,” Hamish continued. “It’s the dance and anyone in radio knows this dance – whether it’s two people, four people, five people – you’re like every day trying to create something out of nothing with each other and you’re taking tons and tons of risks thousands of times a day with each other.”
Hamish went on to admit that he and Andy look ahead knowing that eventually most “partnerships come to an end”.
“We’re always aware that we don’t want this to end,” he said, adding that the pair regularly check in to see if they are on the same page about their career.
“We’ve so far pre-empted a load that would break us and stayed ahead of that,” he said.
It’s rare to hear Hamish speak so openly about his relationship with his friend and business partner, but it’s not the first time the pair have opened up about their bond.
In a 2016 interview with Warcry, Andy revealed how the pair’s friendship had “always been paramount” because they were mates before they teamed up in the public eye.
“We’ve pretty much got the same mind,” the star said. “So having a second person, or a second ‘you’ I always feel like, to be able to bounce ideas and life decisions off, is a luxury really.”
