Shaun Micallef has been a constant presence on Australian television for decades, having either performed in, written for or hosted some of our best-loved comedies, including The Micallef Program, Full Frontal and Talkin’ ’Bout Your Generation.
He’s never really stopped showing up on our screens but, lately, Shaun, 64, has found a new direction in his on-screen work that is taking him out of the spotlight.
“I’ve been wanting to do more on other people,” he tells TV WEEK. “Things that let other people tell their stories, where I’m not necessarily the focus of it all.
“That’s something I want to do at this stage in my life, given how old I am and how long I’ve been around.”
Right now, that shift in focus to others has led Shaun to host Parents’ Evening, a game show based on a UK format that sees celebrities team up with a family member, either an adult child or a parent. It’s up to the parents in the teams to determine what they think their kids know.
It’s also sent him out on the road with SBS travel series Shaun Micallef’s Origin Odyssey, in which well-known Aussies head back to the country of their family’s origin to learn more about their forebears.
Both are roles that lean into Shaun’s ability to put everyone at ease and have fun in any situation – and both are opportunities for him to make others feel comfortable in telling their stories.
“Television is a pretty hard medium,” Shaun says. “It can be a bit cruel because it’s inviting judgement, so I was lucky with Origin Odyssey because everyone was very generous with who they were and the stories they’re telling.
“I appreciate that they trust me. They trust that I’m going to look after them and be a good host instead of somebody who is going to push the camera in and try and get them to unburden their soul when they might not want to.
“All the stories you hear are told because they want to tell them, not because I’ve extracted them. I’m not a journalist and, even if I was, I guess I wouldn’t be that sort of journalist.”
That’s flowed on to Parents’ Evening in a bigger way, with Shaun allowing celebrities to be themselves with their families, something that’s not usually seen outside a personality profile.
“Everyone is trusting me with their most precious possession – either their parent or their child. They’re opening up and inviting them into the world of cameras and audiences – a world their parent or child is not that familiar with – and that’s very generous of them.”
It’s the kind of trust he can relate to, given his co-host for the series is his own son, Gabe.
“Well, I couldn’t expect them to do it without doing it myself,” he jokes. “So, I guess that’s why Gabe is on the set with me.”
What comes next for Shaun remains to be seen but, with his curiosity still piqued by the possibilities of our entertainment world, it will likely be something unexpected.
Possibly even a return to the stage, where it all began.
“I was recently in the Melbourne Theatre Company production of Uncle Vanya, playing Professor Serebryakov, which is very different to what I had been doing on television and the previous bit of theatre I had done, which was The Odd Couple with Francis Greenslade [with whom he performed in university law revues],” Shaun says.
“That was 10 years ago, so every 10 years I get to go on stage. Next time, I’ll be 74, and I guess I can do The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon. There’s plenty of great roles for old people, so my future is assured!”
Shaun Micallef’s Parents’ Evening premieres Monday, September 28, 7.30pm on 10.
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