Imagine wrangling 100 people staring at you from a 27 square metre screen. That's what commentator, funny man and - I'll try anything once - kind of guy Andy Lee will be faced with each week on the Nine Network's new show The Hundred. Zooming in from across Australia will be 100 strangers from all cultural, gender, age, vocational and socio-economic backgrounds, ready to give their answers to topical questions posed by host Lee. Joining him will be panel regular American comedian Mike Goldstein, who has been based in Australia for 15 years, plus two celebrity guests playing off to see who knows Australia best. The one hundred everyday Aussies will be asked topical questions over two rounds, followed by some ticklish posers that might see some sneaky fibs registered. Questions such as - Do you shower with your partner? Have you had sex in your office? and Have you ever peed in the pool? - could be embarrassing, but the hundred need only answer yes or no, and can be anonymous. "It's an opportunity to see how others live. "It's light and inclusive and might make you feel a little better about your life choices along the way." The panel-style comic take on news is a burgeoning genre on our small screens. "I think it's because we're more interested in the news than we ever have been," Lee says. He believes game play is important in our lives, and on The Hundred there's no right or wrong answers. "Everyone starts a little shy, but by the end of the show people really open up. "Obviously the comedy panel jump in with quick-witted answers, but some of the biggest laughs come from the people in the hundred." As the make-up of the 100 changes each week, the logistics have been a challenge, but luckily the first eight episodes were filmed before the latest lockdowns came into effect.
