Thank God You're Here
Thank God You're Here is an Australian television improvised comedy program created by Working Dog Productions, which premiered on 5 April 2006 on Network 10, where it aired for the first three and from the fifth season onwards; the fourth season aired on the Seven Network.
Each episode involves performers walking through a door into an unknown situation, greeted by the line "Thank God you're here!". They then have to improvise their way through the scene. At the end of each episode a winner is announced. It was the most successful new show in Australia of 2006, attracting an average of 1.7 million viewers after the first few episodes.
The show was originally hosted by Shane Bourne and judged by Tom Gleisner. After a fourteen year hiatus, it was revived for a fifth series, hosted by Celia Pacquola and featuring a guest judge each episode. The format is sold for recreation in a number of countries. The sixth series of the show aired in 2024. The series won’t screen in 2025 due to production fatigue.
Synopsis
Each contestant is dressed in appropriate costume, has some brief banter with the host, and is then invited to "walk through the blue door" onto a hidden set. They are greeted by the ensemble cast, in character, with the line "Thank God you're here!", and must then attempt to improvise their role in the scene. Typically they will be asked in-character questions by the ensemble cast and challenged to provide information about the scene, including the names of characters or objects.At least twice during each episode, footage is shown of each of the four participants performing a challenge, often on location, which was filmed earlier in the week. These include a commentary booth where the contestants have to comment on an unfamiliar subject, an office where they are being interviewed or interrogated, showing customers things for sale, or advertisements. The other characters in these scenes are generally played by members of the ensemble cast. The third series also introduced an additional segment in which Gleisner highlights a "real life" Thank God You're Here-style situation, such as the infamous Guy Goma BBC interview and frequently, that of politicians forced to improvise answers under pressure.
Finally, when all the contestants have played in a scene by themselves, all four enter a final scene together for the "all-in group challenge". At the end of the show, the judge declares a winner; this choice is entirely at the judge's discretion, and is largely arbitrary. Honorable and dishonorable mentions are also given, usually to contestants who do not win so that the judge can comment on their performances. The winner receives a trophy in the shape of the programme's blue door logo.
There are variations on the standard setup: occasionally the greeting will be slightly changed to better suit the setting, and often an alternative entrance will be built into the set. These are often used for comic effect, as in the aforementioned car accident scenario where the contestant climbed through the back of the set and emerged from the door of a wrecked car embedded in the wall of a second-storey flat.
First revived series
The fourth season introduced a different segment, where Gleisner points out that he believes an Australian cricket player is able to endorse anything, and presents a falsified advertisement where a retired Australian cricketer attempts to endorse an also falsified company of a completely random field. Running gags in these segments include the cricketer comparing selecting such a company with his medium pace bowling, the use of "jargon" which actually is completely made-up, comparing the reliability with his own bowling style, and a man named "Steve" who is called upon to agree with this previous statementSecond revived series
Since series 5, the format of the show has been tweaked slightly as the performers no longer participate in any "during in the week" scenes, which were in previous seasons filmed on-location with the ensemble cast. In addition, the role of judge which was originated by Tom Gleisner, is now fulfilled by a rotating special guest judge each week, whose remarks after each performance are more brief.Ensemble cast
Although their parts are thoroughly scripted, the actors who interact with the guest stars in each scenario are drawn from an ensemble of experienced improvisational actors.Improvisation experience is preferred so that the cast can react appropriately and immediately to the improvisations of the guest stars, though in most cases this improvisation is limited. This ensemble was also used in many of the mid-week assignments, fulfilling the roles of customers or members of the public with whom the guests must interact in a real-life setting.
The following are regular ensemble cast members who have appeared on the show:
Several special guests have also appeared, either playing themselves or as part of the ensemble cast for a scene. Special guests have included Damien Fleming, Dan O'Connor, Melissa Tkautz Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Kate Ceberano, Alan Fletcher, Kimberley Davies, Matt Welsh, Mark Holden, Ryan Moloney, Simon Burke, Greg Evans, Nikki Webster, Mick Molloy, Todd McKenney, Poh Ling Yeow, Grant Denyer, Miguel Maestre and The Veronicas. Other guests including Jane Hall, Andy Lee and Don Burke have appeared as mock presenters in the locational challenges.
Appearances
| Contestant | Appearances | Show wins |
| Hamish Blake | 13 | 3 |
| Angus Sampson | 11 | 3 |
| Julia Zemiro | 10 | 3 |
| Josh Lawson | 9 | 3 |
| Merrick Watts | 8 | 3 |
| Peter Rowsthorn | 8 | 2 |
| Fifi Box | 8 | 1 |
| Cal Wilson | 7 | 3 |
| Shaun Micallef | 7 | 2 |
| Frank Woodley | 6 | 1 |
| Akmal Saleh | 6 | 1 |
| Tony Martin | 6 | 1 |
| Bob Franklin | 5 | 3 |
| Guy Montgomery | 5 | 2 |
| Emma Holland | 4 | 2 |
| Rebel Wilson | 4 | 1 |
| Anh Do | 4 | 1 |
| Lloyd Langford | 4 | 1 |
| Urzila Carlson | 4 | 0 |
| Matthew Newton | 3 | 1 |
| Dave Hughes | 3 | 1 |
| Arj Barker | 3 | 1 |
| Kate Langbroek | 3 | 1 |
| Alan Brough | 3 | 1 |
| Ross Noble | 3 | 1 |
| Aaron Chen | 3 | 1 |
| Marty Sheargold | 3 | 1 |
| Melanie Bracewell | 3 | 1 |
| Felicity Ward | 3 | 0 |
| Rhys Nicholson | 2 | 2 |
| Colin Lane | 2 | 1 |
| Carl Barron | 2 | 1 |
| Josie Long | 2 | 1 |
| Frankie McNair | 2 | 1 |
| Ray O'Leary | 2 | 1 |
| Virginia Gay | 2 | 1 |
| Anne Edmonds | 2 | 1 |
| Sam Pang | 2 | 1 |
| Glenn Robbins | 2 | 0 |
| Robyn Butler | 2 | 0 |
| Ryan Shelton | 2 | 0 |
| Tahir Bilgiç | 2 | 0 |
| Kate Jenkinson | 2 | 0 |
| Jo Stanley | 2 | 0 |
| Peter Helliar | 2 | 0 |
| Stephen Curry | 2 | 0 |
| Nish | 2 | 0 |
| Toby Truslove | 2 | 0 |
| Julia Morris | 2 | 0 |
| Geraldine Hickey | 2 | 0 |
| Michelle Brasier | 2 | 0 |
| Luke McGregor | 2 | 0 |
| Anthony Field | 1 | 1 |
| Jimeoin | 1 | 1 |
| Jordan Raskopoulos | 1 | 1 |
| Chris Parker | 1 | 1 |
| Bron Lewis | 1 | 1 |
| Santo Cilauro | 1 | 0 |
| Tanya Bulmer | 1 | 0 |
| Dalian Evans | 1 | 0 |
| Bianca Dye | 1 | 0 |
| Russell Gilbert | 1 | 0 |
| Andrew Günsberg | 1 | 0 |
| Stephen K Amos | 1 | 0 |
| Eddie Ifft | 1 | 0 |
| Matt Tilley | 1 | 0 |
| Sean Choolburra | 1 | 0 |
| Adam Hills | 1 | 0 |
| Franklyn Ajaye | 1 | 0 |
| Heath Franklin | 1 | 0 |
| Rhys Darby | 1 | 0 |
| Rob Carlton | 1 | 0 |
| Tom Gleeson | 1 | 0 |
| Mark Bonanno | 1 | 0 |
| Danielle Walker | 1 | 0 |
| He Huang | 1 | 0 |
| Joel Creasey | 1 | 0 |
| Dane Simpson | 1 | 0 |
| Kitty Flanagan | 1 | 0 |
| Gillian Cosgriff | 1 | 0 |
| Susie Youssef | 1 | 0 |
| Tommy Little | 1 | 0 |
| Zoë Coombs Marr | 1 | 0 |
| Takashi Wakasugi | 1 | 0 |
| Ting Lim | 1 | 0 |
| Nina Oyama | 1 | 0 |
| Ivan Aristeguieta | 1 | 0 |
| Anisa Nandaula | 1 | 0 |