Gretel Killeen and Matt Okine will host How Not to Behave, a 15 part comedy- entertainment series produced by Screentime for ABC TV.
Based on the Swedish format So Not OK, each episode will test social boundaries, providing a ‘how-to’ guide and offering solutions to society’s shortcomings.
ABC head of content and creative development Adrian Swift announced at MIP TV that he'd acquired the format rights, provisionally re-titled You Can’t Do That In Public.
Head of ABC Entertainment Jon Casimir likens the show, which premieres at 8 pm on Wednesday July 15, to “Seinfeld meets Attenborough.”
Casimir said, “It’s part comedy, part social anthropology. We’re really excited to have the formidably funny pairing of Gretel Killeen and Matt Okine as our tour guides, cutting a path through the jungle of etiquette.”
The show will ask questions such as: In which parts of a change room is it okay to walk around naked? What’s the tooth fairy’s going rate? Is it ever okay to pick up at a funeral? Should you discipline other people’s kids, dump a partner by text, or have the in-laws on Skype while your partner is giving birth?
Okine said: “I’ve spent most of my life perfecting the art of not knowing how to behave. Comedians are generally the most socially awkward people on the planet, so you can be sure this show’s in expert hands.”
Killeen said: “Unlike Matt, I’m taking this hosting role very seriously. I think manners make the world go round and I’m determined to change the world to suit me.”
Screentime head of non- fiction Jennifer Collins said: “Gretel Killeen is an exquisite talent, fiercely intelligent, impeccably stylish, and just plain funny. Triple j breakfast radio host Matt Okine is a rising star of the Australian comedy scene known for his clever observations and heart-warming humour.
“Coming from different generations and backgrounds, it will make for intriguing and surprising chemistry.”