Hamish & Andy
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment, Radio, Television, Podcasting |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Founder | Hamish Blake, Andy Lee |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Australia |
| Products | Radio shows, Podcasts, Television programs, Live events |
Hamish & Andy is a comedic pair from Australia, established in 2003 by Hamish Blake and Andy Lee. They gained widespread recognition through their drive-time radio shows broadcast on the Hit Network, which evolved through various formats until 2017. These programs consistently dominated ratings, ultimately becoming the most listened-to radio show in Australian history. After a 14-year tenure, they stepped back from regular radio but resumed producing a weekly podcast under their own name from March through December, occasionally presenting an additional series titled the Remembering Project from December to March, which revisits classic radio content.
In addition to radio, the pair have maintained a significant presence in Australian television, appearing as correspondents on Rove and leading several seasons of Hamish & Andy's Gap Year. This show earned multiple Logie Awards, including Most Popular Light Entertainment Program in 2012, 2014, and 2015.
Their activities extend beyond broadcasting; they have hosted numerous events, taken part in game shows, and engaged in celebrity sports competitions. Furthermore, they toured during 2016 and 2017 with the rock cover group Cool Boys and the Frontman. By 2014, Hamish & Andy were recognized as Australia's top-earning commercial radio personalities, each receiving annual salaries of A$4 million.
Background
The partnership between Hamish Blake and Andy Lee originated at the University of Melbourne in 2001. They collaborated on comedy contests before launching their radio careers a year later at community station SYN FM.
Early radio shows
Their initial broadcasts began with Cruise Control during SYN’s test transmissions in June 2002. In 2003, they co-hosted the Friday drivetime program The Buzz. Concurrently, Hamish contributed as a writer for Fox FM's breakfast show The Matt & Jo Show. The duo also led the Monday late-night slot Almost Tuesday followed by the widely syndicated Saturday morning show Almost Midday, which aired nationally across the Today Network.
In 2023, they revealed intentions to include archived episodes of Almost Midday within their subscription platform Hamish & Andy Unlimited, available via Apple Podcasts and their Android app powered by Libsyn.
They delivered two special broadcasts on BBC 6 Music between late 2009 and early 2010, showcasing segments from earlier episodes. In June 2010, it was announced that they would temporarily replace The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show in London and had secured a contract to host a Sunday evening program on Absolute Radio.
Drive time show
From 2006 until 2013, Hamish & Andy helmed a two-hour weekday drive-time radio program named Hamish & Andy, transmitted across Australia's seven largest cities. This series achieved record-breaking ratings nationwide, drawing approximately two million listeners daily. The show was notable for its domestic and international excursions, including road trips in caravans, sailing across the Bass Strait, and live broadcasts from locations such as Afghanistan, Beijing, Japan, India, and the United States. It also reached overseas audiences through syndication; highlights aired on BBC Radio 6 in December 2009. In 2010, they hosted three London-based episodes filling in for Christian O'Connell.
They compiled two albums featuring their radio content: Unessential Listening (2008) and Celebrating 50 Glorious Years (2010), both recipients of ARIA Awards for Best Comedy Release. Their program accumulated a total of fourteen Australian Commercial Radio Awards throughout its run.
In August 2010, Blake and Lee announced plans to scale back their daily broadcast to a single weekly episode starting in 2011, airing Fridays during drive time. The final daily broadcast took place on 3 December 2010.
Business Brunch/Happy Hour
In early 2013, Hamish and Andy resumed daily radio broadcasting with a program titled Business Brunch, scheduled from 9 to 10 am Tuesday through Friday (10 to 11 am in Sydney following The Kyle & Jackie O Show). This segment served as a complement to their Monday drive time broadcast. Departing from their earlier style, Business Brunch concentrated on a single subject per episode, encouraging audience contributions via their website rather than live call-ins. The opening voiceover was provided by the late Nine Network news figure Peter Harvey, who continued posthumously at his family's request.
By June 2013, the duo transitioned to an early drive time slot, airing weekdays from 3 to 4 pm under the new name Happy Hour, while preserving the one-topic-per-show approach. This adjustment temporarily halted their regular 4 to 6 pm weekly drive program. Additionally, they made a brief return to the drive time slot for two weeks in July 2014, filling in for The Dan & Maz Show during a radio ratings survey hiatus.
Return to drive time
October 2014 brought the announcement that Hamish and Andy would resume hosting their weekly drive time show on the Hit Network, starting 6 July 2015. In 2016, they revealed that 2017 would mark their final year on radio as they planned to retire in order to concentrate on television endeavors. Their concluding broadcasts that year achieved approximately 30 million podcast downloads.
Podcasting career (2018–present)
Following their retirement from traditional radio, Hamish & Andy shifted exclusively to a weekly podcast format beginning in 2018. By 2024, this podcast series has produced 244 episodes over seven seasons. In 2020, they introduced a companion podcast called Remembering Project, which revisits highlights from their extensive archive of more than 2,500 radio episodes.
List of audio-based programmes
| Program title | Year(s) | Timeslot | Length | Broadcast network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cruise Control | June 2002 | Mondays 1pm–2pm | 1 hour | SYN |
| The Almost Tuesday Show | 2003 | Mondays 10pm–12am | 2 hours | Fox FM |
| The Almost Midday Show | 2004–2005 | Saturdays 10am–12pm | 2 hours | 2004: Fox FM
2005: Hit Network (formerly Today Network) |
| Hamish & Andy | 2006–2010 | Weekdays 4pm–6pm | 2 hours | January 2006: Fox FM
June 2006 onward: Hit Network and regional stations |
| 2011–2012 | Fridays 4pm–6pm | 2 hours | Hit Network and regional affiliates | |
| January–July 2013 | Mondays 4pm–6pm | 2 hours | ||
| Hamish & Andy's Business Brunch | Tuesday–Friday 9am–10am | 1 hour | ||
| Hamish & Andy's Happy Hour | July 2013–November 2014 | Weekdays 3pm–4pm | 1 hour | |
| Hamish & Andy | July 2015–December 2017 | Weekdays 4pm–6pm | 2 hours | |
| Hamish & Andy (podcast) | February 2018–present | Thursdays (weekly) | 45 minutes | Listnr and various podcast platforms |
| Hamish & Andy's Remembering Project | October 2020–present | Wednesdays (weekly) | 20 minutes |
Television career
Since their debut in 2003, Hamish & Andy have hosted numerous television series and specials. Initially concentrating on sketch comedy formats, they later found greater acclaim with travel documentary-style shows.
Series Special
| Year | Program Title | Network | Episodes | Duration | Timeslot | Airdate(s) | Viewership (Australian metro capitals) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premiere | Finale | |||||||
| 2003 | Radio Karate | C31 Melbourne | 6 | 30 minutes | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| 2004 |
Hamish & Andy |
6 |
60 minutes |
9:30 p.m. Wednesday |
31 March 2004 |
5 May 2004 |
N/A | |
| 2006 |
style="background:#E0E8FF;" | Real Stories |
rowspan=7 | Network Ten |
8 |
30 minutes |
9 p.m. Tuesday |
22 August 2006 |
10 October 2006 |
788,000 (average) |
| 2008 |
style="background:#FFE0E0;" | Hamish & Andy: Re-Gifted |
1 |
60 minutes |
7:30 p.m. Wednesday |
colspan=2 |19 November 2008 |
1,136,000 | ||
| 2009 |
style="background:#FFE0E0;" | Hamish & Andy's American Caravan of Courage |
1 |
60 minutes |
7:30 p.m. Thursday |
colspan=2 |10 September 2009 |
1,307,000 | ||
|
style="background:#FFE0E0;" | Hamish & Andy: Re-Gifted – Another Very Early Christmas Special |
1 |
60 minutes |
7:30 p.m. Monday |
colspan=2 |23 November 2009 |
1,052,000 | |||
| 2010 |
style="background:#FFE0E0;" | Hamish & Andy's Caravan of Courage: Great Britain & Ireland |
1 |
60 minutes |
8:30 p.m. Thursday |
colspan=2 |17 June 2010 |
1,749,000 | ||
|
style="background:#FFE0E0;" | Learn India with Hamish & Andy |
1 |
60 minutes |
7:30 p.m. Sunday |
colspan=2 |3 October 2010 |
1,231,000 | |||
| "Hamish & Andy's Reministmas Special" | "1" | "60 mins" | "7:30 p.m. Sunday" | "21 November" | "N/A" | "1,183,000" | ||
| "2011" | "Hamish & Andy's Gap Year" | "Nine Network" | "10" | "60 mins" | "8:30 p.m. Thursday" | "28 July" | "29 September" | "961,000 (season average)" |
| "2012" | "Hamish & Andy's Gap Year#Hamish & Andy's Euro Gap Year" | "Nine Network" | "7" | "60 mins" | "8 p.m. Thursday" | "14 June" | "26 July" | "1,248,000 (season average)" |
| "2012" | "Hamish & Andy's Caravan of Courage: Australia vs New Zealand" | "Nine Network" | "2" | "90 mins" | "6:30 p.m. Sunday" | "11 November" | "18 November" | "1,338,000 /1,219,000" |
| "2013" | "Hamish & Andy's Gap Year#Hamish & Andy's Gap Year Asia" | "Nine Network" | "6" | "60 mins" | "8 p.m. Monday /7 p.m. Monday" | "8 July" | "19 August" | "1,372,000 (season average)" |
| "2014" | "Hamish & Andy's Gap Year#Hamish & Andy's Gap Year South America" | "Nine Network" | "6" | "60 mins" | "7:30 p.m. Tuesday" | "1 July" | "5 August" | "1,000,000 (season average)" |
| "2017" |
True Story with Hamish & Andy (Season 1) |
10' ' |
30 mins' ' |
7:30 p.m. Monday' ' |
5 June' ' |
29 August' ' |
1,047,000 (season average)' ' | |
|
True Story with Hamish & Andy (Season 2) |
10' ' |
30 mins' ' |
8:40 p.m. Tuesday' ' |
7 August' ' |
9 October' ' |
725,000 (season average)' ' | ||
|
3' ' |
60 mins' ' |
7 p.m. Sunday' ' |
17 November' ' |
1 December' ' |
1,457,000' ' | |||
Initial Collaborations
Blake and Lee first joined forces in 2003 on the Channel 31 sketch comedy Radio Karate, alongside Ryan Shelton and Tim Bartley. The following year, they came back together to co-host Seven Network’s variety show Hamish and Andy, considered a spiritual successor to Big Bite. Although the program developed a modest cult audience, it faced low viewership and was discontinued after only six episodes. In 2007, reruns aired on 7HD, preserving many of the original segments.
It was later revealed in 2020 that Seven Network had erased the initial recordings of Hamish and Andy to make way for Commonwealth Games broadcasts.
Rove and Guest Roles
In 2005, comedian Rove McManus invited them to create the satirical series Real Stories for Network Ten, which premiered in 2006. Between 2007 and 2009, they appeared every two weeks on Rove, participating in both live and pre-recorded segments. They hosted the Logie Awards ceremonies in 2007 and 2008, as well as opening the events in 2013 and 2014, in addition to hosting the ARIA Awards in 2008. Their television credits also include appearances on Joker Poker and Australia's Brainiest Comedian (both in 2005), Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? (2009), and Good News Week (2010). Internationally, they featured twice on The Jay Leno Show in 2009 and appeared on the UK’s The Graham Norton Show in June 2010. From 2009 onward, they made several appearances on The 7pm Project.
Network Ten Specials
Hamish & Andy have produced a number of clip show specials aired on Network Ten. The specials Hamish and Andy: Re-Gifted (2008) and its follow-up in 2009, co-produced with Roving Enterprises, showcased highlights from their biweekly segments on Rove. The 2010 Reministmas Special offered a review of their year's experiences, largely drawn from their radio broadcasts.
Their travel-themed specials include: Hamish & Andy's American Caravan of Courage (2009), which followed a two-week road trip across the United States; Hamish & Andy's Caravan of Courage: Great Britain and Ireland (2010), documenting their journey through the UK; and Learn India with Hamish & Andy, which aired just before the 2010 Commonwealth Games took place in Delhi.
Nine Network and Gap Year
In February 2011, the duo inked a two-year deal with the Nine Network to produce Hamish and Andy's Gap Year, which launched on 28 July 2011 to strong audience numbers. The series was extended with three additional seasons: Hamish & Andy's Euro Gap Year (2012), Hamish & Andy's Gap Year Asia (2013), and Hamish & Andy's Gap Year South America (2014).
In 2012, they delivered a fifth installment of their Caravan of Courage specials, presenting a comparison between Australia and New Zealand across two episodes running seventy-five minutes each.
By December 2016, they announced that 2017 would mark their final year on radio as they shifted focus entirely to television projects. They also revealed plans for a new show on Nine Network set for mid-2017. Audience contributions through "The Great Stories Project" provided material that became the foundation for their acclaimed TV series True Story with Hamish & Andy, which was renewed for a second season in 2018.
In 2019, they starred in a three-part series titled Hamish and Andy's “Perfect” Holiday, chronicling their travels throughout the United States and Canada.
Albums
| Album Title | Album Information | Highest Chart Positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | |||
| Unessential Listening |
|
4 |
|
| Celebrating 50 Glorious Years |
|
6 |
|
Other projects
In 2007, Hamish & Andy hosted the Australian segment of Live Earth and later took part in the Melbourne Sound Relief concert in 2009. They contributed to the E. J. Whitten Legends Game in both 2008 and 2009. Their satirical short film, The Greystone 2800, earned the top prize at the 2005 Melbourne Comedy Festival Short Film contest. Additionally, they served as hosts for FHM's Search for Australia's Funniest Man.
The pair made brief appearances on the soap opera Neighbours portraying radio hosts in a 2008 episode and had a cameo role in the 2010 short film IA: Interview Artist.
They have also featured on multiple Austereo radio broadcasts, occasionally substituting for leading personalities such as those on the Kyle & Jackie O Show, Matt & Jo Show, and Fifi and Jules.
Hamish & Andy organized "Australia's richest horse suit race" held in Wedderburn, Victoria, which drew an audience of around 7,000 people and included performances by themselves, Jessica Mauboy, and Birds of Tokyo.
In 2024, under the name "Hubbl & Andy," they appeared in television commercials promoting Hubbl, Foxtel's digital media player.
ARIA Music Awards
Since its inception in 1987 by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), the ARIA Music Awards have celebrated outstanding achievements and creativity within Australia's music industry.
| Year | Album | Category | Outcome | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Unessential Listening | Best Comedy Release | Template:Won | [1] |
| 2011 | Celebrating 50 Glorious Years | Best Comedy Release | Template:Won | [1] |