“I thought you needed a morale boost”: Tom Gleeson’s rough review for The Project
Tom Gleeson has built a name for himself with his particular brand of comedy - sarcastic and dry, it’s a rare sight to behold when a sincere moment breaks through.
But that’s exactly what happened when the stand-up comedian and host of Taskmaster Australia stopped by The Project for a chat, surprising everyone when he seized an opportunity to sing his praises for the show’s new line-up.
“It's no surprise that he [Tom] finds it very weird to be nice,” The Project’s official Twitter account wrote when sharing a clip of his segment, “and he tried it on us.”
“I like making fun of comedians, that’s always a treat. But I can be nice as well,” Tom began, “but it’s off-putting. Would you like to see me be nice?”
The panel were eager to accept the unexpected offer, with Tom then informing them, “it’s weird, I’m loving the new Project. It’s great! I love it.”
When one remarked that it “still sounded mean”, Tom agreed that it didn’t sound right, and decided the next best thing was to compliment them all.
“What’s not to like about this show?” he asked. “We’ve got Liz, you know, a legend of Australian sports. Sarah Harris who’s a natural on camera, I’ve always loved you since I saw you on Studio 10. We’ve got Waleed, an intellectual with - you know - political opinions that are hard to pin down. We’ve got Sam who’s the best comedian of his generation - I’ve seen his act, it’s amazing.”
This time, the panel believed him, gushing over the nice words to a round of applause from the live studio audience.
Tom again admitted that it was weird for him, and when he was asked if it was bad for his reputation to say such things, he said, “well, to be honest, I only said it ‘cause I’ve seen your ratings and I thought you needed a morale boost.”
Thankfully, the hosts - and the audience - saw the funny side, bursting into laughter while Tom declared that it felt better to be “back to normal.”
.@NonStopTom holds two of the meanest positions on TV, Hard Quizmaster and Taskmaster, so it's no surprise that he finds it very weird to be nice… and he tried it on us.#TheProjectTV pic.twitter.com/5DL5FCj9vQ
— The Project (@theprojecttv) March 15, 2023
However, the new ‘normal’ for The Project drives Tom’s joke a little too close to home. Over the course of a year, the talk show’s broadcast audience numbers have seen a sizeable drop - almost 100,000 down.
While shows across multiple Australian networks have been hit with a viewership slump, The Project’s coincides with the departure of hosts Carrie Bickmore, Peter Helliar, and Lisa Wilkinson.
It was only in 2023 that the show locked in the new line-up of Waleed Aly, Sarah Harris, Georgie Tunny, Michael Hing, Sam Taunton, and Hamish MacDonald.
A panel that Tom Gleeson, at least, is a fan of.
Images: Channel 10