Patriot Brains is a New Zealand comedy panel game show, airing on TVNZ 2 in New Zealand and SBS Viceland in Australia since April 2021.

Patriot Brains
GenreComedy panel game
Presented byBill Bailey (series 1)
Sue Perkins (series 2)
ComposerJames Dansey
Country of originNew Zealand
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes20
Production
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time44 minutes
Production companythedownlowconcept
Original release
NetworkTVNZ 2, SBS Viceland
Release7 April 2021 (2021-04-07) –
present

Premise

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The show, hosted by English comedian Bill Bailey in series 1 and Sue Perkins in series 2,[1][2] focuses on the trans-Tasman rivalry by pitting two teams of three comics from Australia and New Zealand against each other.[3][4][5] The host asks the teams a series of general knowledge questions about their respective countries from a revolving pool of categories.[6][7]

Production

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New Zealand production company thedownlowconcept produces the series, which receives funding from NZ On Air.[8]

Broadcast

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The first series of Patriot Brains aired in early 2021 in Australia and New Zealand, and the second series was broadcast in February 2023 in New Zealand.[citation needed]

Episodes

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Series 1

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No. in
series
Team AustraliaTeam New ZealandOriginal air date
1Mel Buttle, Rhys Nicholson, Tom BallardMelanie Bracewell, Guy Montgomery, Madeleine Sami7 April 2021 (2021-04-07) (NZ)
13 April 2021 (2021-04-13) (AU)
2Mel Buttle, Rhys Nicholson, Harley BreenHayley Sproull, Josh Thomson, Ray O'Leary14 April 2021 (2021-04-14) (NZ)
20 April 2021 (2021-04-20) (AU)
3Mel Buttle, Aaron Chen, Tom BallardMel Bracewell, Hayley Sproull, Josh Thomson21 April 2021 (2021-04-21) (NZ)
27 April 2021 (2021-04-27) (AU)
4Mel Buttle, Laura Davis, Aaron ChenMel Bracewell, Rhys Darby, Laura Daniel28 April 2021 (2021-04-28) (NZ)
4 May 2021 (2021-05-04) (AU)
5Mel Buttle, Aaron Chen, Tom BallardMel Bracewell, Kura Forrester, Ben Hurley5 May 2021 (2021-05-05) (NZ)
11 May 2021 (2021-05-11) (AU)
6Mel Buttle, Rhys Nicholson, Harley BreenMel Bracewell, Ben Hurley, Laura Daniel12 May 2021 (2021-05-12) (NZ)
18 May 2021 (2021-05-18) (AU)
7Mel Buttle, Harley Breen, Aaron ChenMel Bracewell, Guy Montgomery, James Nokise19 May 2021 (2021-05-19) (NZ)
25 May 2021 (2021-05-25) (AU)
8Mel Buttle, Tom Ballard, Laura DavisMel Bracewell, Pax Assadi, Justine Smith26 May 2021 (2021-05-26) (NZ)
1 June 2021 (2021-06-01) (AU)
9Mel Buttle, Laura Davis, Tom BallardMel Bracewell, Hayley Sproull, Josh Thomson2 June 2021 (2021-06-02) (NZ)
8 June 2021 (2021-06-08) (AU)
10Mel Buttle, Aaron Chen, Harley BreenMel Bracewell, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Ben Hurley9 June 2021 (2021-06-09) (NZ)
15 June 2021 (2021-06-15) (AU)
Note: Winners are listed in bold.

Series 2

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No. in
series
Team AustraliaTeam New ZealandOriginal air date
1Becky Lucas, Nath Valvo, Brett BlakeAngella Dravid, Josh Thomson, Guy Montgomery10 February 2023 (2023-02-10) (NZ)
14 June 2023 (2023-06-14) (AU)[1]
2Alex Ward, Luke McGregor, Brett BlakeDai Henwood, Ben Hurley, Hayley Sproull17 February 2023 (2023-02-17) (NZ)
3Becky Lucas, Nath Valvo, Brett BlakeUrzila Carlson, Hayley Sproull, Pax Assadi24 February 2023 (2023-02-24) (NZ)
4Nazeem Hussain, Alex Ward, Harley BreenJosh Thomson, Angella Dravid, Ben Hurley3 March 2023 (2023-03-03) (NZ)
5Becky Lucas, Nath Valvo, Heath FranklinBecky Umbers, Chris Parker, Guy Montgomery10 March 2023 (2023-03-10) (NZ)
6Becky Lucas, Suraj Kolarkar, Nazeem HussainHayley Sproull, Urzila Carlson, Josh Thomson17 March 2023 (2023-03-17) (NZ)
7Becky Lucas, Nazeem Hussain, Heath FranklinChris Parker, Urzila Carlson, Guy Montgomery24 March 2023 (2023-03-24) (NZ)
8Alex Ward, Luke McGregor, Brett BlakeJosh Thomson, Angella Dravid, Ben Hurley31 March 2023 (2023-03-31) (NZ)
9Luke McGregor, Alex Ward, Harley BreenRay O'Leary, Becky Umbers, Ben Hurley14 April 2023 (2023-04-14) (NZ)
10Luke McGregor, Alex Ward, Claire HooperRay O'Leary, Becky Umbers, Dai Henwood21 April 2023 (2023-04-21) (NZ)
Note: Winners are listed in bold.

References

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  1. ^ a b Low, Lenny Ann (22 March 2023). "'I failed my driving tests so many times': Sue Perkins goes from Bake Off to #vanlife". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  2. ^ "Review: Bill Bailey's talents are wasted, but Patriot Brains still brings the laughs". 7 April 2021.
  3. ^ Pobjie, Ben (7 April 2021). "Bill Bailey is 'qualified' to pit Aussies and Kiwis against each other". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  4. ^ "Bill Bailey on new Aussie-versus-Kiwi panel show 'Patriot Brains': "Comedy is in a good place"". 13 April 2021.
  5. ^ Parkes, Melenie (26 January 2023). "Sue Perkins takes over the reins of Patriot Brains". Stuff.
  6. ^ Bruce, Greg (4 February 2023). "Comedian Sue Perkins on the art of comedy, extreme anxiety and her new Kiwi show". NZ Herald.
  7. ^ Sowman-Lund, Stewart (10 February 2023). "'It's ruder, it's brasher': Why Sue Perkins loves New Zealand comedy". The Spinoff.
  8. ^ "Bill Bailey To Host TVNZ's Patriot Brains | Scoop News". scoop.co.nz.
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