After four seasons, ABC TV show Hard Quiz is coming to an end.Host Tom Gleeson announced the sad news on Friday via Twitter, explaining that the series has left him with little time to focus on his live comedy career."This was not an easy decision to make," the comedian wrote to his 88.5k followers."The demands of hosting a show have meant I was unable to spend as much time as I would like to performing stand-up."
As it turns out, the entire saga is a stunt being pulled by Gleeson in a bid to score himself an elusive Gold Logie.The story began unravelling on Friday, when the ABC issued a statement in response to Tom’s, claiming they were just as miffed as anyone else.Things became much, much clearer yesterday when Gold Logie nominations were revealed, with Gleeson confirming he “sacked himself” and is now holding the show hostage until he wins the Gold Logie, after which the show will be released from his clutches and allowed to go back to air as normal.
In a shock twist for Australia’s television awards, the Logies, the comedian Tom Gleeson took home its top prize after mounting a campaign that relentlessly mocked it.Gleeson – who hosts the ABC comedy quiz show Hard Quiz, and appears on The Weekly – brought a glass of red wine to the podium at the end of the long ceremony, and admitted he had been “drinking heavily” throughout.“I have ruined the Logies, and it’s never going to happen again,” he declared cheerfully to the room of industry figures gathered at the Star Casino on the Gold Coast. “Our industry is dying, and I’m part of that!”
"We are going to record another 40 (episodes) at the end of the year; it's going to run all next year." "We will finally be on all year round, which is great."... Hard Quiz is one of the most successful programs on the ABC at the moment, Wednesday night's season premiere achieved an average national audience of 947,000. A move to airing the program throughout 2020 would provide the network with a much-needed ratings boost.Gleeson is the first ABC to personality to win a Gold Logie in 40 years. His acerbic style and quick wit proved upsetting for some of his fellow nominees, but ABC viewers love him.
