Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont Spelling Bee Review | A Joy and Delight | 4.75/5

If you put your name in the title twice then you better be good. Guy Montgomery has been doing it for years, the name in the title thing and the comedy thing. What started as a breakout comedy success with two series on New Zealand commercial TV, then The ABC in Aussie, has now landed on BBC Three and iPlayer. Montgomery is a natural host, naturally funny, and pilot of a televisual joy machine on an upwards trajectory through world entertainment.

Spelling Bee is loved wherever it goes in a similar way to Taskmaster, a show it shares characteristics with. Both are a platform for comedians to showcase in a non-competitive way. Points are awarded but in in panel show tradition the worst that can is you have to wear a pointy hat. The winner stays on for the next episode sealed with the awarding of a novelty sized ticket. This is exploited more in the second series, but the joke may be on them.

In Montgomery’s own words Spelling Bee is meant to be “enjoyable to watch and irritating to take part in.” Traps are everywhere. Spelling tasks are silly, impossible, or both. Contestants could be asked to blindly select a hat from a giant top hat full of hats and spell that hat correctly. A wrong answer means spending the rest of the show weighed down by a medieval Italian war helmet. Or they have to identify and spell a demonstrated dance. You can ask for the dance’s name as a clue, but must then spell your answer while doing said dance.

The more convoluted the round is the funnier the results, and that is a very good sign. Because clues are designed to be jump offs for jokes rather than helpful a state of bafflement reigns among spellers. In the Alex Horne memorial role of awkward assistant Aaron Chen reaches brilliant new heights. Variously in the guise of policeman, librarian, seawater sommelier, historian, bookie, magician, post-match interviewer and more, his crafted child-like fumbling is obviously powered by a sharp comedy brain.

It plays perfectly opposite Montgomery who hams it up in full game show host mode. The only thing bigger than his tie and his grin is a shouting announcing introduction voice that would make Micheal McIntyre vibrate his hair off with envy. The 1970’s themed set in salmon pink and cheap wood panel brown and bad snow yellow with minimal screen use creates a timeless, warm feel, and even more room for jokes. Chens lounge singer outfit is worth watching for alone, not mentioning the props, or masterful foley work.

Before this Montgomery was best known for an award-winning film review podcast co-hosted with Tim Batt. The twist? The film never changes, so the depths of both content and sanity are plumbed. Spin-offs into method film reviewing and up-a-tree broadcasting followed, as well as founding the world’s first and only eternal podcast. Each American Thanksgiving they sit down to watch and discuss Paul Blart Mall Cop II, nominating a successor for the following year in the event their death.

Montgomery also has a bag full of prestigious antipodean TV and stand-up comedy awards. If its laughs you want his are safe hands. He’s one of those people who is charmingly funny, even while asking you to spell Triskaidekaphobia, in front of an audience, with deeply unhelpful hints. Despite their torment the contestants look to be having a brilliant time. Just on that basis the show could run and run. Tidying up the mock sponsor segment and entertainment would be absolute.