Australian comedian Chris Lilley is a player. Premiering Sunday, April 4 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on The Comedy Network, WE CAN BE HEROES sees Lilley portraying five extraordinary Australians, all vying for the real-life Australian of the Year prize. This hilarious, six-part mockumentary follows the daily lives of nominees Pat, Ricky, Phil, Ja’mie and Daniel. Each episode reveals their…er…unique contributions to their nation as they strive for fame, glory and honour. WE CAN BE HEROES is the prelude series to the cult hit comedy SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH, also coming exclusively to The Comedy Network and premiering May 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
As portrayed by Lilley, WE CAN BE HEROES’ five “heroes” are from different parts of Australia and represent the full spectrum of Australian society: young and old; male and female; urban and rural; native and emigrant.
Full nominee CVs and full episodes of WE CAN BE HEROES are available exclusively on thecomedynetwork.ca.
Meet the Nominees
Daniel SimsNAME: Daniel Sims
AGE: 17
LOCATION: Dunt, South Australia
NOMINATED FOR: Daniel generously donated his eardrum to his hearing impaired twin brother in a world first transplant operation.
AMBITION: Professional rapper or sheep farmer
BEST QUOTE: “Chicks are more attracted to blokes with spastic qualities.”
NAME: Ja’mie King (pronounced Ja-May)
AGE: 16
LOCATION: Sydney, New South Wales
NOMINATED FOR: Ja’mie holds the national record for sponsoring 85 Sudanese children. She does the 40 Hour Famine every week to raise money.
AMBITION: United Nations Ambassador or International Supermodel
BEST QUOTE: “Two weeks without food keeps me looking hot.”
NAME: Pat Mullins
AGE: 47
LOCATION: Perth, Western Australia
NOMINATED FOR: Pioneering the sport of rolling on her side, and completing a record breaking roll from Perth to Fremantle.
AMBITION: Pat was born with a disability. One of her legs is shorter than the other. As a result, she developed the ability to roll on her side at incredible speeds. Hence, her ambition is to roll on her side from Perth to Uluru.
BEST QUOTE: “Yes I’m disabled…but I can roll.”
NAME: Phil Olivetti
AGE: 37
LOCATION: Brisbane, Queensland
NOMINATED FOR: Phil put his life on the line when he bravely rescued nine children from an unsecured jumping castle which blew into overhead power lines.
AMBITION: Using my experience of survival and bravery to inspire others through motivational speaking and a range of merchandise.
BEST QUOTE: “I laughed at the suggestion when I nominated myself.”
NAME: Ricky Wong
AGE: 23
LOCATION: Melbourne, Victoria
NOMINATED FOR: Ricky received international acclaim for developing a high efficiency solar panel.
AMBITION: Physicist or film actor
BEST QUOTE: “I don’t know where my talent came from. My dad sometimes whistles, but that’s about it.”
Chris Lilley began as a stand-up comedian in Sydney. It was there that he developed his skills as a character writer and performer. Lilley joined the cast of the Seven Network sketch comedy series BIG BITE and Hamish and Andy, garnering a following for its regular characters Extreme Darren, the teenage extreme sports enthusiast, and Mr G, the deluded high school drama teacher. Lilley is the creator and writer of WE CAN BE HEROES and SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH.