Latest news with #GreatAustralianRoadTrips
Sydney Morning Herald
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
How Nazeem Hussain and Melissa Leong turned ‘hot girl walks' into a TV road trip
While comedian Nazeem Hussain says almost all the locals were incredibly friendly as he travelled around with food critic Melissa Leong on their new television series, Great Australian Road Trips, there was one exception – an alpaca in Tasmania. 'People really just welcomed us with open arms, except for this damn alpaca,' Hussain says. 'Mel was like, come feed it. Maybe I was trepidatious, but the alpaca punished me for it by spitting directly in my eye. There was a time when I was considering veganism – never again. I am now on an exclusively alpaca diet. Alpaca on toast. Alpaca stew.' It was just one of many adventures they had during the making of the new six-episode docuseries, where Hussain and Leong go on three epic road trips, visiting the Red Centre Way, the Top End and Tasmania. Actor Claudia Karvan and comedian Steph Tisdell also appear as the other driving duo hopping behind the wheel in the remaining episodes. Leong says she and Hussain first met when she was doing the promo rounds after being announced as one of the new judges on MasterChef Australia. Their friendship deepened when they went on 'hot girl walks' during the pandemic. 'We've been friends for years,' Leong says. 'We've been trying to find the right, excuse the pun, vehicle for us to do something professionally. Then this came along, and I said: could I throw Nazeem's hat in the ring? Together we're quite diverse, and why not give us the opportunity to lead a couple of episodes where you have an Asian person and a brown person literally in the driver's seat meeting different parts of Australia.' While Hussain has toured many regional towns in his comedy career, he hadn't had the chance to explore those areas in depth. A self-described 'city slicker', he said the experience opened his eyes to the joy of the humble road trip. 'I would never have normally chosen to go to the places that we went. I'm a tech head. I love all my devices and crowded places with people. Getting out and about in non-built-up Australia was out of my comfort zone, but I now understand why people do road trips. Planes take you over, cars take you through. It's the best way to see Australia. It's good for the soul. It's like therapy, except there are kangaroos and red rocks along the way.' The pair share an easy camaraderie on the show, with the camera privy to the many hours they spent driving between destinations, bantering. On the road Hussain was the DJ, spinning Destiny's Child, Public Enemy and even some ABBA, while Leong had strong opinions about the best car snacks – carrots, cherry tomatoes, and of course, lollies are among her picks. More unexpectedly, Hussain says he was the 'granny' driver between them, while Leong leant more towards, in his words, a 'hoon'.
The Age
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
How Nazeem Hussain and Melissa Leong turned ‘hot girl walks' into a TV road trip
While comedian Nazeem Hussain says almost all the locals were incredibly friendly as he travelled around with food critic Melissa Leong on their new television series, Great Australian Road Trips, there was one exception – an alpaca in Tasmania. 'People really just welcomed us with open arms, except for this damn alpaca,' Hussain says. 'Mel was like, come feed it. Maybe I was trepidatious, but the alpaca punished me for it by spitting directly in my eye. There was a time when I was considering veganism – never again. I am now on an exclusively alpaca diet. Alpaca on toast. Alpaca stew.' It was just one of many adventures they had during the making of the new six-episode docuseries, where Hussain and Leong go on three epic road trips, visiting the Red Centre Way, the Top End and Tasmania. Actor Claudia Karvan and comedian Steph Tisdell also appear as the other driving duo hopping behind the wheel in the remaining episodes. Leong says she and Hussain first met when she was doing the promo rounds after being announced as one of the new judges on MasterChef Australia. Their friendship deepened when they went on 'hot girl walks' during the pandemic. 'We've been friends for years,' Leong says. 'We've been trying to find the right, excuse the pun, vehicle for us to do something professionally. Then this came along, and I said: could I throw Nazeem's hat in the ring? Together we're quite diverse, and why not give us the opportunity to lead a couple of episodes where you have an Asian person and a brown person literally in the driver's seat meeting different parts of Australia.' While Hussain has toured many regional towns in his comedy career, he hadn't had the chance to explore those areas in depth. A self-described 'city slicker', he said the experience opened his eyes to the joy of the humble road trip. 'I would never have normally chosen to go to the places that we went. I'm a tech head. I love all my devices and crowded places with people. Getting out and about in non-built-up Australia was out of my comfort zone, but I now understand why people do road trips. Planes take you over, cars take you through. It's the best way to see Australia. It's good for the soul. It's like therapy, except there are kangaroos and red rocks along the way.' The pair share an easy camaraderie on the show, with the camera privy to the many hours they spent driving between destinations, bantering. On the road Hussain was the DJ, spinning Destiny's Child, Public Enemy and even some ABBA, while Leong had strong opinions about the best car snacks – carrots, cherry tomatoes, and of course, lollies are among her picks. More unexpectedly, Hussain says he was the 'granny' driver between them, while Leong leant more towards, in his words, a 'hoon'.
SBS Australia
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
Buckle up for Great Australian Road Trips launching 31 July on SBS and SBS On Demand
Buckle up for Great Australian Road Trips launching 31 July on SBS and SBS On Demand **Interviews available** First look video HERE Images and host bios HERE Premiering 31 July, the SBS documentary series Great Australian Road Trips puts Claudia Karvan, Melissa Leong, Nazeem Hussain and Steph Tisdell in the driver's seat, taking viewers on six epic journeys celebrating the country's natural beauty and cultural treasures. From the dirt tracks of the Red Centre Way in the Northern Territory to the Great Barrier Reef Drive in northern Queensland, Kangaroo Island in South Australia to the waterfalls and windswept beauty of Tasmania's western coast, iconic Grand Pacific Drive south of Sydney to the nerve-jangling drive across the East Alligator River, this is the ultimate open road enthusiast's guide to Australia. New episodes will premiere Thursdays, at 7.30pm on SBS and be added weekly to stream free on SBS On Demand. Actor/producer Claudia Karvan and writer/performer Steph Tisdell are one driving duo and food critic/writer Melissa Leong and comedian/writer Nazeem Hussain are the other. Each episode focuses on a driving adventure with one pair. While the destinations are majestic, the real joy for viewers is coming along for the ride to experience the camaraderie and confessions in the car, the people on the road and the stories they share. The six-episode series is a Mint Pictures production for SBS. Principal production funding by Screen NSW and post produced in NSW, with the assistance of the NSW Government. SBS Senior Commissioning Editor for Factual Bernadine Lim said: ' Great Australian Road Trips is a distinctively SBS adventure: discovering spectacular landscapes across our great country while exploring history and culture. Presenters Claudia, Melissa, Nazeem and Steph boldly hit the highways and some less beaten tracks, sharing their genuine friendships and authentic experiences connecting with First Nations' knowledge and multicultural perspectives in every episode of this inspirational series.' Mint Productions Creative Director and Great Australian Road Trips Executive Producer Dan Goldberg said: 'Aside from the spectacular visuals from across six diverse corners of Australia, the secret sauce in this series is that viewers will feel they're riding in the back seat of these two cars, eavesdropping in on the candid, funny and illuminating chit-chat between these two sets of mates.' The Great Australian Road Trips adventures are: Episode 1: Red Centre Way Mel introduces Naz to the magic and mystique of the Aussie outback on the iconic Red Centre Way from Alice Springs to Kings Canyon. Episode 2: Great Barrier Reef Drive Steph takes Claudia to her Country – on an iconic road trip through Far North Queensland from the Atherton Tablelands to the Daintree Rainforest. Episode 3: Wild West Coast Mel takes Naz to Tasmania to experience the wild West Coast, from the mining town of Queenstown to pristine wilderness of Cradle Mountain. Episode 4: Adelaide to Kangaroo Island Steph and Claudia embark on a vibrant road trip from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island, uncovering the heart and soul of South Australia through its people, landscapes and stories. Episode 5: The Top End Naz takes Mel on a wild ride from Darwin to Arnhem Land, a roadie that's been on Naz's bucket list for years. Episode 6: Grand Pacific Drive Claudia is in the driver's seat for this New South Wales adventure from Sydney to Jervis Bay via the Royal National Park, over the famous Sea Cliff Bridge and the quaint town of Berry. Episodes will be available to stream on SBS On Demand with subtitles in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean. All episodes will also be available on SBS On Demand with audio description. Great Australian Road Trips launches 31 July on SBS and SBS On Demand, with new episodes weekly on Thursdays at 7.30pm. For a PDF of this media release click HERE
SBS Australia
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
Claudia Karvan, Melissa Leong, Nazeem Hussain and Steph Tisdell hit the road in new docuseries
Premiering 31 July, the SBS Original documentary series Great Australian Road Trips puts Claudia Karvan, Melissa Leong, Nazeem Hussain and Steph Tisdell in the driver's seat, taking viewers on six epic journeys celebrating the country's natural beauty and cultural treasures. From the dirt tracks of the Red Centre Way in the Northern Territory to the Great Barrier Reef Drive in northern Queensland, Kangaroo Island in South Australia to the waterfalls and windswept beauty of Tasmania's western coast, iconic Grand Pacific Drive south of Sydney to the nerve-jangling drive across the East Alligator River, this is the ultimate open road enthusiast's guide to Australia. New episodes will premiere Thursdays, at 7.30pm on SBS and be available to stream free on SBS On Demand . Actor/ producer Claudia Karvan and writer/ performer Steph Tisdell are one driving duo and food critic Melissa Leong and comedian Nazeem Hussain are the other. Each episode focuses on a driving adventure with one pair. While the destinations are majestic, the real joy for viewers is coming along for the ride to experience the camaraderie and confessions in the car, the people on the road and the stories they share. The six-episode series is a Mint Pictures production for SBS. Financed with the assistance of Screen NSW and post produced in NSW, with the assistance of the NSW Government. The Great Australian Road Trip adventures are: Episode 1: Red Centre Way Mel introduces Naz to the magic and mystique of the Aussie outback on the iconic Red Centre Way from Alice Springs to Kings Canyon. Episode 2: Great Barrier Reef Drive Steph takes Claudia to her Country – on an iconic road trip through Far North Queensland from the Atherton Tablelands to the Daintree Rainforest. Episode 3: Wild West Coast Mel takes Naz to Tasmania to experience the wild West Coast, from the mining town of Queenstown to pristine wilderness of Cradle Mountain. Episode 4: Adelaide to Kangaroo Island Steph and Claudia embark on a vibrant road trip from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island, uncovering the heart and soul of South Australia through its people, and stories. Episode 5: The Top End Naz takes Mel on a wild ride from Darwin to Arnhem Land, a roadie been on Naz's bucket list for years. Episode 6: Grand Pacific Drive Claudia is in the driver's seat for this New South Wales adventure from Sydney to Jervis Bay via the Royal National Park, over the famous Seacliff Bridge and the quaint town of Berry. Episodes will be available to stream on SBS On Demand with subtitles in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean. All episodes will also be available on SBS On Demand with audio description. Great Australian Road Trips launches 31 July on SBS and SBS On Demand, with new episodes weekly on Thursdays at 7.30pm.
