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Otago Daily Times

The ‘Odd Couple's' new era

Queenstown's 'Odd Couple' are back at it. Longtime local broadcasters Craig 'Ferg' Ferguson and Grant Stewart tomorrow launch their new podcast, 'Ferg and Grant, Rated FnG'. Ferguson admits he'd never contemplated a podcast before, and hasn't spent a huge amount of time listening to them, but when things changed for him last year many people encouraged him to have a crack at it. "I realised Grant ... needed to be a part of it, but I didn't think we could create what we did with The Odd Couple, because we'd be cancelled straight away," he laughs. The pair's long-running breakfast show on Q92FM was the brainchild of the late Chas Drader. "It was madness — it was radio, I think, like no one else could do. "I was the married man with two young kids, and he was the reprobate who was, and still is to this day, a teenager with incredible wit and creative skills." Ferguson and Stewart actually met "way back in the early days ... pouring grog at Skyline". "We used to do things behind the bar with broomsticks, and out on the dancefloor with [the late] Kevin Lynch when he was entertaining. "We just seemed to have those natural synergies that I thought was good for a breakfast show ... since then, we've remained really good mates. "We had a conversation [about a podcast], and as you can expect, he was dead keen. "We've just slowly put the pieces together and got ourselves to the point of having our first episode coming out [tomorrow]." It's new territory for both of them, particularly given they're recording from separate studios, Ferguson based in Queenstown and Stewart at his Pisa Moorings pad, and beaming in their guests. They're indebted to SB Technologies, a former Queenstown company now based in Dunedin, and their "very young producer", Charlotte. "We'll explain more about her as time marches on, but she's done an amazing job taking us old geriatrics into the modern technology world ... and she's got a role to play in each episode as well." Ferguson says their content will be king, with an overall aim of supporting the wider Central Otago communities, "in a modern world podcast". General feedback's inspired the direction of the podcast — "no clickbait", and positive stories. And while he reckons it'll take a little bit for the pair to get into their groove, just like The Odd Couple, they'll build as they go. "Who knows where it'll lead — it might be a fizzer," he quips. Or, it could be award-winning, though, as a promo on the website states, "we've won no awards". Ferguson's expecting to drop a new episode every week — people can stay informed via the Facebook page 'Rated FnG' or the Instagram page @rated-fng. The free podcast's available to listen to via Introducing The Yack Shack Two of Queenstown's verbal virtuosos are about to teach their tricks of the trade. Mic magician Craig 'Ferg' Ferguson, a longtime local broadcaster and Queenstown councillor, and chatter champion Brendan 'Quilly' Quill, a Colliers realtor and auctioneer, have spent years fronting various events all across the country. They're now combining forces for 'The Yack Shack', a six-week course designed to boost confidence in public speaking. Starting July 24, at Te Atamira, the course promises to help participants find their flow and learn how to run the show. Ferguson says the idea was sparked by a work colleague, who lacked confidence in public speaking. "I knew this one [to work with me] had to be Quilly. "We just feel we've got a lot to offer in making people feel comfortable about public speaking, and that can range from kids to school teachers, to real estate agents, to corporates, to people who want to stand up at their friend's wedding. "Yes, we do a lot together, but we attack our roles differently ... so it's sharing and trying to encourage people to have confidence." The total cost is $330, plus booking fee — to find out more, or book, see