Australian comedian Sam Campbell, known for his subversive stand-up and appearances on Taskmaster and Last One Laughing, has been given his own Channel 4 sitcom, Make That Movie. The show is a bizarre meta-comedy in which Campbell plays a pompous director who turns public film ideas into reality, all within the framework of a shonky reality programme. Each episode ends with a premiere of the resulting film, which might involve, for example, a couple who cannot both be snakes at the same time.
Campbell says the production company was very hands-off, partly because they were busy with an animated Ricky Gervais series about cats. Channel 4's head of comedy, Charlie Perkins, was trusting, though Campbell doubts she fully understood the concept initially. Even co-star Lara Ricote, who plays Campbell's assistant Jess, admits she didn't really get the script at first but trusted Campbell's comedic instincts.
The 34-year-old has become a standout on the UK comedy circuit since moving from Australia in the early 2020s. His stand-up style, which swings between hammy overacting and childish belligerence, won him the Edinburgh comedy award in 2022. He followed this with a triumphant stint on Taskmaster and appearances on panel shows like Would I Lie to You? and QI, where he once asked host Sandi Toksvig if it was possible to ride on the back of a whale's sperm.
His most high-profile role to date was on this year's Last One Laughing UK, where his deadpan manner and bizarre antics—such as impersonating a duck and playing a vicar's pet bird—made him a leftfield presence. Producers eventually had to change the rules because no one could make Campbell crack; he lost to David Mitchell only because he made marginally fewer other contestants laugh.
In real life, Campbell remains relatively poker-faced, though he admits to being 'zonked' after filming back-to-back episodes of an Australian panel show. He is currently on a break at his parents' house in Tasmania, reading Ben Lerner's novel Transcription.
