Andy Lee - Australian entertainment legend
Andy Lee is one half of the iconic comedy duo Hamish & Andy, the most successful drivetime radio show in Australian history. Andy has helped shaped the Australian media landscape through his inspiring positivity, work ethic and creativity.
Their successful format continues with their weekly podcast, Hamish & Andy Podcast.
Verbatim from the transcripts — each quote links to the moment.
“It's, it's a shame that, uh, those guys are the face of it all.”
“Well, it's Elton John. I put him on as I clean up the maggots. I put Elton John on.”
“We've only got one trick, um, and so I think we'll keep doing that, which is essentially trying to make each other laugh”
“If your goal is how can we make this show better How can we make it more interesting? Then your audience will build.”
“I feel like I'm more of a Mark Boris.”
“I was meant to parody these people and now I am one of them.”
“Yeah, if you're the face, yeah, of a failure, it's not even your idea, that is actually more, I reckon, more soul-destroying than if you never did it at all.”
“It's, it's, you learn far more from your failures than you do from your successes.”
Should a show aim to be broad/inclusive or niche and edgy?
Andy Lee was advised by a Nine TV executive to remember they are 'broadcasters, not narrowcasters' and to lean into broad, inclusive, family-friendly appeal rather than chasing edginess, which matched where the show naturally wanted to play.
Should guests be used to grow a podcast audience?
Don't add guests purely to boost numbers; only bring someone on if you're genuinely excited about them and can integrate them into the show's world rather than using them as a straight interview, since indiscriminate guest bookings can alienate loyal listeners.
How should a creative team handle underperforming staff or show elements?
Review every failure through the lens of 'what if it was our fault' — asking whether the team gave people a fair chance to succeed (enough briefing, time, or proper setup) before concluding someone just wasn't good, so mistakes aren't repeated.
What should a radio network CEO do to stay relevant in 2020?
Focus on shows with strong community connection and skew programming toward older demographics who still value live talkback radio, rather than treating programming as set-and-forget in a podcast/streaming competitive environment.
How should someone find a hobby as they get older?
Let the hobby come to you rather than forcing an identity around it — try things without announcing them to the world, and don't impulsively buy equipment before you've even tried the activity.
Andy explains how someone impersonated him by taking his Twitter handle while he used a different Instagram handle; after Twitter banned the impersonator, Andy was able to claim the handle and sync his social media identities.
Andy Lee recounts a rat dying inside the stone wall of his living room, leading to weeks of maggots emerging that he has to clean up by hand each morning, tracking counts like pandemic case numbers, while his partner Bec refuses to deal with it.
Andy describes how bringing in major celebrities like Coldplay, Taylor Swift, and Susan Sarandon in Gap Year's first season backfired, alienating core listeners, prompting them to drop guests entirely in season two to better ratings.
Andy describes a formal review process after Gap Year's first season where he and Hamish, with producers Ryan and Tim, listed every show element and employee and categorized them as keep, ditch, or maybe, taking responsibility for underperformance rather than just blaming staff.
Andy describes being sent a freezer full of Snickers ice creams after championing their relaunch, eating them heavily for about a year before having to get rid of the freezer, with Josh recalling a similar freezer at the radio station being emptied in a week.
Drawn from the episode transcripts.
Andy Lee estimates roughly 2,550 episodes across more than 20 years, including university radio, though exact university-era numbers are uncertain.
From episode 869→They found that bringing in big-name guests (like Coldplay or Taylor Swift on Gap Year) actually alienated part of their audience, who tune in specifically for Hamish and Andy; dropping guests entirely in one month coincided with their highest-ever download numbers.
From episode 869→He suggests leaning into older demographics who still value live talkback (citing 3AW's strong ratings during the pandemic) and focusing on building genuine community connection with audiences rather than treating programming as 'set and forget'.
From episode 869→Andy says he started Instagram as a joke, asking only for free stuff, and it escalated to receiving a 75-inch Samsung TV, golf clubs, and a new bed, leading him to feel conflicted about becoming the kind of influencer he originally set out to parody; he now donates unused items to the Royal Children's Hospital.
From episode 454→He advises just trying things rather than talking about them, working out what you stand for through doing, trying stuff when no one is watching, and learning more from failures than successes.
From episode 454→It stemmed from not loving how radio stations packaged/branded their show rather than a calculated business move; they asked to distance their branding from Fox FM and later Channel 9, and eventually acquired their own rights, which added creative control but also significant administrative and financial burden.
From episode 454→It's a game where they try to avoid outright lying in awkward social situations by saying technically true but evasive things — e.g., saying 'who doesn't love a good curry?' instead of admitting a bad meal, or saying they 'look forward to' seeing someone rather than confirming plans.
From episode 454→Mentioned on 22 episodes Andywasn’t on.
Mentioned as a keen golfer and as the owner of 0.2 Bitcoin stored on Jack Post's lost hardware wallet.
Hamish's long-time comedy and business partner in Hamish & Andy, discussed re: on-air chemistry and business sense.
Jess recalls Andy Lee and then-girlfriend Megan Gale visiting Bendigo and making local news.
Tommy and Josh discuss Andy Lee having had surgery for a growth, referenced in context of toilet habits.
Mentioned as having discussed with Max how Front Bar is handling no-audience production.
Every episode featuring Andy Lee on The Daily Talk Show.
Andy Lee joined Tommy Jackett and Josh Janssen on Episode 869 (30 September 2020) — "Andy Lee on Audience, Niches & Iterating". Andy Lee is back! We chat about how podcasting has impacted Hamish and Andy's relationship, Andy's love for golf, growing audiences, and the need to iterate to find something that works.
Andy Lee joined Tommy Jackett and Josh Janssen on Episode 454 (12 September 2019) — "Andy Lee On The Business Of Doing What You Love". Andy Lee - Australian entertainment legend Andy Lee is one half of the iconic comedy duo Hamish & Andy, the most successful drivetime radio show in Australian history. Andy has helped shaped the Australian media landscape through his inspiring positivity, work ethic and creativity. Their suc...
