Yeah Nah!

Firstly, to explain the title. If you’re Australian you’ll get it and if not, there is a chance you know it because you know an Aussie, or it is just there tickling the back of your mind and you’re not sure why.

As Aussie colloquialisms go, I don’t think ‘Yeah Nah’ is very old. I’m guessing it started in the 80’s or 90’s, maybe early 2000’s but it has really become part of our language now. There are T-shirts and bumper stickers and there is a road safety ad that uses it to highlight risky driving habits. It usually gets brought out when someone is about to do something stupid. “Hey fellas, do ya reckon I could make the pool, if I jumped from the roof?” Yeah Nah would be the appropriate response. It’s a win win as far as the spectators go.

Second, apparently there are 600 ‘big things’ around Australia, like the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour NSW (shown above), or the Big Pineapple in Queensland. I found a travel website that lists them, most with photos, and while there are some massive structures that you can enter, others are quite disappointing, so it is less important which giant things are found, more about how weird or even relevant they are to the region they represent.

The pitch:

The show is centred around two young Aussie blokes, Tommo and Dylan, with big plans and no clue. They’ve just finished high school and are taking some time to travel, before they go off to become adults, whatever that is.

I think one of the boys should have Aboriginal heritage as this would bring more depth to the stories as they travel.

What could go wrong! They have their 'Responsible Service of Alcohol' certificates, they’ve done a barista course, savings from their shifts at McDonalds and some cash their jealous dads tossed them, a beat-up 1997 Mitsubishi Express van, (one of the most reliable cars I’ve ever owned), and a naïve belief that everything will be so easy. It’s not like they have to learn another language.

It begins in Tasmania, where the two young larrikins are from. They start travelling around Australia, aiming for as many giant icons in the various states and territories, and there are 600 around Australia.

In their travels they have to find work to pay their way, and when they find a ‘giant thing’, they dare each other to complete a task. A win is a ‘Yeah’, a loss is a ‘Nah’, with a record kept on the back door of the van.

While this is an important premise to the show and every effort should be made to do a ‘Yeah Nah’ dare each episode, I believe the interaction between the people they encounter will be what ultimately makes it interesting. We Aussies are funny bastards.

Being young Aussies, they are easily tempted by anything fun, and daily hangovers or walks of shame are the norm. There is a lot of work in regional Australia for backpackers and the like and just finding jobs and meeting new characters could make up a lot of the storylines. There will be love and loss, new friends and the odd tense moment that they talk themselves out of; after all, they are lovers not fighters.

The first episode would have to start in the driveway of one of their homes, two mothers crying over losing their baby boys to a crocodile in Far North Queensland, two dads betting that the van won’t make it to the mainland.

Of course, through the passage of the farewell conversation, the basic plot will be divulged to the viewer. In their hometown of Penguin, is the big penguin and in Devonport, where the Spirit of Tasmania will help them escape their island state, is a big bike. These would be obvious choices for a montage to start the journey.

The great thing about this as a road trip comedy series is that it would be an easy sell for tourism, as the various government tourism bodies would be excited to be part of something that promotes their regions, and as the vast majority of these things are in regional or country areas, it would showcase the natural beauty of our magnificent land and give an insight into country living Aussie style.

Think Home and Away, but funny.

Finally, as a multiculturally diverse country, there will be a great variance in the characters they meet, whether it be local indigenous people or those with family origins from other countries, these regional areas have their own unique character because of the different people who live there and what their heritage brings.