Barnaby Flowers

Barnaby Flowers (also known as The Barnaby Flowers Collective) is the name given to a group of producers, directors and writers based in Melbourne, Australia. The Barnaby Flowers team has collaborated with RMITV on a number of television shows such as Barnaby Flowers Comeback Special and Barnaby Flowers A Time to Talk, both of which went to air on Channel 31 Melbourne in 2006 and Barnaby Flowers Bumper Bonanza airing live from July 2007.

It consists of Josh Mahoney, Dan Allemann, Alexander JE Bradley, Simon Godfrey and Jon Bennett. Allemann, Bradley and Mahoney are the producers and directors of the group, whilst Bennett and Godfrey perform and along with Allemann write for the collective.

History

The Barnaby Flowers team was founded when Josh Mahoney and Dan Allemann auditioned people for a new live television (then entitled Tonight Live). Out of over 100 people, Jon Bennett and Simon Godfrey were selected, along with Russ Healy, Kirsty McIntyre and Leni Mex. The group collaborated on the television show (later renamed Barnaby Flowers Comeback Special) and it went to air live on Channel 31 in February 2006.

The next project the group worked on was Barnaby Flowers A Time to Talk. Due to other commitments, Mahoney could not commit to producing the show, therefore Bradley volunteered to produce the show. Healy, McIntyre and Mex also had other commitments during this time period, leaving Bennett and Godfrey as the two lead performers. The show was a satirical mock interview show - a different format to the Comeback Special, and it went to air pre-taped in November 2006.

In between these periods, Allemann, Bennett and Godfrey also performed stand up comedy under the Barnaby Flowers banner.

Currently Allemann, Bennett, Bradley, Godfrey and Mahoney are working on a live television project entitled Barnaby Flowers Bumper Bonanza, which first aired on Channel 31 Melbourne on 14 July 2007.

Current members

*Dan Allemann: Producer and Director for Barnaby Flowers Comeback Special and Barnaby Flowers Bumper Bonanza and Co-Director of Barnaby Flowers A Time to Talk. He is currently studying Professional Writing at RMIT University.
*Jon Bennett: Performer for Barnaby Flowers Comeback Special and Barnaby Flowers Bumper Bonanza and Performer and Associate Producers for Barnaby Flowers A Time to Talk. He also performs as a comedian and MC locally and interstate.
*Alexander JE Bradley: Executive Producer for Barnaby Flowers A Time to Talk and Producer for Barnaby Flowers Bumper Bonanza. He currently operates "Bon Accord Images", his own wedding photography company as well as editing freelance on the side.
*Simon Godfrey: Performer for Barnaby Flowers Comeback Special and Barnaby Flowers Bumper Bonanza and Performer and Associate Producers for Barnaby Flowers A Time to Talk. He also performs as a comedian locally and interstate.
*Josh Mahoney: Executive Producer and Director for Barnaby Flowers Comeback Special and Barnaby Flowers Bumper Bonanza. He is currently studying Computer Science at RMIT University and is the General Manager of RMITV.

Past members

*Russ Healy: Performer for Barnaby Flowers Comeback Special
*Kirsty McIntyre: Performer for Barnaby Flowers Comeback Special
*Leni Mex: Performer for Barnaby Flowers Comeback Special
*Miranda Worthington: Producer and Assistant Director for Barnaby Flowers Comeback Special

Awards

*Barnaby Flowers Comeback Special was the winner of the “Best Live or Outside Broadcast” Antenna at the “2007 True Local Antenna Awards”
*Barnaby Flowers Comeback Special was nominated for “Best Drama” Antenna at the “2007 True Local Antenna Awards”
*Barnaby Flowers A Time to Talk was nominated for “Best Comedy” Antenna at the “2007 True Local Antenna Awards”
*Barnaby Flowers A Time to Talk was nominated for “Best Director” Antenna at the “2007 True Local Antenna Awards”
*Josh Mahoney on behalf of Barnaby Flowers Bumper Bonanza was the recipient of the “City of Melbourne 2007 Young Arts Grant”

Productions

Barnaby Flowers A Time to Talk is a half hour anarchic, mock talk/interview program that loosely satirizes talk shows such as "Parkinson" and "Enough Rope" brought to you by the mind of The Barnaby Flowers Collective. The show comprises interviews with fictional characters hosted by interviewer Jon Bennett. Each episode explores a theme, allowing Bennett to interview an array of absurd guests who relate to that theme, as well as unwittingly take part in a narrative within the show, which serves as a running gag, and book ends each episode. As Bennett attempts to probe into his guests lives, he is forced to match their wits and despite adversity, keep the show moving

Barnaby Flowers Comeback Special was a seven week live comedy show broadcast on Channel 31 in early 2006. The show featured sketches linked by a narrative, often based around a weekly theme such as crime,sports, and fear.

Barnaby Flowers Bumper Bonanza is a team of science fictional comic book characters. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they debuted in The Barnaby Flowers #1, published in September 1963. The Barnaby Flowers are fictitious mutants who, as a result of a sudden leap in evolution, are born with latent superhuman abilities which generally manifest themselves at puberty. In the stories, many ordinary humans harbor an intense fear and/or distrust of mutants (often referred to as Homo superior), who are regarded by a number of scientists as the next step in human evolution and are thus widely viewed as a threat to human society. The tensions are exacerbated by mutants who use their powers for criminal ends. The Barnaby Flowers alliance is formed by the benevolent Professor Charles Xavier, a.k.a. Professor X, a wealthy mutant who founds an academy to train young mutants to protect themselves and the world from Magneto, the Brotherhood of Mutants and other mutant threats.

The Barnaby Flowers comic book series was one of comicdom's earliest and most influential trendsetters in adopting a multicultural central cast; during the 1970s, the roster was diversified, adding characters from Germany, Ireland, Canada, the Soviet Union, Kenya and Japan. Characters representing many other ethnicities and cultural backgrounds have subsequently been added. The stories themselves often touch upon themes relating to the status of minorities, including assimilation, tolerance, and beliefs regarding a "superior race."

The Barnaby Flowers have expanded into film and television, including one of the most successful Saturday morning programs, Barnaby Flowers: The Animated Series and the hit Kids WB! animated series Barnaby Flowers Evolution. The year 2000 saw the successful debut of the Barnaby Flowers movie directed by Bryan Singer. Its sequel B2: Barnaby Flowers United was released in 2003, again directed by Singer, and a third Barnaby Flowers movie, Barnaby Flowers: The Last Stand, this time directed by Brett Ratner, was released May 26, 2006.

External links

* [http://www.barnabyflowers.com The Barnaby Flowers Website] Official Website
* [http://www.bumperbonanza.com Barnaby Flowers Bumper Bonanza] The website for their current production.
* [http://www.rmitv.org RMITV] The production house the group collaborates with.
* [http://www.channel31.org.au Channel 31] The station that Barnaby Flowers production have been aired on.