Double Take is an Australian sketch comedy

Sketch comedy

A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...

 series which premiered on the Seven Network

Seven Network

The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...

 on 23 July 2009. The first series of the show ended in 24 September 2009.

Cast

• Paul McCarthy
  Paul McCarthy (Australian actor)
  Paul McCarthy is an Australian comedy actor. He is best known for sketch comedy television series Comedy Inc.-Career:...
  
  
• Helen Dallimore
  Helen Dallimore
  Helen Dallimore is an Australian actress, known for originating the role of Glinda in the West End production of Wicked.-Background:...
  
  
• Amanda Bishop
  Amanda Bishop
  Amanda Diana Bishop is an Australian actress, singer and comedian, known for her role as Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in the television comedies At Home with Julia and Double Take....
  
  
• Darren Weller
• Robin Goldsworthy
• Hollie Andrew
  Hollie Andrew
  Hollie Andrew is an Australian actress.- Career :Andrew starred with Abbie Cornish and Sam Worthington in the AFI Award winning Somersault where Andrew herself was nominated for an AFI as best supporting actress in her role as Bianca in [2004]...
  
  
• Guy Edmonds
  Guy Edmonds
  Guy Edmonds is an Australian born stage and film actor. He is best known for his work on such programmes as Home and Away, All Saints and Double Take, and on stage in the world premiere productions of Holding the Man and Toy Symphony.-Biography:...
  
  

Format

Double Take involves the presentation of a variety of skits, parodying famous people and television shows. Instead of fewer, longer sketches, episodes are usually structured to include many skits with longer sketches broken up into segments often concluding after a second or third run.

Impersonations

McCarthy	Dallimore	Bishop	Weller	Goldsworthy	Andrew	Edmonds
*Kevin Rudd Kevin Rudd Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010... *David Koch David Koch David Koch is the name of:*David H. Koch , United States businessman and 1980 U.S. Libertarian Party Vice Presidential candidate*David Koch , Australian television personality... *Bernie Fraser Brad McEwan Brad McEwan Brad McEwan is an Australian television personality and sports journalist.McEwan is currently sports presenter on Sydney's Ten News at Five and probably best known for his hosting duties on Network Ten's Sports Tonight.... *Bert Newton Bert Newton Albert Watson "Bert" Newton, AM, MBE is an Australian television personality, known for hosting television series such as In Melbourne Tonight, Good Morning Australia and 20 to 1. Newton has also hosted the Logie Awards on numerous occasions through his career.-Early life:Newton was born in... *Woody Allen Woody Allen Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema... *Prince Phillip *John Howard John Howard John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies.... *Wayne Swan Wayne Swan Wayne Maxwell Swan is the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1993 to 1996, and then re elected in 1998 till today , representing the Division of Lilley, QLD... *Dalai Lama Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"... *Peter Costello Peter Costello Peter Howard Costello AC is an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the Treasurer in the Australian government from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving Treasurer in Australian history. Costello was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1990 to 2009, representing... *Greg Dee *Rove McManus Rove McManus John Henry Michael "Rove" McManus is an Australian comedian, television presenter, producer and media personality. He was the host of the self-titled variety show Rove, and is the owner of the production company Roving Enterprises... *Bob Hawke Bob Hawke Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....	*Natalie Bassingthwaite *Melissa Doyle Melissa Doyle Melissa Jane Doyle is an Australian television personality.Doyle is currently co-host of the Seven Network's Sunrise, The Zoo and Where Are They Now.-Early career:... *Ajay Rochester *Britney Spears Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album... *Kerri-Anne Kennerley Kerri-Anne Kennerley Kerri-Anne Wright Kennerley is an Australian television personality. She is one of Australia's most seasoned light entertainment hosts... *Kim McCosker *Uma Thurman Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill... *Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie is an American actress. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and was named Hollywood's highest-paid actress by Forbes in 2009 and 2011. Jolie is noted for promoting humanitarian causes as a Goodwill Ambassador for the... *Nicole Kidman Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm... *Judi Dench Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo... (unaired) *Margaret Pomeranz Margaret Pomeranz Margaret Pomeranz AM is an Australian film critic and television personality.-Early life:Pomeranz was born in 1944 in Waverley, a suburb of Sydney, and was educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney in Croydon, the then newly opened Macquarie University, and the Playwright's Studio at...	*Kerry Armstrong Kerry Armstrong Kerry Michelle Armstrong is an Australian actress on film, television, and stage. She is one of only two actresses to win two Australian Film Institute Awards in the same year... *Julia Gillard Julia Gillard Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved... *Roslyn Packer *Tracy Grimshaw Tracy Grimshaw Tracy Grimshaw is an Australian journalist and television presenter. She is currently the host of A Current Affair, and was a co-host of Today for nine years.-Career:... Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker is an American film, television, and theater actress and producer.She is best known for her leading role as Carrie Bradshaw on the HBO television series Sex and the City , for which she won four Golden Globe Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Emmy Awards... *Kate Miller-Heidke Kate Miller-Heidke Kate Miller-Heidke is a singer-songwriter from Brisbane, Australia. Although classically trained, she has followed a career in alternative pop music. She is signed to Sony Australia, Epic in the US and RCA in the UK.-Career:... *Amy Winehouse Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize... *Bonnie Lythgoe Bonnie Lythgoe Bonnie Lythgoe is a former British dancer who, since the 1990s and 2000s, has been the producer and director of various theatre productions, including pantomimes.... *Rachael Bermingham Rachael Bermingham Rachael Bermingham is an Australian author, speaker, mentor and TV personality.Rachael has written 7 bestselling books since 2006... *Queen Elizabeth II *Gabriella Cilmi Gabriella Cilmi Gabriella Lucia Cilmi is an Australian singer-songwriter. In 2008, Cilmi was awarded six ARIA awards including Single of the Year and Best Female Artist....	*James Packer James Packer James Douglas Packer is an Australian businessman.Packer is the son of the late media mogul Kerry Packer and grandson of Frank Packer. He inherited the family company, Consolidated Press Holdings Limited, which controls investments in Crown Limited, Consolidated Media Holdings and other companies... *Peter Garrett Peter Garrett Peter Robert Garrett, AM, MP , is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and politician.Garrett was lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil from 1973 until its disbanding in 2002... *Kid Rock Kid Rock Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations... *Jason Coleman *Daniel Craig Daniel Craig Daniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor. His early film roles include Elizabeth, The Power of One, A Kid in King Arthur's Court and the television episodes Sharpe's Eagle, Zorro and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Daredevils of the Desert... *Sam Newman Sam Newman John Noel William "Sam" Newman is a retired Australian rules football player and current television personality. He is a featured presenter on the AFL version of The Footy Show.-VFL career:... *Prince Charles *Andrew O'Keefe Andrew O'Keefe Andrew Patrick O'Keefe is an Australian entertainer, best known for being the host of the hit game-show Deal or No Deal. He is also the co-host of Weekend Sunrise.... *Tony Jones Tony Jones (news journalist) Anthony William Jones, known as Tony Jones, is a Walkley Award-winning Australian television journalist.-Early life:Jones attended Newington College and the University of Sydney as a resident of St Paul's College.-Career:... *Richie Benaud Richie Benaud Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....	*Chris Martin Chris Martin Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin is an English song-writer, who is the lead vocalist, pianist and rhythm guitarist of the band Coldplay. He is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow.-Early life:... *Julie Bishop Julie Bishop Julie Isabel Bishop is an Australian politician and the current Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of Australia. She holds this title as the deputy leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. She is the party's first female Deputy Leader and the third woman in Australian history to... *Anthony Hopkins Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television... *Dustin Hoffman Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters.... *Prince Harry *Jules Lund Jules Lund Jules Lund is an Australian television presenter from Melbourne. He attended De La Salle College MalvernLund's career began when he won the FOX FM's "15 Minutes of Fame" competition on radio in the early 2000s... *Brad Pitt Brad Pitt William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one... *Ricky Ponting Ricky Ponting Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very... *Paul McDermott Paul McDermott (comedian) Paul McDermott is an Australian comedian, actor, writer, director, singer, artist and television host. He currently hosts the satirical news-based 'Good News World' a follow up to quiz show Good News Week which airs in Australia on Network Ten... *Kerry O'Brien Shannon Noll Shannon Noll Shannon Noll first came to prominence as runner-up of the first series of Australian Idol which led to him being signed to Sony BMG. Since then he has released five Top 10 albums and ten Top 10 singles. His first two albums That's What I'm Talking About in 2004 and Lift in 2005 debuted at No...	*The Veronicas The Veronicas The Veronicas are an Australian electrorock, pop-punk and rock band. Twin sisters Jessica and Lisa Origliasso formed the band in 1999 in Brisbane. They have their own line of clothing which was released in 2007.... *Beyonce *Katie Holmes Katie Holmes Katherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her movie roles have included the blockbuster Batman Begins along with art house films such as The Ice Storm and thrillers...	*Osama Bin Laden Osama bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets... *John Travolta John Travolta John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease... *Caleb Followill *Andrew Symonds Andrew Symonds Andrew Symonds is a former Australian cricket team all-rounder. A two-time World Cup winner, Symonds is a right-handed middle order batsman and alternates between medium pace and off-spin bowling.... (unaired) *David Stratton David Stratton David James Stratton is an English- Australian film critic and television personality.-Life and career:Born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England in 1939, Stratton was sent to Hampshire to see out the war years with his grandmother, an avid filmgoer, where he was taken to the local cinemas regularly... *Richard McLelland *James Dibble James Dibble James Edward Dibble AM MBE was an Australian television presenter, best known as the presenter of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Sydney news, reading the first news bulletin in 1956, and remaining with the ABC for 27 years up until his retirement in 1983.-Career:Dibble joined the ABC...

Notable programs

Double Take features original skits, parodies of other television programmes and films

There are parodied of Community Television's Channel 31 or many TV shows on other networks (such as Channel 7, 9, 10, SBS and the ABC). as well as Various sport coverage or news bulletin. with also from Australian films to classic movies.

Reception

The debut episode of Double Take rated reasonably well, attracting an audience of 1.084 million people and winning the night among the coveted 25-54 year old viewers' demographic. Subsequent ratings varied wildly between as many as 1,000,000 and as few as 400,000 viewers, although the show remained very popular among younger viewers throughout its run.

Surprisingly, for a sketch comedy show (typically regarded by critics as a 'low art'), Double Take was well received by reviewers writing for Australia's major broadsheet newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald

The Sydney Morning Herald

The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...

, The Age

The Age

The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...

 and The Australian

The Australian

The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....

, while earning negative criticism only from the more tabloid Daily Telegraph.

Episode No.	Airdate	Ratings (in millions)	Nightly Rank	Weekly Rank
1	23 July 2009	1.084	11th	34th
2	30 July 2009	0.942	13th	53rd
3	6 August 2009	0.832	15th