A quick word with ... John Henson

John Henson is back with a second series of WipeOut on TV3. Photo / Supplied

John Henson: comedian, television presenter and,er, big balls expert

You guys have finished the second season of WipeOut. How long does it take you to shoot all that?
Well, first they go through and shoot all the contestants and then there's a long post-editing process. There's a lot of massaging of the script and figuring out what nicknames and monikers we're going to give contestants, the storylines we'll focus on. Then we get into the studio and John Anderson and I do our green screen together, which is sort of scripted and takes on a life of its own.

How is it working with John, given he's a proper sportscaster and you're a comedian?
It's fantastic. I'd been a long time fan of John's on Sports Centre on ESPN, which I watch religiously, so I knew who he was and was familiar with his work and his humour. But I didn't realise how funny he is.

It's interesting they brought him in and not another comedian. The show's not exactly about athleticism, it's more about ...
A lack of humility! I think what they were going for is, almost like the Monday night football dynamic, where one guy is the play-by-play guy and the other guy is the colour commentator. He does a lot of play-by-play and then I jump in and generally make an ass out of myself.

Indeed. And did you think audiences would respond as well as they have? Did you think there would be a second season?
It's interesting, the landscape of television is such a competitive world that you can never really feel you've got nothing to worry about. I wasn't exactly surprised when we got picked up for a second season but what did surprise me is that the second season of WipeOut has been more successful than the first.

Right. Because it's a pretty simple formula, you'd think people might grow bored of it.
Yeah. We've gone through shows like this - America's Funniest Home Videos is a format that ran for 20 years. We used to refer to it as "America's Funniest Whiffle Ball to the Nuts Hour" because all it was, was 5-year-old kids hitting a baseball into their dad's crotch. But it's always funny. I think that physical humour really transcends age ranges and demographics.

And have there been any improvements from the first series?
For the second season, we actually built two entirely separate courses. And the way they have ordered the shows, it kind of seems like the entire course changes week to week. It's great because people never see too much of the same obstacle.

So are there ever people who don't even make it past the first obstacle?
Oh, I think there have been people who chickened out as soon as the horn went off. There are some people who think they can do it and they get there and realise it's a totally different ball game. I have to tell you, the course itself is enormous. It's the difference between seeing someone on the high dive on television and standing on that high dive and looking over the edge.

So have you tried the course yourself?
Nooo. Everybody asks me that and I always say, 'You've seen this show! Why would I do that?' I know better than anyone what happens to the people who try this course. No way! I don't know that I'd do it if it were guaranteed that I'd win the $50,000.

Have there been any serious injuries on the course?
No, knock on wood, we've never had any serious injuries. We have had the kind of injuries you would expect to have from a very physical competition. But they go to great lengths to try to make the course as safe as possible. They spent over $100,000 this year just on foam padding. That being said, I don't know how much padding can help you if you turn your back into a pretzel on the Big Balls.

Now, have you seen any of the international versions of WipeOut?
I haven't, no.

We have the Australian version here as well. The thing that's remarkable is how, no matter where you go, people are willing to make idiots of themselves on this show.
It's funny, my brother lives in Australia and we've discussed this. As far as I know, WipeOut is on in 20 different countries around the world and it was sold in all 20 countries before it had ever aired a single episode here. I think because people realised just how universal the format is. Hopefully we will not run into a shortage of contestants any time soon!

I know you did a WipeOut Super Bowl event in America, what are the chances of a WipeOut World Cup?
That's very interesting. Like the world cup, we might have to do it every four years. What I want to know is, would we get Beckham or would he go back to England?

Or would Madrid get him? Tell you what, England can have Beckham and you can have Posh Spice.
Now that is someone I would like to see on our course! Her stilettos would go right through those Big Balls.

WipeOut returns to TV3 this Sunday, 7.30pm