Dynamic Duos: Ben & Liam on finding a “natural” point of difference

“People enjoy when radio makes fun of other radio because it’s showing that self-awareness that people don’t often do,” Ben and Liam tell Radio Today.

triple j’s Breakfast team Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton had big shoes to fill when they replaced Matt Okine and Alex Dyson in 2017.

They originally honed their skills on community radio in Adelaide, and are now in their second year in the triple j slot.

Ben and Liam have undoubtedly grown into the role and are sounding as comfortable as ever as ever, as they deliver strong Breakfast ratings for triple j in metro and regional markets across Australia.

They recently featured on a list of up-and-coming duos, a list that highlights just how competitive the market is for male comedy duos, but Ben and Liam believe in letting things progress naturally.

“You want a point of difference but it doesn’t start from a conversation where you go ‘how can we be different from everyone else for the sake of being different’,” they say.

“I think your show just naturally finds its position, you’ve just got to let it evolve. If you try to force it somewhere it doesn’t belong then it’s not really genuine.”

One of those points of difference has come via their social media presence, which has stepped up a notch in 2018 with some classic gags playing on their alter egos Zipper and the Shit Stick, and poking fun at commercial radio as well as themselves.

“People enjoy when radio makes fun of other radio because it’s showing that self-awareness that people don’t often do.

“[It’s] that kind of comedy that comes from being self-aware.”

Listen to the full chat below:

Hear the rest of Radio Today’s ‘Dynamic Duos’ with Tom & Olly, Mitchell & Michael, Sally & Erica, Tim & Sammy, and Collective Noun.