Rob Lawry: Radio’s Mastermind

If you want to know anything – anything at all – about the Mission Impossible film franchise, Magic 93.1 and 5RM Berri announcer Rob Lawry is your man.

The American action spy movies just happen to be Rob’s specialist subject, and tonight on SBS, he gets to put his encyclopaedic knowledge to the ultimate test, appearing as a contestant on Mastermind Australia.

Rob was previously part of the ACRA-award winning Tabby and Bob Breakfast show on Magic 93.1, and that’s where the idea of being on the TV show really began to take shape.

“It was a running thing of me wanting to get on, working out what my (and Tabby’s) specialist subject would be, and practising questions,” says Rob, pictured above at the ACRAs with Sarah Grigg from Mixx FM in Swan Hill.

He tells Radio Today “We didn’t realise that we were completely out-of-sync with their production schedule – Season 6 had probably been filmed in its entirety at the time.”

Eventually though, in November last year, Rob got the call up to be part of the current season of the show.

Of his Mission Impossible obsession, Rob – who’s been with ARN Regional for four years – says there’s a clear distinction: “My subject is specifically the films as opposed to the old TV show.”

“I’m a big movie buff and it bleeds into pretty much everything I’ve done on radio. The Riverland would have heard quite a lot if ‘Mission’ talk from me over the years!” he laughs.

The big question is … how will Rob go on Mastermind Australia?

You’ll just have to watch and find out!

Mastermind Australia airs on SBS at 6:00 PM weeknights. You can also stream the show on demand on SBS On Demand.