Two years ago, when New Zealand comedian Guy Montgomery introduced a spin on the traditional spelling bee competition at a Melbourne comedy festival, he was quietly confident it would spell success for a TV spin-off.

Based on audience reaction from the 2022 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, followed by the success of the NZ television format last year, the ABC secured eight episodes and is set to premiere post-Paris Olympics.

It’s called Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont Spelling Bee.

“I think it’s funny it got over the line with the [NZ] network. It’s a very hokey title,” he told NZ publication Flicks.

Inspired by the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which attracts audiences of up to 10 million in the US, Montgomery, 35, says his Covid-era spelling bee Zoom series on YouTube helped get the idea off the ground.

Among its panel of comedians and celebrities was his former New York flatmate, Ayo Edebiri, now an award-winning star of The Bear.

He remembers she was a standout, and kept winning, admitting he had a “real desire to find real top-tier spellers”.

“I don’t think if I walked in [to a TV network] and said ‘we’re going to do a spelling comedy show’ just off the bat, I would have had any nibbles,” he said.

“It is the somewhat proven track record that probably made it a slightly more alluring prospect.

“I was doing it on Zoom just to try to mentally navigate, create some sort of rewarding and creative output, have some fun and foster social connection.”

With his prop assistant Aaron Chen (Fisk), the secret sauce for his mix-up “panel and game show” is his panel.

“It has comedians competing for a prize that has genuine value.

“There are four comedians every episode, and if you win, you win a big novelty-sized, one-way ticket to the next week’s episode.

“And the loser of each episode has to sit in the dunce’s corner, and wear the dunce’s hat, which I just think is very funny.”

Stepping up to the challenge include ABC sports reporter Tony Armstrong, Hard Quiz host Tom Gleeson, Gruen‘s Wil Anderson, Triple J breakfast host Concetta Caristo and poet-songwriter Tim Minchin.

Do the celebs have to know how to spell?

Unlike the intense drama of Scripps, where big money and a child’s future is on the line, Montgomery has a different vision.

There’s a retro set, he and Chen have 1970s wardrobes and there’s a “nerdy kind of high intensity” throughout the show.

Onto the game.

There are five “wildly inventive” challenges designed to confuse the panel.

“Spelling words correctly is obviously going to be a huge asset in the show. Usually, the best speller should be able to win,” he said.

“But there are rounds where I completely reduce the outcome of the round to luck.”

Each episode will culminate in the final, fast-and-furious spelling round where anyone could emerge victorious.

Competitive comedians

Who’d have thought they were all vying for championship status?

Montgomery, who admits he listens to Alan Partridge’s audiobooks and has always had a strong kinship to spelling, is amused at how unashamedly competitive the comedians were on his NZ show last year.

“Some people self-identify as bad spellers, and they sort of publicise that at the start of an episode. But what I found to be quite an alluring and intriguing sort of discovery was how competitive a lot of these comedians are, and especially the good spellers.”

Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont Spelling Bee premieres on August 14 at 8.30pm on ABC TV and iview