Ten Network : Meet The People Making Sense Of The News Common Sense

28 June 2017

The premiere season of the sensational topical news show Common Sense gives everyday Australians their chance to offer an unfiltered opinion of the week in news, when it kicks off on TEN and WIN Network at 8.30pm on Thursday, 6 July.

Guaranteed to get the nation talking, Common Sense is a joint production between Foxtel and Network Ten and from the makers of the acclaimed, award-winning Gogglebox.

Glamorous mother and daughter duo, Lois and Michelle-Ann run a succesful bra and swimwear shop in Mornington, Victoria.

Betty is an employee and is one the shop's chief bra fitters. Having served the local town for decades, the ladies are well-known to the local townsfolk and are well-versed in debating the local gossip and daily news with each other and the customers.

After hours, Michelle-Ann and Lois also run a quarter horse stud farm, where they breed cutting horses.

FLEMINGTON, NSW

The Yip Family are a Chinese-Australian family who sell vegetables at Sydney Markets. Trudi is the day-to-day manager of the company and working with her are her cousins Matt and Darren, as well as her Aunt Eileen.

Born in Australia, the Yips speak no Chinese and see themselves as Australians through and through. While prepping their produce, the news bulletins are regularly blasting from the

radio at the warehouse, with the daily debate often helping them get through their long day.

Brett and Laurence are an Australian Bill and Ted with an infectious dose of intelligence, wit and goofiness. They are best mates who met on a shift at work one year ago and bonded over a mutual appreciation of AC/DC.

Originally from Wagga Wagga NSW, Laurence is a metal-head with big hair and bigger opinions. Brett is a mullet-wearing, big kid from West Australia with a wicked sense of humour. Both are avid news consumers and are often found debating and arguing about the state of the nation, as they lift and haul furniture around the city.

KEYSBOROUGH, VICTORIA

Jean, Aileen and Ted are a young at heart trio who live together in a retirement village outside Melbourne.

They meet daily to talk about the world while playing cards in the communal crafts room. Due to their life experiences, each has their own interesting story to tell, from first-hand accounts of the Depression to the tragedies of war.

Their curiousity about current world news means they are also the first to tackle the daily exploits of today's celebrities and they have no issue in giving their take on the latest Kardashian exploits or celebrity court cases.

WOOLLAHRA, NSW

Robert and Frank are a fabulously posh, eccentric and incredibly witty duo. Both in their 70s, they have a cheeky and educated sense of humour that is both sharp and very charming.

Robert owns an exclusive fashion boutique in Sydney, while Frank refers to himself as an "urbanist" who advises on urban spaces.

The pair met in the late 1970s and soon became friends and business partners. Being older and wiser in their life experience, they have an eloquent way of explaining their views and opinions, which is incredibly entertaining and compelling to watch.

Nikki and Kathy are lively Greek-Australian hairdressers. Kathy has owned Valet Salon for 20 years, having been a hairdresser since she was 14, while Nikki has been a stylist and manager at the salon for the past five years.

A married mum of three, Kathy has quite traditional views, especially on parenting. Nikki is a mum to two young boys and has a more carefree attitude to life and work, which can often cause lively debate.

Kathy watches breakfast television religiously and makes her kids watch so they can learn about the world. Instead, Nikki gets her news fix on her phone and on social media.

MORNINGTON, VICTORIA

Ayden and Jake are archetypal young real estate agents, full of cheek and charm. They met when they started work on the same day at a real estate agency around 18 months ago.

They describe themselves as the real Harry and Lloyd from Dumb And Dumber.

Ayden is the dreamer and Jake is the realist. Ayden has been living in Mornington since he was five and was raised by his single mother. Jake has lived in Mornington for two years.

Luke and Eric are likeable, straight-shooting butchers. Eric owns Eric's Tender Meats and Luke is his friendly right-hand man. Eric is a traditional, friendly local butcher, having been in the industry for 25 years. He hired Luke six years ago and they have a delightful father-son relationship. Eric is a working, single dad and is often a second father figure to Luke. Luke is due to get married in August.

The shop radio has seen better days but never fails to pump out the daily news, which is a continual source of debate between the guys and their customers.

Sarah is the young, intelligent and lively CEO of tech company Girl Geek Academy and Helen is her equally vivacious employee.

The company encourages women "to learn technology, create start-ups and build more of the internet". They have a boss and employee dynamic, but it is a relaxed one.

Helen has a background in cyber safety and is incredibly passionate about it. Sarah learned computer coding when she was five years old on a computer at school. Helen and Sarah mainly get their news from online sources and social media. Sarah also listens to a lot of podcasts.

Steve and Andre are marketing consultants and friends who met almost 30 years ago when they were booked to play a DJ set together.

Since then, they have run hospitality venues as well as forging careers as entrepreneurs and marketing consultants. They currently provide makeovers for businesses that need help to get back on their feet and become relevant.

Karina Jurisic National Publicist

P: (02) 9650 1243 M: 0421 576 794

E: kjurisic@ten.com.au

Andrew Knowles National Publicist

P: 02 9650 1085 M: 0449 510 357

E: aknowles@ten.com.au