Dr Wendy Davis, of CQU Bundaberg, recently discussed issues identified during her PhD research, completed last year.

Here's a summary of her seminar, focusing on the example of 'Kath and Kim'.

Dr Wendy Davis

The pride of the ABC, 'Kath and Kim', is set to make a much publicised debut on the Seven Network in a few weeks time.

Kath and Kim was nurtured for 3 series and Christmas special at the national broadcaster and one has to ask if the move to a commercial station will change the much-loved series in any way.

Fans might hope not, but given the past history of other ABC productions which have gone to commercial stations ('Good News Week' and 'Roy and HG'), it could be expected that the Seven production might be very different.

The move to Channel Seven raises questions as to whether TV comedy has a use by date.  Comedies like 'Fawlty Towers' and 'The Office' have realised this and been brave enough to walk away after only a few series.  Others like 'Seinfeld' and 'Frasier' have pushed on for what some might argue as one series too many, long after the creative spark is gone.  Whether or not 'Kath and Kim' has the momentum for a fourth series is perhaps debatable and given the publicity's focus on the special guest stars (Shane Warne, Matt Lucas from 'Little Britain') we might wonder whether a lazier mode of plotting will eventuate, at the expense of the focus on the relationships of the central characters and the carnivalesque comedy of the program.

The comedy of 'Kath and Kim' is representative of a new breed of television comedy.  No longer ruled by the laugh track and the studio set, the most successful TV comedies of the past few years have been mockumentaries.  This style of programming is as much about the characters and the plots as it is about television itself.  The mockumentary raises questions about television's fetish for presenting reality to its audiences.  With a handheld, video camera aesthetic and the use of real locations, mockumentaries directly reference the ongoing obsession with reality and factual programming.  So while the visual style of 'Kath and Kim' signals the seriousness of documentary, the characters and the narrative, with their ridiculously grotesque carnival style consistently confounds audience expectation.  This is comedy that can make us laugh, but it can also make us cringe in horror.  In this tension and uncertainty the mockumentary creates a new style of television comedy - one that is not always funny.