The Hundred host Andy Lee – one in a million

There are many people in the public eye who act famous – they avert their eyes when someone is looking at them and glide through
a room with a “look at me but don’t speak to me” vibe.

TV host-comedian-professional chatterbox Andy Lee, 40, is the opposite. He loves it when regular people approach him on the street.

His Instagram account is peppered with ordinary guy moments, if that ordinary guy has the heart of a teenager – such as when he gave himself the pandemic challenge of hitting a tennis ball from one side of his house and catching it after racing through to the other.

He is notoriously amiable and good-natured and goofy, and all of that makes him the perfect host for the show he co-created, The Hundred with Andy Lee, which is screening on Nine and 9Now (Nine is a majority owner of this masthead).

The show’s premise is simple: A hundred everyday Australians join Lee via Zoom to answer questions such as: Have you ever dumped your partner by text? Do you believe in God? Have you never tried Vegemite? Three comedy panellists – upcoming guests include Sophie Monk and frequent collaborator Hamish Blake – try to see who knows what the majority of Australians will say.

It was an idea that stemmed out of the pandemic and its abundance of Zoom calls, but Lee says it’s very much “in my wheelhouse” anyway.

“I’ve always loved dealing with everyday people; that’s been my favourite thing about the radio shows that Hamish and I did, as
well as all our travel shows – [speaking to] people in their natural environment,” Lee says.

“I always find them far more interesting than the celebrities. But what was interesting [with The Hundred] was that in a moment where we’re a bit divided on many different topics, it’s nice to prove how similar we are in so many ways when it comes to our habits in the shower or the last thing we do before we go to bed. I really love how inclusive it is and how fascinating it is because we live our lives in our own little houses, and you often think, ‘Surely everyone’s doing this this way,’ but maybe you’re the only one.”

For example? “I thought most people slept nude, but I was wrong about that. Apparently, I’m in the minority!” But in another way, the show helps audiences feel less alone, whether it’s about how many have had COVID or sleep in the same bed as their partners. (“I thought
the amount of Australians who don’t was fascinating,” Lee says.)

Part of Lee’s approachability comes from the fact that his audience spends their private moments with him, whether they’re watching him from their couch or listening to him on a long drive.

Despite his popularity, his admirers act familiarly rather than fan-crazy. This is lucky, he says, because he doesn’t know how he would have coped otherwise.

“I have been very lucky it was such a slow build. I can’t imagine what it’s like for overnight sensations, it would be a huge adjustment … it’s
so different to [someone whose] poster is on people’s walls and there are screaming fans.

“It was super gradual and also inside a radio station; I’m just trying to make Hamish laugh the entire time. People feel they know you,
and I love that. I love it when people come up to me. Talking to other mates who are actors who are more reclusive and sometimes have social anxiety – it’s a much harder situation for them, because that’s not why they do their job. They just love acting. Where my job is chatting to people and I absolutely love it.”

He has managed to deal with the other aspect of fame: having his personal life in the public eye. He lives in Melbourne’s inner east with his girlfriend Rebecca Harding – the pair have been together for more than seven years – and their Welsh terrier puppy Henrietta, but admits that it’s not always easy being the partner of someone in the public eye.

“She certainly [found it hard], and that’s why we actually broke up three years in,” Lee says.

“She found it really difficult to adjust: people taking an interest in what she was doing, and obviously there was some judgment sometimes, which was difficult. But for me, I’ve always been happy to share things, and that’s why radio suited me. If I’m not prepared to share myself, I can’t expect people to share back with me.

“But I don’t love the fact that media these days are more inclined to find the salacious angle in things that people are doing or posting. When we first started, it was nothing like that.”

The upside of the attention is his ability to help others. Lee still cherishes the time he received a note of thanks from a soldier.

“He had to go out for long periods of time by himself in Afghanistan and used to stockpile the podcasts to listen to so he could feel connected while he was doing a very serious job. You don’t realise how impactful those 40 minutes can be for people – that escape, or that connection to Australia from overseas.

“Sometimes people are going through tough times – whether it be things like depression or health battles – and email to say they find a bit of escape or a bit of cheer in what we’re doing. I never really expected that, and those emails are always amazing to read.”  ●

The Hundred with Andy Lee\ Tuesdays after Married at First Sight on Nine and 9Now from February 8.