Mark Humphries has moved house five times in the past seven years. First was the place in the Sydney suburb of Turramurra he had to vacate because it was, \u201cforgive me for saying this \u2013 leaking like a giant breast from the ceiling\u201d. Next came a house so damp, mushrooms began growing under the carpet; a small flat that was OK except for being utterly freezing, and another one-bedroom apartment where the rent went from $500 to $660 a week, forcing his exit.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s of no comfort to the comedian and TV presenter that he\u2019s not alone in having found it extremely difficult to secure an affordable and liveable home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the common experience,\u201d he sighs. \u201cIt\u2019s been extraordinary seeing everyone I know go through rental increases [over the past few years] \u2026 I feel like every one of us needs to start a GoFundMe just for our daily existence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Housing affordability is a topic Humphries is angry about. And, perhaps ironically, that emotion can be a very useful tool for a comedian.<\/p>\n
Humphries began his career in TV satire as an intern on the ABC current affairs program Hungry Beast. Photograph: Jessica Hromas\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
\u201cI have found with a lot of my work that it\u2019s easier if you\u2019re angry about something,\u201d he says \u2013 like, say, those political texts we all received in the lead-up to the election<\/a>, or all things Mark Latham<\/a>. \u201cEven if you\u2019re just doing comedy sketches, if you are genuinely annoyed by what has happened, you can channel that into something amusing.\u201d<\/p>\n Recently, Humphries has channelled his rage \u201cnot just for myself, but everyone\u201d over the housing crisis into a new documentary called Sold! Who Broke the Australian Dream?<\/a> Out on Binge, it\u2019s a one-hour look at the problems with Australia\u2019s housing market, and how we\u2019ve landed in a situation where, as he puts it in the documentary, even a \u201cD-grade celebrity like me can\u2019t afford a home\u201d.<\/p>\n We\u2019re discussing all this in the incongruous setting of a quaint cafe specialising in tea and scones \u2013 Humphries\u2019 choice of venue. This was meant to be a quick bite before a walking interview but the moment the scones hit the table, we\u2019ve lost all motivation to stand up again. Humphries, he proudly tells me, eats a lot of baked goods. He even once auditioned to host The Great Australian Bake Off,<\/a> a job that \u201cwould have been heaven\u201d.<\/p>\n