Recommended viewing

"An Aussie Goes Barmy" - Fox8, Mondays, 8.30pm.

Doco series about an Australian named Gus who's hanging out with the Barmy Army for the duration of the Ashes - which, as you can imagine, involves vast quantities of cricket, beer and ribbing (both spoken and sung).

The twist is this bloke's so confident of a home victory, he's agreed that if we lose, he'll support England for the rest of his life.

I was only planning to watch the start due to several chores that needed doing. Next thing I knew, the credits were rolling and I was left wanting more.

This isn't an attempt to expose the Brit supporters as a bunch of hooligans. It's a celebration of their all-weather fandom and general good nature - as demonstrated by their willingness to allow Gus into their midst.

You find out the level of sacrifice and commitment needed to follow a sporting team overseas for 2-3 months, as well as the activities that happen between the Tests, eg. the Fanatics vs Barmy Army cricket match (they won).

Then there are the jokers who liven things up by pretending to copulate with an inflatable kangaroo, playing the theme from "Neighbours" on a trumpet or dressing up as the Queen and giving the locals a royal wave...

Like I said, recommended viewing.