What to Watch: Restoration Australia, Tony Armstrong’s new show, The Kardashians S5 & The Test

Restoration Australia

Thursday, 8pm, ABC

“What possesses otherwise level-headed Australians to put their hearts, souls, time and money into restoring old homes?”

It’s a bloody good question, and one that Restoration Australia host, professor of architecture Anthony Burke, is asking as he embarks on the show’s sixth season.

Over six episodes, Burke travels the length and breadth of the country, checking in with the intrepid (bonkers?) home owners willing to put the time and effort needed to bring their historical homes back to life — and it’s a joy to come along for the ride.

This season we’re off to all manner of incredible abodes, including a restoration of a remote farmhouse on King Island, a settler’s mud hut in the Adelaide Hills, an old police barracks in remote New South Wales and a terrace in inner-Melbourne.

It’s always fascinating to see what transpires, and sure, it may be tempting to watch on ABC iview and fast-forward to the end of the episode to see how it all ends up, but for me personally, the fun is in watching the process unfold, trying to psychoanalyse Burke’s spectacular poker face along the way — he really is fabulous at withholding his final verdict until the end.

Episode one is particularly satisfying, as it follows Steve and Jane Wilson, a Brisbane “power couple”, on a mission to breathe new life into their historic property, Lamb House, a beautiful old crumbling relic that sits aside the river in Brisbane and has long had locals fascinated.

Oh to have the kind of coin this couple has! And the patience to see the project through — it’s great that we’re given the opportunity to peer behind the curtain, if you will.

History buffs and architecture fans alike will get much from this new season.

Tony Armstrong’s Extra-Ordinary Things

Tuesday, 8pm, ABC

Ordinary things with extraordinary stories: Tony Armstrong’s on a mission to uncover them in this fun series, which sees him off on his foldable bike, collecting some “extra-ordinary” artefacts, and the stories that surround them, for an upcoming museum exhibit coming to Canberra. This sounds like a contrived concept, but in Armstrong’s capable hands, producers are able to stitch together quite the story of Australian identity. Worth a look.

The Kardashians S5

Thursday, streaming on Disney Plus

“Last year we made a commitment to ourselves to slow down, take some time off and be present in the moment,” says Kimmy in the opening moments of season five — and BaHAAA! Five seasons on, it seems The Kardashian juggernaut has no plans to slow down, and there’s no shortage of TV-worthy fodder unfolding in the personal lives of Hollywood’s favourite family. Sounds like more of the same — not that we’re complaining.

The Test

Friday, streaming on Prime Video

Let’s face it, if you’re not a cricket fan, chances are you won’t be tuning in for season three of this all-access doco. It features never-before-seen footage of the 2023 Ashes series in England “and the emotional impact on the Australian men’s cricket team” that this tour had. If this sounds up your alley, chances are you’ve already marked your diaries. Players such as Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon and Alex Carey weigh in. One for fans.

Taskmaster Australia

Thursday, 7.30pm, Ten

If silly, irreverent comedy is your jam, then you’ll no doubt be thrilled to hear this underrated series is back, this time with Anne Edmonds, Jenny Tian, Josh Thomas, Lloyd Langford and Wil Anderson battling it out. I’m new to Jenny, but have long been a fan of the others, though whether this series lives up to the previous (or indeed the UK version) still remains to be seen. On the fence about this one.