Watch Kevin Rudd Make His Debut As A CNN Host For Some Reason

Former Labor Prime Minister, disturbingly huge fan of Queensland’s state rugby team and 2007 t-shirt phenomenon Kevin Rudd made his debut as a television host last night. Standing in for regular host Christiane Amanpour on daily CNN program Amanpour, K-Rudd discussed China’s economy, climate change and cricket — the former two of which he’s a self-confessed expert in.

By the way, if you find news of Kevin Rudd somehow still managing to appear on TV screens surprising, you haven’t been paying attention, because this guy freakin’ loves the spotlight. What is surprising, though, is that a major television network looked at his previous experience on camera and said, “yes, the Milky Bar Kid-looking guy stiffly pursing his lips and reading palm cards like a high school captain, let’s hire him”. Rudd is used to a large audience, but CNN International reaches around 200 million households worldwide. To put it bluntly:

Thankfully, the 24-hour global network didn’t let any of Rudd’s favourite redundant Aussie colloquial sayings get through, although they did allow for some bland personal anecdotes and cultural reflections. Reading from the teleprompter with such ferocity his hands even started spelling out the words at some point, Rudd revealed he had to “dig his way out of a house” during the US snowstorms earlier this year, and answered his own rhetorical question about how important sport is “to our various national psychologies” (spoiler: it was “bucketloads”).

Smoothly segueing into another exclusive Rudd tale, he shared an experience he had with a UK customs and border official earlier in the day when he arrived in the country to film the program. “What do you call an Australian who’s good with a bat?” the official apparently asked him when he realised where Rudd was from. “Respectfully, I replied, I have no idea,” Rudd said. The official answered “a vet, of course”, and, with a dryness that could compete with Shaun Micallef, Rudd shook his head and closed with “there’s only so much a former Australian prime minister can take”.

So, sure, Rudd’s typically rehearsed demeanour and sometimes endearing attempts at connecting with an audience didn’t suddenly disappear once he was behind an internationally broadcasted news desk. But he was able to resist his normally burning urge to pick at and eat his own earwax, so, uh, there’s that, I guess.

Amanpour hosted by Kevin Rudd repeats tonight on CNN International at 8pm and midnight AEST.