Undercover Boss Australia
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2012}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Undercover Boss Australia.png
| alt = Undercover Boss Australia logo
| caption =
| genre = Reality television
| creator = Stephen Lambert
| developer =
| writer =
| creative_director =
| narrated = Andrew Carlton{{cite web|title=Credits - Undercover Boss Australia|url=http://ten.com.au/undercover-boss-australia-18535.htm|publisher=Network Ten|access-date=30 November 2010}}
| theme_music_composer =
| opentheme =
| endtheme =
| composer =
| country = Australia
| language = English
| num_series = 2
| num_episodes = 14
| list_episodes = List of Undercover Boss Australia episodes
| executive_producer = Dafydd Williams
Nick Colquhoun
| producer =
| editor =
| location =
| cinematography =
| camera =
| runtime = 45 minutes
| company = Studio Lambert
Southern Star Group
| network = Network Ten
| first_aired = {{Start date|2010|10|18|df=yes}}
| last_aired = {{End date|2011|10|31|df=yes}}
| related = Undercover Boss (franchise)
}}
Undercover Boss Australia is a localised version and third incarnation of the Undercover Boss franchise, the first series premiered on Network Ten on 18 October 2010{{cite web|publisher=TV Tonight|first=David|last=Knox|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2010/10/airdate-undercover-boss-australia-returning-modern-family-ncis-good-wife.html|title=Airdate: Undercover Boss Australia. Returning: Modern Family, NCIS, Good Wife|work=TV-Tonight.com.au|date=2 October 2010 |access-date=2 October 2010}} with the CEO of Domino's Pizza Australia, Don Meij.{{cite web|publisher=TV Tonight|first=David|last=Knox|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2010/10/aussie-ceos-go-undercover.html|title=Aussie CEOs go Undercover|work=TV-Tonight.com.au|date=4 October 2010 |access-date=4 October 2010}} Each episode depicts a high-ranking executive or business owner acting as an entry-level employee to discover the problems in their company.{{cite news|last=Draper|first=Danny|url=http://thetubetv.net/undercover-boss-coming-to-ten/|title=Undercover Boss coming to Ten|work=The Tube|date=10 February 2010|access-date=2 October 2010|publisher=The Tube|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20101020101102/http://thetubetv.net/undercover-boss-coming-to-ten/|archive-date=20 October 2010}}
On 15 November 2010, Network Ten renewed the show for a second series.{{cite web|publisher=TV Tonight|first=David|last=Knox|title=Renewed: Junior Masterchef, Undercover Boss Australia.|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2010/11/renewed-junior-masterchef-undercover-boss-australia.html|access-date=15 November 2010|date=15 November 2010}} The second series began airing on 12 September 2011.{{cite web|publisher=TV Tonight|first=David|last=Knox|title=Returning: Undercover Boss Australia|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/09/returning-undercover-boss-australia.html|date=4 September 2011|access-date=5 September 2011}}
Format
Each episode features a high-positioned executive or the owner of a corporation going undercover as an entry-level employee in their own company. The executive changes their appearance and assumes an alias and fictional back-story. The fictitious explanation for the accompanying camera crew is that the executive is being filmed as part of a documentary about entry-level workers in a particular industry. They spend approximately one week undercover, working in various areas of the company's operations, with a different job and in most cases a different location each day. The boss is exposed to a series of predicaments with amusing results. They invariably spend time getting to know the people who work in the company, learning about their professional and personal challenges.
At the end of their week undercover, the boss returns to their true identity and requests the employees they worked with individually to corporate headquarters. The boss reveals their identity and rewards hard-working employees through campaign, promotion or financial rewards. Other employees are given training or better working conditions.
Episodes
{{Main|List of Undercover Boss Australia episodes}}
The first series premiered on Network Ten on 18 October 2010 with the CEO of Domino's Pizza Australia, Don Meij. The episodes that followed included the CEO of Boost Juice, Janine Allis, and Peter Murray, National Director of Operations of Veolia Environmental Services,{{cite news|last=Clune|first=Richard|title=Chewing gum for the eyes|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sunday-telegraph/chewing-gum-for-the-eyes/story-e6frewt9-1225933226090|access-date=4 October 2010|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=3 October 2010}} and CEO of BIG4 Holiday Parks of Australia, Ray Schleibs{{Cite web|url=http://www.franchisebusiness.com.au/news/new-big4-holiday-parks-ceo-goes-undercover|title=New BIG4 Holiday Parks CEO goes undercover|website=Franchise Business|date=29 October 2015|access-date=2017-01-04}} A second series was broadcast from 12 September 2011.
{{:List of Undercover Boss Australia episodes}}
Production
Network Ten planned an Australian version for airing in 2009, however the production never took off and instead, was delayed one year.{{cite news|last=Team |first=eBroadcast |url=http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/enews/news/Hit-reality-format-Undercover-Boss-comes-to-Australia.html|title=Hit reality format Undercover Boss comes to Australia|publisher=ebroadcast Australia|date=11 February 2010 |access-date=2 October 2010}} Ten's Chief Programming Officer, David Mott stated "We’ve defined a few iconic Australian companies. It's a great series. It's a real eye opener. It's a little ripper.", hoping the series will become a ratings success to similar to that of Masterchef Australia. He also explained the Australian version will be based on the American version, not the British version "We saw the UK version, but thought it needed to be upscaled a little bit,"....."That's what the American version was."{{cite news|last=Carter |first=Cameron |url=http://www.tvcentral.com.au/2010/05/04/undercover-boss-will-be-tens-next-big-thing/|title='Undercover Boss' will be Ten's next big thing|publisher=TV Central|date=4 May 2010 |access-date=2 October 2010}}
International broadcasts
Selected episodes of Undercover Boss Australia air in the United States on TLC and OWN, as part of Undercover Boss: Abroad.[http://www.thedailyown.com/undercover-boss-abroad-coming-to-own-in-march The Daily OWN: "“Undercover Boss: Abroad” Coming to OWN in March", 6 February 2012.][http://press.discovery.com/us/own/press-releases/2012/tlc-own-oprah-winfrey-network-go-undercover-a-1776/ Discovery Communications press release: "OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK GO UNDERCOVER AND OVERSEAS", 6 February 2012.]
In the United Kingdom, the series rotates with other iterations of the franchise on the Undercover Boss Global channel of Pluto TV; as of 2023 the Australian series and Undercover Boss Canada had begun airing on E4 Extra.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Undercover Boss}}
{{Endemol Australia}}
Category:Network 10 original programming
Category:2010s Australian reality television series
Category:2010 Australian television series debuts
Category:2011 Australian television series endings
Category:Television series by Endemol Shine Australia
Category:Australian television series based on British television series