Te Radar

Te Radar makes comedy and presents documentaries – sometimes at the same time. He is also known by his original name of Andrew J Lumsden.

Lumsden discovered his love of comedy while studying law at Otago University. He took up drama instead, as well as the nickname Radar, because there were too many Andrews in his social group.

Te Radar has been mining comedy and wry observation from his interest in travel and history for at least five and a half years. His visits to New Zealand peacekeepers in East Timor would eventually result in both a 2003 television documentary (presented by Radar and Ewen Gilmour) and an award-winning multi-media show.

In 2004 Te Radar created National Radio show Dispatches from the Holy Lands. The show chronicled his travels through the Arab-Israeli conflict, including an interview with former Palestinian leader Yassar Arafat. Radar’s travels in Israel also resulted in TV documentary War Tourist – Christmas in Bethlehem.

He has also co-presented three series of Maori TV series B & B. The live comedy/interview show saw Te Radar and Hori Ahipene playing a mixed race couple who each week interviewed two guests at their bed and breakfast.

In 2006 Te Radar fronted three-part documentary Hidden in the Numbers, which used statistics to examine the changing face of New Zealand culture. In 2008 he scored a double-header, with TV series Off the Radar and Homegrown.

Sustainable living show Off the Radar saw him spending ten months attempting to subsist off a small allocation of land. The show made it to number one in the ratings, and was also turned into a book for Harper Collins. Homegrown was a documentary series investigating how New Zealand’s produce and natural resources have shaped the country, both culturally and economically.

His other television credits include appearances in the long-running Pulp Comedy, Eating Media Lunch, At Least You Are Havin’ A Go, Gather Round – plus short-lived news spoof Newsflash, which he later called “one of the most hideous experiences of my life”.

Te Radar has won awards for his newspaper columns (two Qantas Media Awards) and comedy (the 1998 Billy T award, the 2008 Kevin Smith Memorial Cup for Artistic Achievement, among others).

Te Radar has a passion for New Zealand history. In 2005 he was commissioned by the Christchurch Arts Festival, in conjunction with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, to write and perform Hitori, a history of the South Island. He also collaborated with Mike King on Welcome to King Country, a show about New Zealand’s history (and was a writer on King's talk show Mike King Tonight).

Te Radar has been a regular fixture on National Radio’s satirical review show on Nine to Noon, plus all 12 series of radio quiz show Off The Wire.

He has directed for theatre, and wrote and directed The Journey, judged best film in the 2004 48 Hour Film Festival. He also continues to work on film The Battle for Pahrump, the story of a town in Nevada as it wrestles with the 2004 and 2008 US presidential campaigns.