Max Gillies is renown as one of the finest satirists that Australia has produced. "The Gillies Report" appeared at a time when Australians were feeling particularly self-confident. Max Gillies and his very talented support cast produced week after week of hilarious sketches, lampooning the excesses of the Hawke era, the sanctimonious utterances of Pope John Paul II ("Stop it or you go blind") and a host of other tall poppies. As a mimic, Gillies is unsurpassed. Bob Hawke's mannerisms and grimaces were copied perfectly. It has been said that cabinet ministers started to mimic Gillies mimicking Hawke! It was a bold venture by the ABC who apparently wore a lot of criticism as many sketches were too "close to the bone" for some thin-skinned politicians.