Now in its seventh season, the show has been awarded Rose d’Or, AACTA and Walkley awards and is the most successful format in ABC history, selling to 17 territories, and broadcast in nine different languages worldwide. Currently, Kirk is directing his new program, I Was Actually There, slated for broadcast on the ABC this year.

When it comes to the content he creates, no subject is off-topic. Kirk’s interviewees range from ex-politicians to ice users to sexual assault survivors. He has a deep curiosity, compassion and playfulness that elicits honesty from his participants, many of whom have never sat in front of a camera before. Through thousands of hours of open dialogue, what’s become clear to Kirk is that every human, no matter what they believe or how high their stature, shares a core value: the desire to be understood.