But even the unflappable television vet was left with — by his own admission — his substantial jaw on the ground by a recent run in.“I had a guy a few months ago, I think I was vaccinating his dog,” Brown tells Insider. “And he said ‘You remind me of someone’ and I said ‘Oh yeah?’ and kept looking over his dog. But he couldn’t land it and I was enjoying it too much to help him out, but finally towards the end of the consultation he said ‘I’ve got it, you look a lot like that guy that plays Dr Chris in that vet show.’“I had to say ‘You know I’m not an actor, that’s not a drama, that’s not the animal equivalent of ER’. He didn’t even think I was THE actor, he thought I just looked like him.“I live for those responses.”Despite his obvious commitment to the profession that made him a television star, he may be a little distracted from the practice as he gets stuck into filming the 10th season of The Living Room, which airs from Friday.As the show’s resident travel and adventure guy, Brown has already visited four Australian states in his endeavour to bring unique wildlife experiences to the screen and before the season is out, he will have visited every state and territory in the country.It’s a vastly different experience to the previous season he filmed with co-hosts Amanda Keller, Barry Du Bois and Miguel Maestre amid COVID-19 lockdowns, quarantine and border closures.“I’ve never researched more stories within a 5km radius from my house in my life,” Brown says. “There were times when getting in the car felt exciting, my eTag beeping meant that I was having an adventure and I think that was relatable to a lot of people. We did a lot of very local travel and thank god I’m able to get out of my suburb this series and cross some borders.“This series feels like we’re spreading our wings a little bit and embracing what’s out there and really enjoying travelling within Australia, finding those places that would rival what you would find overseas.”The Living Room joins an impressive list of Australian television shows that quickly adapted to bring much-needed entertainment into our living rooms (excuse the pun) during the pandemic. MasterChef, The Bachelor, The Masked Singer, The Amazing Race, Big Brother and even Brown’s own I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! adapted to COVID-19 restrictions to put out a very special season of their shows.It’s a process Brown has been proud to be involved in, that and the fact The Living Room is the only lifestyle series of its kind left on air in Australia. It’s old-school entertainment and it’s dad-joke quirky. But at its heart, it’s about the winning mix of hosts.“We use a lifestyle show almost as a way in the door and once you’re in, yeah you get the lifestyle tips and tricks, but ultimately it’s an entertainment show,” Brown explains. “It’s people having a bit of a laugh and a bit of fun, and often at each other’s expense. And it’s about the fact we are very different people but fearlessly have each other’s back.“I think it took Miguel a long time to figure out that when we pay him out it’s because we like him, because it’s not a very Spanish thing to do.“And that bond we have is born out of some pretty significant ups and downs, the realities of some pretty major life challenges we have gone through together, obviously for one of the team in particular.”Brown is referring to co-host Du Bois’ 2010 diagnosis of cancer of the immune system, a diagnosis he was originally told would kill him in a matter of months. The aggressive cancer returned in 2017.But it’s that genuine friendship with Spanish chef Miguel Maestre that shines on the screen, a union that Brown says was formed filming travel segments around the world.“We had a trip very early on, we went to Chile and I was trying to get my head around him,” Brown recalls. “I remember the moment quite clearly where we really clicked, we were driving a car up in the Andes Mountains and he rolled down the window and says ‘Ohhh, you can smell the Andes’ but with his accent it came out ‘undies.’“And I thought, we are going to get along.”Despite a packed schedule of television commitments, Brown still spends all his available off-screen time treating animals at his vet clinic in Bondi Junction. Just like the celebrity chef who keeps cooking in his restaurant kitchen, this celebrity vet says helping animals remains his number one priority.If you had any doubt, his Instagram account is filled with images of Brown with the pets he treats at his practice and the animal encounters he has as part of The Living Room. He even has a second account, @drool_bydrchrisbrown where he provides pets tips and insights.“It’s pretty irregular but it’s always a priority,” he says of his first career. “Of the 12 people I saw with their pets yesterday alone, I think eight said ‘Oh, I didn’t expect to see you here, I didn’t think you still worked here’ and I find that so funny.“But ultimately, that’s what I studied, that’s what I am, that’s what I spent so many years learning that I never want to walk away from that. It’s a juggle and it means that you’re often doing those vet clinic days on your days off but I really enjoy it. “And I kind of enjoy it even more when there aren’t cameras there, when it can be very genuine and real and you’re not having to worry about lighting or sound or anything like that.”The Living Room airs from Friday March 26, 7.30pm, TenNAT – Stay Informed – Social Media
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