'I spent two days on the set of Delta Goodrem's 2025 Christmas special with Cody Simpson and 5SOS, here's all the behind-the-scenes details'

Back in October, I took on a production assistant role for the first time in my career.

I was asked to help out on the set of Delta Goodrem's 2025 holiday special, Christmas With Delta starring the likes of Cody Simpson, Jordin Sparks and 5 Seconds of Summer.

Of course, I very excitedly said yes.

I've always worked in media, so I have a conceptual understanding of the role, and while I didn't know exactly what to expect, a step count of 35,000 over two days was definitely not on the list.

Christmas with Delta airs Sunday, December 21 at 7pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.

But, despite the sore feet, I have to say that getting a backstage glimpse at the production was pretty cool.

My job on set was basically to make sure that everyone had what they needed, when they needed it, and to make sure that everyone was where they needed to be, when they needed to be there.

So, with the shoot happening across two buildings with dressing rooms spread across multiple levels, you can see where the 35,000 steps came from.

I'd heard whispers that one of my favourite bands was going to be one of the guests, and when I arrived at 8am on the first day of shooting, the rumours were confirmed.

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Sitting at the very bottom of the schedule for the first day were the words I had been dying to read, "6pm: 5 Seconds of Summer arrive".

I had to quickly compose myself to a level of excitement suitable for a professional setting.

After promptly informing my colleagues that the only poster I had on my bedroom wall growing up was, in fact, a 5 Seconds of Summer poster in hopes of them letting me take the lead on organising the band upon their arrival, I pushed the excitement to the back of my mind.

The first guest to arrive for the day was Amy Shark, followed by Gregory Porter, who could potentially be the friendliest star I've met to date.

As a big Love Island fan, I made sure to pop my head in to meet Sophie Monk and even caught a glimpse at the rehearsal for the Mean Girls segment, which gave me immediate FOMO.

After a quick lunch, I headed back downstairs to greet the cast of Back To The Future The Musical, and instantly I knew I recognised one of them.

Roger Bart stars in the show as Doc Brown. We chatted as I walked him to his dressing room, and I couldn't help but shake the feeling that I'd seen him somewhere before.

So, as anyone in my situation would have done, the minute we parted ways, I typed his name into Google.

Now, at the time that Christmas with Delta was shot, I was deep into my first-ever watch of Desperate Housewives, which, as it turns out, Bart had starred in for the first two seasons.

When I returned to take Bart from his dressing room to the studio, I had full intentions of telling him how much I love the show.

But I chickened out.

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I didn't have much time to dwell on it though, because 5 Seconds of Summer were going to arrive soon.

I did some quick tidying up for the day, then headed downstairs to meet the band's publicity team, before a black van pulled up and it was go-time.

Security was the first out of the car, and one of my colleagues, unaware of who 5 Seconds of Summer are, turned to me and said she couldn't tell who was the band and who was the entourage.

I, knowing very well who 5 Seconds of Summer are and their bold fashion choices, said to her, "Don't worry, you'll be able to tell".

And I was right. As soon as Ashton stepped out of the car, she knew.

While my 25-year-old self was very calm, cool and collected as I shook the hands of Luke, Ashton, Callum and Michael and led them into the studio, my 15-year-old self was screaming and crying.

I hadn't spent much time in the studio, but I decided to sneak in and watch the band's segment, and I was blown away.

The studio had been transformed into a Winter Wonderland with glossy white tiles, stunning Christmas trees and not to mention Delta's dress.

Twenty minutes passed, and it was time to say goodbye to the band and head off for the day.

The following day was a little cruisier. Cody Simpson was one of the first to arrive.

I'd heard plenty of rumours that he was lovely and charming, but upon meeting him, I was left speechless. He's possibly one of the friendliest people I've met, let alone celebrities.

Danielle Franklin, Pete Murray, Dave Campbell and Monty Franklin all came through, and at the end of the day, a 30-person-strong kids choir.

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To top it all off, chef Luke Mangan arrived and prepped some prawn cocktails for the audience.

I'll just say, as someone who despises prawns, they looked and smelled delightful.

By early evening, the audience had left, Mangan and his team had packed up, and it was time for us to go home.

For the past two days, I'd been working in the orbit of Goodrem, someone whose lyrics I had grown up massacring on Singstar but having the time of my life whilst doing so (I still remember every word to Born To Try).

But at the end of the second day, I was left speechless (a very rare occurrence for me) when Goodrem herself found the production assistant team to personally say thank you.

All I'll say is that she's just as beautiful and warm in real life as she seems on screen.

And tall. Don't forget tall.

Christmas with Delta airs Sunday, December 21 at 7pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.

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