After 30 years, Peter Helliar got a call he was not expecting. It was the ‘quickest yes’ of his career

Exclusive: After a 30-year career, Peter Helliar admits every decision now is part of a bigger plan.

“I decided a couple of years ago that I feel like I’ve earned the right to design my own career, to design the life I want,” the Aussie comedian, 51, told nine.com.au.

So when the opportunity to host brand-new cooking series Chefs Ahoy came about, Helliar replied: “It was one of the quickest yeses of my career, I believe.

“If you hang around long enough, you get a phone call or an email out of the blue that you were just not expecting.

“And this is one of those calls I got, asking me to host this travel cooking show.”

Part of his plan is “travel and playing golf”.

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“I still want to certainly be challenging myself in projects and getting out of my comfort zone, but this was too good an opportunity to say no to.”

Onboard a luxury Princess cruise ship, the Gold Logie nominee will host culinary duels between Australia’s most favourite chefs and cooks with a judging panel of up to 4,000 passengers casting their votes.

By the end of the four episodes, one chef will win what Helliar calls “the greatest prize on Australia TV”.

That honour is the glistening Chef’s Ahoy Medal – which he cheekily promised was not bought from the cruise ship gift shop.

It’s Helliar’s cheekiness and charm that have carried him from loveable Rove Live sidekick in the late ’90s to hosting a gig onboard a luxury cruise.

To that, 21-year-old Helliar would have one thing to say.

“I think he’ll respect the fact that I’m moving into my Catriona Rowntree era,” he laughed, in a nod to the famous Getaway host.

“I think he’d be pretty thrilled. I mean, 21-year-old me had only recently returned from Europe, and he’d be pretty stoked that 30 years on he’s still travelling the world.”

As dreamy of a gig as it sounds, Helliar admitted “there’s always some nerves going into a new project”.

He wanted to make one thing “very clear”.

“I was on the best package on the ship, so when you see me taking a sip of a cocktail, it’s not a mocktail,” he grinned.

Of course, being on a luxury cruise means stopping at some of the world’s most beautiful destinations. Each episode is inspired by the delicacies of Greece, Spain, Korea and Japan.

Helliar recalled an encounter at a local Japanese fish market.

“I’d be lying if I said I remember exactly what we ate, but there were some things still moving in my mouth,” he recoiled.

As for his own cooking skills, the comedian laughed: “There’s a reason you don’t see me cooking on the show.”

But if the star had to cook for 4,000 hungry passengers onboard the Princess Cruise ships, much like the top chefs competing, Helliar’s homemade toasties would “be right up there”.

Or, the pizza and pasta he makes from scratch with his wife of nearly 23 years, Bridget Helliar.

“She’s generally the head chef, I’m more the sous chef slash DJ slash wine pourer,” he smiled.

Chefs Ahoy airs Wednesdays at 8.40pm Wednesday on Nine and 9Now.