The cast included Rove McManus (1997–1999),[2][3] Scott Brennan, Peter Helliar,[2] Adam Richard, Myf Warhurst, Ged Wood, Bert Kennedy, Kim Hope, Matilda Donaldson, Bernie Carr, and special reporters.

Like its predecessor Under Melbourne Tonight, The Loft Live provided a platform for up-and-coming talent to get airtime; it gained a following between 50,000 and 100,000 viewers a week.

Episode 1 follows the plot that John Safran had appeared on The Loft Live with Rove McManus in 1997 after gaining popularity on the ABC TV show Race Around the World.

By this stage, McManus was already at the top of Australian TV, routinely attracting more than a million viewers per episode on Rove Live.

In 2004, in response to the perceived snub, Safran took a trip to the UK to jokingly get a fatwa put upon Rove by Omar Bakri Muhammad.