by Nick Place
Some viewers, however, have expressed surprise at Buckley’s reluctance to wear maternity clothes. But the 31-year-old ex-model says the overwhelming majority of comment has been supportive.
‘Just lately, I’ve squeezed myself into a couple of outfits that I probably shouldn’t have. I’ve looked back on some of the dresses and thought, ‘Oh, no’!’
Ten gets Mardi Gras
February: While the ABC has done a commendable job bringing the outrageous action of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras to Australians everywhere, this year’s broadcast had a distinctly racier appearance. Ten employed Tottie Goldsmith, current host of Sex/Life, to compere the event.
Viewers watched as eye-catching tributes to John Howard and Pauline Hanson passed across screens, alongside the usual quota of gyrating flesh, feathers, glitter and tight silver latex shorts.
The letters pages were filled with passionate responses. Bill Muehlenberg, national research co-ordinator of Focus on Family Australia suggested Ten should act responsibly and not telecast the Mardi Gras. Unsurprisingly, Bill inspired some fierce replies.
Drama at Ten
February: Channel 10 is set for a big year of new locally produced drama. What has caused the turnaround is anyone’s guess, but it’s been suggested the raised eyebrows at the Australian Broadcasting Association (ABA) might have had something to do with it.
Medivac is back on screens and Melbourne-made series State Coroner is in production and scheduled for a mid-year debut – there’ll be trumpets, don’t you worry! But the biggest event in drama on Ten this year is Big Sky.
‘It stars Gary Sweet and, as always, Gary Sweet plays Gary Sweet,’ Ross Warneke commented in the Green Guide. ‘I suppose, though, that’s exactly what’s called for in Big Sky, a derivative of every American action-adventure series ever made.’ With plots involving South American drugs smugglers and crashed satellites leaking radioactive slime, there’s plenty of dramatic tension for viewers. Or just enough, at least, to keep the ABA at bay.
ON DEBUT
> Wildside – police drama series set in an inner-city Sydney police station and the local crisis centre
> Access All Areas – interviews with local and international musicians
> Kangaroo Palace – mini-series following two Australian country girls who travel to London in the 1960s
> Adventures of the Bush Patrol – children’s adventure series
> R.P.M. – Sunday afternoon motor sport
> The Silver Brumby – cartoon about the leader of a pack of wild horses
> Australian Good Taste – cooking show
> The Wine Show – hosted by Shane Dannatt and Melody Horrill
> Catch Phrase – afternoon game show hosted by John Burgess
> Great Escapes – stories of narrow escapes from death
> Harry’s Practice – vets Dr Harry Cooper and Dr Katrina Warren offer pet advice
> Bullpitt – follow-up comedy series to Kingswood Country
> Garry McDonald’s Ripsnorters – game show involving celebrities performing charades and telling tall stories
> Fallen Angels – drama series set in a west Sydney legal aid centre
> Challenger – afternoon children’s game show
> The Eric Bana Show – short-lived comedy and variety program
> Eric – short-lived sketch comedy series that followed the equally short-lived The Eric Bana Show
> Children’s Hospital – drama series set in a children’s hospital ward
> Simone De Beauvoir’s Babies – drama about four women who make a pact to have a baby before it’s too late
> Express – magazine-style arts show
> The Smallest Room in the House – stand-up comedy
> A River Somewhere – with fishing enthusiasts and former D Generation members Rob Sitch and Tom Gleisner
> Murder Call – police drama series
> Good Guys, Bad Guys – crime/drama series starring Marcus Graham
Highest ratings ever as we say goodbye to Diana
September: One of the biggest news events of the century has become one of the biggest TV events of the century. The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, has attracted an estimated 2.4 million viewers nationwide, eclipsing all previous ratings records.
No doubt, being broadcast across four networks (Two, Seven, Nine, Ten) certainly helped in reaching that figure. Viewers right across the country tuned in – and stayed tuned in – and watched as her family and friends, led by Prince Charles and Diana’s two sons, Harry and William, bade farewell. It was an emotionally draining service, and there would not have been too many dry eyes in Australian lounge rooms when Elton John played his slightly modified version of ‘Goodbye Norman Jean’.
The Green Guide reported a peak viewing figure of 5.8 million people in the five mainland capitals. Although the average figure for the coverage was considerably lower, it was still a massive number. Of the four channels that broadcast the event, Nine’s telecast, hosted by Ray Martin, outperformed its competitors. Australia contributed its share to a global audience of around 2.5 billion.
Strangely, given the massive ratings, none of the networks chose to follow up by televising the funeral of Mother Theresa in the wake of Diana’s ceremony. Letters to newspapers were critical of the networks for ignoring the event.
Neighbours is 3000!
October: For a show that was axed in its first year, Neighbours was looking remarkably healthy as its cast and crew celebrated the super soapie’s 3000th episode this month.
Neighbours started in 1985 to a lukewarm reception from viewers and reviewers, one of whom tagged it ‘Neigh-bores’. The Seven Network famously dropped the show, only to see Channel 10 rescue it and turn it into one of Australia’s most popular shows ever, with a massive international audience. There’s no end in sight either, as ratings have risen in the last few surveys and strong storylines carry life along in Ramsay Street.
The party to celebrate episode 3000 also marked another piece of Neighbours history, with the last member of the show’s original cast bowing out. Ill health has forced veteran actress Anne Haddy, who has played Helen Daniels, more commonly known as Gran, to leave the show.
Life just gets Better
April: Better Homes and Gardens continues to be a winner for the Seven Network, with husband-and-wife team John Jarratt and Noni Hazlehurst fronting a show that’s become an unexpected success.
‘It’s been a huge shock to us that the program has gone so well,’ Noni told TV Week, as the show notched its 100th episode and celebrated Logie success. ‘We’re very grateful to people for the response they give us all the time.’
Better Homes and Gardens has been an almost constant presence among the Top 20 shows in the ratings since debuting in 1995, making it one of the true heavyweights of the infotainment craze. At one stage, it topped the national ratings for four straight weeks.
‘The thing that all the research shows and all the feedback is that people love it because it seems to be like real life,’ Noni said.
New Wheel is running more smoothly
July: For the first time in a while, Wheel of Fortune is running like clockwork. New host Rob Elliott has settled in nicely and everybody’s favourite Wheel Queen, Adriana Xenides, is back where she should be, turning those letters.
Elliott took over as host in January this year, after the ill-fated attempt by quizmaster Tony Barber to fill the very large shoes of the show’s long-time host, ‘Baby’ John Burgess. The 31-year-old auditioned for the role on a Monday, was hired on the Friday and began recording the following Monday.
The final spoke in the wheel was repaired when Adriana stepped back in front of the audience this week. Describing her return as ‘simply the most amazing night of my life’, the popular wheel-turner received a 10-minute standing ovation from a diehard Wheel audience before the show could continue.
‘I had tears in my eyes and I was hoping my mascara wouldn’t run,’ the Argentinea
n-born glamour girl told TV Week. Adriana was forced to leave Wheel for eight months after suffering a breakdown late last year.
MEMORIES
> Several episodes of Club Buggery are produced in the UK under the title Roy and H.G.’s Bughouse.
> The Australian Children’s Television Foundation celebrates its 15th anniversary.
> The ABC picks up the series Heartbreak High after it failed to live up to expectations on Ten and presents it in half-hour episodes.
> The Great Outdoors celebrates its 200th episode in July.
> The Logies are presented for the first time from Melbourne’s new Crown Casino.
> Network Ten newsreader Sandra Sully is attacked by a man suspected of attempting to kidnap her.
> The Wiggles celebrate a new show on pay-TV’s Disney Channel and the release of The Wiggles Movie in December.
> Variety host and actor Noel Ferrier dies in Sydney, aged 66.
> The Thredbo landslide dominates TV news. Sole survivor Stuart Diver tells his story exclusively to Seven’s Witness program, which reaps the ratings reward.
> Jason Donovan returns to Australia after eight years in London.
> Pauline Hanson appears as herself in an episode of Frontline. ATSIC legal advisor Noel Pearson guest stars in the same episode.
> After Jana Wendt’s falling out with Seven, Paul Barry assumes the host’s chair at Witness.
> Soldiers involved in the Blackhawk tragedy choose not to sell their stories to commercial stations but instead appear in a highly acclaimed Four Corners documentary.
> Gold Logie: Lisa McCune
> Hall of Fame: Garry McDonald
GAME SHOWS
A few lucky moments under the heat lamps of an Aussie game show and you could walk away with an armful of prizes, or a consolation prize for your troubles. Either way, one thing you won’t forget is the advice so generously screamed from the crowd.
Can I buy a vowel?
Our first contestant is an over-the-top host with a Colgate smile. He’ll be joined by the roar of the live studio audience. And finally, our second contestant has the promise that next time, It could be you! Tonight they’ll be playing in front of flashing lights for big cash prizes, and all they’ve got to do is answer a few random questions correctly. That’s right, you’re on an Australian game show … APPLAUSE … Camera One to host.
Game shows began pumping adrenaline into our lounge rooms soon after TV was born. The formats for many of those early favourites – shows such as Juke Box Jury, Video Village, Concentration and more – came straight from American versions. One of the biggest of the early hits started in TV’s second year when the lure of cars and mod-con prizes shot Seven’s The Price Is Right to instant popularity in Sydney and Melbourne. Since then it’s become one of our most popular game shows, with a run on every Australian commercial network.
Another game show icon was born on Nine two years later with Reg Grundy’s Wheel of Fortune. It didn’t last long first time around, but when it re-emerged in 1981 with hosts Ernie Sigley and Adriana Xenides it started a second run that lasted more than 20 years. ‘Baby’ John Burgess took over wheel-spinning duties in 1984, before he shaved his trademark moustache, got sacked, moved networks to host Nine’s Catchphrase and quiz king Tony Barber was controversially installed.
Networks flirted with matchmaking shows like Blind Date in the 1960s and 1970s, with hosts Graham Webb and Bobby Hanna, but Ten’s 1984 hit, Perfect Match, sparked a TV phenomenon. Its big-haired hosts, Greg Evans and Debbie Newsome, and their arm-waving love compatibility robot, Dexter, hooked up thousands of couples looking for love – or a free trip to Bali. Perfect Match won three Logies between 1983 and 1985, notched up three consecutive gold Logie nominations for Greg Evans between 1985 and 1987, and got instant ratings gratification, peaking at 39 in 1984, where it broke all records in the 5.30 pm timeslot. Cameron Daddo took over playing cupid with Tiffany Lamb and later Kerrie Friend until 1988, when Greg Evans returned. The show was re-badged as Blind Date three years later … but by then all the love had gone.
Occasionally, game shows have demanded a lot more of their contestants than the ability to buy a vowel. Ten dabbled with the runaround game show Almost Anything Goes in the 1970s, which had a major comeback in 1985 as the $100,000-an-episode hit It’s a Knockout. Hosts Billy J. Smith and Fiona MacDonald cracked up on cue at the inhibitions of four outrageously dressed state teams, who battled it out in front of a 1000-strong screaming crowd.
The stadium theme continued on Seven that same year when Gladiators came out fighting in a TV debut that drew over two million viewers. Hosts Kimberley Joseph and Aaron Pederson pitted ordinary competitors against oiled-up bodybuilders with bizarre names like Vulcan, Commando, Blade, Cheeta and Storm. Australian sport stars Mike Whitney and John Alexander attempted to add integrity to the shows but failed hilariously. JA’s super-seriously intoned ‘Gladiators … Ready!’ provided a regular if unintended comedic highlight. Gladiators even had its own version of ‘The Ashes’ when the British gladiators made a surprise visit, taking on the Aussies in a three-round duel.
Celebrities were rolled out as game show contestants when ratings needed a boost, and they even had shows of their own, which usually tested their lying abilities. There was Ugly Dave Gray hosting Celebrity Tattle Tales in 1980, Ian McFadyen fronting Cluedo in 1992 and the regular staple of the noughts and crosses in Celebrity Squares, which premiered on Ten in 1967 and later ran on both other commercial networks. But for sheer entertainment value, nothing came close to the Graham Kennedy-hosted Blankety Blanks, which provided some of Australian TV’s funniest moments in the 1970s. Game shows have pushed Australian TV to its limits in prizes and subject matter, and formed the backbone of some of global television’s greatest empires. The stress reliever of a nation, they’ve allowed us to let off some steam after a hard day at school or at the office, and sit in front of the TV laughing, thinking of absolutely nothing but whether the jet ski is worth more than the trail bike.
Games shows that failed to get their game on
> Double Dare – An adult version of the kids show Double Dare, where contestants got slimed, didn’t hit it off with Australian viewers; the show was given the flick after four weeks.
> Cash Bonanza – Host Larry Emdur later said of this show, which was filled with gold mines and exploding banks: ‘It wasn’t one of the great shows, but it is difficult to say no to that stuff, particularly when you are sitting at home watching morning TV and seeing all the old game show hosts doing infomercials.’
> The Celebrity Game – The precision timing of its host Bert Newton couldn’t save this 1969 charade-based celebrity game, which got the chop after just two months.
> Fear Factor – Nine’s 2002 daredevil game show, hosted by Marc Yellin, saw people attempt to win $50,000 by confronting their worst fears. The media reported one contestant was injured after a mishap while ‘bus surfing’. The show lasted two weeks.
1998
1998 is a year of big debuts, with The Panel and SeaChange both wowing viewers with their fresh ideas. It is also a year in which the ABC debuted some edgier fare – McFeast Live and The Micallef Program – with mixed success.
… to be beside the seaside
It’s not often a TV show kicks off an entire social phenomenon. But that’s what seems to be happening with SeaChange. OK, maybe the show isn’t actually responsible for the phenomenon. But it’s certainly given it a name.
The premise of SeaChange is simple yet complex. Laura Gibson’s hubby is in jail for fraud. She missed out on that partnership with the city law firm and her son has been expelled from school. Worse still, it appears she may have killed the family cat.
Time for a change, she thinks. A sea change. So she packs up the kids and heads back to the place she can last remember being happy – Pearl Bay, a seemingly sleepy seaside village.
Of course, what happens to Laura in Pearl Bay is what makes the series such engaging viewing. It
helps that the town is populated by a cast of odd but endearing characters: there’s a shonky real-estate agent, a sensible pub owner, a hapless handyman and a potential love interest (David Wenham), a laid-back renaissance man known as Diver Dan.
Viewers have fallen in love with the cast and the show – but also the entire concept of running away from it all, of returning to a simpler, and therefore happier, life.
Musing on the success of SeaChange, creators Deb Cox and Andrew Knight said, ‘Pearl Bay is the place you used to go to for holidays as a kid, as opposed to the place you go now, which is elegant and beautiful,’ Knight told the Green Guide.
It has also offered an entertaining spin on some of our current pre-occupations: community breakdown, the value of friends and family, and notions of what’s important in life – having a brilliant career and a nice house in the right suburb, or having a brilliant relationship with your kids and an idea of what makes us happy.
Whether we recognise a childhood holiday spot in SeaChange or not, or agree with its subtle comments on Australia circa 1998, one thing is certain: the very human concerns, foibles, frailties and humour of Pearl Bay’s residents have made for some wonderful television. Stay tuned for season two, due early next year.
Dann the man
February: Just when you thought no one could challenge Mick Dundee as the quintessential outback hero, along comes Troy Dann.
It’s no surprise his new show, Outback Adventures, is full of action: helicopters, motorbikes, croc-infested waters and emergency surgery on wounded animals. Just another day in the office – or the Australian outback – as far as Dann is concerned.
But there’s more to this cowboy than riding motorbikes and branding cattle. He talks about conservation, wildlife and the history of the outback. He can even hunt and cook in traditional Aboriginal ways.
