50 Years of Television in Australia

by Nick Place

  So although TV is a medium of bright lights and big stars, not everything that glitters becomes television gold. Sometimes the networks try and fail, but at least they pick themselves up and try, try again. And, given how much we love to crow about it, maybe a slip-up every now and then is not such a bad thing.

  Gone too soon …

  Whether a show disappears quickly from our screens or returns for series after series is not always a real indication of its quality and substance. Some well-made programs, worthy of success, have suffered because of poor marketing or ultra-competitive timeslots.

  > Mercury (1996) – The top-notch cast, headed by Geoffrey Rush, of this ABC drama series deserved a much longer run than just 13 episodes.

  > CrashBurn (2003) – This sexy and funny relationship drama from Andrew Knight and Deb Cox (SeaChange) was described by critic Ross Warneke as ‘too clever for its own good’ and failed to get a grip on the commercial market.

  > Micallef Tonight (2003) – Shaun Micallef’s unique blend of parody and send-ups were lost on much of Nine’s Monday night audience; disappointing ratings led to the show’s demise after just 13 episodes.

  > The Cooks (2004) – Up against Nine’s top-rating Sex and the City, Ten’s fresh, sexy new drama didn’t stand a chance. Its premiere scored some of the lowest ratings in TV history for a new Australian drama, effectively sounding the death knoll.

  > 110% Tony Squires (2004) – The winning team behind The Fat failed to strike a chord on Seven with their mix of sport and comedy, and despite a strong following on the ABC, it was sent to the commercial TV sin bin after just 25 episodes.

  Acknowledgements

  Where do we start? There have been so many people who have helped us to pull this book together, and each has played an important part in making it a reality.

  First up, we’d like to acknowledge all the researchers and writers from Media Giants. Chloe Boulton and Thomas Hunter ended up carrying much of the load, and did so wonderfully well, but they had plenty of help along the way from Marcella Bidinost, Andrew Bliss, Tony Brown, Claire Deutsher, Megan Flamer, Elizabeth Joyes, Chris Ord and Amanda Place. Thanks also to Harry Clark and Bronwyn Owen, who helped out with additional research late in the piece, and Heather Kelly, who edited most of the features and pulled together many of the On Debut and Memories columns.

  Brian Courtis, TV writer from The Age, read through all the features and identified a number of areas where they could be improved, or recalled things we’d neglected to include. We really appreciate his time, his expertise and his assistance.

  A huge thank you to Barrie Bell, at Channel 9 in Melbourne, for his amazing photographic archives, his willingness to help and his overall friendly support for the entire project. We would have been lost without him. His colleagues, Lyn Elford and Irene Doel, also played important roles and we thank them.

  Gordon Bennett, at Channel 7 in Melbourne, has been a good friend through a number of different projects, and so it proved again with this one. He gave us access to the filing cabinets of old negatives from HSV-7, and a couple of precious scrapbooks from TV’s early days, both of which proved to be crucial in filling in some of the detail and colour from that heady period. He also introduced us to the ‘Old Codgers’ – a group of friends from the old HSV-7 days – and their memories and photos were priceless. Special thanks to Graham Foster, Don Smith, John Walters and Harold Aspinall.

  Kristina Echols, from Channel 7 publicity in Melbourne, was a terrific help in finding photos from more recent years, while Linda Calkin and Fiona Robertson at ATN-7 in Sydney, and Elizabeth Toberty and Guy Tranter from the ABC in Sydney were also a huge help in finding and gaining access to many photos.

  Bob Phillips and Judy Banks, from the TV World Media Museum, were generous with their time, their recollections and their wonderful collection of memorabilia. If you’ve got a soft spot for TV nostalgia, we heartily recommend a visit to their museum on the corner of Moorooduc and Eramosa Roads in Moorooduc, on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.

  Chris Keating was a wonderful help to us – we just wish we could have found him earlier in the whole process! He helped with access to many old TV magazines, and his A–Z listing of Australian TV programs was the answer to many odd research questions. He has not, however, had the chance to check this book, so any inaccuracies are not of his doing!

  Don Storey and Andrew Bayley were also extremely generous with photographic and research material, and TV fans should definitely check out their websites (www.classicaustraliantv.com and televisionau.siv.net.au respectively) for a treasure trove of information.

  We owe a great debt to everyone who’s ever written about TV for the major daily newspapers – but especially to those specialist TV magazines such as TV Times, TV Week and Listener In-TV. We thank all those magazines and supplements, and the journalists and photographers who worked on them, for producing such a comprehensive body of work.

  Thanks to the current Managing Editor of TV Week, Marnie McLean, and the wonderfully helpful Leila Jeffreys at ACP, for allowing us to use a number of photos from old editions of TV Week. We really appreciate their help.

  We thank the following photographers who have taken TV-related photos over the years. They include Harry Wannacott, Barrie Bell, Steve Brack, Paul Shire, David Parker, John Allott Rogers, Robert Clark, Michelle Day, Lindsay Hogan, Phil Holloway, Brian McInerny, Brian McKenzie, Coll Millington, Julia Morrell, Vivian Zink, Dennis Wisken, Greg Noakes and Skip Watkins, Double PR Photography and Tarsha Hosking.

  A big, global thank you to all of the following, who have provided assistance of one form or another throughout this process (in no particular order):

  The Age Editorial Library

  Carol Matthews, Crawford Productions

  Alex Gionfriddo, AFI Research Collection

  Zsuzsi Szucs and Simon Smith, National Film and Sound Archive (ScreenSound)

  Steve Knapman, Knapman Wyld Television

  Michèle Burch, Deb Choate and Michael Hirsh, Working Dog

  Greg Evans

  Philip Brady

  Sharon Williams, Kennedy Miller

  BTV-6, Ballarat

  Paul Shire

  Shannon Becker and David Brown, Endemol Southern Star

  Anna Sorenson, SBS TV Publicity

  Heidi Virtue, Foxtel

  Andra Gough, Holeproof

  Dorry Kordahi, Dorry Kordahi Management

  Sally Chapman and Paul McMillan, George Patterson Y&R

  Maria Mitropoulos and Emily Hope, JWT

  Georgina Lyell, TAC

  Rove McManus

  Roving Enterprises

  Kirsten Le Bon, The Best Picture Show Company

  Steve and Terri Irwin, Australia Zoo Pty Ltd

  Kylie Connell, Grundy Organisation

  Jeremy Kewley

  Aaron Haberfield at Prime TV

  Kellie Hampton at NBN Television

  Sam Dawson at Imparja

  Don Burke

  Les Murray, SBS

  Drew Morphett, ABC

  Jenny Buckland at Australian Children’s Television Foundation

  Nigel Dick

  Derek Malone, Village Roadshow Pictures Television P/L

  Grahame Bond

  Cheryl Gagliano, Fauna Productions Pty Limited

  Gary Reilly and Tony Sattler

  Marius Luppino, Granada

  Murray from Gardenvale Collectables

  Ray Pond

  Helen Siberson, Channel 7

  Madeleine Burke

  Dan Trenear

  Belinda Winnall, Channel 10

  Cynthia Kelly and Ben Gannon, View Films Pty Ltd

  Pauline Lee, International Casting Service & Associates Pty Ltd

  Helen Morse

  Lorraine Bayly

  Kerrie Matthews, Somers Carroll Pty Ltd

  Daryl Somers

  Alli MacGregor, Terry Blamey Management Ltd

  Kylie Minogue

  Jessica Carrera, Shanahan Management


  Jason Donovan

  Kelly Davis, Channel Nine Publicity

  Bert Newton

  Simone Roleff, Beyond Simpson Le Mesurier

  Hal McElroy, McElroy All Media

  Melina McKenna, I.C.S & Associates

  John Waters

  Jillian Bowen, Entertainment Public Relations

  Sigrid Thornton

  Debbie Newsome

  Bryan Brown

  Maggie McLaren

  Jana Wendt

  John Wood

  And everybody else who has given us their time for interviews, fact-checking, research and reminiscing.

  And finally, thanks to all those who worked on the production of this book, especially our talented and ever-patient designer Phil Campbell, our copyeditor Kerry Biram, and our editor at Hardie Grant, Jasmin Chua. It’s been a long, long journey – sometimes it must have felt like 50 years in itself – but hopefully the results are worth it.

  We’re big fans of television. We’ve watched far too much of it to be good for anybody. But if you’ve bought this book, we suspect you’re in the same boat. So here’s to Australian television’s next 50 years – let’s hope it’s every bit as wild and entertaining a ride as the first 50 have been.

  Nick Place & Michael Roberts Media Giants

  Bibliography

  Books

  Aisbett, K. (2000). 20 years of C: Children’s Television Programs and Regulation 1979–1999. Sydney: ABA, ACTF and FFC.

  Bayley, A. The History of Australian Television. Retrieved from televisionau.siv.net.au

  Beilby, P (Ed.). (1981). Australian TV: The First 25 Years. Melbourne: Nelson in association with Cinema Papers.

  Blundell, G. (2003). King: The Life and Comedy of Graham Kennedy. Sydney: Pan Macmillan.

  Forbes, C. & Krien, E. (1994). Hall of Fame. Melbourne: Channel Seven.

  Hill, A. (2005). Reality TV: Audiences and Popular Factual Television. New York: Routledge.

  Holmes, S. & Jermyn, D. (Eds). (2004). Understanding Reality Television. London: Routledge.

  Keating, C. (2006). The Complete A–Z of Australian Television Programs: A Comprehensive Guide to Locally Produced Television Programs From 1955 to 2005. Unpublished manuscript.

  Mercado, A. (2004). Super Aussie Soaps: Behind the Scenes of Australia’s Best Loved TV Shows. North Melbourne: Pluto Press.

  Moran, A. (1993). Moran’s Guide to Australian TV Series. North Ryde: Australian Film Television & Radio School.

  Morrell, J. (1996). Forty Years of Television: The Story of ATN-7. Sydney: Channel Seven.

  Shoebridge, N. (1992). Great Australian Advertising Campaigns. Sydney: McGraw-Hill.

  Stone, G. (2000). Compulsive Viewing: The Inside Story of Packer’s Nine Network. Ringwood: Viking.

  Storey, D. Classic Australian Television. Retrieved from www.classicaustraliantv.com

  Walden, M. (2003). From the Word Go!! Forty Years of Ten Melbourne 1964–2004. Melbourne: Network Ten.

  Wilmoth, P. (1993). Glad All Over: The Countdown Years 1974–1987. Ringwood: McPhee Gribble.

  Magazines and newspapers

  Listener In-TV

  Sydney Morning Herald

  The Age

  The Daily Telegraph

  The Herald

  The Sun

  TV Guide

  TV Times

  TV Week

  Websites

  Australian Game Shows: zap.to/ozgames Australian Television Information Archive:

  www.australiantelevision.net Classic Australian Television:

  www.classicaustraliantv.com Television.au: televisionau.siv.net.au

  TV Week: tvweek.ninemsn.com.au (for details of Logies winners)

  Photography credits

  Cover

  Bert Newton, private collection and Bert Newton. Bryan Brown and Helen Morse in A Town Like Alice, courtesy Seven Network, Helen Morse and Bryan Brown. Daryl Somers and Ossie Ostrich in Hey Hey It’s Saturday, courtesy Barrie Bell (photographer) /GTV-9/Daryl Somers. Graham Kennedy, private collection. Greg Evans, Debbie Newsome and Dexter in Perfect Match, courtesy Greg Evans and Debbie Newsome. Homicide, courtesy Seven Network and Crawford Productions. John Wood in Blue Heelers, Seven Network and John Wood. Lorraine Bayly in The Sullivans, courtesy Barrie Bell (photographer)/GTV-9/Lorraine Bayly/Crawfords. The Mavis Bramston Show, Seven Network. TV Camera, courtesy Seven Network and Tarsha Hosking (photographer). Rove McManus, Roving Enterprises and Rove McManus. John Waters and Sigrid Thornton in All The Rivers Run, courtesy AFI, Crawford Productions, John Waters and Sigrid Thornton. Jana Wendt, courtesy Jana Wendt, GTV9, TCN9 and Barrie Bell (photographer).

  The personalities featured on the cover have consented to their images being used, but such consent does not represent any endorsement by them of the book.

  Internal

  AAP: moon landing; Princess Di’s funeral; Cathy Freeman; Twin Towers. ABC TV: TV News-Times; Delo and Daly; Roland Strong; Bobby and Laurie; Bellbird; Number 96; The Aunty Jack Show; Our Man in Canberra; Molly and Prince Charles; Countdown; Phoenix; Bananas in Pyjamas; Alvin Purple; Chequerboard; John Safran. Barron Entertainment Ltd: Photo reproduced with the permission of Barron Entertainment Ltd, Bush Christmas. Best Picture Show Company: Image kindly supplied with the permission of Australia Zoo Pty Ltd and Steve and Terri Irwin, Steve Irwin. Beyond Simpson Le Mesurier: Skirts; Rebecca Gibney; Dogwoman. Bob Phillips/TV World Media Museum: old TV; ad for Channel 9 opening; kids watching TV; ad for Channel 9 opening; Noel Ferrier; Graham Kennedy greeting card; Woman’s Day cover; Logies menu; Norman Swain; Judy Banks and Fredd Bear; Abigail book; Shirl’s Neighbourhood; Tonight Live ticket; Steve Vizard and Jennifer Keyte; Brian Naylor; Graham Kennedy and Bert Newton; Ramsay Street sign. BTV-6: live show. Channel 10: Number 96 screenshot. Crawfords: Homicide filming; Homicide cast; Homicide titles; Homicide cast; Matlock Police; Solo One; Skyways; Pamela Stephenson; Holiday Island; Bill Stalker; All The Rivers Run; Carson’s Law; Abigail; Zoo Family; Henderson Kids; Flying Doctors; Acropolis Now; Flying Doctors; Bud Tingwell; The Box; Sullivans; Homicide. Dorry Kordahi Management: Cosima De Vito. Endemol Southern Star: Big Brother. Fauna Productions Pty Ltd: Skippy. Foxtel: Love My Way. Gary Reilly and Tony Sattler: Kingswood Country. George Patterson Y&R: VB ad. Granada: SeaChange. Greg Evans: Perfect Match; Perfect Match. GTV-9 Melbourne: photos courtesy GTV-9 Melbourne and Barrie Bell: Eric Pearce; Bruce Gyngell; camera and test pattern; newspaper clipping; The Price is Right; Emergency; Graham Kennedy and Panda; Jackie Clancy and Bert Newton; Whiplash (two images); Eric Pearce; Kevin Dennis Auditions; It Could Be You; Bert Newton & Chips Rafferty; Eric Pearce; Don Lane and Bert Newton; Ernie Sigley and Denise Drysdale; Barley Charlie; IMT; Bert Newton and Michael Cole; Graham Kennedy receiving Logie; Jimmy Hannan; Division 4; Hunter; Division 4; Mike Walsh; Barry Crocker; Graham Kennedy and Eric Pearce; Gerard Kennedy; The Curiosity Show; IMT hosts; Gordon Boyd; The Link Men; Bobby Limb and Dawn Lake; Brian Bury; Rosemary Margan; Daryl Somers; Mike Willesee; Andrew McFarlane; Geraldine Dillon; Don Lane; Paul Hogan; Silent Number; Bert and Patti Newton; Mike Willesee and Germaine Greer; Ian Leslie; Ernie Sigley and dancers; Paul Hogan Division 4; The Sullivans; Kerry Armstrong; No Man’s Land; Denise Drysdale and Dame Edna; Eric Pearce and Peter Hitchener; Graham Kennedy and Bert Newton; Mike Walsh; World Series Cricket; The Sullivans; Bert and Ali; 60 Minutes; Tony Barber and Victoria Nicholls; The Sullivans; Don Lane and James Randi; Young Doctors; Bert and Patti Newton; Last of the Australians; Simonette Gardner; 60 Minutes; Judy Green; The Sullivans; George Negus; Kings; Talent show contestants; Talent show contestant; Mel Gibson; Mike Walsh; Young Doctors; Red Symons; Jeff McMullen; Vivean Gray; World Series Cricket; Larry Emdur; Greg Evans; Man looking at statue; Graham Kennedy and Ken Sutcliffe; Clive Robertson and Bob Geldof; Hey Hey It’s Saturday; All Together Now; Chances; George Negus; Paul Hogan and Strop; Dannii Minogue; Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan; Jo Bailey; Sophie Lee; Reg Grundy; Bob Morrison Show; The Footy Show; Ray Martin; Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush; Chances;
Shaun Micallef; Frankie J. Holden; Mike Willesee; Nicky Buckley and Glenn Ridge; The Price is Right; The Leyland Brothers; Alby Mangels; Hey Hey It’s Saturday; Hi-Five; Humphrey B Bear; Channel 9 footy team; news crew at bushfires; Australian Survivor; The Block; Who Wants To Be a Millionaire winner; Bandstand; Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush. Holeproof: Antz Pantz ad. Imparja Television: Yamba. JWT: Vegemite ad. Kennedy Miller: The Dismissal (2 photos), Bodyline; Bangkok Hilton. Knapman Wyld Television: White Collar Blue. NBN-TV: Big Dog. ‘The Old Codgers’: contestants on Stairway to the Stars; Seven OB van; ABC Tower; HSV-7 studios; Mt Dandenong; cameraman filming; opening titles; early weather girl; operators at control panel; all pics on this spread; talent quest; camera crew at football; Bert Newton on The Late Show; orchestra; Young Seven; camera crew; camera crew; Sunnyside Up; woman singing on The Late Show; cameras filming at football; afternoon show; Young Seven. Paul Shire: Christopher Skase’s first day. Prime Television Newcastle: Prime Possum. Private collections: Happy Hammond; TV demonstration photo and program; newspaper clipping; newspaper clipping; cameraman filming; newspaper clippings; OB van at MCG; Olympic Games; colour camera; newspaper clipping; TV ad; Mickey Mouse Club cast; portable TV; all pics; How TV Works booklet; Hit Parade dancer; That’s My Desire; Don Bennetts and Brian Henderson; Bandwagon; Bert Newton; Madeleine Burke; Ron Blaskett & Gerry Gee; Jack Little; Panda wedding; Ron Casey; Tarax Club card; Barry Linehan; Philip Brady and Geoff Corke; Parer the Magician; Zig and Zag; Channel 0 ad and truck; Ron Blaskett and Gerry Gee; Johnny O’Keefe and the Tremeloes; Bobo the Clown; Helen Reddy; Deadly Earnest; Sunnyside Up; Jimmy Hannan; Jamie Redfern; Julius Sumner Miller; Young Talent Time; Jamie Redfern; Vicki Hammond; Molly Meldrum and Carla Hoogaveen; VFL Grand Final; World of Sport; Hit Parade; Easybeats; Arcade cast and poster; Dannii Minogue; Jackie McDonald; Hey Hey It’s Saturday; A Country Practice; Woodchop competition; Marty Monster; Johnny Young; Pie in face; Abigail; A Country Practice; Rolf Harris; Concentration; Man with snake; audience; remote control unit; Joy Fountain with rolling pin; World of Sport handball contest. Roving Enterprises: Rove McManus and Delta Goodrem. SBS TV: The Movie Show; Pizza; The Food Lover’s Guide to Australia; Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton; Ashes broadcasts. ScreenSound: Skippy; Skippy and the Intruders; The Main Event; Real Life; Kingswood Country; Beauty and the Beast; Wombat; Home and Away; Skippy; Romper Room. The Seven Network: Graham Kennedy and Bert Newton; ATN logo; store display; OB van being unloaded; ATN opening; ATN carpark on opening; early variety show; audience; test pattern; cameras filming at Sydney showgrounds; live broadcast from RAAF base; camera filming singer; girl with camera; Captain Fortune; Howard Craven; Pick-a-Box audience; Cool For Cats; Bert Newton & Manila Combo; Johnny O’Keefe; Pick-a-Box; Johnny O’Keefe; John Laws; Delo and Daly; Barbie Rogers; Mavis Bramston; Olivia Newton-John and Anne Watt; Beverly Hillbillies on Happy Show; Coles $6000 Question; Blue Heelers; The Seekers; Brian and the Juniors; You Can’t See Round Corners; Tony Barber; Coles Question; Pick-a-Box; Motel; It’s Academic; Tommy Leonetti; Beyond 2000; Delvene Delaney; Catwalk; David Johnston; Tony Barber; girls promoting colour TV; Gough Whitlam and Dan Webb; Tandarra; Penthouse Club; The Naked Vicar Show; Against the Wind; Father Dear Father; Peter Luck; Norman Gunston; The Last Outlaw; A Town Like Alice; Gunston’s Australia; Hey Dad!; McGooley; A Country Practice; Sons and Daughters; Mike Willesee; Towards 2000; Rowena Wallace; Neighbours; The 11th Hour; Home and Away; Motel; Saturdee; TV Ringside; Two on the Aisle; The D-Generation; Derryn Hinch; Rafferty’s Rules; The Shiralee; The Last Outlaw; Eureka Stockade; The Power, the Passion; Australia’s Most Wanted; A Country Practice; All Saints; A Country Practice; Gina Riley; Hey Dad!; Full Frontal; Mavis Bramston Show; Bligh; Simon Townsend and Larry Emdur; A Country Practice; Norman Gunston; John Wood; Lisa McCune; Big Girl’s Blouse; Harry’s Practice; Adriana Xenides; Jana Wendt; Fire; John Burgess; Gladiators; Bill Collins; Peter Luck and David Salter; Better Homes and Gardens; Wheel of Fortune; Family Feud; Troy Dann; Michael Caton; $Million Chance of a Lifetime; The Late Report; Seven program chart; Roy and H.G.; Blue Heelers; Blue Heelers; All Saints; Always Greener; baking contest; Bruce McAvaney; Roy and H.G.; Ian Thorpe; Mal Walden and chopper; news crew gear; Dicko; David Koch and Melissa Doyle; Deal Or No Deal; My Restaurant Rules; Greeks on the Roof; Dancing With the Stars; Curtis Stone; Rebecca Wilson and Tony Squires; Controversy Corner; The D-Generation; Let Loose Live. TCN-9 Sydney: Paul Hogan as Leo Wanker; Sophie Lee; Mike Willesee; Paradise Beach; Paradise Beach; Water Rats; Tiffany Lamb; Don Burke; Mike Munro; Kerri-Anne Kennerley; Ray Martin; Richard Carleton; Backyard Blitz; McLeod’s Daughters (2 photos); Brian Henderson; Footy Show (Sydney). TV Week: Photos courtesy of TV Week Magazine/ACP Magazines Ltd: first TV-Radio Week; magazine cover; magazine cover; dancers; Bobby Limb and Dawn Lake; Digby Wolfe; Michael Charlton; Graham Kennedy; Bandstand cast; Homicide; Graham Kennedy and Don Lane; National Top 40; Norman Gunston; McGooley; Olivia Newton-John and Ian Turpie; Johnny Young; Nancy Cato; Peter Hudson & Rosemary Margan; Kamahl; Johnny Farnham; Terry and Sue Donovan; The Group; Barrier Reef; Jack Thompson; Number 96 cast; Boney; Birds in the Bush; Class of ’74; Helen Hemmingway; Ernie and Denise; Bobby Dazzler; Belinda Giblin; Cop Shop wedding; Prisoner; Paula Duncan and John Orcsik; Hector Crawford; Bert Newton and Bob Hawke; Bob Hawke; magazine cover; Magazine cover. View Films Ltd: Heartbreak Kid poster. Village Roadshow Pictures Television Pty Ltd: Reproduced with the permission of Village Roadshow Pictures Television Pty Ltd, Brides of Christ. Working Dog: Mike Moore; The D-Generation; Graham and the Colonel; Frontline; Funky Squad; The Panel pics; Russell Coight.