by Nick Place
> ABC and Ten screen one-hour documentaries tracing the history of the Sydney Harbour Bridge to celebrate its 50th birthday.
> ABC and Nine jointly televise the 1982 Commonwealth Games from Brisbane.
> Gold Logie: Bert Newton
> Special Award for Sustained Excellence: Young Talent Time
1983
The story of 1983 can be summed up in two words (or one hyphenated one) – mini-series. We have switched on in droves to watch epic Australian stories being told in full colour and in our very own living rooms. Local soaps have also had a tumultuous year and, wearing our new 3-D glasses, we’ve sampled what TV of the future might look like.
Mini-series rule the airwaves
Australia has confirmed its love of the mini-series as the nation’s favourite form of storytelling, with five massive success stories sweeping all before them in the viewer figures.
All The Rivers Run, a gripping love story set in the riverboat era on the Murray River, starred Sigrid Thornton, John Waters, Chantal Contouri and Gus Mercurio, and set ratings records in both Melbourne and Sydney.
Two productions taken from novels were similarly well received. For the Term of His Natural Life was based on Marcus Clarke’s story of an Englishman accused of murder and shipped off to Australia for a crime he did not commit. It starred Anthony Perkins and Colin Friels and was a major winner with audiences.
So, too, was the $15 million, American-made, nine-hour adaptation of Colleen McCullough’s The Thorn Birds, which starred Richard Chamberlain, Bryan Brown and little-known Rachel Ward, who was surprisingly cast in the central female role ahead of Jane Seymour. Despite the ratings, however, its most lasting claim to fame may turn out to be off-screen: Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward have since announced plans to marry, having met on the set of the epic production.
Meanwhile, the three-part series The Dismissal – the still-fresh story of the sacking of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in 1975 – rated 40 in Sydney and 32 in the southern capital. The series received wide praise for the unerringly accurate portrayals of the central figures by actors John Stanton as Malcolm Fraser, Max Phipps as Whitlam and John Meillon as controversial Governor-General Sir John Kerr.
TV programmers will be most excited, however, by the success of Return to Eden, a very ‘now’ story of greed, lust, betrayal, attempted murder, glamour and revenge. With a glamorous cast led by Australian Crawl frontman James Reyne, Wendy Hughes and Rebecca Gilling, Australia loved this larger-than-life story of a plain-Jane heiress who is left to the mercy of crocodiles before returning after plastic surgery with a new identity as a glamorous supermodel to wage revenge.
The only program able to reach the ratings stratosphere of the mini-series was the final episode of MASH, the long-running American sitcom based in the Korean war, which rated 50. When it screened in the US in late June, it was watched by a mind-boggling 100 million people.
Willesee switches channels
July: Veteran TV journalist Mike Willesee is returning to the Nine Network in a deal believed to be worth $7.5 million. The only reporter to threaten 60 Minutes’ recent ratings dominance, with a series of documentaries on Seven, it is not yet known what Nine and Willesee are planning.
Willesee’s documentaries on Seven have been a triumph throughout this year. His stories of young children battling heartbreaking medical conditions with humour and courage have captivated Australians, who have embraced the struggles of Quentin and more recently Robbie, an eight-year-old with aplastic anemia.
In a major change of pace, Willesee also produced Strippers, a documentary that looked behind the scenes at the world of striptease, and Kids of the Cross, a 90-minute special that examined the truth behind life in Sydney’s seediest address.
Green back on Sale
September: Glamorous gameshow model Judy Green has finally returned to Sale of the Century, after surviving a horrific car crash in South America. Green left Sale to partner adventure-man Alby Mangels on the World Safari II documentary, but was left in a coma for four days after a serious car accident left her with blood clots on her brain.
Finally recovered, Judy will be making semi-regular appearances back in front of the Sale prize pool as she finds her way back into entertainment.
The clown of the Queensland news desk?
September:Will the real Jackie MacDonald please stand up? The popular Queenslander’s future as a newsreader appears to be in doubt as viewers continue to struggle to match the serious newsdesk Jackie with the zany, madcap, loopy clown Jackie on Hey Hey, It’s Saturday. Despite being groomed as a Brisbane newsreader by TVQ-0, Hey Hey’s reach into southern Queensland is seen to have undermined her credibility. But Jackie denies her weekend play with a pink ostrich and other characters affects her newsroom weight.
‘I think I’m very credible. I’ve never told a lie or been anything I’m not,’ she told TV Week. ‘My credibility shouldn’t be questioned and I don’t see why people involved in the news shouldn’t have a sense of humour. Goodness me, everybody grows up.’ Far from being reigned in by potential criticism, Jackie is spreading her wings even further with a new special, Jackie’s Wonderful World Of Animals.
ON DEBUT
> Balance of Power – ABC six-part series looking at how we use energy and the search for potential new sources
> Coral Island – nine-part series telling of the adventures of three youngsters shipwrecked in the Pacific in the 19th century
> Peach’s Gold – show hosted by Bill Peach about the gold rush in Australia
> Starting Out – series starring Tottie Goldsmith and David Reyne
> Weekend Sydney – what’s happening in in Sydney each weekend; hosted by Denise Drysdale and Drew Forsythe
> For the Term of His Natural Life – mini-series based on the 1874 novel by Marcus Clarke, giving a very vivid account of colonial life
> Strippers – a Mike Willesee special looking behind the scenes at the world of striptease
> The Great Outdoors – one-hour documentary on South America by the Leyland Brothers
> Focus – controversial series about migrants
> Kids of the Cross – a gutsy and factual documentary by Mike Willesee
> Chase Through the Night – Scott McGregor stars in the children’s mini-series based on Max Fatchen’s novel of the same name
> A Descant for Gossips – ABC miniseries in which a young girl is under social and moral pressures in a Victorian country town in the late 1950s; stars Kaarin Fairfax, Genevieve Picot and Peter Carroll
> Scales of Justice – ABC mini-series about police corruption
> Rolf – series hosted by Rolf Harris
> Terry Willesee Tonight – current affairs
> Australia, You’re Standing In It – satire series with Tim and Debbie
> Waterloo Station – centres on a group of police trainees
> Verdict – legal series
> Silent Reach – adventure mini-series
> Home – children’s series
> The Willow Bend Mystery – children’s mini-series
Dramatic time for local dramas
March: It’s only March and what a busy year it’s been for locally produced dramas. Carson’s Law has already won itself a legion of fans with its dramatic tales of 1920s Australia, thanks in no small part to the lead character, Jennifer Carson (Lorraine Bayly), a feisty and energetic wife, mother and lawyer. With beautifully detailed period sets and costumes, the series focuses on Jennifer’s struggle to raise her children in the shadow of her dead husband’s wealthy and powerful family.
But as one star rises, another two fade. After reaching huge audiences, The Young Doctors and The Sullivans will both soon disappear from our screens. Despite the shoddy sets and unimaginative camera work, The Young Doctors shot to popularity when it first appeared. Detailing the romances of the spunky doctors and nurses at the Albert Memorial Hospital, some of the show’s highlights have included the celebrity patient Abigail, a six-month st
int by Delvene Delaney as nurse Jo Jo, and Ugly Dave Gray playing the merry publican Bunny. With 1396 episodes in the can, The Young Doctors also holds the title of Australia’s longest-running series.
The Sullivans, starring Paul Cronin as Dave Sullivan, and Lorraine Bayly as his wife Grace, was the story of a typical Melbourne family during World War II. Such was its popularity it earned a Logie for Best New Drama in 1976, another for most popular Australian Drama Series in 1978, and many other awards for the individual actors. It was also the first Australian series to be sold into more than 30 overseas countries.
Eurovision lands!
April: At last it’s here! Thanks to SBS, the Eurovision Song Contest will be seen in Australia for the first time. Famous for launching Abba and Bucks Fizz, Eurovision is a fiercely contested pop song play-off in which contestants from across Europe sing for the glory of their nation.
If the outfits are anything to go by, the contestants will stop at nothing to win, and the dance moves should definitely not be tried at home. Those who can speak Norwegian, Finnish or Portuguese may even understand some of the lyrics. Whether Australian audiences will take to Eurovision remains to be seen, but if its European popularity is any indication, such wholehearted dagginess is very hard to resist.
With his career and fame assured at 60 Minutes, tough guy reporter George Negus has lashed out at his old employer, the ABC, labelling the government broadcaster ‘insultingly elitist’. Negus told TV Week that he could not see himself ever returning to work at the ABC unless the seat was completely out of his trousers, to paraphrase a less subtle term.
My kingdom for some ratings
September: It seemed like a good idea at the time but not even former Skippy favourite Ed Devereaux or a James Bond star could save Kings, Nine’s ambitious attempt at drama set in the western suburbs of Sydney.
Kings was the story of a proud blue-collar family entrenched in the panel-beating business, but poor ratings have seen it sent to TV’s wreckers after less than three months.
In his long-awaited return to local TV, Devereaux starred as family patriarch George King, while other big names included Casino Royale star Terence Cooper, Arkie Whiteley and Arna Maria Winchester.
Jeff can see the future
July: Day trips to space, three-day working weeks, plastic cars that are pollution-free and TV sets strapped to our wrists. That’s how Australians will be living in the year 2000, says Jeff Watson, the only original on-screen presenter of Towards 2000, who is about to begin his fourth year on the popular scientific research show.
‘People always ask us what it will be like in the next century,’ Jeff told TV Week. ‘It’s an exciting prospect.’ Jeff predicts that by the new millennium we’ll be finding out about remote planets in our solar system and he predicts more and more automation of work.
But it’s the gadgets we should be excited about. According to Jeff, the record player is on borrowed time. ‘There will be a tiny machine with no moving parts and music will be recorded on a chip,’ he said. ‘In the home, there’ll be a stove which is not too hot to touch but cooks through magnetic induction.’
Sure, Jeff. Next he’ll be telling us there’ll be no ashtrays in the workplace.
TV goes 3-D
October: The Seven Network, in conjunction with Miramax Films, led a bold experiment into 3-dimensional television with a national screening on 29 October.
Sporting special 3-D glasses, available at Pizza Hut for $1 a pair, Australian families were invited to settle in at 6.30 pm for the two-hour trial, which included a Three Stooges film, and a western film Fort Ti. With more than 70 movies in the Hollywood archive shot for 3-D, this could be an exciting and landmark development for local television.
Ian Turpie introduced the experiment, which was deliberately aimed at family groups.
MEMORIES
> Mary Delahunty joins the ABC’s Four Corners.
> Controversial Melbourne radio host Derryn Hinch goes public about his love for actress Jacki Weaver by placing a full-page ad in the Adelaide News.
> Seven claims it pays the highest sum ever by an Australian network for a variety show, for Olivia Newton-John’s fifth TV special, Olivia in Concert.
> The US series MASH finishes filming in the US after 11 years, nearly three times longer than the Korean War lasted.
> US first lady Nancy Reagan stars in a Diff’rent Strokes episode warning kids of the dangers of drugs.
> The hit US movie Fame becomes a spin-off musical series.
> Commercial networks screen three new kids series: Nine’s Bamboozled, Seven’s On Your Marks and Ten’s Newsreel, the latter a half-hour series that looks behind the news.
> Ash Wednesday bushfires moved through Victoria and South Australia.
> Cliff Young (61) wins the Sydney to Melbourne marathon.
> Perth millionaire Alan Bond wins the America’s Cup with his boat Australia II.
> Tom Selleck becomes the hottest property in Hollywood with his new series, Magnum. Selleck was offered the lead in Raiders of the Lost Ark but turned it down to star in Magnum.
> Simon Townsend’s Wonder World celebrates 1000 episodes.
> John Laws’ World features Dick Smith’s solo helicopter flight around the world over three weeks.
> Ten’s mini-series Return to Eden sets a new ratings record for an Australian series; the following week this record is broken by the mini-series All the Rivers Run.
> Gold Logie: Daryl Somers
> Special Award for Sustained Excellence: Mike Walsh
TALENT QUESTS
It’s little wonder that TV talent quests have become essential viewing for many Australians. If we can’t revel in some heartless judge putting the boot into a hapless performer’s efforts, we can at least rejoice in the fact that we too can have our 15 minutes of fame. Hell, maybe even 16!
Don’t give up your day-job
NEXT!
When you hear this, it’s time for one last gargle, a tune of your instrument and a quick check that all juggling balls/chainsaws/rabbits are in place. The butterflies in your stomach make sure you’re on edge and alert. Your heart is in your mouth, but never mind – if you mess everything up, at least you made it on the telly without wasting years studying Shakespeare and acting techniques.
For most ‘traditional’ talent quest contestants, this is what it’s all about – getting your mug on TV. Occasionally, the process unearths a true talent: alumni of Australia’s first wave of talent shows include Tina Arena, Daryl Somers, Paul Hogan, Olivia Newton-John, the Minogue sisters and Debbie Byrne. But for every hit there were many, many more misses. Most were simply enthusiastic amateurs, packed with delusions of grandeur, or out for a laugh at their own expense. They’d finish their act, sit on the stool and try not to let their faces fall as the judges let them down gently (or not). Then it was back to the day jobs they had wisely held on to.
That was the formula for Australia’s first talent shows, which started back in TV’s first year with programs like Stairway to the Stars, however, it was the Kevin Dennis Auditions, later renamed New Faces that became the undisputed king of these shows. It started in 1963 and continued on and off, in different guises and with different hosts, for 30 years. This was the talent show concept at its purest: an eclectic mix of amateur contestants, friendly judges (the Seekers’ Athol Guy was a semi-regular) and a genial host. In 1965, Channel 0 delivered Showcase. Hosted by British actor and singer Gordon Boyd, this was in many ways the prototype for Australian Idol – viewers could vote for their favourite acts by mail.
Channel 0 then tweaked the formula with stunning results in 1971 when 1960s pop star Johnny Young hosted the first Young Talent Time. YTT was on air for a staggering 18 years, enjoying not only massive popularity with audiences, but also an enviable success rate in churning out real stars such as Byrne, Arena, Karen Knowles and Danni Minogue, who at the time of her first appearances was far more popular with Australians than her older sister Kylie.
Before long, contestants found themselves grappling for the spotlight with the very people who decided their fate – the judges. The highly successful Pot of Gold (1975) was hosted by Tony Hanlon Jnr, but it was a contest for camera time with the merciless celebrity adjudicator, Bernard King, who gained notoriety in the show’s three-year run by savaging contestants’ performances at every opportunity. He also paved the way for a later generation of Machiavellian talent judges, including Red Symons (Red Faces) and Australian Idol pair Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson and Kyle Sandilands.
The days of the enthusiastic amateur became numbered, however, with Channel Ten’s Star Search (1991), hosted by pop singer Jeff Phillips, which set a new standard in TV talent quests. The show held a gruelling audition process which weeded out the strugglers and presented us with polished amateurs. Comedic duo The Umbilical Brothers first appeared on this show and made it through to the grand final.
The new millennium generation of talent shows took the ‘quality contestants’ concept of Star Search, added the professionally nasty judges of Pot of Gold and threw in the audience voting of good old Showcase, albeit with better technology than stamped envelopes. They as a final lure then added the promise of a genuine shot at stardom with the signing of a record deal. Channel Seven’s Popstars (2000) featured the behind-the-scenes audition process popular with today’s audiences. All-girl group Bardot won the first series and went on to achieve a number-one single and album.
Australian Idol took the concept even further when it hit our screens in 2003, becoming a nationwide phenomenon, smashing TV ratings records, making minor celebrities of the judges and delivering pop stars to our midst, with Idol winners like Guy Sebastian – and even runners-up like Anthony Callea – topping the Top 40 charts. But for how long?