1992: May 31-June 6

Shaping up for motherhood!
Teenage star Rebekah Elmaloglou (pictured) was determined that her on-screen pregnancy in Home And Away would look as real as possible.  For almost nine months she wore bodysuits of various shapes and sizes as her character Sophie’s pregnancy progressed.  “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” she told TV Week.  “However, I haven’t felt very attractive – just fat and large.  But it was comfortable and looked quite real, so I got into the role with ease.  As Sophie got bigger, I had to make it look as though her situation was very awkward and extremely uncomfortable.” 

Michelle ‘fesses up!
Fast Forward’s street-wise couple Michelle (Magda Szubanski) and Ferret (Alan Pentland) give TV Week a few pointers on life on the streets.  “Well, firsta all, if youse lag on someone, ya dob ‘em in, ya become a dog,” Michelle says while the normally mute Ferret nods in agreement.  "And then rollin’ someone is muggin’ em, nod the head is pleadin’ guilty and ‘fess up is confess to the coppers on tape.”  Michelle also says that to look good is important.  “The jeans have to look like you’ve been born in ‘em and the hickeys are a fashion accessory, but more than two is in bad taste,” she says. 

Will Mike stop the clock?
60 Minutes reporter Mike Munro talks to TV Week about his plans to spend more time with the family and less time travelling the globe filing reports for the program.  “Things will definitely come to a head over the next couple of years,” he said.  “I’ve got two priorities in life – my family and 60 Minutes, in that order.  I’m happy at the moment, but eventually I will have to start spending a lot more time with the family.  I could even qualify as a house husband!  I’m pretty domesticated, a good cook, and I clean and iron and do all those sorts of things.”

On their blocks!
When the Seven Network successfully bid $40 million for the Australian television rights for the Barcelona Olympic Games, many high-profile media personalities from other networks fought for a place on Seven’s team.  One of those was Bruce McAvaney (pictured), who was unhappy at the financially-ailing Ten Network and saw the Games as a great reason to change camps.  Fortunately for him Seven agreed, but not everyone was successful in getting a spot on Seven’s team.  “We had calls from some extraordinary people,” Seven’s director of sport Gary Fenton told TV Week.  “I’m talking about technical and on-air people.  A lot wanted to be part of this were not considered good enough to be involved.”  The Seven Network is sending a team of 154 to Barcelona, including commentators and technical personnel – putting together what Seven claims is the largest offshore broadcast in the history of Australian TV.  However, Seven’s investment is minuscule when compared to the US network giant NBC which paid $401 million for the broadcast rights and is sending over a team of 3000.  Seven’s coverage will be fronted by McAvaney and Garry Wilkinson, while specialist commentators will include Ron Casey (boxing), John Bertrand (yachting), John Alexander (tennis), Neil Brooks (swimming) and Lindsay Gaze (basketball).  Seven’s on-air team for the Games also includes Sandy Roberts, Peter Landy, Drew Morphett, Peter Mitchell, Pat Welsh, Cameron Williams, Lisa Curry-Kenny, Dennis Cometti, Max Stevens, Edwina Gatenby, Ian Hyslop, Duncan Armstrong, Alexis Hamilton-Smith, Cathy Freeman, Steve Moneghetti, Andrew Gaze, Lisa Forrest, Peter Meares and Kim Watkins.  The Barcelona Olympic Games launch with the opening ceremony on 25 July.

Briefly…
The hot tip going around the industry is that A Current Affair host, TV Week Gold Logie winner Jana Wendt is keen to step away from the program and spend more time with her young son, Daniel.  She is also believed to be considering returning to university to do extra studies.  Midday host Ray Martin is tipped to take over Wendt’s role on A Current Affair with John Mangos taking over Martin’s spot on Midday.

Network Ten sports reporter Eddie McGuire (pictured) is confirmed as part of the line-up for new Melbourne radio station 3EE which is due to launch at the end of June.  McGuire will be hosting a Saturday morning show on the new station which fills the gap left by the closure of 3XY in September last year.

Former Home And Away star Julian McMahon has turned down a guest role in E Street. The former model is about to head off to the US, but E Street producers are still keen to pursue him for other roles in the future.

What’s Cooking co-host Colette Mann says that since the show launched a year ago she’s constantly being approached by the public when shopping.  “People will come up to me and say, ‘Shouldn’t you be somewhere else?’, meaning on TV,” she said.  “You want to scream at them, ‘No, the show’s taped!’.  Or they go, ‘What’s cooking, Colette?’, and they think they’re the first person in the world to think of it.  But I must say I’ve never had a bad reaction from people about the show.”  And when asked about her co-star, French-born chef Gabriel Gate, she says their unlikely on-screen partnership has benefited both of them.  “My cooking has improved a lot and his television has improved a lot!”

Let The Blood Run Free, the off-beat hospital comedy from the producers of The Comedy Company and featuring Jean Kittson and Peter Rowsthorn (pictured), is coming back for a second series.  Production is to resume at the Network Ten studios in Melbourne, although the network has yet to make a commitment to programming the series.  The first series, produced in 1990, was sold to 12 countries and was a hit in Germany and the Netherlands.

Lawrie Masterson: The View From Here
”The American sitcom Cheers has a chequered history in this country.  From memory, it started life here on Network Ten and was pushed around various timeslots until – like other US sitcoms such as Roseanne and Married… With Children – someone at Ten placed it in someone else’s too hard basket.  Since it became Nine Network property two or three years ago, Cheers has enjoyed increased success, while never setting the globe ablaze and while still having to cope with some buffeting around the program schedule.  In the US, of course, it’s been a different story.  The NBC sitcom regularly finishes in the five top-rating shows on the year and the nondescript little bar on Beacon Street in Boston, where the show is set, has become a national landmark.  After making its US debut in 1982 at a lowly number 77 in the ratings, Cheers climbed steadily until – by the time it celebrated its 200th episode about 18 months ago – it was number one.  Better late than never, the Nine Network will screen the special hour-long celebration episode this week.”

Program Highlights (Melbourne: May 31-June 6):
Sunday:  Seven crosses to Football Park, Adelaide, for live coverage of the afternoon AFL match between Adelaide Crows and North Melbourne.  Sunday night movies are Road House (Seven), I Love You To Death (Nine) and Aliens (Ten).

Monday:  Martin Jacobs, Geraldine Turner and Ben Oxenbould star in That Man’s Father, the final instalment of SBS’ Six Pack drama series.  In A Country Practice (Seven), Sergeant Newman (Jon Concannon) suspects young James Hutton (Ari Mattes) is a victim of incest.

Tuesday:  In All Together Now (Nine), Marcus (Lochie Daddo, pictured) a school friend of Thomas’ (Steven Jacobs) falls for Tracy (Rebecca Gibney).  In Chances (Nine), Sean Becker (Stephen Whittaker), an old friend of Alex’s (Jeremy Sims) arrives at the agency and sets his sights on Angela (Patsy Stephen).

Wednesday:   In Neighbours (Ten), Madge (Anne Charleston) makes a decision about Lou’s (Tom Oliver) marriage proposal.  Nine crosses to the Sydney Football Stadium for live coverage of the Rugby League State Of Origin match between NSW and Queensland.

Thursday:  Seven presents a one-hour special, Barcelona With Steve Vizard, exploring life in Barcelona today and its cultural history in the lead up to the city hosting the Olympic Games.  In Embassy (ABC), Terry Blake (Frankie J. Holden) applies for a promotion to a job in Canberra.

Friday:  Following Andrew Denton: Live And Sweaty, ABC presents the debut of a British game show with a difference – Sticky Moments With Julian Clary.

Saturday:  Network Ten launches a new children’s program, The Shorn Sheep Show, featuring Joy Smithers, a former MTV co-host and actress in the acclaimed mini-series Bangkok Hilton.  SBS current affairs program Dateline presents a special report to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Six-Day War, with Mike Carey reporting from Egypt, Israel and Jordan.

Source: TV Week (Melbourne edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide.  30 May 1992.  Southdown Press.

TV Week Logie Awards: 25 years ago

Midday host Ray Martin was awarded the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television at the 29th annual TV Week Logie Awards, held at Melbourne’s Hyatt on Collins Hotel on Friday, 3 April 1987.

The Gold Logie comes two years after Martin made the risky decision to move away from top-rating current affairs program 60 Minutes to replace Mike Walsh as the host of Nine’s midday variety show.  “I always expected Gold Logies to be awarded to entertainers like Tony Barber or (fellow nominee) Daryl Somers,” he told TV Week.  “After 22 years as a journalist, I’m just a good story teller.”

Martin also scored a second Logie – for Most Popular Personality in New South Wales.

The awards presentation, broadcast on Network Ten, was hosted by Don Lane (pictured) and featured special guests Dame Edna Everage (Barry Humphries) and overseas stars Loretta Swit (MASH), Leeza Gibbons (Entertainment This Week), Brian Dennehy (in Australia for a role in the film The Man From Snowy River II), Harry Hamlin (LA Law) and his wife, actress Laura Johnson (Falcon Crest).

The evening’s proceedings came after what was probably a very anxious afternoon for many interstate attendees, as two flights from Sydney were rescheduled and one developed mechanical problems.  Good Morning Australia co-host Gordon Elliott made it on time – but his luggage didn’t.  He ended up at the awards wearing a borrowed bow tie, business shirt, check trousers and a pair of sneakers.

Among the award winners, it was a big night for Network Ten drama Neighbours.  The series, which had made the bold move from Seven only a year earlier, scored five Logies – Most Popular Actor (Peter O’Brien), Most Popular Actress (Kylie Minogue), Most Popular New Talent (Jason Donovan), Most Popular Drama Series and Most Popular Program In Victoria.

Minogue (pictured), attending her first Logies night, became the youngest to ever win the Most Popular Actress award.  The 18-year-old was shocked to win the award that normally goes to more seasoned performers – with previous winners including Lorraine Bayly, Rowena Wallace, Paula Duncan, Val Lehman and Anne Tenney.  “Honestly, I didn’t think I’d win.  I just wish I’d been better prepared,” she told TV Week.  “I was so nervous and really excited at the time and I forgot to thank all of the people in the show.”

Seven Network mini-series Sword Of Honour took away three Logies, including individual awards for Tracy Mann (pictured) and Andrew Clarke.

Melbourne’s Eyewitness News (ATV10) scored an industry-voted Logie for Most Outstanding Achievement In News for its coverage of the Russell Street bombing in Melbourne’s CBD in March 1986.  Within minutes of the tragic bombing that claimed the life of a young policewoman, Ten was reporting live from the scene and continued to present updates during the afternoon and had compiled a thorough coverage for its 6.00pm newscast. 

The Logie for Most Outstanding Single Documentary Or Mini-Series was a draw between two medical documentaries – The Greatest Gift (Nine) and Handle With Care (Ten). The Greatest Gift, presented by reporter Elizabeth Hayes, covered the topic of heart disease and followed the story of two men undergoing heart transplant surgery.  Handle With Care was a docu-drama, directed by AFI award-winner Paul Cox and featured Monica Maughan and Anna-Maria Monticelli as women diagnosed with breast cancer and followed the progress of their respective treatments.

The ABC news special Coup D’Etat won the Logie for Most Outstanding Achievement In Public Affairs.  The program, presented by veteran journalist Peter Couchman (pictured), presented a world exclusive as it followed the political crisis in the Philippines which saw the end of Ferdinand Marcos’ regime and the swearing in of new president Cory Aquino.

Children’s television program Kids Only, a production of Ballarat channel BTV6, was the winner of the Logie for Most Outstanding Contribution by Regional Television.  The weekly program, hosted by Glenn Ridge, was commended for its special episode dedicated to summer-holiday safety.  And although Kids Only won the Logie, the industry judges also highly commended South Australian channel GTS4 Spencer Gulf for Ten Days In Bay 10, a local re-enactment of the time in 1802 when Matthew Flinders and his crew spent 10 days in the bay later named Port Lincoln.

Public-voted Categories:

Gold Logie – Most Popular Personality On Australian TV: Ray Martin (Midday With Ray Martin)

Silver Logie – Most Popular Actor: Peter O’Brien (Neighbours)
Silver Logie – Most Popular Actress: Kylie Minogue (Neighbours)

Most Popular Drama Series: Neighbours (Network Ten)
Most Popular Single Drama Or Mini-Series: Sword Of Honour (Seven Network)
Most Popular Actor In A Single Drama Or Mini-Series: Andrew Clarke (Sword Of Honour)
Most Popular Actress In A Single Drama Or Mini-Series: Tracy Mann (pictured) (Sword Of Honour)
Most Popular Light Entertainment Program: Hey Hey It’s Saturday (Nine Network)
Most Popular Public Affairs Program: 60 Minutes (Nine Network)
Most Popular Sports Coverage: Wide World Of Sports (Nine Network)
Most Popular Music Video: You’re The Voice (John Farnham)
Most Popular Children’s Program: Wombat (Seven Network)
Most Popular New Talent: Jason Donovan (pictured with Johnny Young) (Neighbours)

Industry-voted Categories:

Gold Logie – Hall Of Fame: Paul Hogan

Most Outstanding Achievement In Public Affairs: Coup D’Etat (Peter Couchman, ABC)
Most Outstanding Achievement In News: “Russell Street Bombing”, Eyewitness News (ATV10, Melbourne)
Most Outstanding Single Documentary Or Series: The Greatest Gift (Nine Network) and Handle With Care (Network Ten).
Most Outstanding Achievement By Regional Television: Kids Only (BTV6, Ballarat)

State-based Categories (Most Popular Personality, Most Popular Program):

NSW: Ray Martin, A Country Practice.
VIC: Daryl Somers (pictured), Neighbours
QLD: Jacki MacDonald (pictured), State Affair
SA: Anne Wills, State Affair
WA: Rick Ardon, State Affair
TAS: Tom Payne, Midweek

Source: TV Week, 11 April 1987.

1992: April 5-11

On top of the world…!
A Country Practice star Kym Wilson and Chances star Jeremy Sims are in love and happy for the whole world to know.  “At the beginning, we decided that if there was speculation about us, it would be best not to hide it,” Wilson told TV Week.  “By being honest from the start, we felt people would respect us and leave us alone – which they generally have.”  Despite the pair working in separate cities – A Country Practice is based in Sydney and Chances in Melbourne – they commute on alternate weekends.  “Even if we were in the same city, living in the same house, probably the only time we’d see each other would be weekends, because of our heavy work schedules.”  However, the pair will be working together later this month with an appearance in the play Love Letters, on stage at the Sydney Opera House.

How Effie became drama queen
Growing up in the working-class Melbourne suburb of Abbotsford, Mary Coustas hardly seemed destined for an acting career.  But when the family moved to outer-suburban Doncaster – before, she insists, all the “wogs” moved out there – her outlook on life changed, performing in high school plays and musicals, and she credits her family for supporting her career choice.  “When I told them what I wanted to do with my life, they accepted it,” she told TV Week.  “I wasn’t talking about acting in terms of making lots of money, but entertaining people.  They saw that as healthy.”  Coustas, who plays Effie (pictured) in the sitcom Acropolis Now, is now performing her own stage show Waiting For Effie in Melbourne.  As well as Effie, the one-woman show also features Coustas as seven-year-old schoolgirl Libby, womaniser and compulsive gambler Vasili and overweight former schoolteacher Sophie.  “These characters have been in my head for four or five years.  But this is the biggest risk I’ve taken… I’ve lost half a stone in three weeks.”

Sixty soapie minutes!
A chance meeting between 60 Minutes reporter Jeff McMullen and E Street star Bruce Samazan has led to the current affairs reporter filing a story looking at the off-screen lives of some of Australia’s most popular soap stars.  McMullen visits recent Logie winner Samazan at his home in Wollongong to meet his family and old schoolfriends.  The story also features Home And Away stars Les Hill and Mat Stevenson and former E Street star Melissa Tkautz.  “Our story shows how these ‘wannabe-stars’ came from hard backgrounds, and looks at their chances of getting to Hollywood,” McMullen told TV Week.  “We had a lot of fun making this story.”

Briefly…
The producers of E Street have decided to continue with the controversial ‘Mr Bad’ serial killer storyline, even though the actor who plays the role, Vince Martin (pictured), has left the series.  A new actor will be cast in the role, but in the meantime Mr Bad is shown on screen to be in hospital with his head wrapped up in bandages!

Peter Ross, host of ABC’s Sunday Afternoon arts program, has told TV Week that only one person has refused an invitation to join him on the show – Graham Kennedy.  “He knocked us back in the kindest possible way,” Ross said.  “We usually have good access to artists.  We would have liked to talk to Graham about life and points arising.  He’s a great media figure, an interesting, one-off Australian.”

Comments that Steve Vizard (pictured) made on Logies night have stirred up a strong reaction in newspapers and talkback radio, but he is unapologetic.  “My style of humour is pretty much to take the ----, and I won’t change that for anyone.  If you don’t like it, then don’t watch,” he told TV Week.  But Vizard believes the press honed in on his comments in the absence of any real controversy.  “There was a slight need for a beat-up,” he said.  “The Gold Logie winner (Jana Wendt), to whom the press devoted so much space the morning after, wasn’t there.”

The cast departures from Nine’s Chances continue, with Tim Robertson, one of the show’s original cast members, and Molly Brumm now finished production with the series but will continue to be seen on-screen until May.  Their characters depart the show amid a drug-related disaster.  Brumm may return to the series at a later date, but Robertson’s departure is permanent.

Lawrie Masterson: The View From Here
”As the dust settles after the recent TV Week Logie Awards, yours truly was called upon to make one of his rare forays into another medium.  Actually, I quite enjoy the electric wireless… when I’m listening to it.  On this occasion I had to clear my throat and speak by phone to John Hindle and Brett McLeod, partners on a drive-time show on a Melbourne station.  These days, part of their show is Hindle’s daily “Letter to Mike”, a sometimes whimsical commentary on current events, read out in the form of a letter to a friend in London.  Just before my big moment on air, Mike was told about “television’s annual orgy of self-congratulation.. the star failed to appear… there was weeping and wailing and much gnashing of teeth” and so on.  This must have moved Mike somewhat because he wanted to know more and, through a friend of a friend, obtained a tape of the program.  Then he sat down and penned a reply.  It fell off the back of a Jumbo and was mistakenly opened by your correspondent.  I know I shouldn’t do this but…

“Dear John, Thanks for all your letters.  It’s a great comfort to this ex-pat to have constant reassurance that governments in Oz are going from bad to worse, England isn’t the only country in the world with an unemployment problem, and the Logie Awards are still going strong 34 years on.  I say “going strong” because I heard about the fantastic TV ratings.  Sort of blows out the water your mate’s statement about Channel Seven not being on a winner … You line up this bloke from TV Week, whatever his name is, and then hit him with a heap of negative stuff straight out of a Sunday paper.  Well, John, I suppose that’s okay, as long as you know the Sunday paper was accurate in the first place.  And that’s always a worry!  You both harangue the guy about the Logies, but then say that neither of you saw the show.  And your mate asks whether the absence of Jana Wendt resulted from the “fact” that it was “just another Gold Logie and she already had a couple, so why rush down?”  I heard him excuse himself after being told it was, in fact, Jana’s first Gold Logie, but he’d already hung himself by then.  But what really got me, John, was the way you both let the topic drop with the remark: “Who are we to judge?  We weren’t even invited.”  Is that what you really hated about the Logies?  Until next year, Mike.”

Program Highlights (Melbourne, April 5-11):
Sunday:  Afternoon sport includes AFL on Seven, the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships on Nine and the Hong Kong 7’s Rugby Union on Ten.  Sunday night movies are Farewell To The King (Seven), Evil Angels (Nine) and Gorillas In The Mist (Ten).

Monday:  ABC presents the final episode of comedy series Gillies And Company.  Tonight Live With Steve Vizard (Seven) begins a week of shows presented live from London.

Tuesday:  In Beyond 2000 (Seven), Amanda Keller looks at the treatment that is shocking heart attack victims back to health, Simon Reeve takes a ride in a vehicle that produces more horsepower or kilowatts than the entire field of the Adelaide Grand Prix, and Tracey Curro uses the latest visual technique in electronic conferencing. 

Wednesday:  Shane Bourne hosts the Comedy Festival Charity Gala (Seven), held at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre, featuring performances by The Golden Girls’ Bea Arthur and local comedians Rachel Berger, Mark Little, Mary Coustas, Bob Downe, Mark Mitchell, Nick Giannopoulos, Gina Riley (pictured) and Michael Veitch.  The ABC special Summer Country With James Blundell features highlights of this year’s Australian Made concert at the Festival of Sydney and the Salute to Tamworth concert at the Victorian Arts Centre.

Thursday:  The Seven Network special Crocodile Man features David Ireland, who shares his lifelong fascination with crocodiles, on a journey from the remote Kimberleys in Western Australia to the captive monsters on crocodile farms.  The one-hour documentary includes footage of crocodiles underwater and displaying behaviour never before seen on camera.  This is followed by the comedy special Dame Edna’s Hollywood, featuring Dame Edna Everage (Barry Humphries) with guests Cher, Bea Arthur, Jack Palance and Mel Gibson.  The show's highlight no doubt being Dame Edna and Cher performing I Got You, Babe.

Friday: Seven presents highlights of the AFL match between North Melbourne and Carlton played at the MCG.  Nine presents late-night motorcycling with highlights of the Australian 500cc Grand Prix practice, and Ten has delayed coverage of the NBL Mitsubishi Challenge match between the Brisbane Bullets and the Geelong Supercats.

Saturday:  Nine presents early morning coverage of the US Masters golf, live from Georgia.  ABC has highlights of the Winter Paralympics, followed by football (VFA) and netball.  Ten has live prime-time coverage of the NBL Mitsubishi Challenge match between Melbourne Tigers and Perth Wildcats from the National Tennis Centre.

Source: TV Week (Melbourne edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide.  4 April 1992.  Southdown Press.

1992: January 18-24

Cover: Kevin Costner

Is Jennifer set to quit?
Tonight Live host and producer Steve Vizard has denied rumours that the show’s resident newsreader Jennifer Keyte will not be with the show when it returns for 1992, although he has conceded that she has not renewed her contract with the show.  “I can tell you she’ll be back,” he told TV Week.  And Seven Nightly News reporter Naomi Robson, who has filled in for Keyte on Tonight Live, denies suggestions that she will be Keyte’s replacement on the show.  “I don’t know where these stories come from.  There is no talk about it at the moment,” Robson said.  “Jennifer is well entrenched in both her jobs at Seven.”  Rumours over Keyte’s position have been sparked by her apparent concern that her appearances on the late night show are affecting her credibility as the main news anchor for Seven in Melbourne.  It is believed that she wants to concentrate on what is shaping up to be a fierce battle for early evening ratings this year with the launch of Seven’s new current affairs show, Real Life. 

The naked truth about Jeremy Sims
Chances star Jeremy Sims wants people to know that despite his character Alex’s readiness to strip off (as pictured, with co-star Annie Jones), in real life there is an intelligent head on those often bare shoulders and that he takes his job very seriously.  Sims has no desire to be a “personality” and as a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) wants to be taken seriously as an actor – adding that Chances presents some significant challenges.  “I’ve had to go into scenes after minimal rehearsal and put myself on the line,” he told TV Week.  “This means day in, day out, every week, in what is probably the most dramatic – if over-the-top – role on television.  I’m really grateful for the role of Alex.  It’s the only role I think I’d be happy doing on television in an ongoing soap.  I’m sure there are other guys who are happy doing their bits on Home And Away and E Street, but I would be bored out of my mind doing that stuff.”  Sims also responds to some of the jokes and send-ups made about the show and his frequent bouts of nudity.  “I’m fascinated that people still make such a big issue out of it.  People are puerile on the subject, you know.  Tits and bums are the most amazing subjects.  You can get endless publicity over the fact you show a part of your body on television,” he said.  “Apart from the political satire, Fast Forward is nearly all tits and bums jokes.  It’s all cheap innuendo, yet they can get away with it because they have the facade of being intelligent satire.  It is mostly just puerile, schoolboy humour.  I’m not saying I don’t laugh at it.”

Man of Meni talents!
Hard Copy reporter Meni Caroutas (pictured) will do anything for a story – even if it means crawling through Melbourne’s drains.  On a recent assignment, the policeman-turned-reporter joined the Cave Clan for a trip around a part of the metropolis few ever see.  “When I heard of the Cave Clan I thought it was just a bunch of kids, but they are all about 20 and well organised,” he said.  “They just do it for kicks, a bit of fun.  They get maps of the drains.  It’s all carefully planned.”  As a member of the NSW Police Force, Caroutas was an undercover detective but a set up saw him charged with theft of cash and amphetamines.  Even though he was exonerated and received a settlement, his career with the force was ruined.  Officially he is still a member of the NSW Police Force but is hoping to soon be discharged.  “I’m just a number at the moment,” he said.  “Hopefully all the paperwork will be processed soon.  I don’t consider myself a copper.”

Briefly…
Dinosaurs, a new US co-production between Jim Henson Productions and Walt Disney Television, is set to be Seven’s new weapon against long-running current affairs show 60 Minutes.  Not since The Comedy Company has a rival show managed to consistently knock 60 Minutes in the ratings – although Seven’s ALF and Ten’s The Simpsons had tried – but coupled with popular US sitcom Full House, Seven hopes Dinosaurs is a strong contender against the current affairs ratings giant.

GP star Brian Rooney might not be returning to the popular ABC drama when production resumes this year.  The 18-year-old, currently appearing in the stage production of Wizard Of Oz in Adelaide, will be taking on a leading role in the upcoming production of Neil Simon’s Lost In Yonkers but it is uncertain if he will be able to combine that commitment to production of GP.  “Hopefully, I can do both,” he told TV Week.  “I did that when I was doing Les Miserables and GP.  We might be able to work GP in.”

Former Brides Of Christ star Melissa Thomas is looking forward to making the move from Sydney to Melbourne for her new role as schoolgirl Lily Price in the upcoming Network Ten sitcom Late For School.  The 17-year-old has been the victim of an ongoing campaign of obscene phone calls and intruders at her home.  “It’s been pretty scary stuff,” she said, adding that the new job offer came at just the right time.  “I desperately needed some excuse to get away from Sydney.”  Late For School, which also stars Frankie J. Holden, Sarah Chadwick, Ross Higgins and Matthew Newton, is set to debut soon on Ten.

John Laws says…
”We are in for a heady year, it seems, on the current affairs front.  Even Ten is getting into the act, but I suspect it’s going to be trailing the field in the ratings with Mr Shame (though its much-criticised but entertaining beat-up series, Hard Copy, could well prove a ratings winner throughout 1992).  My prediction is that A Current Affair will maintain its momentum in the long haul, but its control of the important 6.30pm timeslot is no longer guaranteed.  Seven executives and Gerald Stone are, I’m told, supremely confident that their new product, Real Life, can knock off Jana (Wendt) and company.  If nothing else, the battle is going to be brutal and unrelenting.”

Program Highlights (Melbourne/Regional Victoria, January 18-24):
Saturday: There’s golf (Palm Meadows Cup) and lawn bowls (Qantas Jetabout International) on ABC, tennis (Australian Open) on Seven/Prime and cricket (Benson And Hedges World Series) on Nine/VIC TV.  With the cricket being held in Melbourne, regional network VIC TV has live evening coverage of the cricket, while Nine in Melbourne has a repeat of the 1983 movie BMX Bandits, the movie which launched the career of Nicole Kidman. 

Sunday:  Sunday night movies are Thunderball (Seven/Prime) and The Star Chamber (Nine/VIC TV) up against mini-series Bride Of Violence (Ten/SCN), while ABC presents Bruce Beresford’s production of the Richard Strauss opera Elektra for the State Opera of South Australia.

Monday:  Ten launches some major changes to its daytime and early evening line-up.  At 8.30am, Bert Newton (pictured) returns to TV as host of The Morning Show, presenting 90 minutes of entertainment and infomercials.  The new program replaces ‘Til Ten.  Ten also debuts US talk show Sally Jessy Raphael and moves Oprah Winfrey to an afternoon timeslot after a trial run in a late-night timeslot over the last few months.  However the biggest change is late in the afternoon, with the move of Ten Eyewitness News to the 5.00pm timeslot, followed by the debut of current affairs program Hinch at 6.00pm (following Derryn Hinch’s recent axing from the Seven Network).  At 6.30pm is American dating game Studs, followed by Neighbours at 7.00pm.  Regional network SCN breaks away from the Ten schedule in the early evening to run alternative programming: The New Candid Camera at 5.00pm, Neighbours at 5.30pm, Southern Cross News (Bendigo/Gippsland) and Studs (Albury/Shepparton/Ballarat) at 6.00pm, and then at 6.30pm Rob Gaylard (ex-GTV9) presents Southern Cross Eyewitness News, a half-hour bulletin of national news broadcast statewide, followed by a delayed broadcast of Hinch at 7.00pm before re-joining the Ten schedule.  Seven debuts its long-awaited current affairs program Real Life at 6.30pm, and after Home And Away presents the series return of A Country Practice.  Then in the wee small hours of the morning, at 4.00am, Ten resumes repeats of classic Australian drama Prisoner.

Tuesday:  After the late news, Ten/SCN debuts the new US drama series Dangerous Women, a production of the Australian Grundy organisation largely based on its former series Prisoner, with scripts and storylines in early episodes almost directly copied from the Australian original.

Thursday:  Seven/Prime starts a repeat of the popular 1981 mini-series A Town Like Alice, starring Bryan Brown, Helen Morse (both pictured) and Gordon Jackson.

Friday:  In the lead up to Australia Day, ABC presents the first of two nights of The Aussie Picture Show – a collection of films representing Australian life over the past 80 years.  Tonight’s line-up of films include Leisure, the 1977 Academy Award-winning animation depicting the world of work and leisure through history; Bingo, Bridesmaids And Braces, tracing the lives of three working-class women as they grow up over a 12-year period; This Is The ABC, a 20-minute review of the operations of the ABC in the 1950s; and the 1979 telemovie A Good Thing Going, starring Chris Haywood and Veronica Lang.

Source: TV Week (Victoria Country edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide.  18 January 1992.  Southdown Press

1991: November 23-29

Melissa’s shock exit!
E Street star Melissa Tkautz has made a sudden exit from the Network Ten soap, halfway through a three-year contract, after an apparent rift developed between herself and the show’s producers.  It is not known exactly what problems have arisen although it is suspected that Tkautz’s pop star commitments – such as preparing to tour with C&C Music Factory next month – have conflicted with her filming commitments to the series.  Producer Forrest Redlich told TV Week that “the official line is, ‘She’s leaving to pursue musical interests’.”  He also said that Tkautz’s pop career almost came about by accident as the pop songs were intended to promote the show and Tkautz was chosen from the show’s cast as the best match for the proposed first single, Read My Lips (“I thought it was too raunchy for Toni Pearen and too teeny-bopper for Alyssa-Jane Cook.”)  The debut single hit the top of the charts as did the follow up single, Sexy (Is The Word), and suddenly Tkautz has become a big pop star.  “She was a successful marketing exercise for us,” Redlich said.  “I don’t know if this will hurt the show.  She had fans.”  Tkautz’s sudden departure will see her character Nikki sent off to New Zealand.

New series woos John
John Waters is tipped for the lead role in a new weekly drama series to be filmed in Brisbane next year.  The new series, Darling And Partners, is to be set in a law firm and according to producer Phillip Bowman is hoped to demystify the process of law.  “It is not an expose of the Australian legal system,” Bowman told TV Week.  “Lawyers I have spoken to see this series as having positive potential.”  The pilot for Darling And Partners will begin filming early in 1992.

‘The worst year of my life…’
For Wheel Of Fortune’s Adriana Xenides it has been a traumatic year, with an increase in work commitments, being plagued by illness for months, and the breakdown of her two-year marriage.  She also became the target of a hate-mail campaign where an anonymous writer had contacted many media outlets, including TV Week, with some very personal details and her personal telephone number.  “Initially it hurt, but that didn’t last very long,” she told TV Week.  “When I thought about it, I felt very sorry for whoever took the time to write a note like that to the press.  I feel whoever did that must be a lonely person or terribly bored.”  Apart from the marriage breakdown, she was hit by a “mystery” illness which turned out to be a combination of glandular fever and viral pneumonia.  “I’ve had the worst year of my life with sickness,” she said.  “I usually have the odd cold or whatever, but I’ve never been this sick.”  The year has ended on a highlight, however, with her visit to Disney World as part of the international 20th anniversary celebration of Wheel Of Fortune. 

Briefly…
Live And Sweaty host Andrew Denton is to start work soon on a pilot for a proposed interview series for ABC.  With the working title One On One, it will feature Denton interviewing a single guest.  “(One On One) will either be one of the greatest moments in modern television or a complete failure,” he told TV Week.  Production is due to start next month.

Home And Away is set to end the year where the sudden return of Frank (Alex Papps) after the collapse of his marriage to Roo (Justine Clarke) sees him make a beeline for former wife Bobby (Nicolle Dickson), claiming that he is sorry that he divorced her and is still in love with her.

Fast Forward stars Glenn Robbins and Michael Veitch have been criticised for glamorising alcohol use with their “yuppie drunk” characters that appear in the sketch comedy show.  ABC’s Media Watch and the spokesman for the Drug Offensive campaign have slammed the sketches as trivialising alcohol abuse.  But Robbins has defended the sketches.  ”The drink gives them the confidence to say the things they want to say.  They are ‘blokes’ and they find it hard to do this otherwise.  It’s tragic that they need alcohol to be able to say these things,” he said.  “So we don’t believe it’s glamorising alcohol use at all… it’s showing the reality of a bad situation.”  Veitch also notes that it is significant that their characters fail in their romantic pursuits as a result of drinking.  “It’s obvious they are not attractive people,” he said.  “They talk to girls but they never get any.  They lead pretty sad lives.”

Alison Brahe, the host of Nine’s upcoming children’s quiz show Guess What?, has no intention of using her married name after she marries actor Cameron Daddo next month.  “We will have Seven, Nine and Ten covered by the Daddos so I’m just going to stick to Brahe,” she told TV Week.  “I don’t think television is ready for another Daddo just yet.”  Production on Guess What?, which will also feature Hey Hey It’s Saturday cartoonist Andrew Fyfe, will commence at the studios of NWS9 in Adelaide in January.

John Laws says…
”After the coarse humour of Married… With Children, the bitchery of The Golden Girls and the cloying cuteness of The Cosby Show, the consistent freshness and vitality of Australia’s Hey Dad! comes as a welcome relief.  So it’s nice to know that as the TV year grinds to a conclusion – leaving behind the usual clutch of falling stars and ratings bombs – Hey Dad! is comfortably maintaining its bright and appealing honest approach.”

Program Highlights (Melbourne, November 23-29):
Saturday:  That’s Dancin’ (ABC) presents its series semi-final.  This week’s contestants on Celebrity Wheel Of Fortune (Seven) are Stuart Wagstaff, Rachael Beck and Maynard F. Sharp Crabbes.  The main event of the night is the first annual presentation of the Australian Music Awards (Ten), from Melbourne’s World Congress Centre, a three-hour celebration of Australian music with awards in 20 categories. The AMAs feature guests including John Farnham, Jimmy Barnes, Kate Ceberano, Grace Knight, Craig McLachlan, Jo Beth Taylor, Jack Jones, James Blundell, Melissa Tkautz, Johnny Diesel, Boom Crash Opera, Ratcat, David Reyne, Juno, Roxus, Indecent Obsession and Glenn Shorrock.

Sunday:  The beginning of the final week of official ratings surveys for the year sees the final editions of Wide World Of Sports (Nine), Sports Sunday (Nine) and 60 Minutes (Nine) for 1991.  Sunday night movies are The Presidio (Seven), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Nine) and Out Of Africa (Ten) – while ABC presents the Australian Opera production of Puccini’s last opera, Turandot.

Monday:  Ten debuts a new children’s series, The Miraculous Mellops.  ABC presents a one-hour special, Sex, taking a comic approach to a serious topic in discussing questions and attitudes about sexual activity, safe sex and sexually-transmitted diseases amongst young adults.

Tuesday:  In the season final of A Country Practice (Seven), romance is in the air after Darcy (Kym Wilson) and Luke (Matt Day) get their HSC results.  And in the series final of All Together Now (Nine), while planning a traditional Christmas celebration the Rivers household is visited by a very pregnant woman and her husband (played by Maryanne Fahey and husband Ian McFadyen) on Christmas Eve who are stranded with no accommodation – a coincidence not lost on Bobby (Jon English).  The episode also features a guest appearance by Robert Grubb (The Flying Doctors).

Wednesday:  In the lead up to World AIDS Day, Ita Buttrose introduces the US special Common Threads – Stories From The Quilt (ABC), the story of five people who have died from AIDS.  Their names have been commemorated in five panels of an ever-growing quilt that now covers 14 acres.

Thursday:  Seven begins four days of coverage of the Australian Open golf, with commentators Sandy Roberts, Jack Newton and Pat Welsh.  Nine’s Midday With Ray Martin presents its final episode for 1991 with a two-hour special.  In The Flying Doctors (Nine), a bus load of Japanese tourists arrive in Coopers Crossing and the locals’ reaction varies from enthusiastic to racist.

Friday:  Nine’s daytime is dominated by the first day of the cricket First Test between Australia and India, live from the Gabba in Brisbane.  In the evening, Burke’s Backyard (Nine) presents its final edition for 1991.  Ten debuts US youth drama Beverly Hills 90210.

Source: TV Week (Victoria edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide.  23 November 1991.  Southdown Press

1991: October 12-18

Cover (Top Right): Richard Huggett, Rachel Blakeley (Neighbours); (Bottom Right): Nicolle Dickson, Ryan Clarke, Ross Newton (Home And Away); (Near Right): ‘Ferret’ (Alan Pentland), Alyce Platt (Fast Forward).

The Great Jason and (the other) Kylie Show!
It doesn’t happen often, but television network rivalry is to be put aside for a special to screen on the Nine Network later this year to commemorate 35 years of television.  The three-hour production is set to feature a cast of famous faces – including Jason Donovan, Kylie Mole (Maryanne Fahey), Mike Willesee, Bert Newton, Olivia Newton-John, Jana Wendt, Ron Casey, Max Walker and Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum – each presenting a segment on a different genre.  Graham Kennedy and Ray Martin are also to appear in the program.  “It’s the first time that it’s a celebration of all TV,” producer David Lyle told TV Week.  “For the first time, Ten, Nine, Seven, ABC, SBS, all the production companies except one, and the overseas distribution companies are involved.  The amount of material is mind-boggling.  That’s part of the problem.  Three hours isn’t enough.  We’re steering clear of the well-worn clips to get something new.”

‘I’m sorry to lose good actors, but…’
Brendon Lunney, the executive producer of the Nine Network series Chances, has defended moves to trim the show’s cast numbers down from 17 to six as the network trims the show’s output to one hour a week.  “It was a painful decision to change the focus of a show midstream,” he told TV Week.  “I’m sorry to lose good actors, but bringing the show down to an hour is a difficult and very painful process.  It’s all part of making Chances stronger and focussing more on individuals.”  The series is also set to continue to feature its trademark nude scenes, although one of the show’s stars, Natalie McCurry (pictured), is leaving the show after refusing to sign a frontal nudity clause.

Stone set to take on Jana… or 60 Minutes?
Details are slowly emerging of the new Gerald Stone project being developed for the Seven Network.  The former 60 Minutes executive producer is reported to be developing a new current affairs program – but speculation continues as to whether the show will tackle A Current Affair (with Jana Wendt, pictured), or whether it will adopt a weekly one-hour format similar to that of 60 Minutes.  Seven does have a dilemma in that a nightly half-hour format would likely dump the long-running Hinch program which has been recently out-rating Neighbours and Sale Of The Century in its timeslot.  In the meantime, Four Corners reporter Neil Mercer is set to join the new program, and ABC newsreader Edwina Gatenby has also been recruited.

Briefly…
The new series of ten episodes of Col’n Carpenter (Ten) sees Col’n (Kim Gyngell) without his two housemates – Linda (Kaarin Fairfax) and Michael (Stig Wemyss) – and living on his own.  “He’s quite different now and that was important to follow through.  The next obvious step was for Col’n to start surviving on his own,” Gyngell told TV Week.  The series return also sees Col’n re-united with his long-lost brother Peter – although he’s now a shapely female, Peta!  “The transsexual storyline was mooted 18 months ago, but it was knocked on the head because it worried management,” Gyngell said.  “Now, because the show has survived so long, the network has started to trust us a bit more.”

It’s an unusual match-up in Fast Forward, with moccasin-clad skinhead Ferret (Alan Pentland) dumping girlfriend Michelle (Magda Szubanski) when he wins a weekend away with Alyce Platt at Hamilton Island.  But a bust-up emerges when Michelle arrives at the island.  “It’s something I’ll be able to tell the grandchildren.  I was head-butted by Alyce Platt,” Szubanski told TV Week.

The Nine Network’s Today is moving out of the studio for a week as the team embark on a train tour around New South Wales.  Hosts Steve Liebmann and Elizabeth Hayes will start in Broken Hill and will stop off at towns including Dubbo, Orange, Cootamundra, Goulburn and Bombo.  “Bombo is a quaint little station on the coast, south of Wollongong,” producer Steve Wood said.  “I thought it would be a nice place to end the week.”

Chances star Cathy Godbold has just taped her final scenes with the series but has walked straight into a guest role in Home And Away.  She will play Meg Bowman, a young girl dying of leukaemia.  The role of Meg’s mother, originally to be played by Rowena Wallace, will now be played by Debbie Byrne.

John Laws says…
”The sign of a good TV interviewer, especially one who handles politics, is that he or she maintains a high professional standard, not just in one or two interviews but in many interviews over the years.  Only a handful of such interviewers have emerged in television in the past decade or so.  It takes a bit of character to stay the course and keep intact your integrity as well as the fire in the belly.  The 7.30 Report’s Paul Lyneham is one interviewer and political commentator who can lay claim to both.  Lyneham is not one of ABC’s high-profile personalities.  You don’t see him popping up in the women’s magazines or showing Don Burke his backyard and you never read stories about him threatening to quit or being tempted with massive commercial TV offers.  No, he is a dependable character who seems quite at home at the ABC, doing his job in a thoroughly professional manner.”

Program Highlights (Melbourne, October 12-18):
Saturday:  Nine crosses to the Gabba, Brisbane, for FAI Cup cricket between Queensland and Victoria.  Ten presents live coverage of the Australian Drivers’ Championship from Eastern Creek Raceway – and ABC presents highlights of Rugby World Cup games, including the match between Australia and Western Samoa.  Actor Nick Giannopoulos, pop star Collette and guitarist Tommy Emmanuel are contestants on Celebrity Wheel Of Fortune (Seven).

Sunday:  Nine presents FAI Cup matches live from the Gabba, Brisbane, and from Adelaide.  Sunday night movies are She’s Out Of Control (Seven), The Fabulous Baker Boys (Nine) and The Delinquents (Ten).  Seven then crosses live to London for the match between West Coast Eagles and Hawthorn in the Fosters International Cup.

Monday:  There are shocks in A Country Practice (Seven) when the body of Laurie Brown (Bob Newman) is found in the National Park.  Sgt Frank Gilroy (Brian Wenzel) suspects unemployed Colin Scott (Shane Connor) of murder.  Dennis Miller guest stars in Col’n Carpenter (Ten).

Tuesday:  In Chances (Nine), Connie (Deborah Kennedy) meets a 16-year-old Italian who is infatuated with her and he persuades the entire family to move to Italy with him.  In Beyond 2000 (Seven), Dr John D’Arcy reports on the enviro-friendly potato cup, which is totally bio-degradable, extremely cost effective and tastes great.

Wednesday:  ABC presents Geoffrey Robertson’s Trials Of Oz, a 90-minute dramatisation of the controversial 1971 obscenity trial surrounding the publication of the satirical Oz magazine – starring Peter O’Brien with Hugh Grant, Nigel Hawthorne, Simon Callow and Leslie Phillips.

Friday:  In Neighbours (Ten), thieves in Ramsay Street cause trouble for Brad (Scott Michaelson). 

Source: TV Week (Victoria edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide.  12 October 1991.  Southdown Press

1991: October 5-11

‘It’s a fair dinkum suburban wedding’
There was some angst among the residents of Neighbours’ Ramsay Street when it was announced that Melanie (Lucinda Cowden) and Joe (Mark Little) were to walk down the aisle.  Their main concern… what would the ‘dippy’ Melanie – who is known for her ‘unusual’ dress sense – wear?  Even the groom expressed some concern at his bride’s choice of gown.  “Let’s face it, she is the sort of character who could turn up in a tutu and tap-dance down the aisle,” Cowden told TV Week.  But to the relief of all, including the actress who plays her, madcap Melanie ends up walking down the aisle in a traditional full-length gown and veil.  “I was really pleased with the traditional dress.  I didn’t want to look like one of those dolls that has a toilet roll under her dress,” she said.

‘I’d be kicking his door in!’
The arrival of former 60 Minutes producer Gerald Stone to the Seven Network has sparked all sorts of speculation and rumour about changes to the network’s lineup – a possible change of timeslot for Home And Away to 7.00pm which would bump Derryn Hinch to 6.30pm, up against A Current Affair?  Or will a new current affairs show take the earlier timeslot?  Will he sign up former 60 Minutes reporter and Midday host Ray Martin?  Or even George Negus?  But Hinch, who recently celebrated 1000 shows at Seven, says he is contracted to the network until July and is not concerned about Stone’s arrival or any appointments he might be planning.  “I’ve talked to him since he came on board,” Hinch told TV Week.  “I’ve said publicly before I’d like to get Ray Martin here.  I’d like to get George Negus over here.  I think George Negus is wasted.  Ray is wasted there (at Nine) now.  If I was packaging a program, I’d be kicking his door in.” 

Hello, possum!
ABC’s new 20-part documentary series Wildscreen promises everything from giant octopuses and amorous snails, to cheeky cockatoos and unpredictable camels.  The series is being produced by ABC’s natural history unit, headed by executive producer Dione Gilmour.  “The programs are beautifully shot and very interesting, but they’re also very quirky.  They don’t take themselves too seriously as some other documentaries,” she told TV Week.  “There’s a fair bit of humour there.  It’s good entertainment for the whole family.”  The first episode of the series, Hello Possums, is written and presented by ABC’s Sydney newsreader Richard Morecroft (pictured), whom Gilmour says is “passionate” about Australia’s natural history.  The ABC has already given the go-ahead for a second series.

Briefly…
Mike Walsh, the former king of daytime TV, is not missing television one bit as he launches his latest project – the new Hayden Room cabaret venue at his art deco Orpheum Theatre in the Sydney suburb of Cremorne.  The cabaret room has a look of the Thirties with pastel tones, ornate swirls, mirrors and art deco lights.  Launching the venue is Wherefore Art Thou Cabaret?, starring Tony Sheldon and Maria Mercedes.

Former 1970s TV Week Queen Of Pop Colleen Hewett (pictured) is these days struggling to win a recording deal.  But the former chart topper, with hits including Day By Day, Gigolo and Wind Beneath My Wings, now prefers to talk about acting.  Former stage roles in Godspell and Pippin have been more recently followed by a role in mini-series Shadows Of The Heart and a guest appearance this week in The Flying Doctors.  She is keen to consider an ongoing acting role as a change from working the cabaret circuit.

“The Australian music industry has really come of age,” Molly Meldrum said at the launch of the Australian Music Awards.  “The industry badly needs something like this, not only for the music fans to have their say, but also to recognise the different styles of music, things like dance and alternative acts.”  The AMAs will be held at Melbourne’s Congress Centre in November – sponsored by Coca-Cola in association with TV Week – and will be broadcast on Network Ten.

Garry Shelley’s Sound Off
”Hits and Memories, on Seven this week, is reminiscent of Bandstand days as Glenn Shorrock and his talented young team – including Tina Arena, Miguel Ayesa, Johnny Nieshche, Carlotta Chadwick and Lara Mulcahy – take us back to a time when music was fun and you could even understand the lyrics.  The show – a pilot for a proposed series – has one main aim and that’s to encourage new talent.  What better reason then to go into a series!”

Program Highlights (Melbourne, October 5-11):
Saturday:  Actors Gus Mercurio and Kaarin Fairfax are guest judges on this week’s That’s Dancin’ (ABC).  Richard Marx, Jimmy Barnes and Tommy Emmanuel are guest performers this week on Hey Hey It’s Saturday (Nine) – while Nicolle Dickson, Dennis Lillee and John Waters are contestants on Celebrity Wheel Of Fortune (Seven).

Sunday:  Seven crosses to Mt Panorama, near Bathurst, for ten hours of coverage of the Tooheys 1000 with commentators Sandy Roberts, Mike Raymond, Garry Wilkinson, Richard Hay, Neil Crompton and Mark Oastler.  Ten presents live coverage of the final of the Australian Indoor Championship tennis from the Sydney Entertainment Centre.  Sunday night movies are The Package (Seven), Chances Are (Nine) and Harry And The Hendersons (Ten).

Monday:  In the series return of Col’n Carpenter (Ten), a telegram arrives announcing a visit from Colin’s (Kim Gyngell) estranged brother, Peter (Dale Stevens).

Tuesday:  In GP (ABC), Robert (John McTernan) is accused of sexual misconduct after volunteering to help a young British tourist.  In Beyond 2000 (Seven), Simon Reeve reports on how the Spanish dung beetle could help control bush flies in Australia.

Wednesday:  ABC presents the one-hour documentary The Wonderful World Of Dogs – a humorous look at the relationship between humans and dogs, the dogs’ daily lives and the less savoury aspects of their behaviour.  Later in the evening ABC presents live coverage from Wales of the Rugby World Cup match between Australia and West Samoa.

Thursday:  In The Flying Doctors (Nine), Geoff Standish (Robert Grubb) and Jackie Crane (Nikki Coghill) get caught up in a wrangle involving Coopers Crossing’s first bigamist.

Friday:  SBS presents the documentary Hope For The World’s Children, hosted by Mary Kostakidis and co-produced with World Vision. 

Source: TV Week (Victoria edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide.  5 October 1991.  Southdown Press

1991: September 7-13

Toni re-signs to E Street
The demands of combining acting and music careers almost saw Toni Pearen (pictured, near right, with co-star Melissa Tkautz) quit the Network Ten series E Street.  “I was thinking about leaving because my workload has been so hectic,” she told TV Week.  “When it came to the crunch I decided to stay.  The new contract includes a few new negotiations.  It took some deciding because now I have other aspects to my career.”  The 20-year-old has also recently signed with Mushroom Records and her band, Kon-X-ion, is soon to release its debut single.

Fast Forward to London!
Steve Vizard and business partner Andrew Knight are excited at the prospect of the BBC snapping up Fast Forward for screening in the United Kingdom.  “I was surprised the show worked in Australia, so I was genuinely amazed that the BBC can’t get enough of it,” Vizard told TV Week.  “The parodies translate and we have 80 hours of Fast Forward.  Even if we have to edit more than half of it, we’ll still have a lot of television left.”  The pair stopped over in London for negotiations with the BBC on their way to Barcelona where they will be producing some Olympic-themed specials for the Seven Network in the lead up to the 1992 Olympic Games.

Court to close?
The Seven Network’s Hampton Court, the spin-off to the popular Hey Dad!, is facing the axe after its current round of 13 episodes.  The series, starring Julie McGregor (pictured), Adam Willits, Danielle Spencer, Roy Billing and Maxine Klibingaitis, has been receiving only a modest response from viewers in a tough Thursday night timeslot where it is up against The Flying Doctors on Nine and E Street on Ten.  A spokesperson for Seven said that the decision on the show’s future will be made by the network’s programming bosses at their next meeting, scheduled for this week.

Briefly…
Neighbours star Richard Huggett has told producers that he will not be seeking to renew his contract when it expires in November.  “I was always pretty adamant that one year is enough to be in one TV series,” he told TV Week.  “I want to do material which means something to me, stuff with a harder edge.  I suppose quality is what I mean – not pumping it out like a sausage factory.” 

Actor Simon Burke (pictured) has certainly been keeping busy.  In the space of a few months he has played the role of a priest in Brides Of Christ (now screening on ABC), an army captain in Heroes II, and a gay film director in Loveless, one of the episodes of SBS’ upcoming series Six Pack.

Kim Hoggard, the US-born wife of 60 Minutes reporter Jeff McMullen, has left her two-year post at the US State Department and returned to Sydney, where she will be a semi-regular guest on Midday With Ray Martin, reporting on the international political arena.  "Certainly, I can provide a different point to view from what Australian audiences are used to hearing,” she told TV Week.

John Laws says…
”As with the Gulf War, the recent Clayton’s “coup” in the Soviet Union saw television presented with a golden opportunity for live and dramatic news programs.  Unlike the Gulf War – where Ten grabbed the honours because of its excellent CNN coverage – it was the ABC and SBS which emerged with the major honours in Moscow.”

Program Highlights (Melbourne, September 7-13):
Saturday:  This week’s guests on Hey Hey It’s Saturday (Nine) are EMF, James Blundell, Roger Kabler and Melissa Tkautz.  Meanwhile, George Kapiniaris, Angela Moore and Gerry Connolly are this week’s contestants on Celebrity Wheel Of Fortune (Seven).  Ten presents a Mad Max movie double-feature, with the 1979 original followed by the 1981 sequel.

Sunday:  Sunday night movies are Weekend At Bernie’s (Seven), Steel Magnolias (Nine) and Jaws The Revenge (Ten).

Monday:  In Home And Away (Seven), Sophie (Rebekah Elmaloglou) blames Michael (Dennis Coard) and Pippa (Debra Lawrence) for David’s (Guy Pearce) death.  In A Country Practice (Seven), Matt (John Tarrant) and Lucy (Georgie Parker) make a decision about having a baby.

Tuesday:  In GP (ABC), Beth (Penny Cook) proposes marriage to Steve (Michael O’Neill) who is distracted by a suspicious suicide.  Beyond 2000 (Seven) presents a report on villagers in Zimbabwe, faced with a scarcity of wood, making furniture from paper.

Wednesday:  In Neighbours (Ten), Helen (Anne Haddy) makes a final decision about her future.  The third episode of Brides Of Christ (ABC) focuses on Mother Ambrose (played by Sandy Gore, pictured) who is forced to make crucial decisions which affect both her personal life and the lives of the sisters of the Order.

Thursday:  Seven presents a re-run of the D-Generation special A Salute To Roy Smeck,  “a tribute to one of the founding fathers of Australian television; the man who helped make Australian television one of the top 59 television industries in the Southern hemisphere”.  In The Flying Doctors (Nine), Sister Jackie Crane (Nikki Coghill) is placed in an awkward position when she discovers the locum replacement for Dr Geoff Standish (Robert Grubb) is a heroin addict.

Friday:  Burke’s Backyard (Nine) presents a special edition to celebrate its fourth birthday, and includes a guest appearance by Western Australian Premier Dr Carmen Lawrence.

Source: TV Week (Victoria edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide.  7 September 1991.  Southdown Press