Being an aunt several times over – with 14 nieces and nephews – All Together Now star Rebecca Gibney (pictured) is no stranger to crying babies, which makes her well equipped for this week’s storyline which sees her character Tracy offering to babysit a pair of five-month-old twins. But Gibney, engaged to singer Jack Jones, is in no hurry to start her own family. “I’m not at the stage where I can even think about it,” she told TV Week. “It wouldn’t make sense to me to have a child now. I think you’ve got to be settled as a human being before you go into it.”
Actress Peta Toppano’s character in the upcoming Six Pack episode titled Piccolo Mondo tells her two friends (played by Victoria Longley and Denise Scott) that they all should have married rich men. And, ironically, that’s what Toppano has done in real life, marrying one of Australia’s richest men, Perth entrepreneur Kerry Stokes. But while she is enjoying being a millionaire’s wife, the former Prisoner and Return To Eden star is not planning to leave showbusiness but is enjoying a break while spending time with her new husband and his two teenage sons. Toppano is very enthusiastic about her role in Six Pack. “It was a fabulous part and so well written,” she told TV Week. “When I read the script I found myself laughing so much – Lena was a great character. I haven’t played anyone quite like Lena before. I guess she was a little like the character in Return To Eden, but a much more authentic woman.”
Former Home And Away star Julian McMahon (pictured) is accustomed to playing nice guy roles, such as his latest role in GP as a policeman, but is keen to play the role of a villain. “I’m really looking forward to playing a villain for a change, instead of being Captain Good Guy,” he tells TV Week. “In The Power, The Passion – my first television job – I touched on villainy… just.” The GP role comes just after McMahon has completed work on movie Exchange Lifeguards, starring alongside Christopher Atkins, Elliott Gould and Mark Hembrow. The production was an intense schedule, with 14-hour days over seven weeks. “Now I’m never going to the beach again unless I get paid for it!,” he said.
Actor John Waters (pictured) is taking on an unusual role as host of ABC’s upcoming Bush’s Australian Sheepdog Challenge. The show comes after the success of similar shows in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Waters, who recently starred in mini-series Which Way Home, will soon be heading to South-East Asia for his next role, a private eye in the movie Singapore Sling.
Producers of Seven’s new sitcom Newlyweds are still on the hunt for an actress to play the lead role after the sudden departure of Alyssa-Jane Cook. Former Neighbours star Annie Jones has cropped up as a possible contender for the role.
There are rumours around the television industry that the Ten Network is considering the idea of one national news bulletin for the whole network, based in Melbourne.
The Nine Network has commissioned a six-part series as a spin-off to the recent documentary special, Sex, hosted by Sophie Lee.
”Back in the bad old days when the Seven Network, in particular, was more fragmented than it is today, this type of thing used to happen regularly. The network’s major stations – ATN7 in Sydney and HSV7 in Melbourne – were not as closely aligned as they are now and often there was a lag of up to four weeks with regular series such as A Country Practice. In other words, a major storyline, such as a wedding in Wandin Valley, would be seen a month earlier – or later – in one city, a nightmare for a national publication such as TV Week. But genuine networking of schedules was going to solve all that and, to a large extent, it did. Which makes the current situation with The Darling Buds Of May all that more disappointing. The delightful six-hour series, one of the most popular shows in Britain last year, will screen on Seven at 8.30 on three consecutive Friday nights… in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Other capital cities will have to wait, mainly because AFL games are scheduled on those nights and, in the case of Melbourne, partly because the powers that be at HSV privately admit they’re not sure where to slot The Darling Buds Of May, anyway. The feeling is that series would sit more comfortably in the ABC’s schedule, rather than the line-up of any commercial station.”
Program Highlights (Melbourne, May 3-9):
Sunday: Showbiz legend Toni Lamond and her son, actor Tony Sheldon are guests on this week’s Sunday Afternoon With Peter Ross (ABC). Sunday night movies are Blue Steel (Seven), Joe Versus The Volcano (Nine) and Grass Roots (Ten). Late night sport includes Shell Australian Touring Car Championships (Seven), the Spanish Grand Prix (Nine) and delayed coverage of the rugby league Winfield Cup (Nine).
Tuesday: In GP (ABC), Julie (Denise Roberts) is confronted with the fear of living alone after her bag is snatched. The episode features guest stars Julian McMahon and Joy Smithers. In Chances (Nine), Madelaine Wolfe (Karen Richards) the agency’s new photographer needs Angela’s (Patsy Stephen) help when she has problems with a nude model.
Wednesday: Nine’s telecast of the Rugby League State Of Origin is being scheduled in prime time across Australia for the first time. In the past the network had been reluctant to commit to a prime-time screening in non-rugby territories, but last year’s prime time telecast by NWS9 Adelaide showed that the game can attract strong ratings outside of its traditional markets.
Thursday: Seven presents delayed coverage of the AFL Centenary Match, between Collingwood and Carlton on the 100th anniversary of the traditional rivals’ first match, from the MCG.
Saturday: SBS presents a live telecast of the Coca-Cola Soccer League Awards from the Darling Harbour Convention Centre, followed by live coverage of the FA Cup Final from Wembley Stadium, UK, and a delayed telecast of the Scottish FA Cup Final from Glasgow.
Source: TV Week (Melbourne edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide. 2 May 1992. Southdown Press.
Love is on the air! 
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John Laws says… 
