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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
What an awesome foursome! 
Gold Logie: Ray Martin, Georgie Parker, Steve Vizard, Jana Wendt. (
Most Popular Light Entertainment/Comedy Program: All Together Now (pictured), Fast Forward, Hey Dad! (1991 winner: Fast Forward)
Most Popular New Talent: Matthew Krok (pictured), Jeremy Sims, Melissa Tkautz, Kym Wilson
Ramsay Street rush hour 
Paradise is… 
The Nine Network has spared no expense in trying to convince TV legend Graham Kennedy (pictured) to host a special to coincide with his upcoming 60th birthday. Kennedy, last seen on TV on Nine’s recent 35 Years Of Television special, was flown by helicopter from his country property in southern NSW to Nine’s Sydney headquarters for a lavish lunch to celebrate his 58th birthday and Nine presented him with a rare book on horse breeding. 
Hey Hey It’s Saturday duo John Blackman and Wilbur Wilde have been staging their own radio comeback since being dumped by Melbourne station 3UZ. The pair have been taking their radio act to regional and remote parts of the country as short-term fill-ins on local radio stations. So far they’ve been heard on local stations in Townsville and Launceston and places in between, and are already booked for future engagements in regional Victoria, NSW and Tasmania in coming months. Although some of the shows are based at the radio stations’ local studios, most of their radio appearances have been via landline from studios in Melbourne.
Lawrie Masterson: The View From Here 
Friday: The Seven Network presents the 34th annual TV Week Logie Awards, live from the Radisson President Hotel, Melbourne. Special international guests include John Stamos, Dennis Waterman and Diana Ross joining local stars including Steve Vizard, Jana Wendt, Ray Martin, Daryl Somers, Jo Bailey, Mary Coustas, Nicolle Dickson, Nick Giannopoulos, Rebecca Gibney, Elizabeth Hayes, Sophie Lee, Gina Riley, Bruce Samazan, Jennifer Keyte, Magda Szubanski and Kym Wilson. The night culminates with the announcement of the winner of the TV Week Gold Logie for the Most Popular Personality on Australian Television. The awards presentation is followed by a special post-Logies edition of Tonight Live, hosted by Richard Stubbs.
How to succeed away from Wandin Valley 
‘I was absolutely shaken…’ 
Briefly… 
Acclaimed young actor Russell Crowe (pictured) will be a guest star in the second series of ABC’s Police Rescue. Crowe, who won an AFI award for his role in Proof, is currently appearing on the big screen in the long-awaited Spotswood. In Police Rescue he plays Senior Constable Tom Younger, a local football hero and new member of the squad. Producer John Edwards is excited about Crowe joining the show. “Russell is a fabulous actor,” he said. “He’s also a charismatic and exciting personality.” 
Monday: Current affairs programs Four Corners and Lateline are back for another year on ABC, while Seven’s late-night variety show Tonight Live With Steve Vizard returns for its third year. Although it was widely tipped for a Saturday night timeslot, Ten debuts its new lifestyle/magazine show Healthy Wealthy And Wise on Monday, hosted by Jacki MacDonald (pictured) and Ronnie Burns and featuring Iain Hewitson, Ross Greenwood, Jim Brown and Lyn Talbot.
Tuesday: In A Country Practice (Seven), Shirley (Lorrae Desmond) is suspicious of Muldoon’s (Brian Moll) sudden generosity, while Matron Prior (Maureen Edwards) tries to keep Kate (Michelle Pettigrove) away from Harry (Andrew Blackman). Gordon Bray and Karen Tighe present the 41st annual ABC Sports Awards, from the New Maritime Museum in Sydney. In Beyond 2000 (Seven), Amanda Keller (pictured) examines virtual reality systems where the observer exists in a 3D, computer-generated world.
Wednesday: In E Street (Ten), Steven (Vince Martin, pictured) makes a bold move, while Alice (Marianne Howard) gets an offer she can’t refuse, and CJ (Adrian Lee) gets advice on wooing the modern woman.
Cover: Kevin Costner
The naked truth about Jeremy Sims 
Man of Meni talents! 
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.
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.
The Great End of Year Exit! 
Vizard’s hunch about Hinch 
Chances (Nine) will finally resolve the mystery surrounding Alex Taylor’s (Jeremy Sims, pictured) missing 12 months – though not before he goes on the run after finding himself waking up next to two dead women, a knife close by and no memory of what happened. This leads to a chain of events that see him end up in a straitjacket and locked up in a detoxification centre. Meanwhile, his parents Barbara and Dan (played by Brenda Addie and John Sheerin) are having marital issues which may lead to Barbara having an affair with a much younger man. 
In A Country Practice (Seven), Wandin Valley farewells Lucy (Georgie Parker) and Matt (John Tarrant) who leave the town after finally becoming parents. Luke (Matt Day) is also leaving to pursue a flying career, and Wandin Valley bids farewell to larrikins Cookie and Bob (Syd Heylen and Gordon Piper, pictured) – but will they be gone for good? Series stalwarts Lorrae Desmond, Shane Porteous, Brian Wenzel and Joyce Jacobs will be joined by newcomer Gavin Harrison. Meanwhile, on-again-off-again lovers Harry (Andrew Blackman) and Kate (Michelle Pettigrove) will continue their game of cat and mouse, and there will be a new love for Dr Terence Elliott (Shane Porteous). 
ABC’s widely-acclaimed medical drama GP enters the new year with guest appearances by veteran actors Willie Fennell and Queenie Ashton (pictured), and joining them will be Normie Rowe, Jeff Truman and Scott Burgess. Now entering its fourth year, GP will start the year with the murder of one of Ross Street surgery’s medical staff. Jackaroo star David McCubbin joins the series as the son of Robert Sharp (John McTernan), and Dr William Sharp (Michael Craig) will finish his career as a general practitioner. 
Neighbours (Ten) enters the new year with confidence, despite the recent departure of eight cast members and with rival Home And Away set to move into its long-held 7.00pm timeslot. Following the recent arrival of new cast members Melissa Bell, Scott Michaelson, Rachel Blakely and Andrew Williams, the series will soon be joined by newcomers Natalie Imbruglia and Simon Stokes. Recently-widowed Madge Bishop (Anne Charleston) returns to Ramsay Street and finds herself being chased by old flame Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver). Veteran actress Lorraine Bayly (pictured) joins the series as Faye Hudson, a fun character far removed from her previous more serious roles in The Sullivans and Carson’s Law. Meanwhile, Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) faces financial ruin with the collapse of his business. 
The Flying Doctors (Nine) continues over the Christmas/New Year period – with one storyline featuring a controversial bedroom encounter between Guy (David Reyne) and Penny (Sophie Lee), spurred by her unfaithful boyfriend Steve (Paul Kelman), and a pregnancy that forces the evaluation of many relationships. Meanwhile, Jackie Crane (Nikki Coghill) faces a grim future when she’s accused of negligence following a patient’s allergic reaction to penicillin. Guest stars to appear in upcoming episodes include 
Former 60 Minutes reporter George Negus (pictured) has been a vocal critic of the state of current affairs on TV – and now he has a chance to address the situation as the front man of Foreign Correspondent, a new program to start soon on ABC. “It’s because this program is different that I’ve agreed to do it,” Negus told TV Week. “If the ABC had said, ‘We want you to be involved in a new current affairs program which is a variation on a theme,’ I probably wouldn’t have said yes.”
Thursday: ABC presents live coverage of the Colonial Mutual Classic tennis, live from Kooyong, Melbourne. In The Flying Doctors (Nine), Penny (Sophie Lee, pictured) is locked in a tough administration battle with the hospital laundry staff, headed by Trisha (Colette Mann). ABC debuts four-part series The Cricket Archives, documenting a history of Australian cricket based on film archive material, presented by Jack Egan.
Set to scorch! 
New laughs from an old team 
The biography of underworld figure Mark “Chopper” Read has claimed that in the late ‘70s he was asked by a notorious robber – now deceased – to take part in a plan to “kidnap” actress 
This week’s Christmas episode of Col’n Carpenter (Ten) departs from the usual traditional sitcom formula to acknowledge that for some people it can be a sad time. In the episode, Col’n (Kim Gyngell) faces the prospect of being alone at Christmas. In a dream sequence, he clings to the hope his family (featuring Dale Stevens, 
Monday: In Neighbours (Ten), Glen (Richard Huggett, pictured) makes a sudden marriage proposal to Gaby (Rachel Blakely). Seven Nightly News launches a late-night edition as a summer replacement for Tonight Live With Steve Vizard.
Friday: Good Morning Australia (Ten), Neighbours (Ten) and The World Tonight With Clive Robertson (Nine) present their final editions for 1991. Nine Network daytime show What’s Cooking (featuring Gabriel Gate and Colette Mann, pictured) moves into prime-time for the summer season.
The TV wedding you’ll never see! 
Tracey signs for Beyond 2000 
Actor Nicholas Eadie (pictured), best known from TV roles in Cop Shop, The Henderson Kids and the mini-series Vietnam, is heading to the US because, at 32, he says he is too old to be an actor here. “Australian television is going through a Kylie and Jason syndrome,” he said. “If you’re over 25 in this country, you’re over the hill.”
John Laws says… 
Program Highlights (Melbourne, September 14-20): 
Tuesday: One-time Gold Logie winner 
