November 2008 archive

1978: December 2-8

The Sullivans’ amazing Grace… Actress Lorraine Bayly is made to look considerably older than her 36 years when playing the motherly Grace Sullivan in The Sullivans – with make-up applied to add wrinkles and darken her cheeks, having her hair tied back and wearing loose-fitting dresses.  In fact, when she is not in Grace Sullivan …

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Celebrating Mr Grundy

The wife of long-time TV producer Reg Grundy (pictured) is arranging an exclusive celebration in his honour, to be held next week at a Sydney hotel. Grundy turned 85 earlier this year and was also named in the Queen’s Birthday honours list for his services to television. Joy Chambers, an author and former model, TV …

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Summer Temptation could be its last

Reports today that Nine’s long-running quiz show Temptation is well and truly finished with the show’s host Ed Phillips not having his contract renewed by the network. Beginning in 2005, Temptation was a rework of the long-running Sale Of The Century which ran from 1980 to 2001.  Sale, of course, was itself a rework of …

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Free lovin’ among the networks

For most of the time, our free-to-air networks are fighting the battlegrounds of the all-important ratings, defending their territories (ie. audience shares), justifying their existences and, sometimes, sending out smarmy press releases to try and taint or taunt the opposition. But from tonight, a little bit of that fierce rivalry is chipped away, just slightly, …

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1978: November 25-December 1

How Georgiou stays a jump ahead The cops featured in Crawford Productions‘ police dramas are used to high-speed car chases, but actor John Orcsik (pictured) from Cop Shop is just at home on a horse.  A former bodybuilder and karate student, Orcsik for several years owned and operated a horse riding school in Western Australia: …

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Imparja news signing off

Imparja Television, Australia’s last independently-owned regional TV operator, is reported to be closing down its regional news and current affairs unit. ABC reports that the Alice Springs-based, indigenous-owned broadcaster is closing its local news operations in a round of cost cutting.   Already seven jobs are believed to have been cut with more to follow. The …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2008/11/imparja-news-signing-off.html

1978: November 18-24

Alfred Sandor – Lonely hearts specialist Alfred Sandor might be the un-romantic Dr Raymond Shaw in The Young Doctors, but in real life he is the ladies man and met his third wife after coming to Australia in 1969.  But in a career that has included appearing in more than 250 TV shows, including daytime …

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Pat the Rat is back

This weekend marks the return of Where Are They Now? on the Seven Network and headlining the return episode is a reunion of cast members from the ’80s soap Sons And Daughters. Included in the reunion will be Rowena Wallace – whose on-screen ‘Pat the Rat’ persona was pivotal to much of the series and …

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1978: November 11-17

A little bit of what John fancies Although he’s been an actor since the age of 11, John Meillon (pictured, with Stuart Wagstaff) has never been a walk-on, say-a-few-words, walk-off-again actor… a bit player. But that will change with a role in Bit Part, one of the series of plays featured in ABC‘s Stuart Wagstaff’s …

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Bob McGready

Bob McGready, one of the pioneer presenters in the early days of regional television, has died at the age of 85. Born in Ireland, McGready came to Australia in the late-’40s after war service with the Royal Navy. After working for Sydney newspaper Truth and later in advertising, McGready moved to radio station 2GZ Orange …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2008/11/bob-mcgready.html