1994: October 1-7

tvweek_011094Silver Sofie’s golden opportunity
Sofie Formica (pictured) has only just started her new role as co-host of Just Kidding for the Nine Network, but she is already looking at long term ambitions. “I have totally itchy feet,” she told TV Week. “That’s why I’ve done so many shows, because I could think of nothing worse than doing the same show year in, year out. That may change as I get older, but at the moment I’m always thinking about the next project.” Just Kidding is Formica’s first project for the Nine Network since leaving Seven, where she had appeared on Saturday Disney, Now You See It, The Great Outdoors and Home And Away. “Home And Away was great, because the character I played was so unlike me that no-one could compare me to her in a million years.” She is keen to pursue production opportunities in the longer term. “I want to leave being in front of the camera before it leaves me. I’ll stay in front as long as I can, but you have to realise in this business when to move.”

Young guns hit Ramsay Street
The arrival of the Kennedy family into Neighbours‘ Ramsay Street is set to bring in some new talent. Benjie McNair, Kym Valentine and Jesse Spencer make up the younger generation Kennedys. McNair plays eldest son Malcolm who gets into some early trouble when he accidentally puts a bullet into Lou Carpenter’s (Tom Oliver) leg. McNair has had guest roles in GP and Home And Away and was given three days notice to pack his bags to move from Sydney to Melbourne for the Neighbours role. Valentine’s arrival into Neighbours reunites her with former My Two Wives co-star Brett Blewitt.

Good cop, bad cop!
Fans of Gary Sweet who are used to seeing him as good-guy cop Sgt Mickey McLintock in ABC‘s Police Rescue may be shocked to find a stark contrast with his latest role. In the new series of Seven‘s Cody telemovies, Sweet admits that the character of rebel cop Cody may not be entirely likeable. “I don’t think people have to like him,” Sweet told TV Week. “As an actor I just want people to react to him — that doesn’t mean liking him. Mickey is such a gregarious and affable bloke so it’s great to play someone like Cody who has a bit of a dark past and someone who is a bit dangerous.” The first of three Cody telemovies screens this week — co-starring Robert Mammone and Heather Mitchell. Sweet is already onto filming a new series of Police Rescue and is committed to further Cody telemovies next year.

Briefly…

  • The Nine Network has denied rumours that it is working on a new sketch comedy series for 1995 but sources claim that producer Chris Fife is at the helm of the pilot which is due to be produced shortly. “It’s a pilot for a new sketch comedy and they’re hoping it’ll develop into a prime-time show for next year,” TV Week was told.
  • Actor Marcus Eyre has a string of acting credits to his name but is probably most famous now as the cola-guzzling, chain-smoking editor Hugh Tabbagh in ABC‘s Frontline. “As a film editor, Hugh lives in a darkroom in the bowels of a building,” Eyre told TV Week. “I had to seek a lot of information about life as an editor before I started the role because I don’t come across editors very often myself. From the feedback I’ve been given, the whole show seems pretty close to what goes on in the real world of current affairs. I think the team behind Frontline has been very brave in tackling a show like it.” Eyre will soon appear on screen again in a very different role — as a cop in the Nine Network telemovie The Feds.
  • kellypummeroyTalk To The Animals reporter Kelly Pummeroy (pictured) has visited Emman Zoo in the Netherlands to film stories for a two-hour special episode to coincide with “Zootober” and World Animal Day (5 October). “Emman Zoo is like a garden full of animals,” she told TV Week. “There are no cages.” This is in contrast to London Zoo. “London is so archaic. A lot of the cages are National Trust buildings and can’t be changed because of their historical significance. But that’s not fair on the animals.”

TV’s Top 20 (Week Commencing 11 September):

Rank Program Network Day(s) Viewers
1 Just Kidding Nine Tue 2065000
2 60 Minutes Nine Sun 1969000
3 Money Nine Wed 1813000
4 Our House Nine Wed 1770000
5 Australia’s Funniest Home Video Show Nine Tue 1768000
6 A Current Affair Nine M-F 1742000
7 Lois & Clark The New Adventures Of Superman Seven Mon 1718000
8 Home Improvement Seven Wed 1667000
9 Getaway Nine Thu 1612000
10 National Nine News Nine Sat 1592000
11 Hey Hey It’s Saturday Nine Sat 1574000
12 National Nine News Nine M-F 1548000
13 Sale Of The Century Nine M-F 1486000
14 Burke’s Backyard Nine Fri 1465000
15 Full Frontal Seven Thu 1457000
16 Healthy Wealthy And Wise Ten Mon 1445000
17 Blue Heelers Seven Tue 1442000
18 Hangin’ With Mr Cooper Seven Thu 1433000
19 Seven Nightly News Seven Sat 1385000
20 Seven Nightly News Seven M-F 1356000

Program Highlights (Melbourne, October 1-7):
Saturday: The AFL Grand Final (Seven) dominates the day — with the overnight Grand Final Football Marathon ending at 8am, followed by the Grand Final Breakfast (8am), the Juniors Grand Final (9am) and the VSFL Grand Final (11am) from the MCG. Bruce McAvaney heads the live coverage of the AFL Grand Final between Geelong and West Coast Eagles (2pm, Seven). Seven will have 25 cameras around the MCG to catch all the action, and the telecast is expected to be beamed to 60 countries.

Sunday: Race car driver Peter Brock is vying for his 10th win and a $100,000 bonus at Bathurst in this year’s Tooheys 1000 — with ten hours of coverage starting at 8am (Seven). Sofie Formica and Tina Thomsen host the Rock Eisteddfod (2pm, Nine). In Banjo Patterson’s Man From Snowy River, Anita Hargreaves (Victoria Tennant), an old love of Matt’s (Andrew Clarke), returns after 25 years. Sunday night movies are Cody — A Family Affair (Seven), Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (repeat, Nine) and To Dance With The White Dog (Ten).

Monday: In Neighbours (6.30pm, Ten), Debbie (Marnie Reece-Wilmore) gets scared when she realises that she mentally blocked out the events of Julie’s (Julie Mullins) death. In Healthy Wealthy And Wise (7.30pm ,Ten), Lyn Talbot travels to Yerranderie, south west of the Blue Mountains; Iain Hewitson talks to the experts about different coffee equipment; Tonia Todman takes some arty inspiration from the bakehouse; and Ross Greenwood looks at how to turn disasters into dollars.

nicholashopeTuesday: In Home And Away (7pm, Seven), Pippa (Debra Lawrance) and Michael’s (Dennis Coard) relationship is on rocky ground. In Blue Heelers (7.30pm, Seven), Tom (John Wood) is puzzled when he sees Father Leary (Nicholas Hope, pictured) talking to con artists Matthew (Ken James) and Nadia Balfour (Lynne Nicol), leading to suspicion that Leary may be involved with them. In GP (8.30pm, ABC), Julie (Denise Roberts) learns that her parish priest (Bob Baines) has been harbouring a guilty secret for 20 years. In Law Of The Land (9.30pm, Nine), a man convicted of wife bashing returns to town.

Wednesday: In Heartbreak High (7.30pm, Ten), Nick (Alex Dimitriades) and Effie (Despina Caldis) move in with the Bordinos, and Steve (Corey Page) is smitten with Lucy (Alexandra Brunning) and Danielle (Emma Roche) is jealous. In Wedlocked (8pm, Seven), after receiving a death threat, Ainslie Barton (Terry Gill) decides to move in with Chris (Brandon Burke) and Susie (Dina Panozzo).

Thursday: In Home And Away (7pm, Seven), Jack (Daniel Amalm) and Curtis (Shane Ammann) believe they have uncovered a revealing secret about Fisher (Norman Coburn). Beyond 2000 (7.30pm, Ten) looks at the world’s first mobile decompression chamber, that can be transported by boat or helicopter. In Janus (8.30pm, ABC), Rob Griffin (Felix Nobis) takes on the prosecution of a man accused of sexually assaulting his nieces when they were children.

benjiemcnairFriday: In Neighbours (6.30pm, Ten), the Kennedy family think Malcolm (Benjie McNair, pictured) is a fool for playing with guns, after Lou (Tom Oliver) cops a bullet in the leg. In Rex Hunt’s The Great Outdoors (7.30pm, Seven), guest reporter Lee Kernaghan experiences the National Music Muster in Gympie, Ernie Dingo visits Milson Island, and Frankie J Holden shows a new pop-up camper trailer.

Source: TV Week (Melbourne edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide. 1 October 1994. Southdown Press

 

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