On This Day — 12 February

12 February 1972: Rod McLennan (A Nice Day At The Office)

12 February 1977: Graham Kennedy (Blankety Blanks)

12 February 1994: Cameron Daddo

12 February 2000: Kym Valentine and Dan Paris (Neighbours)

12 February 2005: Bridie Carter and Myles Pollard (McLeod’s Daughters)


12 February 1979: Nine’s big-budget current affairs gamble 60 Minutes makes its Adelaide debut, a day after Sydney and Melbourne — 60 Minutes turns 40 [2018]

12 February 1987: John Wood, Catherine Wilkin, Simon Chilvers and Arky Michael star in Seven‘s new drama series Rafferty’s Rules.

12 February 1996: Midday With Kerri-Anne (Nine) marks the return of the traditional variety format to the Midday brand, with Kerri-Anne Kennerley taking over from last year’s co-hosts Tracy Grimshaw and David Reyne. Nine debuts police drama Water Rats with a two-hour episode, starring Colin Friels, Catherine McClements, Sophie Heathcote and Aaron Jeffery.

12 February 1999: Children’s science fiction series Thunderstone debuts on Ten.

12 February 2006: ABC debuts Sunday morning sports discussion program Offsiders, hosted by journalist Barrie Cassidy.

12 February 2007: ABC debuts Difference Of Opinion, a talk/debate series hosted by Jeff McMullen.

12 February 2008: The Nine Network debuts “reality/comedy” series Monster House, starring Glenn Butcher, Celia Ireland, Rebel Wilson, Travis Cotton, Julie Herbert and Jody Kennedy. The series was axed after two episodes.

12 February 2008: Seven HD launches late-night talk show The Nightcap, hosted by Matthew White, Jessica Rowe, Monique Wright, Paul Murray and former Big Brother contestant Zach Douglas.

12 February 2010: Cal Wilson hosts the debut of ABC‘s eight-part murder mystery Sleuth 101, with guest appearances by Dave O’Neil, John Wood, Nicola Parry, Robyn Butler, Dave Lawson and Denise Drysdale.


 

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2024/02/on-this-day-12-february.html

The 13th AACTA Awards

The Newsreader, Deadloch and The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart were the big television award winners at the 13th AACTA Awards, held on Saturday night at the Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast, and broadcast on Network Ten and Arena, and an earlier Industry Awards presentation held on Thursday.

It was the first AACTA Awards presentation since 2022, with the awards moved from a late-year to early-year event.

The Newsreader, centred around a commercial television newsroom in the 1980s, won five awards including Best Drama Series, Best Lead Actress (Anna Torv), Best Supporting Actor (Hunter Page-Lochard) and Best Direction (Emma Freeman).

Deadloch, a murder comedy/mystery created by Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney (The Katering Show, Get Krack!n), also won five awards including Best Acting in a Comedy (Kate Box), Best Screenplay in Television and Best Original Score in Television.

Amazon Prime series The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart won four awards including Best Mini-Series.

There were also wins for The Australian Wars, MasterChef Australia, Bluey, Colin From Accounts, Hard Quiz, Old People’s Home For Teenagers, Gardening Australia, Love Me, Hannah Gadsby: Something Special, SBS‘ coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final and a posthumous win for Cal Wilson, co-host of The Great Australian Bake Off.

The Newsreader: Anna Torv, Sam Reid

 

TELEVISION

AACTA Award for Best Drama Series
The Newsreader
Joanna Werner, Michael Lucas
Werner Film Productions / ABC

AACTA Award for Best Miniseries
The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart
Jodi Matterson, Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky, Barbara Gibbs, Sarah Lambert, Glendyn Ivin
Made Up Stories, Amazon Studios, Fifth Season / Amazon Prime Video

AACTA Award for Best Narrative Comedy Series
Colin From Accounts
Ian Collie, Rob Gibson, Patrick Brammall, Harriet Dyer
Easy Tiger / Binge, Foxtel

AACTA Award for Best Comedy Entertainment Program
Hard Quiz
Chris Walker, Kevin Whyte, Tom Gleeson, John Tabbagh
Thinkative Television and ABC / ABC

AACTA Award for Best Entertainment Program
Eurovision Song Contest 2023 – Grand Final
Paul Clarke, Emily Griggs
Blink TV Production Pty Ltd / SBS

AACTA Award for Best Factual Entertainment Program
Old People’s Home for Teenagers
Tony De La Pena, Tara McWilliams, Emily Potts
Endemol Shine Australia / ABC

AACTA Award for Best Lifestyle Program
Gardening Australia
Gill Lomas
ABCTV / ABC

AACTA Award for Best Reality Program
MasterChef Australia
David Forster, Simon Child, Eoin Maher, April Mackay
Endemol Shine Australia / Network Ten

AACTA Award for Best Documentary or Factual Program
The Australian Wars
Darren Dale, Rachel Perkins, Belinda Mravicic
Blackfella Films Pty Ltd / NITV, SBS

AACTA Award for Best Children’s Program
Bluey
Joe Brumm, Charlie Aspinwall, Sam Moor, Daley Pearson
Ludo Studio / ABC

AACTA Award for Best Stand-Up Special
Hannah Gadsby: Something Special
Hannah Gadsby, Kevin Whyte, Kathleen McCarthy, Jenney Shamash, Frank Bruzzese
Guesswork Television Pty Ltd / Netflix

AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama presented by BINGE
Anna Torv
The Newsreader

AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Drama presented by BINGE
Hugo Weaving
Love Me

AACTA Award for Best Comedy Performer presented by Network Ten
Cal Wilson
The Great Australian Bake Off

AACTA Award for Best Acting in a Comedy
Kate Box
Deadloch

AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama
Heather Mitchell
Love Me

AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama
Hunter Page-Lochard
The Newsreader

AACTA Award for Best Direction in Drama or Comedy
The Newsreader – Episode 4
Emma Freeman

AACTA Award for Best Screenplay in Television
Deadloch – Episode 1
Kate McCartney, Kate McLennan

AACTA Award for Best Direction in Nonfiction Television
The Australian Wars – Episode 1
Rachel Perkins, Dylan River, Tov Belling

AACTA Award for Best Cinematography in Television
The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart – Episode 1
Sam Chiplin

AACTA Award for Best Costume Design in Television
The Newsreader – Episode 4
Zed Dragojlovich

AACTA Award for Best Editing in Television
Deadloch – Episode 1
Angie Higgins

AACTA Award for Best Production Design in Television
The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart – Episode 1
Melinda Doring

AACTA Award for Best Original Score in Television
Deadloch – Episode 1
Amanda Brown

AACTA Award for Best Sound in Television
The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart – Episode 6
David Lee, Robert MacKenzie, Leah Katz, James Ashton

AACTA Award for Best Casting in Television presented by Casting Networks
Deadloch
Alison Telford, Kate Leonard

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Trailblazer Award Recipient: Margot Robbie
Byron Kennedy Award Recipient: Bruna Papandrea
Brian Walsh Award Recipient: Ngali Shaw
Reg Grundy Award Recipient: Rachel Berger (Seriously Funny)

The full list of awards, including Film, Short Film, Documentary, Online, Additional Awards, Individual Awards and Audience Choice Award categories are on the AACTA website.

Source: AACTA

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2024/02/the-13th-aacta-awards.html

The Box at 50

By 1973, Melbourne-based Crawford Productions was at its peak, with long-running police dramas Homicide, Division 4 and Matlock Police and a new series, Ryan, all in production. But television drama was going through a generational change in the 1970s — police and crime shows were falling towards the outer while Number 96, launched in 1972, was top of the ratings. Its success proved that serialised drama was a cheaper and viable format for prime time.

With this in mind, Crawfords had developed a concept based around the workings of a fictional television station and, like 96, would feature ample amounts of adult themes and nudity. With the 0-10 Network having success already with 96, The Dream Makers was offered to the Nine and Seven networks. Both knocked it back.

By July 1973 it was reported that 0-10 was investing over $1 million in new Australian production — including a pilot for a new drama series which happened to be The Box, a re-work of The Dream Makers concept.

Early speculation of cast members for the project included George Mallaby (Homicide), Terence Donovan (Division 4), Jack Thompson (Spyforce) and English actress Sandra Gough (in Australia for a ‘working holiday’).

Although Gough was reported to be interested, she was reluctant to commit to any role that required nudity. “I am against that on the screen. It’s not at all necessary,” she told TV Times.

Even Bert Newton, best known for hosting variety programs such as In Melbourne Tonight and the TV Week Logie Awards, was reported to be on the short list of candidates for playing the role of a TV presenter. “I know more about it than I can tell you but that’s it at the moment,” he told TV Times. “I have not done any TV acting but I do regard sketch work which I have done on many occasions as a type of acting, though some people might argue about that.”

After much speculation the initial cast list was confirmed: Graeme Blundell (later to become famous as Alvin Purple), Barrie Barkla, Fred ‘Cul’ Cullen, Judy Nunn (pictured, right), Monica Maughan, Fred Betts, Briony Behets and Kay McFeeter were the first to be announced.

George Mallaby, Barrie Barkla

Following weeks of negotiation, Mallaby was eventually signed up for the leading role of TV executive Paul Donovan. Ken James, best known from children’s series Skippy The Bush Kangaroo, was signed on for the part of bumbling actor Tony Wild. And although executive producer Tom Hegarty said that Newton performed well in auditions, ultimately the part of TV compere Gary Burke went to English actor Peter Regan.

Fred ‘Cul’ Cullen, Peter Regan and (back to camera) Kay McFeeter

Also joining the cast were Paul Karo, Helen Hemingway, Lois Ramsey, Ken Snodgrass, Belinda Giblin and Vanessa Leigh.

Kay McFeeter

Production for The Box began in Melbourne in October 1973. Although 0-10 Network executives, after previewing early episodes, were pushing for a late-1973 debut, Crawford Productions resisted, citing the need to build up a backlog of episodes to ensure continuity for airing five episodes a week.

Crawfords won the battle and The Box debuted with a 90-minute episode, broadcast on ATV0, Melbourne, on 11 February 1974. Sydney’s TEN10 followed the next night. The series was not surprisingly run back-to-back with Number 96. On the day of its debut, in a rare move Hector Crawford (pictured) placed prominent ads in the daily newspapers justifying his move into sex-and-sin drama and responding to the critics:

“Our programs have always enjoyed a remarkable degree of success in Australia because we have produced the type of drama which Australians want to see. Our approach to The Box has followed the very same policy, recognising that our society’s tastes and standards are changing and, to a great extent, maturing. To us, television must reflect this change, this growing maturity.

“I believe our responsibility is to the television audience at large, not to vocal, and sometimes, highly managed minority groups which try to dictate what people should be allowed to see on their screens.”

Executive producer Hegarty also confirmed to Woman’s Day just how explicit the series was to be:

The Box is not billed as a family show. We plan it for fairly late evening viewing, after the kids have gone to bed, and any sex there is in the show will be fairly adult. It is an adult show. We are not playing for kids.”

Viewers looking for nudity, or outrage, were sure to find plenty in the opening episodes. When variety show host Gary Burke (Peter Regan) fails to appear on cue after a commercial break it is revealed that he had been ‘distracted’ by a young female, Felicity (Helen Hemingway), in his dressing room. Not only was Felicity young but also under-age (though Hemingway was not).

Helen Hemingway

Later, a photo shoot featuring cop show star Tony Wild (Ken James) in a naked pose with Felicity leads to a lesbian kiss between Felicity and magazine reporter Vicki Stafford (Judy Nunn). Not even the groundbreaking Number 96 had managed a same-sex smooch.

With such titillating material The Box was understandably a ratings hit. In particular in Sydney it managed a rating of 46 on its debut — meaning that 46 per cent of all TV sets in Sydney were tuned to The Box. Its early ratings in Melbourne, where the series was made, were not as high but still put the new show second to only Number 96 in the ratings.

George Mallaby (right) with TVQ0 presenter JJ White, promoting The Box launch in Brisbane.

As well as the emphasis on sex and nudity, the goings on at the fictional television station, UCV12, were almost regarded as a tongue-in-cheek portrayal of the television industry at the time. “Of course we do draw a lot on what happens around here,” Hegarty told Woman’s Day.

The portrayal of bullish station owner Sir Henry Usher (Fred Betts) was the subject of much industry speculation. Was he modelled on Sir Frank Packer, chairman of the Nine Network, or even Reg Ansett, owner of ATV0. It was revealed many years later that the character was based, affectionately, on Hector Crawford himself.

The Box: 1975

While Crawford may not have considered The Box his best work it was the one series that kept the company afloat after the networks had canned his cop shows in quick succession. Some of the actors to have featured in the Crawford cop dramas would soon re-appear in The Box, including Don Barker, Gary Day, Tom Richards and John Stanton.

And while The Box didn’t get Bert Newton, it did manage to get Graham Kennedy to appear as himself in the 1975 feature film spin-off.

Graham Kennedy, Paul Karo

Some of the other cast to feature in The Box during its series run included Noni Hazlehurst, Tracy Mann (pictured, right), Tristan Rogers, Shane Porteous, Jill Forster, Tony Bonner, Geraldine Turner, Christine Broadway, Tony Barry, Delvene Delaney, Syd Heylen, Donald McDonald, Luigi Villani, Tristan Rogers, Roger Newcombe, Arna-Maria Winchester and Davina Whitehouse.

Ken James, Cheryl Rixon

The series continued to feature certain amounts of nudity. Perth-born model Cheryl Rixon was to become the show’s new sex symbol, replacing Vanessa Leigh, while one storyline had the staff of UCV12 finding themselves inadvertently at a nudist retreat. The episode, filmed at a secluded property on the outskirts of Melbourne, featured cast members and extras, male and female, of various ages and sizes and in various stages of nudity — but the public was no longer shocked. “We ran the scene some two or three years after The Box started, and there was not even a murmur,” writer Jock Blair told TV Week in 1981.

Briony Behets, Delvene Delaney

So with the public no longer being shocked by such titillation The Box, like 96, had nowhere else to go. Ratings fell and both series wound up production in 1977.


YouTube: Studio 10

Crawfords went on to other projects including The Sullivans for the Nine Network, Cop Shop for the Seven Network and the ill-fated Hotel Story for 0-10.

Source: TV Times, 28 July 1973, 11 August 1973, 18 August 1973. 1 September 1973, 8 September 1973, 15 September 1973, 22 September 1973, 3 November 1973, 9 February 1974, 9 March 1974, 30 March 1974, 27 April 1974, 24 August 1974, 28 September 1974, 14 December 1974, 1 February 1975, 8 March 1975, 14 June 1975, 12 July 1975, 9 August 1975, 13 September 1975, 17 January 1976, 15 May 1976, 5 February 1977. The Age, 11 February 1974. TV Week, 13 July 1974,  21 December 1974, 11 January 1975, 5 January 1980, 29 August 1981. Woman’s Day, 18 February 1974. Super Aussie Soaps, Andrew Mercado.

(This is a revision of the post “40 years since Class Of ’74, The Box“, published for The Box’s 40th anniversary in 2014)

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2024/02/the-box-at-50.html

On This Day — 11 February

11 February 1970: Singer Ronnie Burns

11 February 1981: Mike Walsh and Jeanne Little (The Mike Walsh Show)

11 February 1989: Nicolle Dickson and Alex Papps (Home And Away)

11 February 2006: Kate Ritchie and Joel McIlroy (Home And Away)


11 February 1967: Australian soprano June Bronhill stars in her own ABC special, June Bronhill Sings, a variety show with a 19th century theme. The special co-stars Denis Quilley, Tikki Taylor, Alan Tobin and Robert Gard.

11 February 1974: Melbourne’s ATV0 screens the debut episode of The Box, Crawford Productions‘ serial based around the activities of a fictional television station, UCV12. The cast included George Mallaby, Belinda Giblin, Lois Ramsey, Paul Karo, Briony Behets, Fred Betts, Barrie Barkla, Helen Hemingway, Judy Nunn, Ken James, Fred ‘Cul’ Cullen, Kay McFeeter, Peter Regan, Monica Maughan and Ken Snodgrass. Sydney’s TEN10 aired the episode the following night — The Box at 50

11 February 1979: Nine’s big-budget current affairs gamble 60 Minutes makes its debut. Featuring reporters Ray Martin, George Negus and Ian Leslie60 Minutes got off to a slow start in the ratings but soon built up to become one of Nine’s flagship properties in the decades to follow — 60 Minutes turns 40 [2018]

11 February 1985: Midday With Ray Martin makes its debut, replacing The Mike Walsh Show, which moves to night time. Ten’s Good Afternoon Australia, is revamped as After Noon, with Tony Murphy and Katrina Lee. Nine also launches Blankety Blanks with Daryl Somers, a revival of the popular game show hosted by Graham Kennedy in the late 1970s.

11 February 1987: Seven Network sitcom Hey Dad! debuts.

11 February 1990: Ten launches its new comedy double, Larger Than Life with Mark Mitchell and Col’n Carpenter, starring Kym Gyngell.

11 February 1993: The Norman Gunston Show (Seven) marks the return of the self-described Australian TV legend, played by Garry McDonald.

11 February 1996: The Nine Network commences its coverage of the 1996 Cricket World Cup, with the opening ceremony live from Calcutta, India.

11 February 2002: The Nine Network launches quiz show Shafted, hosted by Red Symons. The show replaced Sale Of The Century, which had wrapped up at the end of 2001 after 21 years on air.

11 February 2004: Ten debuts its new reality contest The Resort, hosted by rock singer Jon Stevens, based around a group of individuals building and running a Fijian resort.

11 February 2010: Seven debuts TV-themed game show The White Room, hosted by Tony Moclair and Julian Schiller and panellists including Felicity Ward, Lawrence Mooney, George McEncroe and Dave Thornton. The show lasted two weeks.

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2024/02/on-this-day-11-february.html

On This Day — 10 February

10 February 1968: The Seekers

10 February 1973: Judy Morris (Certain Women)

10 February 1979: Ray Martin, Ian Leslie, George Negus (60 Minutes)

10 February 1979: Lorraine Bayly (The Sullivans)

10 February 1990: Jana Wendt (A Current Affair)

10 February 1996: Kristy Wright and Shane Ammann (Home And Away)

10 February 2001: Holly Valance and Daniel MacPherson (Neighbours)

10 February 2007: Jodi Gordon (Home And Away)


10 February 1973: The Seven Network telecasts the opening of Hobart’s Wrest Point casino — the first casino in Australia. The telecast is hosted by Seven Network personalities Bob Rogers and Tony Barber and includes a performance by Jerry Lewis.

10 February 1991: The Simpsons makes its Australian premiere on Network Ten, featuring two episodes – ‘Bart The Genius’ and ‘Homer’s Odyssey’.

10 February 1992: The Nine Network launches children’s quiz show Guess What?, the game show Supermarket Sweep with Ian Turpie, and a new Extra local current affairs shows in each of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

10 February 1994: Ray Martin hosts the one-hour special Graham Kennedy’s 60th Birthday (Nine), featuring various footage of Kennedy’s career including In Melbourne Tonight.

10 February 1996: The life of transport tycoon and media owner Reg Ansett is covered in the one-hour special RM The Ansett Story (Nine), hosted by Getaway‘s Jeff Watson, timed to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Ansett Australia airline.

10 February 2000: Amanda Keller hosts new series Switching Lives (Ten), which turns the phrase ‘walking a mile in my shoes’ into reality.

10 February 2002: Melbourne radio personality Matt Tilley hosts the debut of reality contest The Fugitive, a joint venture between the Austereo radio network and Network Ten.

10 February 2004: Network Ten screens Australian Idol: The Concert, featuring all 12 Australian Idol finalists from the 2003 series: Guy Sebastian, Shannon Noll, Cosima de Vito, Paulini Curuenavuli, Rob Mills, Levi Kereama, Rebekah LaVauney, Kelly Cavuoto, Lauren Buckley, Cle Wootton, Peter Ryan and Mathew Chadwick.

10 February 2010: MasterChef Australia season one runner-up Poh Ling Yeow debuts her new cooking show, Poh’s Kitchen, on ABC.

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2024/02/on-this-day-10-february.html

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On This Day — 8 February

8 February 1967: Gordon Boyd (Showcase)

8 February 1975: Josephine Knur (The Unisexers)

8 February 1975: Graham Kennedy (The Graham Kennedy Show)

8 February 1992: Rachael Beck and Julie McGregor (Hey Dad!)

8 February 1997: William McInnes and Tasma Walton (Blue Heelers)

8 February 2003: Georgie Parker (All Saints)


8 February 1978: ABC launches a new music series The Real Thing hosted by radio host Ron E Sparx. The first show includes appearances by Little River Band, Radio Birdman, Renee Geyer and Dragon.

8 February 1979: The Federal Government approves the application for Melbourne channel ATV0 to convert its transmission to the Channel 10 frequency — ATV0… from Go!! to Ten [2014]

8 February 1993: ABC launches breakfast news bulletin First Edition, presented by Kate Dunstan and Doug Weller (pictured).

8 February 2006: The debut of ABC cooking show The Cook And The Chef, featuring Maggie Beer and Simon Bryant.

8 February 2009: Chris Bath and Mike Munro host the premiere of Seven‘s weekly current affairs show Sunday Night.

8 February 2010: Network Ten (and One HD), Fox Sports 3 and ESPN telecast Superbowl XLIV, live from Miami Gardens, Florida.

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2024/02/on-this-day-8-february.html

On This Day — 7 February

7 February 1976: Gerard Kennedy (Tandarra)

7 February 1976: Graeme Blundell (Alvin Purple)

7 February 1981: Mike Walsh (The Mike Walsh Show)

7 February 1987: Sigrid Thornton (The Far Country, Great Expectations — The Untold Story)

7 February 2004: Simmone Jade Mackinnon and Bridie Carter (McLeod’s Daughters)

7 February 2009: Jessica Tovey and Todd Lasance (Home And Away)


7 February 1963: The 12-part series Alcheringa makes its Melbourne debut on ABV2. The series of 15-minute programs presented a re-enactment of the life, customs and practices of an indigenous family 200 years ago — before the arrival of Europeans. The series was filmed on location in Victoria and New South Wales.

7 February 1972: Melbourne’s ATV0 launches new daytime shows Surprise Surprise, with Tommy Hanlon Jnr and Ian Turpie, and Queen Of The House, hosted by Sean Myers and Joy Westmore, and after-school children’s show The Wonderful World Of The Young with Judy Banks and Fredd Bear (Tedd Dunn).

7 February 1977: The Mike Walsh Show debuts on the Nine Network after four years on the 0-10 Network.

7 February 1987: ABC debuts six-part mini-series Great Expectations — The Untold Story, presenting a different take on the Charles Dickens classic, starring Sigrid Thornton, Robert Coleby, Todd Boyce, John Stanton, Jill Forster, Bruce Spence, Noel Ferrier and Anne Louise Lambert.

7 February 1990: The debut of Nine’s new drama Family And Friends.

7 February 1994: Midday returns for the new year with new host Derryn Hinch.

7 February 1997: Garry McDonald, Celia de Burgh, Brian Vriends, Lead Purcell, Geoff Morrell, Simon Chilvers and Ling-Hsueh Tang star in the new ABC drama Fallen Angels.

7 February 1998: The Seven Network begins coverage of the XVIII Olympic Winter Games from Nagano, Japan.

7 February 2004: ABC weekly drama series Fireflies, starring Jeremy Sims, Libby Tanner, Nadia Townsend, Anna Hruby and Russell Newman, debuts with a 90-minute episode.

7 February 2005: SBS and Fox Sports 1 broadcast Superbowl XXXIX, live from Jacksonville, Florida.

7 February 2007: Osher Günsberg and Brigitte Duclos host the premiere of Network Ten game show, The Con Test.

7 February 2008: The premiere of documentary series Saving Kids on Network Ten, hosted by Australian Idol winner Damien Leith.

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2024/02/on-this-day-7-february.html

On This Day — 6 February

6 February 1958: (clockwise from top left) Don Bennetts, Corinne Kirby, Geoff Corke, Judy Jack, Hal Todd

6 February 1999: Martin Sacks and Lisa McCune (Blue Heelers)

6 February 2010: Axle Whitehead and Jodi Gordon (Home And Away)


6 February 1982: Channel 0/28’s afternoon test pattern is replaced by a test broadcast by public access organisation Open Channel. 0/28 would host several such test broadcasts over the following years in the lead up to regular trials and licencing of community television stations.

6 February 1996: With a federal election looming, Ten News presents a one-hour special, Paul Keating: True Colours, profiling the Prime Minister. The previous night there was an equivalent special featuring Opposition Leader John Howard.

6 February 2000: The Seven Network debuts the new reality series Popstars, based on a New Zealand format, which resulted in the formation of the all-girl pop group Bardot.

6 February 2005: Network Ten debuts reality series The X Factor with hosts Daniel MacPherson and Chloe Maxwell and judges Mark Holden, Kate Ceberano and John Reid.

6 February 2006: SBS and ESPN cover Superbowl XL, live from Detriot, Michigan.

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2024/02/on-this-day-6-february.html

On This Day — 5 February

5 February 1964: Bob Dyer (BP Pick-A-Box)

5 February 1977: Paul Cronin and Lorraine Bayly (The Sullivans)

5 February 1983: Tony Barber (Sale Of The Century)

5 February 2000: Lisa McCune and Martin Sacks (Blue Heelers)

5 February 2005: Chris Hemsworth and Rebecca Cartwright (Home And Away)


5 February 1968: Adventure series Skippy The Bush Kangaroo debuts on Nine — Skippy turns 50 [2018]

5 February 1973: Mike Walsh returns to television with his new daytime variety show, The Mike Walsh Show, airing on the 0-10 Network — The Mike Walsh Show goes online [2018]

5 February 1979: Former Brisbane television presenter Annette Allison begins as newsreader at Eyewitness News in Melbourne, working alongside Bruce Mansfield.

5 February 1993: The Seven Network launches travel series The Great Outdoors, featuring Penny Cook, Ernie Dingo, Sofie Formica, Rex Hunt, Jack Absalom, Ted Egan, Neil Crompton, Bridget Adams and Sharon Tyrrell.

5 February 2000: Molly Meldrum and Leah McLeod host the debut of Ten‘s new pop music show House Of Hits, incorporating video clips, live performances and guest co-hosts.

5 February 2001: The Australian version of game show The Weakest Link begins on Seven, hosted by Cornelia Frances.

5 February 2007: SBS, Fox Sports 1 and ESPN present coverage of Superbowl XLI, live from Miami Gardens, Florida.

5 February 2009: Network Ten launches new factual series Bondi Vet, featuring Dr Chris Brown at the Bondi Junction Veterinary Hospital.

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2024/02/on-this-day-5-february.html