‘I want a white wedding in a church…’
Rebecca Gibney’s wedding scenes this week in All Together Now have led to the Logie-winning actress confessing to a potential real-life wedding to boyfriend Jack Jones. “We’ve discussed it seriously and Jack has jokingly proposed to me,” she told TV Week. “But it won’t be just yet. But the fact that we’re talking about it says just how serious our relationship is.” But if she does tie the knot, Gibney (pictured) says it won’t be a big wedding. “I can’t be bothered with all the fuss. I want a white wedding in a church, but I’m a private person and it will be a small affair.” But as for All Together Now, Gibney’s character Tracey has been caught designing wedding dresses and Bobby Rivers (Jon English) has been discussing buying rings… leading to the rest of the household suspecting an upcoming wedding. But is this “dream” wedding too good to be true?
Now it’s Tonight Live with Craig!
Former Home And Away star Craig McLachlan (pictured) and British writer and comedian Ben Elton have emerged as the guest hosts for Tonight Live while Steve Vizard and the Fast Forward team head to Barcelona to produce some Olympic-themed specials for the Seven Network. “I’m very excited about working with a studio audience,” McLachlan told TV Week. “There’s great flexibility in the show and there are so many people I’d love to have on it.” Elton and McLachlan will host Tonight Live for a week each later this month.
It’s goodbye to Wandin Valley’s favourite couple!
Popular A Country Practice stars Georgie Parker and John Tarrant, whose characters tied the knot last year, have told the show’s producers that they will be leaving at the end of the year – although the Seven Network has so far only issued a statement that “we are having on-going discussions with the entire cast”.
Briefly…
SBS is planning a new series of dramas under the heading Six Pack. The series of six self-contained stories is set to feature some of Australia’s most familiar actors including Peta Toppano (pictured), John Bluthal, Arianthe Galani, Sandie Lillingston, Simon Burke, Ivar Kants, Susan Lyons, Josephine Mitchell, Steve Bastoni, Angie Milliken, Sandy Gore, Victoria Longley, Anna Volska, Geraldine Turner, Ben Oxenbould, Denise Scott and Angelo D’Angelo. Six Pack is expected to screen in Australia and the United Kingdom next year.
The Ten Network is considering an Australian version of US current affairs program Hard Copy – a controversial program labelled as “the trashy television equivalent of the National Enquirer”. A pilot of the proposed local version has already been completed and producers Showboat Productions are waiting on the go-ahead from the network. One name rumoured to be involved in the project is former Seven Network presenter Gina Boon.
Former The Flying Doctors star Tammy MacIntosh (pictured) is set to make her comedy debut in the new Network Ten sitcom Bingles. The new series, set in a panel-beating workshop, will also star Shane Bourne, Russell Gilbert and Nick Bufalo and is being produced by Media Arts, the producers of The Comedy Company.
Pop star Collette, who has recently returned from a promotional trip to Malaysia, has signed to make her acting debut with a guest role in Home And Away. The star, who rose to fame with a remake of disco hit Ring My Bell, will appear in two episodes of the popular series.
John Laws says…
”The TV “science” battle between Beyond 2000 and Quantum has been, as far as ratings go, fairly one-sided. Beyond 2000 (Seven) has packed too many big-budget guns, and much more promotional leverage, than Quantum could muster on ABC. Yet both programs are eminently viewable. Beyond 2000 revels in its quick-fix, slick approach, cramming as many items as possible into its one-hour slot. Some items are so brief they merely whet the appetite, leaving us wishing there had been more time to examine them further. Quantum has adopted a more conservative, serious approach, while managing to maintain a flow of high-quality material.”
Program Highlights (Melbourne, August 3-9):
Saturday: World champion ice-skaters Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean are guests on this week’s Hey Hey It’s Saturday (Nine). Seven crosses to Carrara, Queensland, for live coverage of the AFL match between Brisbane Bears and Collingwood, with commentators Sandy Roberts, Peter McKenna, Bernie Quinlan and Bill McDonald.
Sunday: Sunday night movies are Deadly Pursuit (Seven), Dead Calm (Nine) and The Woman He Loved (Ten).
Monday: In Col’n Carpenter (Ten), Colin (Kim Gyngell) and Michael (Stig Wemyss) attempt to cheer up a homesick Linda (Kaarin Fairfax). In A Country Practice (Seven), Matron Prior (Maureen Edwards) is pursued by Clarrie Rossiter (Peter Carmody). Ten debuts US talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show in a weekly late-night timeslot following the Second Edition News.
Tuesday: Jacqueline McKenzie guest stars in GP (ABC). Beyond 2000 (Seven) looks at a solution to fitting more people on the Paris Metro train system, and also reports on a new polymer that is revolutionising the chewing gum industry.
Wednesday: Kerry Walker and Noah Taylor star in The Last Crop, a telemovie for ABC. Walker plays Ann Sweeney, a woman who cleans upmarket Sydney apartments for a living while she dreams of happiness for herself, her daughter and her rather useless son.
Thursday: Comedy series Fast Forward (Seven) returns after a mid-year break. Shane Bourne and Anne Phelan (pictured) guest star in The Flying Doctors (Nine).
Friday: Seven crosses to the WACA, Perth, for live coverage of the AFL match between West Coast Eagles and Geelong. Barry Sheene is this week’s guest on Burke’s Backyard (Nine).
Source: TV Week (Victoria edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide. 3 August 1991. Southdown Press