1995: March 4-10

Cover: Janet Jackson, Kylie Minogue

Kimberley swaps sides
Hey Hey It’s Saturday‘s plans to secure Kimberley Joseph for an on-air role (reported two weeks ago) have come undone. The former Paradise Beach star had already taped a segment ahead of Hey Hey‘s scheduled return for 1995, but two days before the show was to return to screen her management advised that she had now signed with rival Seven Network for its new show Gladiators. Joseph’s management said that no contract had been signed with Somers Carroll, the production company behind HHIS, and that Seven and Gladiators had made a firm offer. Gladiators, described as It’s A Knockout with testosterone, is to be produced in Brisbane and is likely to be slotted on Saturday nights up against Hey Hey It’s Saturday.

Curry adds spice to Neighbours
Bernard Curry, last seen on TV in Nine‘s Snowy, is the latest cast addition to Neighbours. He joins the series as Luke Handley, the younger brother of Jen (Alyce Platt). “I am rapt that I got the part, because I knew that there was a lot of real competition,” he told TV Week. “A lot of people might say that something like this might be bad for a serious actor’s career, but I don’t think that’s true by any means. It’s a personal thing — some people might say it’s bad for them, but it’s not for me.”

Heather spells trouble!
Playing the part of a villainous power-monger in the children’s series Spellbinder has been a delight for actress Heather Mitchell (pictured), who is normally used to playing “nice” roles in shows like A Country Practice and GP. “It’s wonderful to play an obsessive, jealous creature driven by envy and be able to be really rude to kids and hand out punishment all the time,” she laughed. “It certainly brings out a very interesting side to me.” Spellbinder, which is to screen on Nine later in the year, included three months of filming in Poland. Co-stars in the series include former GP star Brian Rooney and Polish actor Rafal Zwierz (pictured, far right).

Briefly…

• The Nine Network is believed to be looking for a replacement co-host for Just Kidding. Sofie Formica is now based in the US and working on entertainment show Extra. Neighbours star Kimberley Davies is one name being discussed as a possible replacement.
• New Zealand comics Rima Te Wiata and Jennifer Ward-Lealand have quit the Seven Network comedy series Full Frontal. Ward-Lealand has scored a role in the upcoming NZ production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, while Te Wiata is looking to move away from comedy into other areas of theatre and performance.
• It appears Graeme ‘Shirley’ Strahan and the Nine Network have made amends following his resignation from Our House. Now based in Brisbane, where he presents breakfast radio, Strahan is now back in the show and will be filming his Our House stories in Brisbane.
• The Ten Network is looking at two new projects. A new dating show is in development with producers Beyond International, while a sports magazine show, titled The Extremists, has gone into pilot stage.
• Nine may not be happy about an upcoming 60 Minutes story promising to go behind the scenes of Sale Of The Century. 60 Minutes‘ motive for the story is not known, and reporter Charles Wooley recently interviewed former Sale host Tony Barber for the story, not current host Glenn Ridge.
• Derryn Hinch is planning a forum-style studio debate to be taped in Melbourne for the Nine Network. The project has the working title Battle Of The Sexes.

TV’s Top 20 (Week Commencing 12 February): 

Lawrie Masterson: The View From Here:

“I thought I’d heard just about all there was to hear about the trial of the year-decade-century. O J Simpson… for goodness sake, I even knew what the O J stood for. The coverage had reached such a pitch that we were even seeing the media doing stories on itself. Enough, I thought… and then I went to New York. The term “overkill”… suddenly took on a whole new meaning. And then I went to Los Angeles. Overkill does not even rate a mention in the dictionary there, not where the trial of O J Simpson is concerned, anyway. On a recent Saturday afternoon, I flicked on the TV in my hotel room in LA, and was confronted with not one, but three, animal behaviour experts. No, this was not a Talk To The Animals type of show or a discussion of how to stuff Fluffy using the doormat to sharpen her claws, but a full-on debate about the O J Simpson trial. The animal behaviour experts agreed on one thing — the demeanour of the late Nicole Brown Simpson‘s dog could have a heavy impact on the trial outcome. CNN officials are reported as saying their daytime ratings are eight times higher than average. Another, the E! Entertainment cable network, say its daytime audience has tripled. KTTV‘s Simpson: Day In Court, a regular noon wrap-up of proceedings, and KNBC‘s O J Simpson: The Trial, at 7.30pm, also are big winners.”

Program Highlights (Melbourne, March 4-10):
Saturday: The Ansett Australia Cup continues with Sydney Swans versus Hawthorn (2pm, Seven) and Melbourne versus West Coast Eagles (8.30pm, Seven). Beyond 2000 (7.30pm, Ten) reports on a jungle project to secure the future of endangered orangutans in Indonesia; and learning Shakespeare by karaoke!

Sunday: The Ansett Australia Cup (1pm, Seven) features Adelaide Crows versus Geelong. British comedian Julian Clary and ABC broadcasters David Marr and Angela Catterns host the one-hour coverage of the 1995 Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras (8.30pm, ABC), with Elle McFeast (Libbi Gorr) presenting on-the-street reports from the parade. Sunday night movies are Stalking Laura (Seven), Passenger 57 (Nine) and Sneakers (Ten).

Monday: In Neighbours (6.30pm, Ten), Ren (Raelee Hill) and Marlene (Moya O’Sullivan) have a falling out. In Home And Away (7pm, Seven), Angel (Melissa George) is determined to fight for her son.

Tuesday: In GP (8.30pm, ABC), Martin (Damian Rice, pictured) treats a Yugoslav woman who has been tortured and seeking refugee status. In Fire (9.30pm, Seven), while bushfires circle the city, Banjo (Aaron Jeffery) becomes seriously disturbed, which leads Morgan (Georgie Parker) to question him.

Wednesday: In Neighbours (6.30pm, Ten), Susan (Jackie Woodburne) is torn between being a teacher and a mother.

Thursday: In Home And Away (7pm, Seven), Dylan (Corey Glaister) finally knows the truth about his relationship with Angel (Melissa George). In Wild Life With Olivia Newton-John (7.30pm, Nine), Olivia Newton-John visits San Diego Wild Animal Park, and reporter Samantha Kume discovers Japan’s cute snow monkeys. In Janus (8.30pm, ABC), the Tactical Response Squad face the glare of media limelight with the inquest into the shooting of Steve Hennessey (Leon Teague).

Friday: In Neighbours (6.30pm, Ten), Cody (Peta Brady) and Rick (Dan Falzon) finally say goodbye as Rick heads to Darwin. The Melbourne match of the Magic Johnson All-Stars versus Australia tour is televised live (7.30pm, SBS).

Source: TV Week (Melbourne edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide. 4 March 1995. Southdown Press