Tag: The Restless Years

Obituary: Reg Watson

Reg Watson, the creator of Neighbours and many other successful soaps, has died at the age of 93. Born in Maryborough, Queensland, in 1926, Watson’s career started as a radio actor and announcer and he had also dabbled in theatre. By the mid-1950s, he had moved to the United Kingdom and in 1956 was appointed …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/10/obituary-reg-watson.html

40 years of Prisoner

It is 40 years ago this week that Prisoner first graced our screens, and a thankful 0-10 Network was relieved to have a ratings hit. In an era where it was almost mandatory for a commercial network to have two hit soaps on the go, the struggling network had teen drama The Restless Years and …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/02/40-years-of-prisoner.html

Obituary: Penny Cook

Penny Cook, best known for her role as Vicky the vet in A Country Practice, has died at the age of 61. She was surrounded by family when she passed away from cancer on Boxing Day. Graduating from NIDA in 1978, Cook first came to fame in the series The Restless Years. Three years later …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2018/12/obituary-penny-cook.html

TV Week Logie Awards: 25 years ago

The Nine Network‘s Midday host Ray Martin won the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television at the 35th annual TV Week Logie Awards. The awards were held at Melbourne’s Grand Hyatt Hotel on 19 March 1993 and telecast on Network Ten. For Martin (pictured on TV Week‘s front cover with Silver Logie …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2018/06/tv-week-logie-awards-25-years-ago-8.html

The Pretty Petrol that failed to fire

For every show that makes it to TV there is an endless list of pitches, proposals and pilots that never pass those crucial stages. In the Eighties, one of that endless list was Pretty Petrol, billed as the first comedy to come from Grundy Television, at that time producing hit shows like Prisoner, Sons And …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2017/10/the-pretty-petrol-that-failed-to-fire.html

The short saga of Hotel Story

By the end of 1976, the 0-10 Network‘s former flagship dramas Number 96 and The Box were coming to the end of their reign. Number 96 producer Bill Harmon hoped to fill the inevitable gap that was to come with a string of spin-off projects featuring key members of the Number 96 cast. None of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2017/07/the-short-saga-of-hotel-story.html

The 59th TV Week Logie Awards

Actor Samuel Johnson last night won the Gold Logie for Best Personality On Australian Television at the 59th annual TV Week Logie Awards. Johnson, whose voice has adorned countless commercials for everything from burgers to mobile telephones to radio stations, won the accolade on the back of his portrayal of Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum in the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2017/04/the-59th-tv-week-logie-awards.html

Obituary: Reg Grundy

Reg Grundy, the radio announcer who went on to become one of Australia’s most successful television producers, has died at the age of 92. His media career began in the 1950s as a sports commentator on Sydney radio station 2SM. This led to him developing and hosting radio game shows, the most successful being Wheel …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2016/05/obituary-reg-grundy.html

1996: April 13-19

Dieter’s Logies challenge In the lead up to the 38th annual TV Week Logie Awards, Sale Of The Century is to feature a week-long contest, the Logies Special Challenge. The week of special shows includes various TV Week Logie Award winners from throughout the decades — including Don Lane, Johnny Young, Bobby Limb, Jeanne Little, …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2016/04/1996-april-13-19.html

Obituary: Don Battye

Don Battye, former producer for both Crawford and Grundy production houses, has died at the age of 77. Starting out as an actor from the age of nine through to his 20s — including an appearance in an early TV production, the play The Big Day in 1959 — Battye went on to write for …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2016/03/obituary-don-battye.html