Today’s TV: Sunday 8 March 1998 (Part 1)
from the NZ Listener
TV One
6.00am BBC World, including:
6.00 BBC World News
6.30 World Living - A Golfer’s Travels
7.00 BBC World News
7.30 This Week
8.00 BBC World News
8.30 Inside Out (G)
9.00 Praise Be
9.30 Tagata Pasifika
10.00 Shield Me (Rpt, G)
10.05 UK Today (Rpt, G)
10.15 One World of Sport - Cricket
NZ v Zimbabwe - fifth ODI; live from Eden Park, Auckland
STANDBY PROGRAMMES (if the cricket is disrupted):
10.15 The Chelsea Flower Show 1997 (G)
11.00 Great Railway Journeys (Rpt, G)
Noon Country Calendar (Rpt, G)
12.30 All Creatures Great and Small (Rpt, G)
1.30 Ever Decreasing Circles (Rpt, PGR)
2.20 Taste New Zealand (G)
2.30 Kangaroo Faces in the Mob (G)
3.30 The Wearable Art Awards 1997 (Rpt, G)
4.30 Heartland (Rpt, G)
5.30 Incredible Journeys (Rpt, G)
6.00 One Network News
6.30 Our World - Animal Intelligence (Part 2) (G)
7.30 60 Minutes
8.30 Montana Sunday Theatre - Bright Hair (Part 2) (AO)
9.50 Luciano Pavarotti at Pesaro (G)
11.00 The Ruth Rendell Mysteries - Achilles Heel (Rpt, AO)
1.10am Infomercials
2.05 BBC World, including:
2.05 BBC World News
2.10 Dateline London
3.00 BBC World News
3.30 World Living - The Clothes Show
4.00 BBC World Headlines
4.05 Weekend World - Horizon
5.00 BBC World News
5.30 HARDtalk (Continues to 6am)
TV2
6.00am Hallo Spencer (Rpt, G)
6.20 Casper (G)
6.50 What-a-Mess (G)
7.15 Little Mouse on the Prairie (Rpt, G)
7.35 Inspector Gadget’s Field Trip (G)
8.00 What Now
10.00 Video Hits - Chart Show (PGR)
Noon Sunday Cinema - Logan’s Run (1976) (Rpt, PGR)
2.30 Behind the Scene - “Red Corner”
3.00 Squeeze (Rpt, PGR)
A repeat of last Wednesday’s programme; first shown on MTV
4.00 The Jeff Foxworthy Show (G)
4.30 The Bob Morrison Show (G)
5.00 Dave’s World (G)
5.30 Malcolm & Eddie (G)
6.00 Toons on 2 - The Angry Beavers (Series premiere) (G)
6.30 Small Talk (Series premiere) (G)
7.00 The Great Kiwi Video Show (Series return) (PGR)
7.30 Trading Places (Series premiere) (PGR)
8.00 Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (Series premiere) (G)
8.30 The Sunday Premiere Movie - Outbreak (1995) (AO)
11.05 The Sunday Horrors - Leprechaun (1993) (Rpt, AO)
1.00am Tropical Heat (Rpt, AO)
2.00 Australian Gladiators (Rpt, G)
3.00 White Fang (Rpt, G)
3.40 Good Morning (Rpt)
A repeat screening of last Friday’s programme; first shown on TV One
5.35 Kenneth Copeland - Believer’s Voice of Victory (Continues to 6.05am)
TV3
6.00am Music and the Spoken Word (Double episode)
7.00 Sesame Street (G)
8.00 The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (G)
8.25 Garfield and Friends (G)
8.50 The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat (G)
9.15 Jake and the Kid (Rpt, G)
10.00 Beyond 2000 (G)
10.45 Arthur C Clarke’s Mysterious Universe (Double episode) (PGR)
11.35 Nissan Gone Fishin’ (Rpt, PGR)
Noon Matinee Movie - Airport 1975 (1974) (Rpt, PGR)
2.20 Oscar and Friends (Rpt, G)
2.30 Coach (G)
3.00 3 Sport - Boxing
Chávez v González + López v Álvarez; full delayed coverage
6.00 3 News
6.30 20/20
7.30 Real TV
8.30 Sunday Movie - Braveheart (1995, part 1) (AO)
10.30 Late Movie - Chasing Dreams (1982) (AO)
1.05am Infomercials
5.00 Joyce Meyer - Life in the Word
5.30 This Is Your Day with Benny Hinn (Continues to 6am)
TV4
Noon Infomercials
1.00 Star Trek (Rpt, PGR)
2.00 Heartbreak High (PGR)
3.00 Uncut (Rpt, PGR)
3.30 The New Music (Rpt, G)
4.30 MediaTelevision (Rpt, G)
5.00 Arts & Minds (Rpt, G)
5.30 FashionTelevision (Rpt, G)
6.00 WOW!: World of Wonder (G)
6.30 Buddies (G)
7.00 Weird Science (PGR)
7.30 Hollywood’s Greatest Stunts (1997) (AO)
8.30 Movie - Topless Women Talk About Their Lives (1997) (AO)
10.40 Movie - The Good Mother (aka “The Price of Passion”) (1988) (AO)
12.40am TVSN (Continues to 10am)
MTV
6.00am Night Videos (Continued)
7.00 Kickstart
8.30 Collexion - Cast
9.00 One Globe One Skate
9.30 All About the Spice Girls
10.00 European Top 20
Noon So 90s
12.30 Apartment 2F
1.00 Select
3.00 Hitlist UK
5.00 MTV News Weekend Edition
5.30 MTV Life
6.00 The Lick
7.00 Dancefloor Chart
8.00 Dance Anthems
9.00 Balls
10.00 Havoc (Rpt)
A repeat screening of last Thursday’s programme
11.00 God Save the Clean
12.00am Music Mix
3.00 Chill Out Zone
5.00 Night Videos (Continues to 7am)
New look Sundays on TV2
It’s Sunday, the 8th day of March 1998. The sun was setting and TV2 (now TVNZ 2) gearing up for a night of fresh, local entertainment, a real showcase of New Zealand talent and creativity. It was a night of premieres, new faces and familiar favourites, a line-up which truly reflected the Kiwi spirit.
The evening kicked off at 6pm with the introduction of “Toons on 2”, a new half hour cartoon slot. This wasn’t just any cartoon block, though. TV2 was rotating shows, giving us a taste of different animated worlds every three weeks.
On that particular Sunday we were treated to The Angry Beavers.
Now, The Angry Beavers was a quirky, hilarious show about Daggett and Norbert Beaver, two brothers forced to leave their family dam when their parents had another litter. It was a classic tale of sibling rivalry, filled with slapstick comedy and sharp wit. The show’s premise was relatable - who hasn’t argued with their siblings? - and the animation was vibrant and engaging.
The Angry Beavers was a perfect way to start the evening, appealing to Kiwi kids and adults with its clever humour. And knowing we’d see Cow and Chicken or Dexter’s Laboratory in the coming weeks added to the anticipation.
At 6.30pm the excitement built with the premiere of Small Talk, a brand new game show from Grundy Television.
Recorded in front of a live audience at Wellington’s Avalon Studios and hosted by the ever-energetic Jason Gunn, Small Talk was a delightful concept: adults trying to predict the answers children would give to a series of questions. It was a masterclass in understanding the wonderfully unpredictable minds of kids.
In that first episode we saw a charming group of children - Sam, Tom, Ravi, George, Alice, Beau, Shaun, Angus and Bradley - answering questions for the adult contestants Quentin, Irene and Randall. The dynamic between the adults and the children was pure gold. The adults would deliberate, trying to get into the minds of the kids while the children gave the most honest, unfiltered answers imaginable.
Small Talk was funny, heart-warming, and a real testament to the innocence and creativity of childhood. Jason Gunn, with his infectious enthusiasm, kept the show moving at a brisk pace and made it a perfect family viewing experience. It was a great concept and it was performed with such charm, although the format was based on the British game show of the same name with the late Ronnie Corbett (of The Two Ronnies and Sorry! fame) as host.
At 7pm a familiar favourite returned with a fresh face. The Great Kiwi Video Show was back for its fourth year, but this time with Fiona Anderson at the helm.
After four successful years hosting What Now, Fiona brought her warmth and relatability to the show which was essentially a half hour compilation of hilarious home videos from New Zealand and around the world. It was our own version of America’s Funniest Home Videos (though its predecessor, New Zealand’s Funniest Home Videos ran from 1990-91 and 1993 respectively with Ian Taylor, the late Kerry Smith and Jason Gunn as successive hosts) and it never failed to deliver laughs. The show was a testament to the power of the home video camera, capturing those unexpected, candid moments which make life so entertaining.
From clumsy pets to hilarious mishaps, The Great Kiwi Video Show was a guaranteed mood booster. Fiona Anderson’s natural charm and humour made her a perfect fit for the show, and she quickly won over viewers. The production quality was solid and the selection of videos, chosen at random by the producers, was consistently funny. It was a simple concept but it worked brilliantly.
Then came the new local content, kicking off at 7.30pm with Trading Places.
Hosted by Liane Clarke, Trading Places was a fascinating social experiment. Two New Zealanders from completely different walks of life would swap jobs for a day, giving them a unique glimpse into each other’s worlds. It was a concept which resonated with the Kiwi spirit of ‘giving it a go’ and appreciating the diversity of our country.
The first episode featured a model and a dairy farmer, as well as a naval diver and a deliverer of singing telegrams. The contrast between these professions was striking. The model found herself milking cows and mucking out stables while the dairy farmer experienced the glitz and glamour of a photoshoot. The naval diver tried his hand at delivering singing telegrams, while the singing telegram deliverer faced the challenges of diving.
Trading Places was a brilliant concept and it was fascinating to see how people adapted to such different environments. Liane Clarke, with her experience from The Great Kiwi Video Show and various other programmes (Fair Go, Really Living), was a natural and engaging host, guiding us through these unique experiences with warmth and curiosity.
Following Trading Places at 8pm was Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?, another new local production.
Hosted by the effervescent Suzanne Paul with Varick Neilson as the chef and Anthony Ray Parker as the chauffeur, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? was the show that surprised unsuspecting New Zealand families with a celebrity guest for dinner. It was a heart-warming and entertaining concept, combining the excitement of a surprise with the intimacy of a family meal.
In the first episode, the May family were surprised by rugby legends Tana Umaga and Grant Fox. Imagine the shock and delight of having two of New Zealand’s sporting heroes walk through your door!
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? captured the genuine reactions of the family, the awkwardness and excitement of meeting a celebrity and the warmth of sharing a meal together. Suzanne Paul’s bubbly personality was perfect for the show and she created a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Varick Neilson’s culinary skills ensured a delicious meal and Anthony Ray Parker’s chauffeur role added a touch of glamour. It was a feel good show which celebrated the everyday Kiwi family and the excitement of celebrity encounters.
Finally, TV2 presented its Sunday premiere movie, Outbreak, at 8.30pm. This 1995 action thriller (starring Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo and Morgan Freeman) provided a dramatic and suspenseful end to the evening. The film’s gripping storyline and star-studded cast made it a perfect choice for a Sunday night movie.
Looking back, that evening on TV2 was a testament to the power of local content. It was a line-up that celebrated Kiwi talent, humour and diversity. It was a reminder of a time when television was a shared experience, a way for families to come together and enjoy a night of entertainment.
More to come in Part 2.