13 July 1985 (NZ): Live Aid, the 16-hour music concert organised to raise funds for famine relief in Africa featuring prominent artists from the UK and the US, takes place and screens across New Zealand on TV2 (now TVNZ 2). Live coverage (introduced by Tom Bradley with Phillipa [Pip] Dann, John Hawkesby, the late Ray Columbus and Murray Cammick as co-hosts) begins at 11pm on this day 40 years ago and runs until 4pm the next day.
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14 July 1980: Sale Of The Century, a remake of the 1970s Great Temptation hosted by Tony Barber and Victoria Nicolls, starts on Nine. A huge ratings success, the show continued through to 2001.
YouTube: Forgotten Television Memories
14 July 1991: Ten in Melbourne presents daytime coverage of its annual Deafness Appeal Telethon, with live crosses during Video Hits and two-hour presentation in the afternoon, featuring personalities from Network Ten programs and Melbourne radio station 3AW.
14 July 1993: Wendy Harmer, Robyn Archer, Andrew Denton, Hugh Lunn, Ruth Ostrow and Ignatius Jones feature in World Series Debating — “That Men Deserve More Respect”.
14 July 1996: ABC premieres children’s series children’s series Sun On The Stubble, the story of a youth from a German immigrant family growing up in a small wheat farming community in South Australia during the 1930s. Starring Jamie Croft.
14 July 2002: Network Ten airs the special Perfect Match: Was There Any Romance?, paying tribute to the popular dating game show that ran from 1984 to 1989 and revisiting some of the show’s former contestants. Hosted by Amanda Keller with former Perfect Match presenters Greg Evans, Debbie Newsome, Tiffany Lamb and Kerrie Friend and their robotic matchmaker, Dexter.
14 July 2009: The Seven Network premieres Air Ways, a factual series about the day-to-day running of Tiger Airways.
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Sounds very different with Ron Neate as the announcer.
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14 July 2014: The first episode of Family Feud with Grant Denyer started its four-year run.
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15 July 1990: Network Ten’s The Comedy Company returns after a half-year break. The revamped show features a number of new cast members but is not renewed at the end of the year.
15 July 1991: Seven launches a new afternoon quiz show, Blockbusters, hosted by Michael Pope. The Doug Anthony All Stars make their return to TV in a new comedy series, DAAS Kapital.
15 July 1992: The Nine Network presents the special Ray Martin With Paul Hogan, featuring footage from Paul Hogan’s early career including his commentaries on the original A Current Affair in the 1970s and his later comedy specials.
15 July 2001: ABC premieres Sunday morning current affairs discussion program Insiders, hosted by Barrie Cassidy.
15 July 2008: ABC premieres four-part documentary series Family Fortunes. The series looks at how reversals in fortune have affected Australian families. The first episode focuses on the family of the late Peter Brock and how his death not only affected their daily lives but also how his disorganised financial affairs are making it difficult for them to move forward.
15 July 2009: The Nine Network presents coverage of Game Three of the Rugby League State Of Origin — Queensland versus NSW — from Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.
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I always wonder why The Comedy Company’s fortunes changed so quickly, given it had been very competitive against 60 Minutes.
Because the skits became very repetitive using the same jokes over and over, week after week.
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When the show returned most of the original cast had been replaced as well.
The same characters in the same order each week, dire.
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I remember watching that Origin match on Fox Sports here in the states. A lot of people wanted extra time, but 9 would not allow it due to the World Cup. I then changed the channel to ESPN for the World Cup semi-final (can’t remember who played.) State of Origin had a 5:30am start here in the US with the soccer being at 7:30am.
Correct, it was usually:
- Kylie Mole near the beginning
- Col’n Carpenter and Uncle Arthur in the middle
- Con the Fruiterer at the very end
For comparison, Fast Forward tended to change things up week-to-week
For the 1990 return I am not sure that any of these were still present? Kylie Mole/Maryanne Fahey, perhaps was still there?
I’m pretty sure Maryanne Fahey had departed. At the beginning of 1990 they had Ten’s Comedy Hour - Col’n Carpenter at 7.30 and Mark Mitchell’s Larger Than Life at 8. Both were very ordinary at best. I think the Comedy Comedy came back replacing those too. Fast Forward already has inroads on them and of course was more adult orientated.
Promo from 1990 although by this time, Let The Bloody Run Free appears to have replaced Mark Mitchell’s show…
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Now there’s a show they should bring back.
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16 July 1956: Melbourne’s HSV7 commences its first test transmissions ahead of its official launch in November. The test transmissions, which include test patterns and short documentary films, are set for 3.00-5.00pm Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays; 7.00-9.00pm Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 10.00am-12.00pm on Saturdays.
16 July 1976: Bluey, the police drama starring Lucky Grills as Detective Sargeant ‘Bluey’ Hills, debuts on ATN7, Sydney. The series first aired in Brisbane on 20 July and in Melbourne, where it was filmed, on 2 August. The series was not renewed beyond its first season but gained a cult following almost 20 years later when episodes were comically re-dubbed as Bargearse for The Late Show.
16 July 1990: Sale Of The Century presents the first in the week-long Celebrity Challenge, commemorating the show’s tenth anniversary. Taking part in the challenge include Bert Newton, Andrew Gaze, Simon O’Donnell, Peta Toppano, Gough Whitlam, Lisa Curry, Cameron Daddo, George Negus and Jennifer Byrne.
16 July 2001: The debut of Melbourne-based apartment drama The Secret Life Of Us, beginning as a two-hour double episode, follows the finale of the first series of Big Brother Australia.
16 July 2003: The Nine Network presents coverage of Game Three of the Rugby League State Of Origin — Queensland versus NSW — from Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.
16 July 2008: SBS premieres mY Generation, a six-part series which puts Australian youth under the microscope to reveal what they really think and feel about the big issues: religion, politics, adulthood, housing and community engagement.
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“It’s pure bloody ecstasy.”
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Not to mention it’s theme tune got famously repurposed 12 months later
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18 July 1966: The Australian version of Play School, based on a BBC program of the same name, begins on ABC.
18 July 1973: Bert Newton hosts the 20th anniversary Gown Of The Year awards presentation. The fashion industry awards, presented by the Mannequins and Models Guild of Australia, recognises the talents of Australia’s fashion industry. Also screening this evening is the comedy special, The True Blue Show, the precursor to a weekly series that would screen on the Seven Network later in the year. The special features Gerry Gallagher, Sue Walker, John Derum and Emma Gray with performances by Johnny Farnham, Julie Anthony and Jon English.
18 July 1976: The ABC, Seven and Nine networks commence their joint coverage of the Games Of The XXI Olympiad, via satellite from Montreal. All three networks provided regular daily highlights packages from each day of competition — with Nine also going outside of the joint arrangement to provide overnight coverage of competition as reports and film of events becomes available.
18 July 1992: The Late Show, from the D Generation, premieres on ABC.
18 July 1999: The Seven Network premieres two-part mini-series Tribe, starring Craig McLachlan, Nadine Garner, Rachel Blakely, Ling Cooper Tang, Paul Leyden, Peter Stefanou, Thaao Penghlis, Beverley Dunn and Tayler Kane.
18 July 2004: Network Ten premieres two-part mini-series Jessica, the TV adaptation of the novel by Bryce Courtenay. Starring Leeanna Walsman, Lisa Harrow, Sam Neill, Tony Martin, John Howard, Oliver Ackland, Wil Traval, Heather Mitchell, Huw Higginson and Simon Chilvers.
18 July 2010: Network Ten screens the telemovie Hawke, depicting the life of former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. Starring Richard Roxburgh, Rachael Blake, Felix Williamson, Asher Keddie, Sacha Horler, Patrick Brammall, Lliam Amor, Simon Maiden, Terry Norris, Julia Blake and Josh Lawson.
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Champagne sketch comedy!
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