This is just pure evidence again that the guys aren’t just fantastic hard workers, but they leave a mark in the entertainment industry.
Fairfax’s TV/Radio/Movie liftout The Guide celebrate 30 years of publishing in the Sydney Morning Herald and sister papers. Critics Michael Idato and Greg Hassall have dissected and filtered through the last 30 years of television that has graced our CRTs and LCDs, picking one show to represent each year.
Not surprisingly, the show that started it all for Working Dog, The D-Generation, represents 1986 – the first year of the show. However, if you skip to 1992 and 1993, there is no entry of The Late Show. 1992 is represented by possibly the first ever Australian reality show Sylvania Waters(in which The Late Show never ceased to take the piss out of), and 1993 had the US drama cop show Homicide: Life On The Street (which was its own version of HBO’s classic The Wire, back in the days). However, just when you think “What? That’s it? Un-bulleave-able Neville!”, there’s another entry from the Working Dog offices.
As mentioned previously, the month of April has had a cape worn upon its back for Capril: Are you Cape-able?. There’s only a few days left of April to get your own excuse to wear your beloved cape in public!
With word-of-mouth, social media and radio interviews galore to promote the awareness of depression and in honour of the late Get This sidekick Richard Marsland, funds raised for Beyond Blue have been pouring in left, right and centre. Some fund raising merchandise have been specially designed t-shirts, with profits donated to Beyond Blue. (Note due to legal reasons, the logo for Capril has been changed to what appears in the image here.)
The goal is to hit $3000 this year, but funds are well short of the target. To donate:
If you do need to talk to someone about any issues, no matter how small or large they are, Lifeline is available 24/7 on 13 11 14 or SANE Australia on 1800 18 SANE (7263)
After a ‘preview’ episode screening in what appears to saviour the My Kitchen Rules audience attention, Working Dog‘s new show Pictures Of You is returning to the Channel 7 screen Monday 23rd April, at 9:30pm.
Host Brian Nankervis presents images of the guest’s past to open their heart and mind to the history of that photo. Whether it covers a birthday party from their ankle-biter years, to graduating from school, even viewing a photo of a family member they’ve idolised all their life, Pictures Of You taps into the cockles of the heart.
After a preview screening last month of 1.6 million viewers, this could be a huge hit on Working Dog‘s hands. A simple and heartwarming concept – just make sure the storytelling is beautifully smooth. I’m sure it will!
Throughout the 2 seasons of The Late Show, a segment called Toilet Break would be played, around 3/5 of the way into the show. Season 1 played excerpts from The Saturday Show from the late 70s to early 80s, and Season 2 were highlights from the 80s talent show Pot Luck, hosted by Ernie Sigley and judge Bernard King. But more on that in a later post.
One of the most well known and popular Pot Luck Toilet Break segments was from Episode 4 in 1993, where a clip of an 8 year old boy playing bells was shown. His name? Piffy The Bell Ringer.
Even though it was 4 episodes in of viewing Pot Luck segments, it was enough to develop a new fan base and popularity. During that week, viewers wrote in (pen and paper style!) and demanded more Piffy. Other than the cameo appearance from the audience, Piffy also joined sparring partners Graham And The Colonel for their sports news updates, demonstating what he did best – ring bells. Even Tom Gleisner took the mickey out of him at one stage, dressing up as Piffy.
As part of the 20 year anniversary, we tracked down Remi Broadway (aka Piffy) who was ever so polite to answer a few questions about his appearance on Pot Luck and The Late Show all those years ago.
“Piffy” – where did that name come from?
As a 7 yr old I played the role of Wee Willy Winky in a Christmas pantomime. At one point my character said indignantly, “He called me ‘Winkle PIFFLE’.” The family thought it was so cute they started to called me ‘Piffy’.
Where did you get the idea of playing bells? Do you still dust off the bells to play at parties?
It’s an old family talent. My father was taught by his father and he passed it on to me.
Are there certain brand bells you need to get the right tones and sound for?
I’m not aware of any other tuned Sheep / Cow bells out there. I only have the one set and it’s been in my family for generations.
Can you remember what it was like to perform on Pot Luck? Did Ernie Sigley and Bernard King make you feel comfortable?
I don’t remember much as I was only 9. I do remember that I won the heat and for some reason it had to be re-filmed. Fortunately I won the second time around but the prize was $1500 worth of silverware. Not much use for a 9 yr old but I still have it 25 years later. I also remember being extremely embarrassed when Ernie asked mum if I had a nickname and she said “Piffy”. As a kid I was very embarrassed by the name.
Had you heard of The Late Show before you were invited to be on it?
No, I was 15 and not in the habit of watching late night television. I first heard about it when a friend told me he’d seen me.
Are you aware that after all this time, you still have a cult following?
I’m not sure about a cult following! But I do get recognised from time to time, usually when I least expect it, like standing at the urinal.
Can you remember the atmosphere in the studio at ABC?
Yes, the atmosphere was absolutely fantastic. The D-Generation were extremely fun to work with and made me feel really comfortable.
Did you get new-found popularity in school and with your mates after your appearance? Does that still happen today?
I don’t know about popularity but I certainly got attention. My mates are used to me popping up on TV so it doesn’t happen today.
Have you used this attention from The Late Show to get you further in your performing career?
That’s a tough question. I have been working as an actor since but I don’t think my role as Piffy has influenced any of the auditions.
What are you up to now?
Now I’m the proud owner of Central Lounge Bar & Dining in Surfers Paradise (www.centrallounge.com.au). I haven’t played the bells for a few years but I’m still entertaining people every day with delicious food and the best cocktails in town. Shameless self-promotion, I know, but it’s true! If your readers want a bit of a laugh they should check out www.chooseyourowntube.com – it’s an interactive sitcom I directed a few years ago with my brother.
Thank you heaps to Remi for taking the time to respond to the hard-hitting A Current Affair style questions laid out to him. Remi also has an official site, so check out his showreel and other works: www.remibroadway.com
Here’s the original Pot Luck performance for your viewing pleasure.
Regular visitors of this site would know of Tony Martin and author Tony Wilson occasionally pairing up on 3RRR as The Two Tones, and the odd on-air fill in on ABC774 Melbourne for Jon Fontaine. For the next 5 weeks, Tony Wilson will be filling in for the 3RRR show Spoke.
As mentioned previously, the month of April is being celerated as Capril, raising awareness of depression. Wilson decided to call up Martin to chat about the origin behind Capril (from Martin’s old Triple M radio show Get This), as well as red light camera tickets, mX and Andrew Bolt bagging. Yes, there’s even a bit of television talk. It sounds like that Martin’s obsession with The Sopranos has been fulfilled with the FX TV series Sons Of Anarchy. Think Sopranos on motorbikes.
Don’t forget to hit up Capril.org for more information.
If you do need to talk to someone about any issues, no matter how small or large they are, Lifeline is available 24/7 on 13 11 14 or SANE Australia on 1800 18 SANE (7263)
The 54th Annual TV Logie Awards are around the corner, which The D-Generation/Working Dog are regular attendees to the the awards.
The year is 1998. The Working Dog team have three successful seasons of the current affairs piss-take Frontline under their belts. The 40th Annual TV Week Logie Awards are being shown on national television, thanks to Channel 9. Season 3 of Frontline is up for 4 nominations: Most Popular Comedy Program, Most Outstanding Series, Most Outstanding Actor (Rob Sitch), Most Outstanding Achievement In Comedy.
The night goes on, and the bubbles flow. Working Dog win 2 awards out of the 4 (Most Outstanding Achievement In Comedy, Most Outstanding Series), but the announcement is further into the night. When winning, you’ve had a few drinks under your belt… and here’s the result.
*hic!*
The 2012 54th TV Week Annual Logie Awards – Sunday, April 15 at Crown Casino and broadcast on Channel 9.
They did it! They can’t of! They really did it! They grew up! Santo, Sam and Ed went all golden ticker-tape for their 100th series finale episode of Sports Fever! Primed with their Scarlett Butternut Brain Snaps, Santo Cilauro, Sam Pang and Ed Kavalee summarised the world of the oblong and round footballs and an early submission of Dive Dive Dive! After a quick ad break, the Aussie cricket fans were more than excited while the Windies fans danced on with highlights of the English cricket fans admiring the good cross-section of birds on the ground.
Sam showed the exciting golf tournament, while the team briefly ‘crossed the ditch’ to get an update of the A League. Special guest Trevor Marmalade reported on the Dubai World Cup and all things horse racing around the world, especially the story of the “horse that could” and just didn’t stop. The horse not stopping, that is – not Trevor.
Black bands were worn in respect after the death of Darts champion Jocky Wilson, who, passing away at the age of 62, was disappointed that diabetes made him stop drinking during the game. We Watched It So You Didn’t Have To received an entry from Ten Pin Bowling that Ed sat down to watch… with tender love making demonstrated to the special ball, especially if you yell “Who do you think you are? I am!”. A pilot episode for Santo, Sam and Ed’s new show Come Off It was shown with some terrific sizzle. Will it have enough traction though? Come off it!!
Many fumble and tumble entries of Silky Skills as always, while Ed spoke to Bazza and Dave, supporters of the Australian Cricket team, who must share the same DNA as Santo and Sam – with happy wives in tow. With a delightful Pfister reference for Bin Night, too many puns used for a Sicilian Open that justified Santo’s bin failures for the year.
Good news though – Santo did mention that Santo, Sam & Ed’s Sports Fever! will return quicker than you can say shuszesa… shurshaesha.. umm.. come back as soon as possible!
Until then: interact with the team on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and catch what you can on Plus7 before it’s gone.
Season Two. At the end of each episode of 1993, Tony Martin would introduce a musical finale to play over the end of the credits. It was usually a large, well known artist or band that was requested.
Tony would rely on his partner-in-crime Mick Molloy to chase down the talent to do their musical number. However, at the ‘last minute’, Mick would reveal that he misheard Tony, and screw up the booking by getting someone with a similar name or one that rhymed with the artist to perform the song.
The only time Mick would get it right was the final episode with Don Lane singing Saturday Night.
Thanks to the hard work by Steve, the list of the perfomers were:
Syd Heylen = Van Halen – Jump / Panama Pete Smith = Aerosmith – Dude Looks Like A Lady Mike Whitney = Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You Ron Barassi = Shirley Bassey – Goldfinger Gabriel Gaté = Frenté – Accidentally Kelly Street Lester Ellis = Vangelis – Chariots of Fire Jimmy Hannon = Jimmy Barnes – Working Class Man Norman Yemm = REM – Losing My Religion Donnie Sutherland = Dame Joan Sutherland – Toreador ‘Baby’ John Burgess = Baby Animals – One Word Max Walker = Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Wanna have Fun Dr Harry Cooper = Alice Cooper – Department Of Youth Joan Kirner = Joan Jett & the Blackhearts – I Love Rock And Roll Rex Hunt = T Rex – Get It On Simon Townsend = Pete Townsend (The Who) – Who Are You David Boon = David Byrne (Talking Heads) – Once In A Lifetime Brian Bury = Ian Dury & The Blockheads – Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick Grassby, Grills, Nudge & Plumb = Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Teach Your Children Hayley Lewis = Huey Lewis & The News – Hip To Be Square Don Lane = Don Lane – Saturday Night Is The Lonelist Night Of The Week (the only correct one!)
Tony was recently interviewed on ABC702 Sydney radio by Adam Spencer about the musical finales and how they came about. (ABC site)
It’s that time of the year – the time where you can dust off your Superman costume and wear it proud down at the shopping centre.
Capril started out as a running joke on Get This with Tony Martin, Ed Kavalee and Richard Marsland, which Tony put the call out to the listeners to send in photos of themselves wearing capes in general public. They had 30 days (all of April) to complete the task and submit their shots. The most creative and amusing photo proof would be chosen and win a prize from the ever-expanding Kavalee’s prize cupboard.
However, in early December 2008, Marsland unfortunately took his own life after a long battle with depression, which shocked and stunned his family, friends and fans. With the dedication of Get This followers, they created Capril: Are You Cape-able? – raising awareness and supporting Beyond Blue – an organisation creating support and awareness of depression.
How do you participate?
There is plenty of information that explains Capril , all on the site www.capril.org, follow Capril on Twitter, and check it out and try and raise some coin for Beyond Blue.
As Richard would say – ‘Nice crackle!’
If you do need to talk to someone about any issues, no matter how small or large they are, Lifeline is available 24/7 on 13 11 14 or SANE Australia on 1800 18 SANE (7263)
Straight after the grand final of My Kitchen Rules (running 10 minutes overtime), the newest production from the Working Dog offices Pictures Of You hit the ground running. After a warm and brief introduction from host Brian Nankervis, the show started.
A simple concept, a whopping 1.63 million viewers watched the guests in the spotlight for the premiere episode. Comedians Anh Do and Shane Jacobson were the basis for the beginning. Filmed in front of a live studio audience, Nankervis displayed photos of the subjects past on clean framed cardboard and allowed each guest enough time and space to explain their stories and feelings behind each photo. Anh went into the history on how his family came to Australia and how they dealt with sea pirates, along with brushes with death itself. Jacobson spoke about his bringing-up, his new child with an amusing middle name, his sporting attempts and even his appearance on the dating show Man-O-Man.
If you missed the show, the most recent episode will be available for 7 days on Plus7.
As 
Straight after the grand final of My Kitchen Rules (running 10 minutes overtime), the newest production from the Working Dog offices Pictures Of You hit the ground running. After a warm and brief introduction from host Brian Nankervis, the show started.