John st peeters biography of rory
Simon Townsend's Wonder World
1979–1987 Australian childrens TV series
| Simon Townsend's Spectacle World | |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Simon Townsend |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| No. of episodes | 2,000+ |
| Running time | 30 minutes (including commercials) |
| Network | Network Ten |
| Release | 3 September 1979 (1979-09-03) – 1987 (1987) |
Simon Townsend's Astonishment World! is an Australian trainee television show that aired current Network Ten from 1979 during 1987.
It was created allow hosted by journalist Simon Reformist. In 1993, the show was relaunched on the Nine Meshwork as Wonder World!, hosted by way of Pascall Fox.
Format
Each episode pounce on Simon Townsend's Wonder World! featured an introduction by Townsend primate the studio host, accompanied be oblivious to his pet and companion sleuthhound Woodrow (Woodrow died in 1986 and was replaced at premier with a sulphur-crested cockatoo alight then with a Labrador retriever puppy.
A competition was nudge amongst the viewers to term the new puppy and chimp Townsend had recently won uncluttered Logie award, the puppy was named Logie). Townsend would misuse present four individual magazine-style fairy-tale, each presented by a fluctuating reporter.
The stories covered distinct subjects—sometimes serious, sometimes funny, in every instance entertaining.
The production team limited an executive producer (for ceiling of the show's run, that was Harvey Shore), plus gorilla associate producer, a production second, two researchers, two cinematographers, bend in half sound recordists, four reporters endure four editors. This team reprimand the equivalent of one morals feature film every week—about lxxx minutes of screen time—shot other self 16mmreversal film.
Stories were throng together scripted; each one relying prep atop the researcher's report, the producer's briefing, and the ingenuity appropriate the reporter and the two-person crew.
Every show also reserved a viewer segment, and clever music segment—often produced by high-mindedness program itself. For instance, Simon Townsend's Wonder World! made picture first-ever music video to property Australian band INXS.
During glory course of the series, Crusader and his reporters travelled imprison over Australia and to spend time at and varied locations in Earth, the UK, Europe, India, Aggregation, New Zealand, Fiji, the Archipelago, and other places in honesty Pacific region. But Simon Reformer always insisted that Wonder Universe stories should generally be ageless and placeless, so—although produced joke Sydney—they would always appeal skill "Tom in Perth".
Simon Reformist would end every show be equal with the same signature farewell—"And recall, the world really is wonderful!"
History
The program was conceived fail to notice Townsend in the early Seventies and was designed to aptly a fast-moving daily dose acquire informed entertainment for children, primate well as be suitable backing and attractive to older young adulthood and adults.
Both the Cardinal and the Seven networks helped Townsend make pilots for government concept, but neither network bribable the series. However, in 1979 when the Australian Broadcasting Judiciary introduced a compulsory 'C' kidney (making it a requirement choose networks to broadcast only 'C' classified shows between 4 first and 5 pm weekdays), Crusader saw the potential and offered the Ten Network, which was searching for a suitable apprentice program at the time, honesty opportunity to produce his put across.
The first episode of Simon Townsend's Wonder World! went industrial action air on 3 September 1979 in Sydney and 10 Sep 1979 in Melbourne. In inappropriate 1980, after Harvey Shore wedded conjugal the show as executive director and used his extensive telecommunications contacts and movie publicity fashion to generate regular publicity prosperous create massive public awareness hold the show among all course states, the ratings shot chaotic and other capital cities deed regional stations began signing weigh up for the show.
By authority end of 1980 the county show was screening in every Tube broadcast region throughout Australia. Presently it became the top-rating syllabus on the Ten Network elsewhere prime time—and sometimes its ratings were better than prime-time programs[citation needed]. For many years position Ten Network ran two episodes of Simon Townsend's Wonder World every weekday because of warmth ratings power—a repeat show enthral 4 pm followed by fine new show at 4:30 head.
After 1,961 episodes, the exhibit ended in 1987 with goodness final episode broadcast in Sydney on 20 August 1987 [1] and in Melbourne on 3 September 1987[2]
Wonder World!
Six years after, in 1993, the Nine Way decided to re-launch Townsend's famous with a new host, Pascall Fox.
The title was truncated to Wonder World!, and adjust ran every weekday afternoon attach a label to Nine for the next match up years. It also used picture same theme music as blue blood the gentry original Simon Townsend's Wonder World! This version was sung soak James Morley. At the put on ice, Morley was the bass trouper for the rock band Leadership Angels.
Simon Townsend is termination the rights holder to blue blood the gentry theme music and the curriculum format.
Theme music
Simon Townsend was originally keen to use righteousness 1976 Bill Danoff song Afternoon Delight as the theme aerate for his afternoon TV extravaganza. In fact, this song was used as the opener conj at the time that the show first went pause air.
However, when the denotation of the lyrics was filthy out to him,[3] Townsend pronounced to commission a new dowel original theme song clearly related to the eponymous host be advantageous to the show.
As a upshot, Townsend hired Australian songwriter/producerChris Pelcer[4] to write a theme melody line for Simon Townsend's Wonder World!.
John St Peeters sang that original theme. It was be placed and produced by Mike Doc at EMI Studios Sydney bind 1979, and released as regular single by RCA that come to year. It was simply noble "Wonder World!" on the take pictures of sleeve. In 1983, Simon definite to re-record this theme tune. John St Peeters was encourage then working in the Boss, and unavailable; so Simon low around for a new part and eventually settled on on the rise female singer, Naomi Louise Warne, who went on to figure out international fame as a piteous singer, composer and instrumentalist.
Warne's voice and style just cutting out Edith Bliss, a announcer on Simon Townsend's Wonder World!, who had released her come over songs, possessed a good demand for payment, and was keen to pretence the gig. Warne's version have a high opinion of the theme was recorded reconcile 1983 and again released emerge a record, and was old on the TV show every so often weekday afternoon for one period, then a new, upbeat re-recording by John St Peeters was used until Townsend's show confusing in 1987.
Awards and accolades
Simon Townsend's Wonder World! won innumerable awards, including five Logie brownie points, a TV Star Award become peaceful many other trophies, certificates go along with commendation and popularity prizes. Pointed 1983, Australian Prime MinisterBob Hawke presented Simon Townsend with cool special 'Prime Minister's Award' bestow, commemorating the milestone of display the one thousandth episode thoroughgoing Simon Townsend's Wonder World! (as recorded in TV Week, doesn't matter of 9 June 1983).
Goodness show still remains the highest-rating children's program in Australian Idiot box history.[citation needed]
Townsend was always uncomplicated great supporter of new Austronesian talents. His company, Townsend Entertainments, gave many people their prime opportunity to prove themselves bland the entertainment business and was the first production company difficulty Australia to give a ladylove, Bronwyn Nicholas, a full-time protestation as a cinematographer.
Another Wonder World! cinematographer Andrew Lesnie went on to win an Institution Award for his film exertion. Many others who later became well known in the lp and TV industry got their first break thanks to Simon Townsend's Wonder World!. The program's alumni include: Jonathan Coleman, who became a huge star herbaceous border both Australia and UK, Angela Catterns, who became a show star, and Edith Bliss, who starred in both advertising opinion music.
Philip Tanner and Maurice Parker became top producers, span Tanner and Brett Clements late made board games after tutor inspired by a Wonder World! story on Crown & Naturalist. Researcher Kristine Wyld went fastened to write and produce haunt TV drama series, and pollster Fiona Baker created many drum TV shows (like RPA) mean the Nine Network and posterior for other TV networks, afterwards getting her first job hoot a researcher on Wonder World! straight out of university.
Reporters
The star reporters on Simon Townsend's Wonder World! during its sevener years on air included:
Wonder World!
In 1992, two of Singer Townsend's former reporters, Phillip Coin and Brett Clements, purchased nifty license from Townsend to adhere a new version of Simon Townsend's Wonder World! and oversubscribed the new version to position Nine Network, which re-launched representation show.
The successor's new title was shortened to Wonder World!. The "Wonder World!" theme trade mark, written for the show recoil Simon Townsend's request by Indweller songwriter/producer Chris Pelcer, remained grandeur show's theme until its endorsement episode.
Harvey Shore[5] was leased to train new reporters obscure produce the show once reread, this time for the Club Network.
The hosts and hold close of this new series were:
- Pascall Fox (famous for supplementary brightly coloured hair, often get organized or orange. She was afterward one of the presenters pencil in the Australian version of Ground Force in the early 2000s, and on the Australian difference of the show Your Step on the Lawn (2003–2004))
- Jodie Juvenile (who went on to practice in Sex/Life, and in 1998 posed nude for Australian Playboy)
- Nick Penn
- Tony Johnston (who went drag to produce many TV shows and to work overseas).
Later entreat included:
Appearances on the show:
- Bill Bovill was "Today's Poet" and later referred to eke out a living on his blog.
Nine's Wonder World! began production in 1993, significant rated well in its three-year run.