The Best Bits of the Late Show

No Panic

Anything can go wrong when we hand control to four funny Danes. They have absolutely no idea what awaits behind the studio door, or what crazy everyday dilemmas they face out in the real world. All they know is that their job is to improvise their way through. Luckily, actor and comedian Hadi Ka-Koush is ready to grab them if panic takes over.

Funky Squad

Funky Squad was a short-lived 1995 Australian comedy television series which satirised 1970s-era U.S. police television dramas, such as The Mod Squad. Only 7 half-hour episodes were produced, which were broadcast on the ABC. Real television commercials from the 1970s were shown during the program's "commercial breaks". The show featured four "funky" undercover detectives: undetectable as police, given their "hipness". The conclusion of each episode was deliberately designed to be incredibly predictable: usually the perpetrator of the crime under investigation could be identified within the first few minutes of the episode. Before the television series, Funky Squad originally aired as a series of episodes on radio station Triple M. Rob Sitch, who played Grant, was replaced by Tim Ferguson when the series went to television.

The Late Show

The Late Show was a popular Australian comedy show, which ran for two seasons on ABC from 18 July 1992 to 30 October 1993.

Numero Bruno

Numero Bruno is a warts and all biography of widely popular actor, musician and counter-cultural hero Bruno Lawrence. Lawrence's intense, charismatic screen presence was key to ground-breaking Kiwi films, Smash Palace, The Quiet Earth and Utu. Directed by Steve La Hood, this documentary features interviews with family and friends, and liberal excerpts from Lawrence's film and musical work, including performances by 70s alternative Aotearoa icons Blerta and clips showcasing his seminal collaborations with Geoff Murphy.

The D-Generation

The D-Generation was a popular and influential Australian TV sketch comedy show, produced and broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for two series, between 1986 and 1987. A further four specials were broadcast on the Seven Network between 1988 and 1989.

Bargearse

Bargearse was spawn from the hit TV show, The Late Show (1992). It was originally titled Bluey (1976) and made in the 70's. It was then re-edited, re-recorded with new lines and given a new name.

Frontline

Frontline is an Australian comedy television series which satirised Australian television current affairs programmes and reporting. It ran for three series of 13 half-hour episodes and was broadcast on ABC TV in 1994, 1995 and 1997.

Russell Coight's All Aussie Adventures

Australia – a land as massive as it is vast. And when it comes to outback adventurers they don't come any better, bigger or more reckless than Russell Coight. Winner of the prestigious Ocker Award for services to khaki shorts, Russell takes us on a unique blend of over-the-top, off-road, outback, in-your-face Aussie Adventures!

A River Somewhere

A River Somewhere was an Australian documentary television series originally broadcast by ABC TV in 1997 and 1998. It was produced by Working Dog Productions, and was hosted by Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch. The series was released on DVD in 2005. The series focused on the observations of Sitch and Gleisner as they travelled to various locations across Australia, New Zealand and around the world to fly fish and experience the local culture. The aim of their expedition was to "catch dinner and have it cooked in a local style". The music used throughout the series was created by Australian musician and composer Liam Bradley.

Kath & Kim

Kath & Kim is a character-driven Australian television situation comedy series. The series was created by, and is written by Jane Turner and Gina Riley who play the title characters: a suburban mother and daughter with a dysfunctional relationship. The series main characters consist of Kath Day-Knight, a cheerful 50-year-old woman, her self-indulgent daughter Kim Craig, Kath's boyfriend and second husband, the metrosexual Kel Knight, as well as Kim's estranged husband Brett Craig and her lonely, overweight "second best friend" Sharon Strzelecki. The series is set in the fictional suburb of Fountain Lakes in Melbourne. It is primarily filmed in Patterson Lakes. The series was conceived by Turner and Riley in the early 1990s as a weekly segment of the Australian comedy series Fast Forward. The skit was then developed into a full-series. The first series of Kath & Kim premiered on ABC TV on 16 May 2002, with three further series following, while a television movie, entitled Da Kath and Kim Code, was broadcast nationally on 25 November 2005. Kath & Kim has garnered much critical acclaim since its debut, winning two Logie Awards, for "Outstanding Comedy Programme" and the "Best Television Drama Series" award at the Australian Film Institute Awards. In Australia, it has become a pop culture phenomenon, and is a success with audiences nationwide. Internationally, the series has spawned a cult fanbase, and in 2006 it was announced an American version of the series would be produced, to air on NBC. Riley and Turner served as executive producers on the US version. The American version was also picked up by Seven, which debuted the program on 12 October 2008, just three days after its debut in the United States.

The Castle

The quirky Kerrigan family lives together in a makeshift home they built themselves – with great pride and a bizarre attention to detail – a few yards from the edge of Melbourne, Australia's busy Tullamarine Airport. When a building inspector condemns the building and reveals that the government plans to use their land for an airport expansion, Darryl Kerrigan and his brood recruit hack attorney Dennis Denuto and prepare themselves for the fight of their lives.

Utopia

Set inside the offices of the “Nation Building Authority”, a federal government organisation responsible for overseeing major infrastructure projects, Utopia explores that moment when bureaucracy and grand dreams collide.

The Hollowmen

Set in the offices of the Central Policy Unit, a special think tank is set up by the Prime Minister to help him in his most important task - getting re-elected.

Russell Coight's Celebrity Challenge

In an effort to raise money for charity, adventurer Russell Coight decides to lead a group of celebrities on a trek across Australia - from east to west coast in just seven days.

The Dish

A group of maverick scientists on a remote Australian sheep farm are the globe's only hope for obtaining the epic images of man's first steps on the moon.

Thank God You're Here

Each episode involves performers walking through a door into an unknown situation, greeted by the line "Thank God you're here!". They then had to improvise their way through the scene. At the end of each episode a winner was announced.