''Eat Carpet'' was an

Australian television Television in Australia began experimentally as early as 1929 in Melbourne with radio stations 3DB and 3UZ, and 2UE in Sydney, using the ''Radiovision'' system by Gilbert Miles and Donald McDonald, and later from other locations, such as Bris ...

series aired on SBS from 1989 to 2005. It premiered alongside '' MC Tee Vee'' and ''The Noise''. Each hour-long episode consisted of up to a dozen

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

s shot by amateur directors or film

student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementar ...

s from all over the world. An estimated 3,000 films ranging from 2 to 24 minutes in duration were broadcast over the course of the series, covering all styles and genres, including

documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

s, stage performances,

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

comedies Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

s and even mildly

pornographic Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of Human sexual activity, sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

films. The show was hosted by

Annette Shun Wah Annette Shun Wah (born 26 March 1958) has an extensive career in the Australian screen and performance industries, particularly in television, film and theatre. She is a freelance writer, director, actress, and broadcaster, and since 2013, execu ...

, who was also one of the commissioning editors along with ''Eat Carpet''s original designer, producer and programmer Pauline Webber. Later, producers included Joy Toma and Terry Toaldo. The original opening titles were created by Bruce Currie and featured an animated version of the character Flacco, created by

Paul Livingston Paul James Livingston (born March 1956), popularly known as his alter ego Flacco, is an Australian comedian who has regularly appeared on many television shows, predominantly on ABC TV and Network Ten, including ''Good News Week'', '' The San ...

. ''Eat Carpet'' ended in 2005 after 16 years. It was replaced by the similarly themed ''Shorts on Screen'', until this, too, was cancelled in 2014.

References

1989 Australian television series debuts 2005 Australian television series endings Special Broadcasting Service original programming 1990s Australian television series {{Australia-tv-prog-stub