''Wombat'' was an Australian children's television show which screened on the
Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
from 1979 to 1990. It was produced at
BTQ7 in Brisbane and aired across Australia on weekday afternoons, and later Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Synopsis
The show had a number of hosts or presenters who were accompanied by their co-host
Agro, a puppet portrayed/voiced by comedian
Jamie Dunn
Jamie Dunn (born 12 August 1950) is an Australian television and radio personality, puppeteer, comedian, and voice artist.
Starting his entertainment career as a singer, Dunn moved into television, working the puppet Agro on ''Agro's Cartoon C ...
, who had previously become known on the program ''Boris' Breakfast Club''. The show consisted of small educational editorials presented in a variety of segments. The segments featured a number of regular reporters including Eric Summons, Cecelia Martine, Craig Campbell, Fiona MacDonald, Fran Morrison,
Bob La Castra, identical twins
Gayle & Gillian Blakeney,
Rob Elliott
Rob or ROB may refer to:
Places
* Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia
* Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia
People
* Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn
* Rob ...
,
Tony Gordon
Tony Gordon is a Character (arts), fictional character from the Television in the United Kingdom, British ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by actor Gray O'Brien. The character first appeared on-screen on 16 Sep ...
, Jill Ray, Sam Harvey and
Gary Hardgrave
Gary Douglas Hardgrave (born 5 January 1960) is a former Australian politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2007, representing the Liberal Party. He was a minister in the Howard Government from 2001 to 2007, and later ...
. The program also included children as regular reporters including Scott Sutherland, Pippa? Some of these reporters performed double duty as host of the show, notably
Bob La Castra and
Gayle & Gillian Blakeney. Other regular guests included: Laurel Edwards, Michael Futcher, Stacey Thomson ("Ranger Stacey"), Ashley Wilkie, Kristine Davis, Nicky Gibson, and Glenn Hansen.
Awards
The show received four consecutive
Logie Awards
The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...
for
Most Popular Children's Program from 1987 to 1990. It also won a United Nations Media Peace Award for the 1988 Bicentennial Special. In addition, Agro won a
Penguin Award
The Penguin Award is an annual award given for excellence in broadcasting by the Television Society of Australia. It was founded in 1954. The award trophy depicts an ear listening to a television tube, but strongly resembles a penguin, hence the ...
from the Television Society of Australia.
Some of the cast went on to appear in the similar themed ''
Totally Wild
''Totally Wild'' is an Australian children's television series which premiered on Network 10 on 12 July 1992. The series aired on 10 Peach from 2013 to 2020, and 10 Shake from 2020 to 2021. It had a current affairs program format, and did stor ...
''. Agro himself went on to host ''
Agro's Cartoon Connection
''Agro's Cartoon Connection'' was an Australian children's television show that aired on the Seven Network from 1990 to 1997. Shown on weekday mornings, it was primarily hosted by Agro, a puppet played by comedian Jamie Dunn. It was originally ...
'' and ''
The Super Sunday Show''.
See also
*
List of Australian television series
Future shows
Seven
* ''The 1% Club'' (Seven Network game show 2023–)
* ''Apartment Rules'' (Seven Network reality 2023–)
* '' Animals Aboard with Dr Harry'' (Seven Network reality 2023–)
* ''Armchair Experts'' (Seven Network sports ...
External links
*
Wombat at the National Film and Sound Archive
Australian children's television series
Australian television shows featuring puppetry
Seven Network original programming
1979 Australian television series debuts
1990 Australian television series endings
1980s Australian television series
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