''A Week of It'' is a New Zealand television series screened from 1977 to 1979. A comedy sketch show, the series relied heavily on political satire, and as such was often written very shortly before it screened. Although it only ran for three years, the show was very popular, and launched the careers of many New Zealand entertainers, most notably

David McPhail David Alexander McPhail (11 April 1945 – 14 May 2021) was a New Zealand comedic actor and writer whose television career spanned four decades. McPhail first won fame on sketch comedy show ''A Week of It'', partly thanks to his impressions of ...

and

Jon Gadsby Jonathan Ernest Gadsby (1 November 1953 – 12 December 2015) was a New Zealand television comedian and writer, most well known for his role in the comedy series ''McPhail and Gadsby'' co-starring alongside David McPhail. He died of canc ...

. The show was screened on

South Pacific Television South Pacific Television (SPTV) was a television channel in New Zealand, which operated between 1976 and 1980. History The channel, then known as TV2, first went to air on 30 June 1975. It was the second national government television channel ...

(later to become TV2) and produced in Christchurch, with the first episode airing on 4 July 1977, and was groundbreaking for New Zealand television. Despite satirical series lampooning current politics having run overseas for many years (notably the United Kingdom's ''

That Was The Week That Was ''That Was the Week That Was'', informally ''TWTWTW'' or ''TW3'', is a satirical television comedy programme that aired on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. It was devised, produced, and directed by Ned Sherrin and Jack (aka John) Duncan, and pr ...

''), they were a novelty in New Zealand, with only John Clarke's creation

Fred Dagg Fred Dagg is a fictional character from New Zealand created and acted on stage, film and television by satirist John Clarke. Clarke appeared on New Zealand TV screens as Dagg during the mid to late 1970s, " taking the piss" out of the post-pion ...

having preceded ''A Week of It''. The show's regular cast included McPhail (who also produced the show), Gadsby, singer and comedian

Annie Whittle Annie Whittle is a British-born New Zealand singer and actress who has appeared on such shows as ''Shortland Street'', where she played Barbara Heywood for four years and has had a singing career that has spanned three decades. She was previousl ...

, straight-man/introducer Ken Ellis, Chris McVeigh, and

Peter Rowley Peter Rowley (sometimes credited as Harrison Rowley during his early career) (born April 29, 1952) is a New Zealand comic actor and writer. He is best known for his television roles, where he has played in numerous popular television series as ...

. The show's main writers were A.K. Grant and McPhail, with other writing input coming from Ellis, Gadsby, McVeigh, and

Peter Hawes Peter Robert Hawes (30 September 1947 – 29 October 2018) was a New Zealand playwright, novelist, and scriptwriter. Biography Born in Westport, Hawes earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Canterbury, in Christchurch. Whilst ...

. The show was directed by Tony Holden. Much of the satire revolved around politicians of the time, with David McPhail regularly impersonating then-prime minister Sir

Rob Muldoon Sir Robert David Muldoon (; 25 September 19215 August 1992) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand, from 1975 to 1984, while leader of the National Party. Serving as a corporal and sergeant in t ...

, and Peter Rowley appearing as the Leader of the Opposition Bill Rowling. The show featured musical numbers as well, many of them performed by Gadsby and/or Whittle. The first series of seven shows aired in mid 1977, with the bulk of the material written in a hectic 48-hour period before screening. Though South Pacific Television were initially not keen to extend the show to a second season, the intervention of the network's CEO Allan Martin saw a second and third series being made. The series won three awards at the 1978 New Zealand television award. The show popularised the catchphrase "Jeez, Wayne", still heard in New Zealand used as a reaction to another person's comments or actions to indicate disbelief. McPhail and Gadsby later went on to create and star in their own eponymous series, ''

McPhail and Gadsby McPhail is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Addie McPhail (1905–2003), American film actress *Alastair McPhail, British diplomat, the first British ambassador to South Sudan * Andy McPhail, Scottish rugby league footballer w ...

''.

References

*
''A Week of It'' - a producer's perspective
" NZOnScreen, 15 February 2010. Retrieved 8 March 2013. 1970s New Zealand television series 1977 New Zealand television series debuts 1979 New Zealand television series endings New Zealand satirical television shows {{NewZealand-tv-prog-stub