John Richard Burgess (born 4 June 1943) is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

television and radio personality and host, often referred to as "Burgo" and from his radio days "Baby John Burgess" or "Baby John", as the youngest presenter at the station. He has been a staple of the industry for 58 years. He is best known for his long tenure hosting duties on the Australian version of game show ''

Wheel of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune or ''Rota Fortunae'' has been a concept and metaphor since ancient times referring to the capricious nature of Fate. Wheel of Fortune may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Art * ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (Burne-Jo ...

'' and as a breakfast radio host.

Radio presenter

Burgess has also hosted numerous radio shows throughout the years, he started in the industry when given a chance opportunity meeting

John Laws Richard John Sinclair Laws CBE (born 8 August 1935) is a Papua New Guinean-born Australian radio announcer. For 50 years, until 2007, he was the host of an Australian morning radio program combining music with interviews, opinion, live adverti ...

, and joining his network radio station

2GB 2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia owned by parent company Nine Radio, a division of Nine Entertainment Co., who also own sister station 2UE. 2GB broadcasts on 873 kHz, AM. In 2010, 2GB held 14.7% of the total rad ...

On 25 September 2006 he started as breakfast show announcer for easy listening radio station 3MP in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. On 12 December 2011 he took over from

Johnny Young Johnny Young (born Johnny Benjamin de Jong; 12 March 1947) is a Dutch Australian singer, composer, record producer, disc jockey, television producer and host. Originally from Rotterdam, The Netherlands, his family settled in Perth in the early ...

at 6IX

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, departing the station in December 2015. Burgess returned to 6iX in a new timeslot on 22 April 2017.

Television hosting

Burgess, moved into television in the 1970s, when hosting the teenage music show "Turning On" 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 ...

station HSV7, The series feature many popular music artists and bands including Zoot and Gilian Fitzgerald, one of the main dancers and feature Judy Moody and Christine Kelson Burgess however is best known as "King of the Games Shows" hosting the long running Grundy produced Australian version of US game show ''

'' on the Seven Network taking over from original host

Ernie Sigley Ernest William Sigley (2 September 1938 – 15 August 2021) was an Australian television host, comedian, variety performer, radio presenter and singer. Known as a pioneer of radio and television in Australian, he was often styled as a "little A ...

in 1984 and returning as the longest serving presenter until remaining until 1996, he then hosted the Australian version of US Game show ''

Catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

'' conceived originally under the US title, and broadcasting on

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

, the show title was changed subsequently to title ''Burgo's Catchphrase'' He also hosted the Australian game show '' Pass the Buck'' in 2002, also on Nine Network John Burgess joined the cast of the reality comedy series ''

Balls of Steel Australia ''Balls of Steel Australia'' is an Australian reality comedy television series (based upon the UK series of the same name) which is hosted by The Chaser's Craig Reucassel. The show revolves around comedians who appear and present individual skit ...

'' on

The Comedy Channel The Comedy Channel (promoted on air as comedy) is a defunct Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, and Optus Television. The channel ceased broadcasting on 1 September 2020. History A joint venture between Artist Servi ...

in 2012.

Health concerns

It was announced in February 2022, that Burgess that been admitted to the ICU at

Royal Perth Hospital Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) is a 450-bed adult and teaching hospital located on the northeastern edge of the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. History The hospital traces its history back to the first colonial hospital, whi ...

, after having acquired a bacteria infection which caused sepsis.

References

External links

Official website
* Australian radio personalities 1943 births Living people Australian game show hosts {{Australia-tv-bio-stub