Rove Live
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Rove'', also titled ''Rove Live'', was an Australian television variety show that featured live music performances and interviews with local and international celebrity guests. The program premiered on the Nine Network on 22 September 1999, before moving to Network Ten which aired the program from 2000 until November 2009. The show was hosted by comedian
Rove McManus John Henry Michael McManus (born 21 January 1974), better known by the stage name Rove McManus, is an Australian triple Gold Logie award-winning comedian, television and radio presenter, producer and media personality. He was the host of the e ...
through his production company
Roving Enterprises Roving Enterprises Pty Ltd is an Australian television production company, owned by television presenter, producer and comedian Rove McManus and his business partner Craig Campbell and managed by General Manager Kevin Whyte. The company is respon ...
, and featured an ensemble cast who presented various segments throughout the course of the show. The show won the
Logie Award 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 Light Entertainment Program" five times (2002, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009).


History


Origins: ''The Loft Live''

Rove McManus began his television career hosting the
RMITV RMITV is a not-for-profit, community access television production facility based at RMIT University City Campus in Melbourne, Australia. It is a full member of the Melbourne Community Television Consortium, a not-for-profit consortium that ...
-produced ''
The Loft Live ''The Loft Live'' was a weekly live variety hour television program produced by RMITV that broadcast on C31 Melbourne. The cast included Rove McManus (1997-1999), Scott Brennan, Peter Helliar, Adam Richard, Myf Warhurst, Ged Wood, Bert Kennedy, K ...
'' on
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 ...
's Channel 31, a community-access television station. It was a straightforward tonight show, with a comic monologue from the host, pre-recorded skits and guest interviews. The show had unusually high production values for a community access show.


1999: ''Rove'' (Nine Network)

The Nine Network developed the show into a commercial production. In 1999, the show, named ''Rove'', ran in a late-night timeslot for 10 episodes. The show featured McManus and three co-hosts he referred to as 'the kids on the couch':
Peter Helliar Peter Jason Matthew Helliar (born 16 June 1975) is an Australian comedian, actor, television, radio presenter, writer, producer and director. He is best known for his work on television as a former regular co-host of '' The Project'' on Networ ...
,
Corinne Grant Corinne Grant (born 12 June 1973) is an Australian lawyer, comedian and television presenter. Career After briefly studying as a nurse in Wodonga, Grant started her career as an actor in Melbourne, obtaining a degree in drama. After graduating, ...
and
Dave Callan David Gerard Callan (born 20 September 1975) is an Irish-born stand-up comedian, who has had a career in television and radio, and is based in Melbourne, Australia. Up until 2010 he worked as a Triple J disc jockey. Biography Callan was born ...
. However, Nine decided not to renew the program and the cast moved to Network Ten the following year.


Move to Network Ten


2000–2006: ''Rove Live''

The new show, very similar to the Nine production, was named ''Rove Live''. The show was sometimes known as ''Rove ive' or ''Rove (Live)'', owing to the use of (square) brackets around the word 'Live' in some of the show's graphics. Dave Callan left the show after one year, to pursue standup comedy and radio opportunities. Corinne Grant left the show at the end of 2005, to concentrate on '' The Glass House'' and other interests.
Carrie Bickmore Carrie Bickmore (born 3 December 1980) is an Australian talk show and current affairs Gold Logie award-winning television and radio presenter. Early life Bickmore was born in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1980, but moved to Perth, Western Aus ...
joined the cast in 2006, presenting a parody news segment. Meshel Laurie joined the cast for only one year. In November 2006, ''Rove Live'' was suspended until further notice due to the death of McManus's wife
Belinda Emmett Belinda Jane Emmett (12 April 1974 – 11 November 2006) was an Australian actress and singer. She was best known for her roles in the TV drama series '' Home and Away'' and '' All Saints'' as well as the sitcom '' Hey Dad..!''. She was married ...
. Rove wrote a personal message on the ''Rove Live'' website, saying that it "is a very difficult period for all of us and some time away is the best thing for me right now".


2007–2009: ''Rove''

The show reverted to the title of ''Rove'' in 2007. Production moved from the Global Television facility in
Nunawading Nunawading is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 18 km (11 miles) east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Whitehorse, Whitehorse Local g ...
to the old
Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australia ...
studios in
South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at ...
. It now occupied the premium timeslot of 8:30pm on Sunday nights.
Peter Helliar Peter Jason Matthew Helliar (born 16 June 1975) is an Australian comedian, actor, television, radio presenter, writer, producer and director. He is best known for his work on television as a former regular co-host of '' The Project'' on Networ ...
returned to McManus's side. Bickmore's role in the show increased. Following the cancellation of the show '' The Glass House'', Dave Hughes joined ''Rove''. The comedy duo
Hamish & Andy Hamish & Andy are an Australian comedy duo formed in 2003 by Hamish Blake and Andy Lee. Best known for their various drive time radio programmes on the Hit Network, which aired in multiple formats until 2017, their shows gained consistently ...
, who had previously collaborated with Roving Enterprises with their television show ''
Real Stories ''Real Stories'' is an Australian satirical television comedy series produced by Carlton Television for Network Ten. It was created by Hamish Blake and Andy Lee. The series was first broadcast on 22 August 2006. Eight episodes were produced ...
'', began appearing every second week. Their associate
Ryan Shelton Ryan Shelton is an Australian comedian, actor, radio presenter, television personality, host and writer. Biography He attended St Leonards College for some of his schooling, where he met Hamish Blake. He started his media career in Melbourne' ...
also began presenting a segment each week. Each year, the show's set changes in some way from the previous. In a previous year, the set was changed to be less like a traditional late-night talk show and more like a variety show. In 2007, the show's set was reconfigured back into a more traditional late-night talk show again, even going so far as having a view of the Melbourne cityscape in the background. In July 2007, a special show was filmed at
Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
in New York City. Rove, Helliar and Adam Hills attended, and a live Australian audience was present. In late July a second special was filmed in Los Angeles at the Bob Barker Studio. Hayden Guppy now also co-host of '' Video Hits'' also became a cast member, who shows TV viewers what the cast does during ad breaks. In 2008,
Myf Warhurst Myfanwy Warhurst (, born May 29, 1973) is an Australian radio announcer and television personality, best known for her work at Triple J radio station and on ABC Television's long-running music-themed quiz show '' Spicks and Specks''. she has an ...
, who co-hosted a breakfast radio show with
Peter Helliar Peter Jason Matthew Helliar (born 16 June 1975) is an Australian comedian, actor, television, radio presenter, writer, producer and director. He is best known for his work on television as a former regular co-host of '' The Project'' on Networ ...
on
Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 40 radio stations broadcasting a mainstream rock music format and 5 digital radio stations. The network dates back to ...
, joined the cast as an infrequent addition whenever a regular cast member was unavailable. Again in 2008,
Elmo Elmo is a red Muppet monster character on the long-running PBS/ HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. A furry red monster who has a falsetto voice and illeism, he hosts the last full five-minute segment (fifteen minutes prio ...
returned as a guest. In 2009 the program moved premises to ABC Studios in
Elsternwick, Victoria Elsternwick is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Glen Eira local government area. Elsternwick recorded a population of 10,887 at the 2021 ...
which houses a new set. Dave Hughes, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee began only appearing on a fortnightly appearance. Between May and July 2009, actor
Brian Wenzel Brian Thomas Wenzel (born 24 May 1929) is an Australian former actor, comedian, director and singer. He has been in the entertainment business for 75 years, including circus, stage, television and film (including made for TV movies and theatrica ...
had a weekly skit at the end of the show. After 12 July, the show went off-air to let the team take a mid-year break due to the show starting in February (earlier than 2007 and 2008). It was also announced that this episode would be Bickmore's and Hughesy's final episode as regular cast members, due to them both leaving to focus on their new show, '' The 7pm Project'', which premiered on 20 July 2009, and is also produced by Roving Enterprises.


Series finale

Various news reports appeared in the lead-up to the scheduled season finale for the 2009 season of ''Rove'' that it would be the final season. The '' Herald Sun'' originally reported that McManus had confirmed that his show would not return until later in 2010. Despite not appearing on a list of shows at Ten's 2010 launch event, it was rumoured that ''Rove'' would return in 2010 with a new format, similar to '' Hey Hey It's Saturday'', which rated over two million viewers for its two reunion shows. McManus made a comment to the ''Herald Sun'' and stated: "This show is my love and my passion and it's always what I've wanted to do." McManus then continued to say "If everything else fell down, as long as I still get to do this thing I love then I’m happy. We have that connection with the audience at the moment and that's where my enthusiasm is coming from." However, rumours appeared the day before the 2009 finale of ''Rove'' in that "staff on his TV show were told this week to look for alternative work next year." Ten's publicity department denied these claims by stating: "We have checked with Roving (Enterprises) and no such discussion was had. As for what changes may or may not be made with Rove for 2010, this will be announced on the show this Sunday, stay tuned." McManus was spotted earlier dining with
Merrick Watts Merrick Watts (born 18 November 1973) is an Australian comedian, radio and television presenter. He is best known for performing stand-up comedy and radio works as part of the comedy duo Merrick and Rosso with Tim Ross. Career Stand up Watts ...
and Peter Helliar in Sydney, prompting talk that he might return to radio in 2010. The rumour of the show ending later revealed to be true, as, during the finale on 15 November 2009, McManus confirmed that the show would be ending with the 2009 finale. He said: "It's purely my decision. It's not one I've made lightly or flippantly. The timing was right to stop, stand back and see what happens next." The final show finished at 11:11pm AEDT with a montage of clips from the 2009 season and a performance by
Powderfinger Powderfinger were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins and drumme ...
. Rove's last words was a variation of his signature sign off: "I'm Rove McManus. Say bye to your mum for me."


Cast


Main cast

*
Rove McManus John Henry Michael McManus (born 21 January 1974), better known by the stage name Rove McManus, is an Australian triple Gold Logie award-winning comedian, television and radio presenter, producer and media personality. He was the host of the e ...
(1999–2009) *
Hamish Blake Hamish Donald Blake (born 11 December 1981) is an Australian comedian, television and radio presenter, actor and author. Since 2003, he has worked with Andy Lee as part of the comedy duo Hamish and Andy. The pair have performed live and on te ...
(2007–2009) * Andy Lee (2007–2009) *
Peter Helliar Peter Jason Matthew Helliar (born 16 June 1975) is an Australian comedian, actor, television, radio presenter, writer, producer and director. He is best known for his work on television as a former regular co-host of '' The Project'' on Networ ...
(1999–2009) *
Ryan Shelton Ryan Shelton is an Australian comedian, actor, radio presenter, television personality, host and writer. Biography He attended St Leonards College for some of his schooling, where he met Hamish Blake. He started his media career in Melbourne' ...
(2007–2009) *
Corinne Grant Corinne Grant (born 12 June 1973) is an Australian lawyer, comedian and television presenter. Career After briefly studying as a nurse in Wodonga, Grant started her career as an actor in Melbourne, obtaining a degree in drama. After graduating, ...
(1999–2005) *
Carrie Bickmore Carrie Bickmore (born 3 December 1980) is an Australian talk show and current affairs Gold Logie award-winning television and radio presenter. Early life Bickmore was born in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1980, but moved to Perth, Western Aus ...
(2006–2009) *
Dave Callan David Gerard Callan (born 20 September 1975) is an Irish-born stand-up comedian, who has had a career in television and radio, and is based in Melbourne, Australia. Up until 2010 he worked as a Triple J disc jockey. Biography Callan was born ...
1999–2000) * Meshel Laurie (2006) *
Judith Lucy Judith Mary Lucy (born 25 March 1968) is an Australian comedian and actress, known primarily for her stand-up comedy. Lucy joined the team of the ABC's '' The Weekly with Charlie Pickering'' in 2019. Early life Lucy's adoptive parents emigr ...
(2009) * Dave Hughes (2007–2009) * Ron Steward (2006) * Kristie Warner (2009)


Secondary cast

* Jess Harris (2009) * Nick Maxwell (2008–2009) * Tom Piotrowski (2008) * Hayden Guppy (2008–2009) *
Myf Warhurst Myfanwy Warhurst (, born May 29, 1973) is an Australian radio announcer and television personality, best known for her work at Triple J radio station and on ABC Television's long-running music-themed quiz show '' Spicks and Specks''. she has an ...
(2008–2009) *
Brian Wenzel Brian Thomas Wenzel (born 24 May 1929) is an Australian former actor, comedian, director and singer. He has been in the entertainment business for 75 years, including circus, stage, television and film (including made for TV movies and theatrica ...
(2009)


Format

The show starts with Rove performing a comedic monologue about a variety of news events that have occurred during the previous week. He then introduces
Peter Helliar Peter Jason Matthew Helliar (born 16 June 1975) is an Australian comedian, actor, television, radio presenter, writer, producer and director. He is best known for his work on television as a former regular co-host of '' The Project'' on Networ ...
and the other cast members present on the couch that week. ''PeteSpace'', a parody of social-networking website MySpace, consists of Helliar presenting a selection of celebrities, news-makers and online video clips that make up his top events of the week. ''Kristy at the news desk'' presented by Kristy Warner, was a
parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...
news report, similar to the long-running ''
Weekend Update ''Weekend Update'' is a ''Saturday Night Live'' sketch and satirical news program that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest-running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typic ...
'' segment of the American sketch show, ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' (replaced ''Carrie at the news desk'' from 17 August 2009 onwards). ''Judith Lucy'' presented by Judith Lucy. Lucy delivers a satirical and comedic commentary on a personal or newsworthy topic (Replaced ''Hughsey!'' from 17 August 2009 onwards). Throughout each show, Rove will interview several celebrity guests. Each interview ends with a segment titled ''Public Probe'' where he will ask his guests five different questions that have been posted to the website by the general public. At the end of the interview, Rove would usually spruik the product or event that guest was promoting, and the words ''The Plug'' will appear on the screen. Throughout the course of the show, a variety of other segments are shown, presented by members of the ''Rove'' cast: * ''Kevin Rudd PM'' was a small dramatic-comedy mini series about the Australian Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...
. The series involves video news clips of Rudd that are spliced together. Two other segments are occasionally shown, not necessarily every week. * ''Hamish & Andy'' Comedians
Hamish Blake Hamish Donald Blake (born 11 December 1981) is an Australian comedian, television and radio presenter, actor and author. Since 2003, he has worked with Andy Lee as part of the comedy duo Hamish and Andy. The pair have performed live and on te ...
and Andy Lee presented a pre-recorded report, frequently on location overseas. *
Ryan Shelton Ryan Shelton is an Australian comedian, actor, radio presenter, television personality, host and writer. Biography He attended St Leonards College for some of his schooling, where he met Hamish Blake. He started his media career in Melbourne' ...
also presented a segment known as ''Philosophisationing with Ryan Shelton''. The final segment of the show was ''What Have We Learnt?'', in which each cast member, and usually each guest, give a humourus example of what they have learned during the week.
Peter Helliar Peter Jason Matthew Helliar (born 16 June 1975) is an Australian comedian, actor, television, radio presenter, writer, producer and director. He is best known for his work on television as a former regular co-host of '' The Project'' on Networ ...
always answers last and ends with "and you can read all about it in my new book..." The show will usually end with a live performance from a band in the studio, and McManus will end the show by saying his trademark line "Say hi to your mum for me!" Starting in 2005 the band performs before the
closing credits Closing credits or end credits are a list of the cast and crew of a particular motion picture, television program, or video game. Where opening credits appear at the beginning of a work, closing credits appear close to, or at the very end of a ...
. In previous years the credits would roll while the band performed. In 2006, Rove had a house band, which may have been the same band as the main act, or an Australian band of much smaller stature than the main act. They would play live music when returning from ad breaks.


Former show elements

* ''20 bucks in 20 seconds'' was a titled segment at the end of an interview with a guest where Rove would ask questions for twenty seconds. Once the time was up, Rove would always ask the question: "Who would you turn gay for?" (if the guest was openly gay, the question would be changed to "Who would you turn straight for?"). A popular solution to this question was to respond "I'd turn gay for you, Rove". In a particular episode featuring known prankster and member of
The Chaser The Chaser are an Australian satirical comedy group, best known for their television programmes and satirical news masthead. The group take their name from their satirical newspaper, a publication known to challenge conventions of taste. Th ...
team,
Chas Licciardello Charles John "Chas" Licciardello (born 10 May 1977) is an Australian comedian and member of satirical team The Chaser. He's currently the co-host, with John Barron, of ''Planet America'' on ABC TV. Licciardello has appeared as a regular of '' ...
, Licciardello expressed his annoyance that everyone answered "I'd turn gay for you, Rove" but that nobody ever followed up on it. He then leapt on Rove and
French kiss A French kiss, also known as cataglottism or a tongue kiss, is an amorous kiss in which the participants' tongues extend to touch each other's lips or tongue. A kiss with the tongue stimulates the partner's lips, tongue and mouth, which are sens ...
ed him, before licking Rove on the face. This segment was again replaced by ''Final Five'' in 2009, and halfway through the 2009 series, it changed once again and became the "Public Probe", where Rove would ask the guest 5 questions submitted online from the public. * ''All That Glitters'': Rove, along with regular presenters and guest artists perform a scripted radio play with the help of a Foley artist live on the show. * ''Amazing Talents'': Viewers with 'amazing' (or just plain bizarre) ' talents' are brought to the studio and given a few minutes to display their skills. This could be balancing lawn furniture, or nailing a fork into each nostril. This is comparable to the "Stupid Human Tricks" segment on the '' Late Show with David Letterman''. * ''Carrie at the Newsdesk'' was a
parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...
news report, similar to the long-running ''
Weekend Update ''Weekend Update'' is a ''Saturday Night Live'' sketch and satirical news program that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest-running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typic ...
'' segment of the American sketch show, ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
''. The segment had been presented by a variety of personalities in Bickmore's absence. While on
maternity leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, Paternity (law), paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" an ...
in 2007, Bickmore was replaced by Jane Hall and Meshel Laurie. In 2008,
Bert Newton Albert Watson Newton (23 July 1938 – 30 October 2021) was an Australian media personality. He was a Logie Hall of Fame inductee, quadruple Gold Logie award-winning entertainer and radio, theatre and television personality and presenter. Newt ...
and
Myf Warhurst Myfanwy Warhurst (, born May 29, 1973) is an Australian radio announcer and television personality, best known for her work at Triple J radio station and on ABC Television's long-running music-themed quiz show '' Spicks and Specks''. she has an ...
have presented the segment when Bickmore was ill. * ''Final Five'' where he will ask his guests five different questions and often include their opinion on something that has happened during the week in popular culture (such as asking Alan Cumming what he thought of
Matthew Newton Matthew Joseph Newton (born January 22, 1977) is an Australian actor, writer, and director, and son of TV personalities Bert Newton, Bert and Patti Newton. His acting career was interrupted by treatment in a psychiatric unit for bipolar disor ...
's bum in '' Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities''). The last question was always a visual question where Rove will show the interviewee an unusual image and ask them to say what they think about the image. * ''Flick Your Switch'': The show broadcasts a live video shot of an area of an Australian city. Rove then asks those residents of the area who are watching the show and willing to respond to flick their houselights on and off, sometimes to give answers to questions.
This segment started in 2004 when Rove pointed a camera at
Kirribilli House Kirribilli House is the secondary official residence of the Prime Minister of Australia. Located in the Sydney harbourside suburb of , New South Wales, the house is at the far eastern end of Kirribilli Avenue. It is one of two official Prime Min ...
and asked the Prime Minister of Australia,
John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...
, to flick his light switch if he was willing to be interviewed on the show. When the desired result was not achieved, Rove then asked the neighbours to flick their switch if they would try to help get Howard on the show. On 19 April 2005, Rove succeeded in his goal of getting someone at Kirribilli house to flick their switch. A special ferry filled with participants in a dress-up competition for the show stopped on Sydney Harbour outside Kirribilli House, the passengers chanting "Flick your switch". Rove and viewers were surprised to see the lights flick. It was neither Mr or Mrs Howard as they were both on an international visit at the time. It is believed that it was one of Howard's children or an aide.
The show ''
Don't Forget Your Toothbrush ''Don't Forget Your Toothbrush'' was a British light entertainment TV programme that aired on Channel 4 from 12 February 1994 to 25 February 1995 and was hosted by Chris Evans. Background ''Don't Forget Your Toothbrush'' was written ...
'' had a similar element for the second season involving the audience flashing their house lights on and off at a prescribed moment. A camera in a mystery location would search for someone taking part, thus selecting him or her to play a game that involved throwing things out of his or her windows.
* ''Guides'': Rove, Pete and Corinne created
guides A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom. Travel and recreation Exp ...
to help people. The guides they did were: ''Guide To Having A Baby'', ''Guide To Driving'', ''Guide To Breaking Up'', ''Guide To House Hunting'' and ''Guide To Job Interviews''. * ''Hang Up, Don't Hang Up'': Rove called a regular audience member from a different
time zone A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly following longitude, because it ...
, and tried to engage in conversation. However, during the call Peter Helliar revealed random instructions from the keypad of an oversized phone prop. For example, ''Sing your words'', or ''Make the live-lister say the word "bucket"''. If Peter pulled out ''Hang up'', Rove hung up and ended the call without saying goodbye or even finishing his sentence. * ''Hot Topic'': A
vox populi ( )Vox Populi
. Oxford Diction ...
segment, in which purportedly random people were asked their opinions. These answers were evidently scripted, and many of their responses included references to Network Ten shows. * ''Hughesy!'' was presented by Dave Hughes. Hughes delivered a satirical and comedic commentary on a personal or newsworthy topic. * ''Hughesy Loses It'': Dave Hughes engaged in a weekly rant about something trivial, this is very similar to Nickelodeon's "Dave's Raves" a years prior by
Dave Lawson Dave Lawson (born 25 September 1978) is an Australian comedian, actor, and TV and radio personality. He is a regular performer on the stand up comedy circuit, and at one time participated in a talk back radio segment on the commercial radio st ...
on
Sarvo ''Sarvo'' was an after-school show for kids on Nickelodeon (New Zealand), it was hosted by Maude Garrett and Kyle Linahan, until it was cancelled in 2008. It acted as a wrapper program (a show which features other shows within it) to the most p ...
. He often used the catchphrase 'Seriously!' * ''Help Me Hughesy!'': Dave Hughes responded humorously to viewer questions, frequently with taped reports. * ''I Want My Stuff Back'': Rove helps a 'Live Lister' receive back property that they have lent to someone. * ''It Takes You'': Parody of '' It Takes Two'', in which Rove picked a member of the audience to sing with a celebrity. This segment appeared once on 3 June 2007. The professional was
Dean Geyer Dean Stanley Geyer (born 20 March 1986) is a South African Australian singer-songwriter, actor and martial artist who finished third in the 2006 season of the talent show television series ''Australian Idol'', and has had a notable role in the ...
. * ': Viewers can register their name, address and various other details on the show's website to join the ''Live List''. A broadcast team will occasionally visit a viewer (the first the viewer knows about it is when they see the front of their house live on television). What happens from then on varies greatly—from performing a quick two-minute interview live from their house, to being sent away to perform a certain task (usually to win a prize), sometimes being sent as far away as
Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
, New York City or the United Kingdom. * ''My Charader'': Charades. The title is a play on the song "
My Sharona "My Sharona" () is the debut single by the Knack. The song was written by Berton Averre and Doug Fieger, and it was released in 1979 from their debut album, '' Get the Knack''. It reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart, ...
" by
The Knack The Knack was an American rock band based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with its first single, " My Sharona", an international number-one hit in 1979. History Founding (1977–1978) Singer Doug Fieger was a native of Oak Park, Michigan, a ...
. The game is hosted by Rove and involves two teams. Before
Corinne Grant Corinne Grant (born 12 June 1973) is an Australian lawyer, comedian and television presenter. Career After briefly studying as a nurse in Wodonga, Grant started her career as an actor in Melbourne, obtaining a degree in drama. After graduating, ...
left the show, she and a guest would play on one team, and
Peter Helliar Peter Jason Matthew Helliar (born 16 June 1975) is an Australian comedian, actor, television, radio presenter, writer, producer and director. He is best known for his work on television as a former regular co-host of '' The Project'' on Networ ...
and a guest on the other team. * ''Not So Frequently Asked Questions'': Rove, Peter and Corinne are asked questions that aren't asked very often. This usually ends with a pre-recorded skit. * ''The Pentagon of Probable Embarrassment'': Rove has an audience member spin a wheel with a one in five chance of winning $5000, although the other four items on the wheel are repelling. Other items on the wheel included: "Breakfast in your pants", "Kiss Pete's Grandma", "Soup on your head", "Eat a Fish Eye" and "Mega-Wedgie". * ''Petesclusive'': Peter Helliar will chat to a 'guest' (celebrity or world figure) who has recently been involved in a famous story or scandal. Helliar's guests are a photograph of the famous person with his or her mouth digitally replaced by Rove's mouth. This is similar to a regular bit on ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...
''. * ''Ron's Review'': 78-year-old Ron Steward reviewed a new movie and a rating out of 5 stars. ''Ron's Review'' occurred around every three weeks. Peter Helliar also reviews the same movie. The main humorous appeal of this segment was the fact that Ron was quite an elderly man which led to a variety of jokes regarding Ron's age, which, although many were at his own expense, he appeared to take in good humor. Another humorous part of the segment is Ron's ever-recurring rating of three-and-a-half stars (out of 5). In 2006 Rove conducted a semi-humorous campaign to have Ron nominated for the best newcomer
Logie Award 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 ...
. * ''Rove's Audience's Got Talent'': Parody of '' Australia's Got Talent'', where Rove plucked a member of the audience and put them into a performance utilising a particular talent. Peter Helliar, Dave Hughes and a celebrity guest acted as judges. This segment has only occurred twice. * ''Roving with Rove'': A pre-recorded
vox populi ( )Vox Populi
. Oxford Diction ...
segment in which McManus asks people in street for their thoughts. * ''Rydeas'': Comedian
Ryan Shelton Ryan Shelton is an Australian comedian, actor, radio presenter, television personality, host and writer. Biography He attended St Leonards College for some of his schooling, where he met Hamish Blake. He started his media career in Melbourne' ...
presented a new invention or idea, often incorporating the syllable 'Ry'. * ''So Rove's Audience Thinks They Can Dance'': Parody of ''
So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and ha ...
'', where Rove picks a member of the audience, dresses him or her in an unusual costume, and forces him/her to dance. Like ''It Takes You'', this segment has only appeared once. * ''Sex Office'': a drama/sitcom style television show set in the 1970s, in which everyone in the office (except one individual) is engaging in frequent
casual sex Casual sex is sexual activity that takes place outside a romantic relationship and implies an absence of commitment, emotional attachment, or familiarity between sexual partners. Examples are sexual activity while casually dating, one-night ...
. * ''Tell Us Where To Go'': At a viewer's request, Corinne Grant was sent on location somewhere in Australia to witness a local event, to see a local landmark or to meet a local personality. The segment is pre-recorded and introduced by Rove and Corinne in front of a large map of Australia (without
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
) lowered onto the stage. At the end of the segment, Corinne gives Rove a present from the adventure (something sexual or inappropriate or both), and a magnet is placed on the drop-down map approximately where the location was. Due to Australia being very closely populated on the eastern coast, and southeastern corner in particular, the "approximate" placement of the magnets has been evermore loosely interpreted. This segment was dropped with the departure of Grant in 2005. * ''Two Minutes at Your House'': In addition to being chosen to participate in stunts and
contest Contest may refer to: * Competition * Will contest * Contesting, amateur radio contesting (radiosport) Film and television * ''Contest'' (2013 film), an American film * Contest (1932 film), a German sports film * " The Contest", a 1992 season ...
s, "Live List-ers", as they are referred to, may be visited by the show's camera crew for a live crossover to their house lasting about two minutes. In reality, these segments are often well beyond the suggested two minutes, as the timer doesn't commence counting down until the person has been verified to be at home, and Rove tells the clock to start. If a particular story isn't finished, pet not shown, or talent not displayed, the segment will often continue even if the timer has expired. Some broadcasts have hinted at prior planning of the segment. * ''What's Hot, What's Not'': Rove would describe something that is
hot Hot or the acronym HOT may refer to: Food and drink *Pungency, in food, a spicy or hot quality *Hot, a wine tasting descriptor Places * Hot district, a district of Chiang Mai province, Thailand **Hot subdistrict, a sub-district of Hot Distric ...
(popular) at the moment and compare it with something that is not (e.g. ''What's Hot'' – Lamborghinis. ''What's Not'' – Lamb Bikinis. ''What's Hot'' – '' Desperate Housewives''. "What's Not" – Dentist Archives). * ''What the...?'': Rove receives viewer submissions of objects that might make one say "What the...?" The submissions could be newspaper clippings, DVD boxes, photographs of odd signs or animals doing inappropriate things to each other. Many are mistakes of translation from foreign languages or other
unintentional humor ''Unintentional'' is a 2021 Nigerian Romance film, romantic drama film directed by Olufemi Bamigbetan, written by Zeina Otonjo, produced by Obinna Okerekeocha and Bola Atta as Executive Producer and stars Efa Iwara, Omowumi Dada and Beverly Osu ...
. This segment was abandoned in 2007. * ''Who's in the Swivel Chair?'': A celebrity was pushed around the studio on a swivel chair. Each week the name of the celebrity was announced by
Bruce Mansfield Bruce Mansfield (24 April 1944 – 17 April 2016) was an Australian television/ radio personality and narrator. Early career Mansfield began in radio at age 16, when he won a junior announcer's competition at the 3UZ radio station in 1960. The ...
. * ''Words that sound better when said by Dave'':
Dave Callan David Gerard Callan (born 20 September 1975) is an Irish-born stand-up comedian, who has had a career in television and radio, and is based in Melbourne, Australia. Up until 2010 he worked as a Triple J disc jockey. Biography Callan was born ...
recited certain words and names which, owing to his thick Irish accent, sound quaint to the Australian audience. The sketch was abandoned when Callan left after the first series in 2000. Some of Callan's famous words include: 'trousers', 'haberdashery', 'Archbishop Desmond Tutu' and 'man-boob'. * Joke credits: At the end of every episode there were fake credits shown with the real credits. There was a common theme for the credits each week. * Song parodies: Rove performs a parody of a recent music video. He has parodied
Shannon Noll Shannon Noll (born 16 September 1975) is an Australian singer-songwriter who first came to prominence as runner-up of the first season of ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, which led to him being signed to Sony BMG. He has released five top ten albu ...
's '' What About Me'', Missy Higgins's ''Scar'', Britney Spears's '' Oops!... I Did It Again'' and
Sophie Ellis-Bextor Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor (born 10 April 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded Ellis-Bextor went solo and ach ...
's ''
Murder on the Dancefloor "Murder on the Dancefloor" is a song written by Gregg Alexander and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Alexander and Matt Rowe for Ellis-Bextor's first album, '' Read My Lips'' (2001). Released on 3 December 2001, the song peaked at number two on ...
''. * Sketches: Rove, Pete and Corinne Grant performed three sketches on the show together. The first one was about a sleepover, the second was about wheelchair rugby and the third was about horse racing.


Ratings

The show has sometimes struggled in the ratings. This was most obvious in the ratings for the final show of 2005, which was broadcast on 22 November. The show gave away six cars, and had media heavyweights
Bert Newton Albert Watson Newton (23 July 1938 – 30 October 2021) was an Australian media personality. He was a Logie Hall of Fame inductee, quadruple Gold Logie award-winning entertainer and radio, theatre and television personality and presenter. Newt ...
, Jerry Seinfeld and
Kath & Kim ''Kath & Kim,'' (also written as ''Kath and Kim'') is an Australian sitcom created by Jane Turner and Gina Riley, who portray the title characters of Kath Day-Knight, a cheery, middle-aged suburban mother, and Kim, her self-indulgent daughter ...
as guests. The show rated 19th for the day, with only 797,000 viewers nationwide. On 16 May 2006, the ratings peaked over a million for the first time since 2002 when 1,040,762 viewers watched nationwide. This episode involved an intruder entering the Big Brother house live during the show. The final episode for 2006 attracted only 700,000 viewers nationally. This wasn't intended to be the final episode, but it eventuated as the result of the death of McManus' wife
Belinda Emmett Belinda Jane Emmett (12 April 1974 – 11 November 2006) was an Australian actress and singer. She was best known for her roles in the TV drama series '' Home and Away'' and '' All Saints'' as well as the sitcom '' Hey Dad..!''. She was married ...
. The first episode of the revamped series, which began 1 April 2007, attracted 1,693,000 viewers nationwide, and was the highest-rated program for the day. For the second episode of the season, which aired on 8 April, viewership fell to 999,000. The third episode was shown on 22 April, achieving around 1,073,000 viewers. Since then, the show has consistently rated above 1,000,000 viewers nationally. Rove's final show for 2007 featured then Leader of the Opposition
Kevin Rudd Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...
, as well as Australian Greens leader
Bob Brown Robert James Brown (born 27 December 1944) is a former Australian politician, medical doctor and environmentalist. He was a senator and the parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens. Brown was elected to the Australian Senate on the Tasma ...
, comedian Jerry Seinfeld and actor Jason Donovan. It was watched by 1.368 million viewers. The season premiere for 2008, broadcast on 30 March, only attracted 777,000 viewers. 855,000 viewers watched the 2009 return of Rove, up nearly 100,000 viewers on the previous year. Ratings frequently average 800,000–1 million viewers.


International broadcasters

In 2004, the show began broadcasting on TV3 in New Zealand at a late-night time slot. The show quickly gained a following and was given a primetime slot on Friday nights (8:30pm–9:30pm). It was not broadcast live in New Zealand (in spite of its former title ''Rove Live''); rather, it was televised five days after the Australian broadcast.


Controversy

On 28 June 2009, McManus interviewed
Sacha Baron Cohen Sacha Noam Baron Cohen (born 13 October 1971) is an English actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his creation and portrayal of the fictional satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral ...
(appearing in character as
Brüno Gehard Brüno Gehard (; sometimes spelled ''Bruno'' or ''Brueno'') is a satirical fictional character portrayed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. A flamboyantly gay fashion reporter from Austria, Brüno first appeared during short sketches on Paramo ...
). During the course of the interview, Brüno joked that "I hear ohen'swife gets less sex than Katie Holmes". However, when televised, the words "Katie Holmes" were censored. A further joke at the expense of Holmes towards the end of the interview was not even televised. Throughout the interview, Brüno made numerous jokes about other celebrities, especially
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Kevin Rudd Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...
. These jokes were not similarly censored.


Other media


Radio

Rove, Peter and Corinne hosted a radio program originating from FOX FM in Melbourne for
Austereo Austereo was an Australian mass media company based in Melbourne. It was founded in 1980 by Paul Thompson, and operated 16 radio stations in metropolitan and regional Australia under the Today Network and Triple M brands. In 2011, the compan ...
's
Today Network The Hit Network is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 41 radio stations broadcasting a hot adult contemporary music format, as well as 6 digital radio stations. Histor ...
, as well as selected regional stations, until 2004. It was initially known as ''Saturday Morning Rove''. It was then called ''Rove Live Radio''.


Soundtracks

Two soundtracks have been released featuring musical performances from the show, as well as a compilation of Rove's ''What The?'' segments, and a rap song about '' Home and Away'' character Alf.
The Rap song was recorded by John Von Ahlen and Jaime Jimenez a
Subterrane Recording Studio
under the guise of Planet J Productions, and included backing vocals by the late Belinda Emmett. John and Jaime also produced the theme music for ''Rove Live'' from 2003 through till the show's revamp in 2007.


See also

* List of Australian television series


References


External links


Rove at the National Film and Sound Archive
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rove (Tv Series) Australian comedy television series Australian television talk shows Australian variety television shows Nine Network original programming Network 10 original programming Television shows set in Melbourne 1999 Australian television series debuts 1999 Australian television series endings 2000 Australian television series debuts 2009 Australian television series endings English-language television shows