''Young Talent Time'' is an Australian television variety program produced by Lewis-Young Productions and screened on

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of fiv ...

. The original series ran from 1971 until 1988 and was hosted by singer-songwriter and record producer Johnny Young for its entire run. The show was briefly revived by Network Ten in 2012 and was hosted by singer and actor Rob Mills.

History

The series featured a core group of young performers, in the vein of ''

The Mickey Mouse Club ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised ...

'', and a weekly junior talent quest. The regular cast known as "The Young Talent Team" performed popular classic songs along with the top hit songs of the day. The original program launched the careers of a number of Australian performers including Sally Boyden,

Jamie Redfern Jamie Redfern (born 9 April 1957) is an English-born Australian television presenter and personality and pop singer. Redfern was an original cast member of children's variety show, ''Young Talent Time'' from April 1971 to early 1972, before leav ...

, Vikki Broughton, Debra Byrne (billed then as Debbie),

Tina Arena Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena (born 1 November 1967) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, musical theatre actress and record producer. She is one of Australia's highest-selling artists and has sold over 10 million records worldwid ...

and

Dannii Minogue Danielle Jane Minogue () is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. She initially gained recognition for her appearances on the television show '' Young Talent Time'' (1982–1988) and for her role as Emma Jackson on t ...

and spawned numerous hit singles, fifteen Young Talent Time albums, a film, as well as merchandise including swap cards, boardgames, toys, and mugs. The program won numerous Logie Awards.

''Young Talent Time'' (1971–1988)

Production details

''Young Talent Time'' was produced as a joint venture by ''Lewis-Young Productions'' (the production partnership between host Johnny Young and his friend and colleague Kevin Lewis, one of the directors of Festival Records) and was taped mainly at the studios of ATV-10 in Nunawading,

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 metro ...

although occasional shows were taped at the TEN-10 studios in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

or on location. Many of the episodes from the early- to mid-1970s no longer exist as the tapes were

wiped Lost television broadcasts are mostly those early television programs which cannot be accounted for in studio archives (or in personal archives) usually because of deliberate destruction or neglect. Common reasons for loss A significant prop ...

for re-use, being the official

policy at the time. Some later episodes from the series were repeated by

pay TV Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, b ...

broadcaster

Foxtel Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...

in the late 1990s. On average, 44 episodes were produced per year for 18 years. The episodes were broadcast in black and white from April 1971 to April 1975, thereafter in colour. The final episode aired on 23 December 1988.

''Caravan Holiday''

In the Christmas break between the first and second seasons of ''Young Talent Time'', Johnny Young and the Young Talent Team shot a 22-minute colour film. (At the time, ''Young Talent Time'' still screened in

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

on Australian television.) Sponsored by the Caravan Trade & Industries Association ''Caravan Holiday'' was completed by early 1972 and released in cinemas across Australia as a supporting feature to

Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. One of the " New Hollywood" directors, Bogdanovich started as a film journalist until he was hired to work on ...

's hugely popular US comedy picture '' What's Up, Doc?'' which starred

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

and

Ryan O'Neal Ryan O'Neal (born April 20, 1941) is an American actor and former boxer. He trained as an amateur boxer before beginning his career in acting in 1960. In 1964, he landed the role of Rodney Harrington on the ABC nighttime soap opera '' Peyton Place ...

. The cast featured the then-current line-up of the Young Talent Team (Jamie Redfern, Rod Kirkham, Greg Mills, Philip Gould, Julie Ryles, Debbie Byrne, Vikki Broughton and Jane Scali) prior to Redfern's departure to tour the US with

Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...

. Despite not appearing in the film, new team member Trevor Hindmarch turned up to the premiere, as seen in the documentary ''Young Talent Time Tells All''. It featured actor/comedian Buster Fiddess (as Mr Crawley) and Addie Black, and guest appearances by Johnny Young (in multiple cameos as a service station attendant, farmer, caravan site manager and speedboat lake),

Evie Hayes Vina Evelyn Hayes (1 June 1912 - 26 December 1988), better known as Evie Hayes, was an American-born actor and singer, best known for her stage success in Australia. She was once described as "the most popular box office attraction in Australi ...

and

John Farnham John Peter Farnham AO (born 1 July 1949) is a British born Australian singer. Farnham was a teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979, billed then as Johnny Farnham, but has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer.McFarlane (1999). Enc ...

(then known as Johnny Farnham) as himself. Fiddess died just a few days after he finished filming his scenes. There was also a film clip made for the Young Talent Team's version of The Cowsills' hit song '' The Rain, The Park and Other Things'', shot in Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens, but despite not appearing on the actual recording, being recorded prior to their recruitment, Mills and Ryles appeared in the clip. It screened on television just once, on Christmas Eve 1972. It was then unseen for three decades until a restored version was featured as a bonus extra on the 2002 DVD ''Young Talent Time: The Collection'' (Universal Pictures - 2002). In the opening credit sequence, Jane Scali's surname is misspelt as Scarli.

''Alumni''

Over the original run of the show, from 1971 to 1988, there were a total of 40 cast members. Members of the cast who found continued success after leaving the series and continue working as performers include

, Vikki Broughton,

Jane Scali Jane Scali (born 8 August 1959) is an Australian singer and former TV personality. She was one of the original cast members of the long-running TV show ''Young Talent Time'' from 1971 to 1976. Early life Scali was a cast member in the junior ...

, Karen Knowles, Sally Boyden, and Debra Byrne and John Bowles. The show had a policy that when team members reached 16 years of age, they had to leave the series and move on, but this rule would subsequently be stretched and broken.

Concerts and live appearances

Over the 18 years of the original show, Johnny Young and the various cast members made numerous live appearances all over Australia, performing full concerts or short publicity appearances at various venues. In 1973, Young, the cast and Denis Walter supported

in a series of live concerts. ''The Jamie Redfern Show'' sold out a number of shows at Melbourne's Festival Hall. In 1987, an unanticipated audience turnout of over 4,000 people caused trouble at a concert at the Westfield Shopping Centre, Parramatta. Some fans were crushed in the crowd and the concert was cancelled. Joey Dee had to be treated for a knee injury and Courtney Compagnino had to be treated for shock. In 1988, over 12,000 people attended an outdoor concert held in Brisbane at the

1988 World Expo World Expo 88, also known as Expo 88, was a specialised Expo held in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, during a six-month period between Saturday, 30 April 1988 and Sunday, 30 October 1988, inclusive. The theme of the Expo w ...

, which was broadcast on television the following week. At the end of 1988, Young and the cast performed a series of concerts. The final concert was held at the Melbourne Tennis Centre on 23 December, the same night on which the last episode of ''Young Talent Time'' aired on Network Ten.

Luna Park incident

In the early 1970s the cast performed at

Luna Park Sydney Luna Park Sydney is a heritage-listed amusement park located at 1 Olympic Drive in the harbourside suburb of Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia, on the northern shore of Sydney Harbour. The amusement park is owned by the Luna Park Re ...

. Due to the large crowd in attendance, they were unable to leave. Park management offered to stop the scenic railway so that the cast could exit through the tunnel. According to Greg Mills, the train driver was not told, and the train did not stop. The cast narrowly avoided death by pressing themselves against the wall of the tunnel. If not for Brad Boyden, Sally Boyden's father, neither of the team would have known that the roller coaster train was even approaching. Trevor Hindmarch came the closest to death or injury as his jacket was almost caught on the speeding vehicle as it passed. Fortunately Trevor lost only a button.

Final years

In 1988, an episode of Young Talent Time was shot in the United States. The two-hour special, ''Young Talent Time at Universal Studios'', aired on 13 August 1988. In its final years, Young Talent Time began to struggle for ratings, particularly following the decision of the

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 ...

to move its popular early morning variety show ''

Hey Hey It's Saturday ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' was a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 28 years on the Nine Network from 9 October 1971 to 20 November 1999, with a recess in 1978. Its host throughout its entire ...

'' to the 6:30 pm slot in 1985, which put it in direct competition to Young Talent Time. After four years of dwindling ratings, in October 1988 Network Ten finally decided to move ''YTT'' to Friday nights at 7.30 pm, but the change did not help. The show was cancelled three months later. The general manager of Channel 10 Melbourne, Renny Cunnack, announced on 25 January 1989 that ''Young Talent Time'' would "not be resuming production in 1989". Cunnack himself was dismissed as General Manager three months later. The following day on Australia Day in 1989, the Young Talent Time cast performed a concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne. Near the end of 1988, Johnny Young had invested a large amount of money in building his own TV studio complex in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

with the intention of producing the show himself and leasing it to Channel 10 but the termination of the show ended this plan and he was forced to sell his family home to finance his debts. Network Ten continued airing compilation episodes in early 1989, initially as ''The Best of Young Talent Time'' at 7.30 on Friday nights, then as ''Young Talent Time Favorites'' at 11.00 on Saturday mornings. The last of these aired in Melbourne on Saturday 1 April 1989. On September 26, 2021, Channel 10 aired a special anniversary edition of Young Talent Time. It marked the show's 50th anniversary.

List of team members 1971–1988

*Vikki Broughton (1971–73) (first act to be signed) *Rod Kirkham (1971–73) *Phillip Gould (1971–75; 1975–76) * Debra Byrne (1971–75) *

(1971–72) *

(1971–76) *Greg Mills (1971–75) *Julie Ryles (1971–76) *Trevor Hindmarch (1972–77) * Sally Boyden (1973–76) *Derek Redfern (1973–76) * Karen Knowles (1975–80) *Steven Zammit (1975–80) *Debbie Hancock (1976–79) *Robert McCullough (1976–79) *Nicole Cooper (1976–81) *John Bowles (1977–81) *

(1977–83; longest-serving cast member) *Bobby Driessen (1979–83) *Jodie Loebert (1980–83) *Joe(y) Perrone (1980–84) *Michael Campbell (1981–83) *Karen Dunkerton (1981–85) *Katie Van Ree (1981–86) *Mark McCormack (1982–83) * Danielle Minogue (1982–88) *Vince Del Tito (1983–88) *Beven Addinsall (1983–88) *Vanessa Windsor (1983–87) *Greg Poynton (1984–88) *Lorena Novoa (1984–87) *Tim Nelson (1984–87) *Natalie Miller (1985–88) *Mark Stevens (1985–88) *Courtney Compagnino (1986–88) * Juanita Coco (1987–88) *Joey Dee (1987–88) *Rikki Arnot (1987–88) * Jamie Churchill (1988) *Johnnie Nuich (1988; shortest-serving cast member)

''The New Generation'' (1988)

In 1988 Johnny Young launched an American version of the show re-titled ''The New Generation''. Produced in Australia, it starred the current senior members of the former Young Talent Time cast: Dannii Minogue, Vince Del Tito, Natalie Miller, Lorena Novoa, Beven Addinsall; and a new member, Keith Williams, from Los Angeles. The show also featured regular appearances from the younger members of the former cast, who were billed as "The Young Generation": Jamie Churchill, Johnnie Nuich, Joey Dee, Courtney Compagnino, Juanita Coco and Rikki Arnot. ''The New Generation'' was hosted by American Michael Young, the host of the

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

winning '' Kids Are People Too''. Thirteen 30-minute episodes were produced by Johnny Young's Television House and Fries Entertainment and screened on CBN Cable Network/The CBN Family Channel (now Freeform) in the US.

''Young Talent Time'' (1990)

In 1990 Johnny Young self-funded and produced a one-off direct-to-video special titled ''Young Talent Time Now - 1990''. It featured the final six members of the cast (Jamie Churchill, Johnnie Nuich, Joey Dee, Courtney Compagnino, Juanita Coco, and Rikki Arnot) and former cast member Beven Addinsall.

''Young Talent Time'' (2012)

and

Granada Australia ITV Studios Australia is an Australian television production company and the Australian arm of UK company ITV Studios. It was formed as Artist Services in 1989, later becoming Granada Media Australia before being rebranded to its current name in ...

- in conjunction with Johnny Young and Johnny Young Music - were the producers of a revival of ''Young Talent Time''. Taped before a live studio audience at Fox Studios in Sydney, the 15-episode series debuted on Network Ten across Australia at 6.30 pm on Sunday 22 January 2012. Hosted by former ''

Australian Idol 2003 The first season of ''Australian Idol'' was produced by Fremantle Media subsidiary Grundy Television in association with UK company 19TV, and was broadcast on Network Ten for 19 weeks in the latter half of 2003. The judges were Mark Holden, Mar ...

'' contestant Rob Mills, the 2012 revival featured a regular Young Talent Team (of 10 members) performing a couple of group numbers each week, with one team member featuring in a solo spot each episode to showcase their individual talents. Starting from Episode 10, duets were sung instead of solos as each team member had performed a solo. Each weekly episode featured three or four young contestants (or acts) under the age of 16. These solo performers, duos, groups, etc., included singers, dancers (ballet, hip hop, tap, jazz, etc.), musicians, sight acts, illusionists, comedians and so on.Who will host Young Talent Time for TEN?
13 August 2011 By David Knox, TV Tonight The winning contestant (or act) each week received $5,000 from NAB (National Australia Bank) and the Grand Final winner received $100,000. Sherrynne Johnson a young Tasmanian semi finals Winner was unable to return for the Grand Final due to unforeseen family circumstances. The show's two judges/mentors were the original show's longest-serving Young Talent Team member

(who appeared from 1977 to 1983 – six years 6 Months), and Filipino-American choreographer

Charles Klapow Charles "Chucky" Klapow (born July 5, 1980) is an American choreographer and dance instructor who has performed and choreographed for various performers and several television and stage productions. He is also known for his teachings on the ment ...

, one of the winners of the

for 'Outstanding Choreography' for '' High School Musical 2''. Better known as 'Chucky' Klapow, he also helped choreograph the films '' Cheetah Girls 2,

High School Musical ''High School Musical'' is a 2006 American musical television film directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Peter Barsocchini. The 63rd Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) and first installment of the ''High School Musical'' film series, ...

and High School Musical 3: Senior Year'' as well as appearing in all three ''

'' movies as a dancer. He has choreographed for

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

and dances alongside

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

in the film ''

Michael Jackson's This Is It ''Michael Jackson's This Is It'' is a 2009 American documentary–concert film about Michael Jackson's rehearsals and preparation for the concert series of the same name scheduled to start on July 13, 2009, at the O2 Arena, but cancelled du ...

''. Klapow had previously been a judge on UK talent show ''

Don't Stop Believing "Don't Stop Believin' is a song by American rock band Journey. It was released in October 1981 as the second single from the group's seventh studio album, ''Escape'' (1981), released through Columbia Records. "Don't Stop Believin'" shares wri ...

''. TV Personality Ian Dickson filled in as judge while

was ill for one episode. From the beginning of the finals competition he served as a full-time judge. While the judges decided the winning contestant (or act) of each weekly episode, viewers could vote online for any of the weekly runners-up to become a 'wild-card' entrant, giving them a second chance of making it into the finals. On 20 March, it was announced that ''YTT'' would move to Fridays at 7:30 to 8:30, the current time slot of Glee. It is believed ''YTT'' was moved because of poor ratings on Sunday night resulting in the much more popular program ''The Biggest Loser'' taking the 6:30 to 7:30 timeslot. The YTT team then commenced a tour having shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra. The Grand Final episode was aired on 4 May. The talent quest was won by first heat entrants and wildcard winners Lil' Banditz Krew. The all-boys Hip Hop troupe toured with the YTT team and Rob Mills in June and July 2012, visiting various Sydney venues as well as Melbourne and Canberra. ''YTT'' was not renewed for a 2013 season because of poor ratings. However, such team members as Aydan Calafiore and Adrien Nookadu went on to have music careers and Georgia-May Davis worked with

Disney Channel Australia Disney Channel (originally called The Disney Channel from 1996 to 1997) was an Australian pay television channel. It was the flagship television property owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company in Australia. Launched in 1996, the network ...

. Lyndall Wennekes later starred on ''The Voice'' in 2014, Adrien Nookadu on ''The X Factor'' in 2014. Aydan Calafiore appeared on ''Australia's Got Talent'' in 2013 and auditioned for the 2017 and 2018 seasons of The Voice, being unable to turn a chair in 2017 but turning all four chairs in 2018. Aydan joined Joe Jonas' and ultimately placed 4th place on ''The Voice'', which resulted in him releasing his own music as well as being on

Eurovision - Australia Decides The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pri ...

in 2019.

List of Team Members

Aydan Calafiore Aydan Calafiore, also known as simply AYDAN, is an Australian singer best known for being one of the four finalists in the seventh season of ''The Voice Australia'' in 2018 and for his role as main cast member in Network Ten's 2012 reboot of '' ...

Georgia-May Davis Georgia-May Davis (born 12 October 1995) is a British-born Australian actress. Born in 1995 in London, England, Davis is the daughter of actress Alyssa-Jane Cook. She spent her early years growing up on the sets of her mothers shows. She atta ...

* Nicolas Di Cecco * Sean Emmett * Tia Gigalotti * Michelle Mutyora * Adrien Nookadu * Serena Suen * Lyndall Wennekes * Tyler Wilford

Discography and videography

DVDs

A one-hour prime-time television documentary ''Young Talent Time Tells All'' aired on Network Ten on 29 October 2001. Produced and directed by former YTT cast member John Bowles, it was a tremendous ratings success celebrating the show's 30th anniversary. Bowles interviewed over thirty of the original cast members for the programme. Archive footage, including clips thought to have been lost, were interspersed with the YTT kids speaking about their experiences on and off-air. A small reunion of ''YTT'' cast and crew members (including

and Johnny Young) was held in Melbourne in October 2003 to launch the release of an extended version of the ''Young Talent Time Tells All'' documentary on DVD (through

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

). The original documentary TV Special was extended, and bonus features and rare footage, not seen in the television version, were added. It was titled ''Young Talent Time: The Collection''. Bonus features on the DVD include a restored version of the 1972 short film ''Caravan Holiday'' featuring Johnny Young and the Young Talent Team; full biographies of all 40 Team Members and Johnny Young;

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...

's appearance as a guest on the show to promote her 1983 film ''BMX Bandits''; assorted television commercials featuring members of the team; footage of some of the Team when they appeared as contestants on the show; and the full-length clip of sisters

and

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

performing the song "Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves". Rare footage includes a nine-year-old Jamie Redfern (pre-''Young Talent Time'') appearing with Happy Hammond on a Channel Seven test broadcast of colour television in 1968, seven years before Australian television actually began broadcasting in colour.

Albums

Awards

TV Week Logie Awards

* Best Australian Musical Variety Show of 1971 * Best Australian Musical Variety Show of 1973 * Best Australian Musical Variety Show of 1974 * Best Australian Musical Variety Show of 1975 * Award for Sustained Excellence (presented in 1982) *Johnny Young - Logie Hall of Fame (1990)

References

{{reflist

External links

Young Talent Time 40th Anniversary TourYoung Talent Time at the National Film and Sound Archive
Network 10 original programming 1971 Australian television series debuts 1988 Australian television series endings 2012 Australian television series debuts 2012 Australian television series endings Australian music television series English-language television shows Television series by ITV Studios Black-and-white Australian television shows Television shows set in Melbourne Australian television series revived after cancellation