In a uncommon interview with TV Tonight in 2019, pioneering youngsters’s presenter Simon Townsend mirrored on his tv profession.

Initially revealed September 6 2019.

Surprise World ran on 10 from 1979 till 1987. Screening 5 afternoons per week, it employed 17 reporters over its life span, producing some 8000 tales and almost 2000 episodes.

Amongst its reporting workforce had been Angela Catterns, Jonathan Coleman, Edith Bliss, Hugh Piper, Sheridan Jobbins, Maurice Parker and Alita Fahey.

Townsend had labored as a newspaper reporter, and had been conscientious objector in opposition to the Vietnam Battle, earlier than he met A Present Affair host and producer Mike Willesee at a cocktail party.

“I preferred him rather a lot. He invited me in for a chat and on the idea of 1 interview he mentioned, ‘When do you wish to begin?’ I mentioned, ‘Proper now!’” he recollects.

“This morning you didn’t have a job, and tonight you’re a TV star!”

His first ACA story concerned interviewing a mom who had misplaced her younger son.

“I didn’t actually know what I used to be doing however I had the intuition that I ought to preserve the girl speaking. She talked to me by means of her tears and it was an emotional story.

“That evening it was the primary story on A Present Affair and my mom rang me up, saying, ‘You’re such a intelligent boy, son. This morning you didn’t have a job, and tonight you’re a TV star!’”

He additionally had shares in Zoot, a Kids’s newspaper which, collectively together with his ACA expertise, led to the thought of a magazine-style TV present for Kids.

“9 paid for a pilot, Seven paid for a pilot however no-one took it up. Then the legislation modified and the channels needed to have a half hour of Australian high quality tv. So I used to be given a C ranking and I had one thing to promote,” he explains.

“The remaining is historical past.”

The primary theme music for the present was ‘Afternoon Delight‘ by the Starland Vocal band till he realised the suggestive nature of the lyrics.

He then commissioned ‘Welcome to my Surprise World’ initially recorded by John St. Peeters, launched as a High 40 single and even carried out on Countdown.

Surprise World lined eclectic and academic journal tales for its younger viewers, underneath the premise that “the world actually is great.”

“We travelled rather a lot, throughout the entire of Australia and internationally. We went to Hawaii, India, Bali, Hong Kong and different international locations,” he continues.

“I suppose the hallmark of the exhibits was that they all the time concerned humour and fashionable music. That was how they got here collectively.

“The reporters needed to provide you with the thought of easy methods to produce them. It was very arduous work.

But it surely additionally tackled troublesome subjects akin to terminal sickness, animal cruelty and homelessness. In 1983 Prime Minister Bob Hawke offered the often-giggling Townsend with a particular award for his a thousandth episode, congratulating him on his contribution to the youth of Australia.

Audiences additionally beloved his everlasting sidekick, a big, droopy bloodhound named Woodrow.

“Angela Catterns did a narrative on bloodhounds and the ultimate shot was one little pet. I mentioned, ‘Can you discover out if that pet has been offered?’

“(Woody) dripped plenty of saliva and I all the time needed to have a towel.”

“I needed him as a household pet. My late spouse was horrified. She mentioned, ‘Have a look at his paws. He’ll develop as much as be an enormous, huge canine!’ And he did. He dripped plenty of saliva and I all the time needed to have a towel. However he was a darling canine, each my household pet and programme mascot,” he remembers.

However ‘Woody’ had a thoughts of his personal, strolling off when he was bored or as soon as even taking a dump on the studio flooring. After Woody’s dying Townsend launched a cockatoo, and a Labrador, however none achieved the identical reputation.

“The cockatoo was a little bit of a failure. He would fly away into the higher reaches of the studio and the subsequent morning he wouldn’t come down.

“The Labrador didn’t entice the eye of Woody, as a result of Woody simply appeared so unhappy together with his bloodhound options.”

“It was the worst mistake I ever made.”

However Townsend additionally reveals his one remorse from Surprise World, in not giving a younger researcher named Amanda Keller a chance on air.

“We would have liked a brand new feminine reporter,” he explains.

“Everybody on my workforce was saying ‘Simon, you’ve received to make Amanda a reporter!’ however I selected another person. It was the worst mistake I ever made.”

Following Surprise World (which had a separate run on 9 with reporters Catriona Rowntree & Sonia Kruger) he then offered evaluation present TVTV to the ABC’s David Hill.

“I simply rang and cheekily mentioned, ‘I feel I can resolve your 6pm downside.’ I went in and offered it to him on the spot,” says Townsend.

“They put strain on me to not reward ABC exhibits as a result of it appeared false.”

TVTV ran for 3 years reviewing tv exhibits and presenting TV information & interviews, together with exhibits from different networks. As soon as once more Townsend was breaking all the foundations.

“They put strain on me to not reward ABC exhibits as a result of it appeared false. I simply mentioned ‘Nonsense!” he continues.

“Lots of people on the ABC thought it was very unfair I got here in from outdoors. They most popular it to be in-house. So I used to be solely there for about 6 months and so they agreed to pay me out. Then that they had numerous comperes and panellists.”

James Valentine was one among his substitute hosts. Whereas Townsend fortunately took royalty cheques, he by no means tuned in once more.

“It wasn’t my idea anymore. However I appreciated the cash.”

“I’m very nicely however a few years in the past I suffered 5 strokes.”

Lately Townsend is retired and has endured his share of well being battles.

“I’m very nicely however a few years in the past I suffered 5 strokes. I don’t stroll very nicely, generally with a wheelchair or a stick. However I really feel very nicely.”

And as soon as a storyteller, all the time a storyteller…. Information and Present Affairs are nonetheless his most popular viewing behavior.

“I watch a good bit of Foxtel and nonetheless, 5 nights per week I watch A Present Affair.

“Typically I feel, ‘We did that story years in the past!’”

Pictures:  Nationwide Movie & Sound Archive.