Pioneering Youngsters’s TV presenter Simon Townsend greatest recognized for Simon Townsend’s Surprise World has died, aged 79.

ABC stories his household confirmed he handed away on Tuesday having not too long ago been recognized with an aggressive most cancers.

“In his remaining days, Simon was surrounded by his household and a mixture of journalists, writers, actors, political activists and Italians,” his household mentioned in an announcement.

Previous to his Youngsters’s TV profession, Townsend had labored as a newspaper reporter, and had been conscientious objector towards the Vietnam Conflict, earlier than he met A Present Affair host and producer Mike Willesee at a cocktail party.

“I appreciated him lots. He invited me in for a chat and on the idea of 1 interview he mentioned, ‘When do you need to begin?’ I mentioned, ‘Proper now!’” he as soon as instructed TV Tonight.

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

“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 score and I had one thing to promote,” he defined.

“The remainder is historical past.”

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

Amongst its reporting staff had been Angela Catterns, Jonathan Coleman, Edith Bliss, Hugh Piper, Sheridan Jobbins, Maurice Parker and Alita Fahey and one younger researcher named Amanda Keller.

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 coated eclectic and academic journal tales for its younger viewers, beneath the premise that “the world actually is fantastic.”

Nevertheless it additionally tackled troublesome subjects akin to terminal sickness, animal cruelty and homelessness. In 1983 Prime Minister Bob Hawke introduced 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 cherished 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?’

“He dripped plenty of saliva and I at all times needed to have a towel. However he was a darling canine, each my household pet and programme mascot,” he mentioned.

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

TVTV ran for 3 years reviewing tv exhibits and presenting TV information & interviews, together with exhibits from different networks.

In later years he confronted ongoing well being battles, struggling 5 strokes however remained related to storytelling, Information and Present Affairs nonetheless a daily viewing behavior.

“I watch a good bit of Foxtel and nonetheless, 5 nights every week I watch A Present Affair. Generally I believe, ‘We did that story years in the past!’”

Arguably, no different kids’s journal present has matched the success of Surprise World in Australia.

“We travelled lots, throughout the entire of Australia and internationally. We went to Hawaii, India, Bali, Hong Kong and different nations,” he mentioned.

“I suppose the hallmark of the exhibits was that they at all times concerned humour and widespread music. That was how they got here collectively.”

……and keep in mind, the world actually is fantastic!

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