BackBerner

Last updated

BackBerner
Genre Comedy / satire
Starring Peter Berner
Louise Siversen
Kym Gyngell
Tanya Bulmer
Opening theme"Thunderbirds Are Coming Out (5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Mix)" by TISM
Ending theme"Thunderbirds Are Coming Out (5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Mix)"
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time25 minutes
Original release
Network ABC TV
Release19 August 1999 (1999-08-19) –
14 November 2002 (2002-11-14)

BackBerner was an Australian political satire sketch comedy television series, broadcast on and produced by ABC TV with Crackerjack Productions (now Fremantle Australia). The program was hosted by stand-up comic Peter Berner and noted Australian character actor Louise Siversen. The series aired from 19 August 1999 to 14 November 2002.

Contents

Synopsis

The show parodied the current affairs format with Berner, but most frequently Siversen engaged in interviews with various representatives and authorities on the subjects of that week's news stories to discuss the issue, with various comedians playing the role of the interviewees. The most common of these characters were Dr Dennis Johnson who covered medical issues and Dexter Pinion, the far-right conservative correspondent for government reconciliation who frequently railed against the supposedly left-leaning "AB-friggin'-C". Numerous other character actors often made return appearances under different names, such as Nicholas Hammond who often appeared as Jack Bloom, a representative for the US Government.[ citation needed ]

The show was axed in 2002, and poked a last jab by explaining that Dexter Pinion had in fact finally taken control of the "AB-friggin'-C" and shut Berner down. [1]

Cast

The program was hosted by stand-up comic Peter Berner and noted Australian character actor Louise Siversen. [2] Other regulars on the program included Tanya Bulmer and Kym Gyngell, who engaged in pre-recorded external and on-the-street interviews. [3] Imelda Corcoran played Maria for 17 episodes of the show, most of them in series 3 in 2001. [4] [5]

Production

BackBerner was produced by ABC TV with Crackerjack Productions (now Fremantle Australia). [2]

The music played during the opening and closing credits is an excerpt from TISM's song "Thunderbirds are Coming Out".[ citation needed ]

Broadcast

The series aired from 19 August 1999 to 14 November 2002. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Reucassel</span> Australian writer and comedian

Craig Bruce Reucassel is an Australian radio and television presenter and comedian. He is currently the presenter of Breakfast on ABC Radio Sydney.

Full Frontal is an Australian sketch comedy series that ran on the Seven Network from 1993 to 1997. It launched the television careers of Eric Bana, Shaun Micallef, Kitty Flanagan, Julia Morris, Daina Reid and Denise Scott.

Michael Molloy is an Australian comedian, writer, producer, actor and television and radio presenter who has been active in radio, television, stand-up and film. He currently hosts The Front Bar on the Seven Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABC Family (Australian TV channel)</span> Australian public television channel

ABC Family is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and part of its ABC Television network. The channel broadcasts a range of family and teen entertainment programming. The channel operates between the hours of 7:30pm and 4:00am AEST/AEDT daily. The channel's bandwidth is used for the ABC Kids channel for young children during the remaining hours of the day.

<i>The Comedy Company</i> 1988 Australian TV series or program

The Comedy Company is an Australian sketch comedy television series that aired from 16 February 1988 until 11 November 1990 on Network Ten. It was created and directed by cast member Ian McFadyen, and co-directed and produced by Jo Lane.

<i>All Together Now</i> (1991 Australian TV series) Australian situation comedy (1991-1993)

All Together Now was an Australian sitcom that was broadcast on Nine Network between 1991 and 1993. The premise involved an ageing rocker, played by Jon English trying to maintain his music career while living with his son and daughter. For an undetermined number of initial episodes filmed prior to public broadcast, the show title was "Rhythm and Blues" and had a different theme song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Lilley (comedian)</span> Australian comedian

Christopher Daniel Lilley is an Australian actor. He is known for his creation and portrayal of several characters in the mockumentary television series We Can Be Heroes: Finding The Australian of the Year (2005), Summer Heights High (2007), Angry Boys (2011), Ja'mie: Private School Girl (2013), Jonah from Tonga (2014), and Lunatics (2019). He is a two-time winner of the Logie Award for Most Popular Actor.

Peter Berner is an Australian stand-up comedian and television and radio presenter. He hosted The Einstein Factor and Backberner on ABC Television. He previously hosted the news comedy TV series The B Team with Peter Berner on Sky News Australia.

<i>Crackerjack</i> (2002 film) 2002 Australian film

Crackerjack is a 2002 Australian comedy film starring Mick Molloy, Bill Hunter, Frank Wilson, Monica Maughan, Samuel Johnson, Lois Ramsey, Bob Hornery, Judith Lucy, John Clarke and Denis Moore.

ABC Television is the general name for the national television services of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Until an organisational restructure in 2017/2018, ABC Television was also the name of a division of the ABC. The name was also used to refer to the first and for many years the only national ABC channel, before it was renamed ABC1 and then again to ABC TV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SBS (Australian TV channel)</span> National public television network in Australia

SBS is a multicultural public TV network in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of SBS's television division, and is available nationally. In 2023, SBS had an 8.5% audience share, compared to 2018 when SBS had a 7.7% audience share.

The year 1999 in Australian television involved many events.

Sami Shah is a Pakistani-Australian stand-up comedian, writer, improvisational actor, and radio presenter. Shah was a member of the improvisational comedy group "BlackFish" created by Saad Haroon in 2002, and later performed the first solo English-language comedy show in Pakistan. He had several tours across Pakistan.

Fremantle Australia Pty Ltd. is the Australian arm of global British production and entertainment company Fremantle. It was formed in 2006 by the merger of market leader Grundy Television and comedy specialists Crackerjack Productions, which had both been acquired previously by Fremantle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Hansen</span> Australian comedian, actor and musician (born 1974)

Andrew John Hansen is an Australian comedian, musician and author, best known for being a member of satirical team The Chaser. As a member of The Chaser, Hansen's television work includes co-writing and starring in ABC Television shows CNNNN (2002–2003), The Chaser Decides, Chaser News Alert (2005), The Chaser's War On Everything, Yes We Canberra! (2010), The Hamster Wheel (2011–12), The Hamster Decides (2013) and The Chaser's Media Circus (2014–2015). He was co-showrunner of Australian Epic (2023).

<i>Eugénie Sandler P.I.</i> Australian television series

Eugénie Sandler P.I. is a 13-part Australian children's series that first aired on ABC1 in 2000. The series stars Xaris Miller as the title character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian comedy</span> Australian television series

Australian comedy refers to the comedy and humour performed in or about Australia or by the people of Australia. Australian humour can be traced to various origins, and today is manifested in a diversity of cultural practices and pursuits. Writers like Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson helped to establish a tradition of laconic, ironic and irreverent wit in Australian literature, while Australian politicians and cultural stereotypes have each proved rich sources of comedy for artists from poet C. J. Dennis to satirist Barry Humphries to iconic film maker Paul Hogan, each of whom have given wide circulation to Australian slang.

Upper Middle Bogan is an Australian television comedy program created by Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope. It began screening on ABC on 15 August 2013. The series is directed by Hope and Tony Martin. The second and third series began airing on 16 October 2014 and 12 October 2016, respectively.

Love Me is an Australian drama series and the first original production of streaming service Binge, that premiered on 26 December 2021. Set in Melbourne, Love Me is a story about love, loss, and relationship complexity for the father, daughter, and son of a contemporary, middle-class Australian family. The season one, six-part series is directed by Emma Freeman with lead writer Alison Bell, and writers Leon Ford, Adele Vuko and Blake Ayshford. Season two premiered on 6 April 2023.

Imelda Corcoran is an Australian actress. Active since the 1990s on Australian television and on stage in Sydney, she is perhaps most widely known for her role as Selby in the Marvel 2021 TV miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

References

  1. ↑ "Backberner, ABC TV comedy". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 8 June 2008. Archived from the original on 8 June 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Backberner, ABC TV Comedy". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 16 January 2010. Archived from the original on 1 October 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Backberner, ABC TV Comedy". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 5 January 2009. Archived from the original on 30 January 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  4. 1 2 "BackBerner (TV Series 1999–2002)". IMDb. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  5. ↑ Moore, Camille (8 April 2021). "10 Things You Didn't Know about Imelda Corcoran". TVovermind. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "BackBerner (1999)". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "Backberner: 22 August 2002". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 9 June 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "Backberners: 3 October 2002". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 8 June 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 "Backberner: 14 November 2002". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 8 June 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.