Tonight Live with Steve Vizard
came along at a time when Australian TV was in dire need of some
Variety – Bert and Don had retired to the trenches (or rather, a sports
series and a morning show, respectively); Frankie J.Holden hadn’t yet
been asked to stop singing and start hosting (IMT)
and Rove McManus hadn’t even popped his televisual cherry on community
television. Quite simply, we needed a good laugh… and something to
watch before bed. And this was perfect. Quintessential late-night
funnies for the 90s.
An hour of spontaneous entertainment – something far less rehearsed and PC than say, Hey, Hey It’s Saturday or current TV Variety show, Rove – Tonight Live was put together in less than two months with Channel 7’s golden-boy at the time, Steve Vizard, then on sketch comedy hit Fast Forward, asked to host. The show would turn him into an overnight sensation.
Tonight Live Revisited,
hosted by Georgie Parker, briefly – and I say briefly because it seems
short (or maybe that’s just because I was enjoying it) and you just
know there were more golden moments from the show than the ten or
eleven clips that are screened here – retraces some of the show’s most
memorable moments – like when Agro cracked onto newsreader Jennifer
Keyte; Sam Neill talked about bonking Meryl Streep and Russell Crowe
did his best Julian Clary (who also appears on the show – in a
rip-snorting showdown with a homophobic guest) impersonation.
OK,
so the show had its highs and lows, and obviously we weren’t to see any
of the low’s here, but for the most part, it was an entertaining and
successful addition to the catalogue of Australian TV comedy gems. We
need something like it again – just not with Rove hosting. Please.
DVD Extras Extras include some bonus segments and extended interview segments.
Hopefully a second volume is on the way. Conclusion:
Movie 70% Extras: 60% 
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