Jacki MacDonald
Encyclopedia
Jacki MacDonald is a former Australian television
personality.
, MacDonald appeared on a number of local programs in the 1970s including her own show, Jacki and all that Jazz, on QTQ-9
and a daily breakfast program, The Jacki Mac Show, on TVQ-0
.
In 1978 she was GTV-9
's replacement for Daryl Somers
and puppet sidekick Ossie Ostrich
when the pair moved to 0-10
. After she presented The Super Saturday Show for several months, Somers returned to Nine and she was asked to join them as co-presenter of a revival of Hey Hey It's Saturday
, a role which she would continue for nine years. MacDonald was frequently made the butt of jokes in the show and when she came on the tune "Folks Are Dumb Where I Come From"
would often be played (a reference to MacDonald coming from Queensland
). In 1984, the same year as HHISs move from a local morning timeslot to a national primetime slot, MacDonald also hosted The Ossie Ostrich Video Show, a national weekday children's program on Nine.
For a short time MacDonald was also an anchor of TVQ-0
's Eyewitness News bulletins in 1983, which made her one of the few presenters to appear for two different networks at the same time (in her case, the Nine
and Ten networks).
During the 1970s and 1980s she won several TV Week
Logie Awards for Most Popular Female Personality in Queensland.
MacDonald kept out of the spotlight following her departure from Hey Hey in 1988 but returned to television in 1991 to host a season of Australia's Funniest Home Video Show
, and in 1992, former Hey Hey It's Saturday producer Gavan Disney approached her to co-host his new TV program Healthy Wealthy And Wise which was being produced for Network Ten
. She continued with the new program for a couple of years before leaving television altogether. MacDonald appeared on the 2005 Network Ten special Seriously 40 which commemorated 40 years of Network Ten. On 7 October 2009 she made a guest appearance on the second Hey Hey reunion special.
MacDonald is now a regular show business commentator on Drive with Michael Smith for the Brisbane commercial talk radio station 4BC.
before going on national programs such as Wombat
and the Australian version of It's a Knockout
.
Australian television
Television in Australia began experimentally as early as 1929 in Melbourne with stations 3DB and 3UZ using the Radiovision system by Gilbert Miles and Donal McDonald, and later from other locations, such as Brisbane in 1934....
personality.
Career
Popular in her home state of QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, MacDonald appeared on a number of local programs in the 1970s including her own show, Jacki and all that Jazz, on QTQ-9
QTQ-9
QTQ is an Australian television station, licensed to, and serving Brisbane, Queensland. It is owned by the Nine Entertainment Co., and is part of the Nine Network. It broadcasts on VHF channel 9 and VHF channel 8 . QTQ began broadcasting on 16 August 1959, the first of the Brisbane stations to...
and a daily breakfast program, The Jacki Mac Show, on TVQ-0
TVQ-10
TVQ is the Brisbane television station of Network Ten in Australia.The channel was allocated channel 0 on the VHF band and was launched on 1 July 1965 as TVQ-0...
.
In 1978 she was GTV-9
GTV-9
GTV is a commercial television station in Melbourne, Australia owned by the Nine Network. The station is currently based at a new high-tech, purpose-built studios at 717 Bourke Street, Docklands.-History:...
's replacement for Daryl Somers
Daryl Somers
Daryl Paul Somers OAM , is an Australian television personality. The son of a dairy farmer and a cabaret singer, Somers rose to national fame as the host of the long-running comedy-variety program Hey Hey It's Saturday.-Early life:Somers, who has an Irish Catholic heritage, was educated at...
and puppet sidekick Ossie Ostrich
Ossie Ostrich
Ossie Ostrich is an Australian television character, firstly on the Tarax Show, and then on the long-running program Hey Hey It's Saturday which started as a Saturday morning cartoon show for children in 1971. In 1984, he also hosted an after-school children's show called The Ossie Ostrich Video...
when the pair moved to 0-10
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
. After she presented The Super Saturday Show for several months, Somers returned to Nine and she was asked to join them as co-presenter of a revival of Hey Hey It's Saturday
Hey Hey It's Saturday
Hey Hey It's Saturday was a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 27 years , debuting on the Nine Network on 9 October 1971 and broadcasting its last episode on 20 November 1999. Its host throughout its entire run was Daryl Somers, who would later...
, a role which she would continue for nine years. MacDonald was frequently made the butt of jokes in the show and when she came on the tune "Folks Are Dumb Where I Come From"
Doin' What Comes Natur'lly
"Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" is a song from the 1946 musical Annie Get Your Gun, written by Irving Berlin. The song was introduced by Ethel Merman in the original production of the musical...
would often be played (a reference to MacDonald coming from Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
). In 1984, the same year as HHISs move from a local morning timeslot to a national primetime slot, MacDonald also hosted The Ossie Ostrich Video Show, a national weekday children's program on Nine.
For a short time MacDonald was also an anchor of TVQ-0
TVQ-10
TVQ is the Brisbane television station of Network Ten in Australia.The channel was allocated channel 0 on the VHF band and was launched on 1 July 1965 as TVQ-0...
's Eyewitness News bulletins in 1983, which made her one of the few presenters to appear for two different networks at the same time (in her case, the Nine
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
and Ten networks).
During the 1970s and 1980s she won several TV Week
TV Week
TV Week is a weekly television magazine in Australia, first published as a Melbourne-only publication in December 1957 , and bearing a strong affiliation to television station GTV.The publication is still publishing weekly...
Logie Awards for Most Popular Female Personality in Queensland.
MacDonald kept out of the spotlight following her departure from Hey Hey in 1988 but returned to television in 1991 to host a season of Australia's Funniest Home Video Show
Australia's Funniest Home Video Show
Australia's Funniest Home Videos is an Australian television show on the Nine Network that presents home videos sent in by viewers.The show is similar in content to You've Been Framed and America's Funniest Home Videos,...
, and in 1992, former Hey Hey It's Saturday producer Gavan Disney approached her to co-host his new TV program Healthy Wealthy And Wise which was being produced for Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
. She continued with the new program for a couple of years before leaving television altogether. MacDonald appeared on the 2005 Network Ten special Seriously 40 which commemorated 40 years of Network Ten. On 7 October 2009 she made a guest appearance on the second Hey Hey reunion special.
MacDonald is now a regular show business commentator on Drive with Michael Smith for the Brisbane commercial talk radio station 4BC.
Personal life
MacDonald's sister, Fiona MacDonald, is also a former television presenter who was on local television in QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
before going on national programs such as Wombat
Wombat (TV series)
Wombat was an award-winning Australian children's TV show produced at BTQ Channel 7 in Brisbane from 1979 to 1990. It was aired on weekday afternoons, and later Saturday and Sunday mornings, across Australia....
and the Australian version of It's a Knockout
It's a Knockout
It's a Knockout was adapted from the French show Intervilles. It ran between from 7 August 1966 to 25 December 1988 on BBC1, 28 May 1990 on ITV, 3 August 1991 to 24 December 1994 on S4C and from 3 September 1999 to 6 January 2001 on Channel 5, produced by Richard Hearsey and Ronin Entertainment...
.