The D-Generation was a popular and influential Australian TV
sketch comedyA sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
show, produced and broadcast by the
Australian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
(ABC) for two series, between 1986 and 1987. A further four specials were broadcast on the
Seven NetworkThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
between 1988 and 1989.
The series was produced and directed by Kris Noble and was created and written by a group of Melbourne University students who had gained local notoriety for their stage work:
Rob SitchRobert Ian Sitch , is an Australian director, producer, screenwriter, actor and comedian.-Early life:Sitch attended St Kevin's College and graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Melbourne, where he resided at Trinity College. He worked at the Royal Womans Hospital...
,
Santo CilauroSanto Cilauro is an Australian television and feature film producer, screenwriter, actor, author, comedian and cameraman, a co-founder of The D-Generation...
,
Marg Downey-Career:Downey first rose to prominence in the sketch comedy program The D-Generation on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in the late 1980s. She subsequently appeared in later sketch comedy series with other members of The D-Generation, including Fast Forward, Full Frontal and Something Stupid...
,
Michael VeitchMichael Veitch is an Australian comedian, author and broadcaster, best known for his roles on the sketch comedy television shows The D-Generation, Fast Forward and Full Frontal, as well as for his books on Second World War aviation and the Bass Strait Islands.Veitch emerged from the tradition of...
,
Magda SzubanskiMagda Szubanski is a British-born Australian actress, comedian, television presenter, radio host and author.Szubanski's career began while she was studying at university and she progressed to television sketch comedy, as both a writer and performer...
, John Harrison, and
Tom GleisnerTom Gleisner is an Australian director, producer, writer, comedian, occasional actor and author. He was educated at Xavier College in Melbourne, Australia.-Television, radio and film:...
. Also part of the original team was Nick Bufalo, who appeared in the unscreened one-hour D-Generation pilot (1985), before accepting a long-running role on TV soap
A Country PracticeA Country Practice is an Australian television drama series. One of the longest-running of its kind, produced by James Davern of JNP Productions, it ran on the Seven Network for 1,058 episodes from 18 November 1981 to 22 November 1993. It was produced in ATN-7's production facility at Epping,...
. Several of Bufalo's sketches from the pilot (including the famous
ThunderbirdsThunderbirds is a British mid-1960s science fiction television show devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and made by AP Films using a form of marionette puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation"...
parody) were incorporated into series one, and Bufalo himself returned for the specials. Actress/comedian
Jane TurnerJane Turner is an Australian actress, comedian and Logie Award winning comedy writer.Turner has appeared in many popular Australian TV programs, namely Prisoner in a straight dramatic role, with comedy roles in sketch comedy programs The D-Generation, Fast Forward, Full Frontal, Big Girl's Blouse...
and New Zealander
Tony MartinTony Francis Martin is a comedian and writer from Te Kuiti, New Zealand who has had a successful TV, radio, stand-up and film career in Australia.- Career :...
joined from series two, and Melbourne Uni Revue stars
Mick MolloyMichael "Mick" Molloy is an Australian comedian, writer and producer who has been active in the fields of radio, television, stand-up and film.-Biography:...
and Jason Stephens were added for the specials.
The D-Generation
- Nick Bufalo (1985, 1988-89)
- John Harrison (1985-89)
- Magda Szubanski (1985-89)
- Marg Downey (1985-89)
- Michael Veitch (1985-89)
- Rob Sitch (1985-93)
- Santo Cilauro (1985-93)
- Tom Gleisner (1985-93)
- Jane Turner (1987-89)
- Tony Martin (1987-93)
- Jane Kennedy (1988-93)
- Jason Stephens (1988-93)
- Mick Molloy (1988-93)
- Judith Lucy (1991-93)
Series One (1986)
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In 2004, The Best and Second Best of the D-Generation was released on DVD. It compiles three hours of sketches covering both the ABC TV series' and the Channel 7 specials.
The one-disc DVD also features extra footage recorded on Super 8mm filmSuper 8 mm film is a motion picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement of the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format....
while the group were attending university, footage from the 1990 Channel Nine pilots, both Five in a Row music videos, home video footage of their 1991 stage show at Le Joke, and other bits and pieces – including highlights from the time Rob, Jane, Tom and Santo hosted Burke's Backyard in 1993.
Radio Serial
The D Generation breakfast show was a hugely successful radio program which ran for six years (19 May 1986-April 1992) on Melbourne's Triple MThe Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
.
Hightlights of the show (as well as the original TV series theme song) were later edited down to album length and were released on CDs and Cassette Tapes:
- Thanks For Being You (1987)
- D-Generation TV Mix and Dance Mix (1987) – single
- The Satanic Sketches * (1989)
- Five in a Row (1989) – single
- The Breakfast Tapes (1990)
- Five More in a Row (1990) – single
* Indicates ARIA Award-winning album
Breakfast Show Lineup:
- Rob Sitch. (19 May 1986 / Jan. 1989-Dec. 1991)
- Tom Gleisner. (19 May 1986-April 1992)
- Santo Cilauro. (19 May 1986-April 1992)
- Tony Martin. (June 1987-December 1991)
- Michael Veitch. (October 1987-April 1989)
- Marg Downey. (June-December 1988)
- Magda Szubanski. (June-December 1988)
- Jane Kennedy. (June 1988-April 1992)
- Mick Molloy. (January 1990-April 1992)
- Jason Stephens. (January 1990-April 1992)
- Judith Lucy. (April 1991-April 1992)
- John Harrison (September-December 1991)
Post D-Generation
Cast members of both the television and radio show (Sitch, Gleisner, Martin, Cilauro, Molloy, Stephens and Jane KennedyJane Kennedy is an Australian actress, comedian, radio presenter, and television producer best known for her work with the Working Dog Productions – a tight-knit group of performers responsible for a variety of television and films....
) subsequently moved on to the equally popular ABC TV series The Late ShowThe Late Show was a popular Australian comedy show, which ran for two seasons on ABC from 18 July 1992 to 30 October 1993.-Cast:The Late Show has its roots in the 1980s comedy group, The D-Generation...
(1992–1993), which also featured stand-up comic Judith LucyJudith Mary Lucy is an Australian comedian, known primarily for her stand-up comedy. She has toured Australia with several highly successful one-woman shows, including No Waiter I Ordered the Avocado , King Of The Road , An Impossible Dream , The Show , The Show 2 , Colour Me Judith...
.
Four D-Generation cast members (Veitch, Downey, Szubanski and Turner) went on to a similarly-styled and very popular
sketch comedy series, Fast Forward (1989–1992) on Channel 7The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
. All later made guest appearances on this show's sequel, Full FrontalFull Frontal was an Australian sketch comedy series which debuted in 1993. The show first aired on the Seven Network on 13 May 1993, and finished on 18 September 1997....
(1993–1997), which marked the TV debut of actor and comic Eric BanaEric Bana is an Australian film and television actor. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining critical recognition in the biopic Chopper...
.
Fast Forward itself led to the Channel 7The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
comedy shows, Big Girl's BlouseBig Girl's Blouse is an Australian skit program that aired in the mid-1990s on the Seven Network. The show was created by Gina Riley, Jane Turner and Magda Szubanski who all went on to star in Kath & Kim. There were four one-hour episodes, plus the pilot, which are usually shown as eight half-hour...
(1994), starring Magda Szubanski, Jane Turner and Gina RileyGina Riley is an Australian actress, writer, singer and comedian.Riley became a popular television performer in the sketch shows Fast Forward, its successor Full Frontal, Big Girl's Blouse and Something Stupid. In the latter she was also a producer and writer...
, and Something Stupid (1998), with the same trio plus Marg Downey. Both series featured the parodic Aussie suburban characters who were later the 'stars' of the hit series Kath & KimKath & Kim is a Logie Award-winning character-driven Australian television situation comedy series. The series was created by, and is written by Jane Turner and Gina Riley who play the title characters: a suburban mother and daughter with a dysfunctional relationship...
(2002-).
Rob, Santo and Tom
Three of the original D-Generation cast – Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner, along with Jane Kennedy and long time D-Gen producer Michael Hirsh are the principals of the successful Australian production company Working Dog ProductionsWorking Dog Productions is a small film and television production company based in Melbourne, Australia. It was originally known as Frontline Television Productions Pty Ltd...
.
TV:
- Frontline
Frontline is an Australian comedy television series which satirised Australian television current affairs programmes and reporting. It ran for three series of 13 half-hour episodes and was broadcast on ABC TV in 1994, 1995 and 1997.-Production:...
(1994–1997)
- Funky Squad
Funky Squad was a short-lived 1995 Australian comedy television series which satirised '70s-era U.S. police television dramas, such as The Mod Squad. Only 7 half-hour episodes were produced, which were broadcast on the ABC...
(1995)
- The Campaign (1996) (Documentary)
- A River Somewhere
A River Somewhere was an Australian documentary television series originally broadcast by ABC TV in 1997 and 1998. It was produced by Working Dog Productions, and was hosted by Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch...
(1997–1998)
- The Panel
The Panel was an Australian television talk show broadcast by Network Ten and its affiliates; it was also simulcast on the Triple M radio network...
(1998–)
- All Aussie Adventures
All Aussie Adventures is an Australian mockumentary television series that parodied the travel-adventure genre. Glenn Robbins plays Russell Coight, a survival and wildlife expert who charts his disastrous travels through Australia, spreading misinformation and causing accidents...
(2001–2004)
- Thank God You're Here
Thank God You're Here is an Australian television improvised comedy program created by Working Dog Productions, which premiered on Network Ten on 5 April 2006, and aired for the first three seasons with Seven for the fourth season...
(2006–)
- The Hollowmen
The Hollowmen is an Australian television comedy series set in the offices of the Central Policy Unit, a fictional political advisory unit personally set up by the Prime Minister to help him get re-elected. Their brief is long term vision; to stop worrying about tomorrow's headlines, and focus on...
(2008)
Radio serials:
- Funky Squad
Funky Squad was a short-lived 1995 Australian comedy television series which satirised '70s-era U.S. police television dramas, such as The Mod Squad. Only 7 half-hour episodes were produced, which were broadcast on the ABC...
(1994)
- Medico Point (1995)
- Implausible Rescue (1996)
- Johnny Swank
Johnny Swank was the name of a radio comedy serial produced by Working Dog Productions in 1996 for Australia's Austereo radio network. The show was created by members of the The D-Generation...
(1996)
Film:
- The Castle
The Castle is a 1997 Australian comedy film directed by Rob Sitch. It starred Michael Caton, Anne Tenney, Stephen Curry, Sophie Lee, Eric Bana and Charles 'Bud' Tingwell. The screenwriting team comprised Sitch, Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Jane Kennedy of Working Dog Productions.The Castle was...
(1997)
- The Dish
The Dish is a 2000 Australian film that tells the story of how the Parkes Observatory was used to relay the live television of man's first steps on the moon, during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969...
(2000).
Books:
- Molvania
Molvanîa: a Land Untouched by Modern Dentistry is a book parodying travel guidebooks. The guide describes the fictional country Molvanîa, in Eastern Europe, a nation described as "the birthplace of the whooping cough" and "owner of Europe's oldest nuclear reactor"...
: A Land Untouched by Modern Dentistry (2003)
- Phaic Tan
Phaic Tăn is a parody travel guidebook examining imaginary country Phaic Tăn. The book's full title is Phaic Tăn: Sunstroke on a Shoestring and was written by Australians Tom Gleisner, Santo Cilauro, and Rob Sitch...
: Sunstroke on a Shoestring (2004)
- San Sombrero
San Sombrèro is a parody travel guide book examining the eponymous fictional country, described as the birthplace of tinted sunglasses and sequins...
: A Land of Carnivals, Cocktails and Coups (2006)
Tony and Mick
Tony Martin and Mick Molloy have remained an on-again/off-again team producing many film, radio and television features.
Their most well known project 'Martin/Molloy', had a run of four years and released three ARIA Award-winning compilation albums – The Brown AlbumThe Brown Album is the first compilation double-album of material taken from the Australian radio program Martin/Molloy, with comedians Tony Martin and Mick Molloy...
(1995), Poop ChutePoop Chute is the second compilation double-album of material taken from Australia's Martin/Molloy radio program, with comedians Tony Martin and Mick Molloy. As with the two other Martin/Molloy albums, Poop Chute won the Best Comedy Release at the ARIA Music Awards, taking the award in 1997.-Disc...
(1996) and Eat Your PeasEat Your Peas is the third and final compilation double-album of material taken from the popular Australian radio show Martin/Molloy, with comedians Tony Martin and Mick Molloy...
(1998).
TV:
- The Mick Molloy Show
The Mick Molloy Show was a television program that appeared on the Nine Network in Australia for just eight weeks during 1999. The host, Mick Molloy, was a widely acclaimed comedian from The Late Show and Martin/Molloy...
(1999)
- The Nation
The Nation was an Australian satirical sketch comedy and discussion series covering the week's events across political and social spectrums, premiering on Tuesday 5 June 2007 at on the Nine Network....
(2007)
Radio:
- Bulltwang (Sept.-Dec. 1991)
- Martin/Molloy
Martin/Molloy was an Australian radio program starring Tony Martin and Mick Molloy, both formerly of The D-Generation and The Late Show. It was broadcast nationwide on 54 radio stations for two hours on weekday evenings between 1995 and 1998....
(1995–1998)
- Tough Love
ToughLove was an Australian comedic radio talk program broadcast from Melbourne through the Triple M network from 12:00PM - 1:00PM AEST in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide....
(with Mick Molloy) (2004–2006)
- Get This
Get This was an Australian radio comedy show which aired on Triple M and was hosted by Tony Martin and Ed Kavalee, with contributions from panel operator, the late Richard Marsland...
(with Tony Martin) (2006–2007)
Film:
- Tackle Happy
Tackle Happy is an Australian documentary film released in 2000 about the live performance show Puppetry of the Penis starring Simon Morley and David Friend. It was produced and directed by comedian Mick Molloy, whose radio show Martin/Molloy had chronicled the chaotic 1998 tour captured in the film...
(2000)
- Crackerjack (2002)
- Bad Eggs
Bad Eggs is a 2003 Australian comedy movie, written and directed by Tony Martin. It stars Mick Molloy, Bob Franklin and Judith Lucy, with Alan Brough, Bill Hunter, Marshall Napier, Nicholas Bell, Steven Vidler, Shaun Micallef, Robyn Nevin, Brett Swain, Denis Moore and Pete Smith having supporting...
(2003)
- BoyTown
BoyTown is a 2006 Australian comedy film, directed by Kevin Carlin and starring an ensemble cast of prominent Australian comedians, including Glenn Robbins, Mick Molloy, Bob Franklin, Wayne Hope and Gary Eck. It was filmed in Melbourne, Victoria....
(2006).
Books:
- Lolly Scramble
Lolly Scramble: A Memoir of Little Consequence, published in 2005, is collection of autobiographical essays by New Zealand-Australian comedian Tony Martin...
(by Tony Martin) (2005)
- A Nest of Occasionals
A Nest of Occasionals , published in 2009, is collection of autobiographical essays by New Zealand-Australian comedian Tony Martin. It is a follow up to his first book Lolly Scramble...
(by Tony Martin) (2009)
Other cast members
Michael Veitch and Marg Downey returned to sketch comedy in Let Loose LiveLet Loose Live was an hour-long Australian live sketch comedy television programme that was loosely based on Saturday Night Live. It was broadcast on the Seven Network on Sunday nights at 8:30 PM. It was axed after just two episodes due to disappointing ratings...
(2005) with a dismal run of just two episodes.
Nick Bufalo has gone on to be a successful TV director who has made several videos and specials with Australian children's band The WigglesThe Wiggles are a children's group formed in Sydney, Australia in 1991. Their original members were Anthony Field, Phillip Wilcher, Murray Cook, Greg Page, and Jeff Fatt. Wilcher left the group after their first album...
.
Jason Stephens is now the Director of Development for Fremantlemedia Australia, one of Australia's leading independent television production companies. He produced The KingThe King: The Story of Graham Kennedy is an Australian telemovie examining the life of Australian entertainer Graham Kennedy.Produced in Australia by the Sydney based independent production company Crackerjack Productions for TV1 and the Nine Network, The King was first shown on 20 May 2007 on TV1...
, the AFI Award-winning telemovie based on the life of Graham KennedyGraham Cyril Kennedy, AO was an Australian radio, television and film performer, often called Gra Gra and The King of Australian television.-Childhood:...
, and is the executive producer of NewstopiaNewstopia is an Australian half-hour satirical comedy programme hosted by Shaun Micallef. The first series premiered at on SBS TV on 10 October 2007 and concluded on 3 December 2007. A second season began on 27 February 2008 and concluded on 30 April 2008. A third season of the show screened from...
(2007–) with Shaun MicallefShaun Patrick Micallef is an Australian actor, comedian and writer. After ten years of working in insurance law as a solicitor in Adelaide, Micallef moved to Melbourne to pursue a full-time comedy career in 1993...
. Jason was also the creator of the Choir of Hard Knocks.
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