The Dream with Roy and HG
Encyclopedia
The Dream with Roy and HG was a sports/comedy talk show, broadcast every night during the Sydney
2000
, Salt Lake 2002
and Athens
2004
Olympics
, presented by Australia
n comedy duo Roy and HG
.
Their telecasts became one of the most popular events of the Games, with Olympians from all nations queueing up to appear. The gifts given to interviewees became some of the most valuable collectors' items of the Games.
Due to the attention on Australia as the host nation, the 2000 season took the form of a two hour show and was made available to Olympic broadcasters internationally; the 2004 season was a one hour show broadcast in Australia only.
The pair became well known for their commentary of certain events, particularly the men's gymnastics
, where they coined terms for various movements - including adapted vernacular such as "battered sav
" and "Chiko Roll
", and other inventions like "flat bag", "Dutch wink" and "hello boys" - that became familiar to viewers worldwide. Other running jokes included showing slow-motion clips of Greco-Roman Wrestling
accompanied by raunchy Barry White
music and the very snugly fitting outfits worn by the male Rowing teams.
They also popularised Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat
as their mascot, dismissing the official mascots as "Syd, Ollie, and Dickhead". This was emphasised in a satirical diving contest between Fatso, the three official mascots, and the Boxing Kangaroo
later in the games. Fatso's huge popularity during the series caused consternation with the Australian Olympic Committee
, who at first tried to ban the character from Olympic events after Australian athletes appeared carrying Fatso dolls at medal ceremonies. When auctioned for charity at the end of the series, Fatso was purchased by Seven Network CEO Kerry Stokes
for A$
80,450. A statue of Fatso has since been erected at the Olympic Park site.
Insulting New Zealand
ers, particularly by way of the medal tally, was also a favourite pastime of Roy. When New Zealand won their first gold of the games in the rowing
, he remarked that New Zealanders were "only good at sitting down and going backwards". During the 2004 season, Norway
was insulted frequently, along with New Zealand
ers, as was former Olympic host city Atlanta, which Roy regularly denounced as "the toilet".
The show's popularity during the 2000 season prompted the creation of two spin-off shows, broadcast in Australia only — The Ice Dream during the 2002 Winter Olympics
in Salt Lake City, and The Cream, during the 2003 Rugby World Cup
. The show's success also spawned The Monday Dump, a weekly sports/talk show with a similar format but lacking the central focus of a single sporting event.
Targets of humour during the coverage of the 2002 Winter Olympics
included figure skating
, curling
, Monaco
's bobsleigh
team (especially Albert II, Prince of Monaco
). They promoted the Smiggin Holes 2010 Winter Olympic bid
, even presenting it to IOC
president Jacques Rogge
, who described it as "very impressive". According to The Ice Dream, during the 1952 Olympics
, Cedric Sloane
skewered a seagull during a cross-country skiing
event, putting a curse on the Australian team that could only be lifted when Australia won a gold medal (achieved by Steven Bradbury
).
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
2000
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, Salt Lake 2002
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
and Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
2004
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, presented by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n comedy duo Roy and HG
Roy and HG
Roy & HG is an Australian comedy duo, comprising Greig Pickhaver in the role of "H [Harry] G Nelson" and John Doyle as "'Rampaging' Roy Slaven". Their act is an affectionate but irreverent parody of Australia's obsession with sport. Their characters based on archetypes in sports journalism: Nelson...
.
Their telecasts became one of the most popular events of the Games, with Olympians from all nations queueing up to appear. The gifts given to interviewees became some of the most valuable collectors' items of the Games.
Due to the attention on Australia as the host nation, the 2000 season took the form of a two hour show and was made available to Olympic broadcasters internationally; the 2004 season was a one hour show broadcast in Australia only.
The pair became well known for their commentary of certain events, particularly the men's gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, where they coined terms for various movements - including adapted vernacular such as "battered sav
Saveloy
A saveloy is a type of highly seasoned sausage, usually bright red in colour, which is typically available in English fish and chips shops,but more often from pork shops sometimes fried in batter...
" and "Chiko Roll
Chiko Roll
The Chiko Roll is an Australian savoury snack, inspired by the Chinese egg roll and spring rolls. It was designed to be easily eaten on the move without a plate or cutlery. The Chiko roll consists of beef, celery, cabbage, barley, carrot, onion, green beans, and spices in a tube of egg, flour and...
", and other inventions like "flat bag", "Dutch wink" and "hello boys" - that became familiar to viewers worldwide. Other running jokes included showing slow-motion clips of Greco-Roman Wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...
accompanied by raunchy Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
music and the very snugly fitting outfits worn by the male Rowing teams.
They also popularised Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat
Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat
Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat was an unofficial mascot of the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics created by Sydney cartoonist Paul Newell with Roy and HG from the Australian Channel Seven sports/comedy television program The Dream with Roy and HG, which covered the event...
as their mascot, dismissing the official mascots as "Syd, Ollie, and Dickhead". This was emphasised in a satirical diving contest between Fatso, the three official mascots, and the Boxing Kangaroo
Boxing Kangaroo
The boxing kangaroo is a national symbol of Australia, frequently seen in popular culture. The symbol is often displayed prominently by Australian spectators at sporting events, such as at cricket, tennis and football matches, and at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games. The flag is also highly...
later in the games. Fatso's huge popularity during the series caused consternation with the Australian Olympic Committee
Australian Olympic Committee
The Australian Olympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee in Australia for the Olympic Games movement. It is a non-profit organisation that selects teams, and raises funds to send Australian competitors to Olympic events organised by the International Olympic Committee .-Background:The...
, who at first tried to ban the character from Olympic events after Australian athletes appeared carrying Fatso dolls at medal ceremonies. When auctioned for charity at the end of the series, Fatso was purchased by Seven Network CEO Kerry Stokes
Kerry Stokes
Kerry Matthew Stokes AC is an Australian businessman. He holds business interests in a diverse range of industries including electronic and print media, property, mining, and construction equipment. He is most widely known as the chairman of the Seven Network, one of the largest broadcasting...
for A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
80,450. A statue of Fatso has since been erected at the Olympic Park site.
Insulting New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
ers, particularly by way of the medal tally, was also a favourite pastime of Roy. When New Zealand won their first gold of the games in the rowing
Rowing at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Final results for the Rowing events at the 2000 Summer Olympics:The event is probably most noted for Steve Redgrave's winning his fifth Olympic gold medal in as many games in the British men's coxless four. However, there were a number of other dramatic races. Both the men's and women's single...
, he remarked that New Zealanders were "only good at sitting down and going backwards". During the 2004 season, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
was insulted frequently, along with New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
ers, as was former Olympic host city Atlanta, which Roy regularly denounced as "the toilet".
The show's popularity during the 2000 season prompted the creation of two spin-off shows, broadcast in Australia only — The Ice Dream during the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
in Salt Lake City, and The Cream, during the 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
. The show's success also spawned The Monday Dump, a weekly sports/talk show with a similar format but lacking the central focus of a single sporting event.
The Ice Dream
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
included figure skating
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
, curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
, Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
's bobsleigh
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
team (especially Albert II, Prince of Monaco
Albert II, Prince of Monaco
Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco is the head of the House of Grimaldi and the ruler of the Principality of Monaco. He is the son of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and the American actress Grace Kelly...
). They promoted the Smiggin Holes 2010 Winter Olympic bid
Smiggin Holes 2010 Winter Olympic bid
The Smiggin Holes 2010 Winter Olympic bid was a joke campaign initiated by Australian comedians Roy and HG to bring the 2010 Winter Olympics to the tiny and little-known village of Smiggin Holes, part of the Perisher Blue ski resort, in New South Wales, Australia...
, even presenting it to IOC
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
president Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
, who described it as "very impressive". According to The Ice Dream, during the 1952 Olympics
Australia at the 1952 Winter Olympics
Australia's second Winter Olympic Games appearance was at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway. It was 16 years since Australia's last Winter Games, as the 1940 and 1944 Winter Olympics were cancelled, and Australia did not compete in the 1948 Winter Olympics. Australia sent nine athletes and...
, Cedric Sloane
Cedric Sloane
Cedric Sloane was an Australian cross country skier who competed in the 1950s. At the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, he finished 75th in the 18 km event and competed in the 50 km event, but did not finish.-See also:* Australia at the 1952 Winter Olympics...
skewered a seagull during a cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
event, putting a curse on the Australian team that could only be lifted when Australia won a gold medal (achieved by Steven Bradbury
Steven Bradbury
Steven John Bradbury OAM is a former Australian short track speed skater and four-time Olympian, who won the 1,000 m event at the 2002 Winter Olympics after all of his opponents were involved in a last corner pile-up...
).