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Brian Edwards - TV Current Affairs Legend

Posted on 27 July 2011

Credits: Interview, Camera and Editing - Andrew Whiteside
Veteran broadcaster Brian Edwards is an Irish import who made a big impact on New Zealand current affairs television. He was first seen on the 1960s regional programme Town and Around, but soon made a name for himself as a no-nonsense interviewer on Gallery. It was on that show he helped bring about the end of a union dispute with the Post Office while live on air. His bi-weekly TV show Edwards on Saturday followed, and after a controversial start, was a ratings hit. Later, Edwards helped start up the long-running consumer rights TV show Fair Go, and hosted the popular Top of the Morning on Radio New Zealand. In this ScreenTalk interview, Edwards talks about:
  • How being on Town and Around saved him from being a miserable academic
  • Getting a reputation for being an ‘aggressive interviewer’ on Gallery
  • Creating a political spat after naming SIS agents on the programme
  • Having a pivotal role in solving the infamous Post Office strike
  • Insulting just about every sector of society in the first episode of Edwards on Saturday
  • How Fair Go changed the rules of television by naming and shaming ‘baddies’
  • Why he thinks the new look Fair Go has lost its community appeal
  • Not enjoying doing the live show Edwards at Large
  • Great current affairs now being marginalised on television
This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence
 

  Tags

gallery, town and around, presenter, current affairs, interview, television, consumer rights, TVNZ, Interviews

Comments

by Ken Burns on 29 July 2011 at 4:48 pm

Anyone who has had a history in tv will always be critical of changes made to current programmes. No they are not the same as the ones that you were involved in but programmes and form changes alot as newer production people are taken on. It's one thing you'll have to live with

by barbz on 26 September 2011 at 11:59 pm

hi brian edwards and sandra did a television docomentry on my father and my family sometime in the late 70s i am now 40 and my dad is nearly 70 i want to catch up with brian but dont know how to my dad birthday is october 14 this year and like to make contact with brian please can anyoone help me

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