Screentalk

Stu Dennison was a much-loved TV presenter in the 1970s who introduced the ‘naughty schoolboy’ and thumbs up to a generation of Kiwi kids on the show Nice One Stu. He went on to host a range of TV shows, often as sidekick to popular TV host Roger Gascoigne. After Dennison ended his on-air career, he re-invented himself as a sports producer at TVNZ. In this ScreenTalk, Dennison talks about:

• Being the ‘everyman’ on Ready to Roll
• Creating the outrageous persona on Nice One Stu
• Becoming famous by being controversial
• How a spontaneous ‘thumbs up’ became his signature gesture
• Winding up the prim and proper Roger Gascoigne on Top Town
• Getting a pie in the face on Telethon
• Enjoying the mix of live entertainment and skits on How’s That
• Moving from presenting to editing and producing sports
• Carrying the torch at the Beijing Olympics

Roger Gascoigne was at one stage the most famous man on New Zealand television. He began his TV career as a continuity announcer and introduced his infamous wink to the nation. He went on to present a huge range of TV shows in the 70s and 80s including Ready to Roll, Top Town and several Telethons. During the 80s he made the transition to news presenting on regional show Today Tonight. In this ScreenTalk, Gascoigne talks about:

• Becoming the face of television
• How ‘the wink’ became an institution
• Getting excited about music videos in the early days of Ready to Roll
• Revamping the midnight to dawn slot on Telethon
• Ruining a valuable piece of equipment on Top Town
• Fearing for his life while being mobbed on the show
• Changing the focus of his career by hosting Today Tonight
• Acting a role similar to his real persona in Peppermint Twist
• How the arrival of Holmes led to him leaving television

His favourite music videos include Joy Division’s Atmosphere and Tall Dwarfs’ Turning Brown and Torn in Two. And Brent Hansen has seen a lot of music videos. From producing famously eclectic Kiwi music show Radio with Pictures to rising up through the ranks to become head of MTV Europe, Brent Hansen has been a major player in putting music on screen. In this ScreenTalk interview, the life-long music fan and ideas man talks about:

• first being invited to work as a floor assistant for television, while studying to be a teacher in Christchurch
• what made long-running Sunday night music show Radio with Pictures so special
• how RWP host Karyn Hay was “singularly independent and the first real New Zealand television presenter”
• how an O.E. with his wife Philippa Dann timed in with the European launch of music channel MTV, and revolutionary change in the way music was showcased on screen
• making sure the MTV playlists mixed mainstream acts like Madonna and more alternative artists like The Cramps
• early days at MTV Europe, and rising through the ranks to become Creative President and Editor-in-Chief of MTV International
• his achievements at MTV, including launching the MTV Europe Music awards, and enabling the channel to operate on a more regional basis
• where he sees music television going in an age where music has been tribalised and devalued