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

Long-time television and radio host Mark Leishman began his TV career as a continuity announcer, and then moved on to the regional news show Today Tonight. Over the years, Leishman has appeared on a number of hit shows including Top Town, That’s Fairly Interesting and Tux Wonderdogs. As well as presenting, he has also directed documentaries such as A Friend For Life and Kohi: A Guide For Life. In this ScreenTalk, Leishman talks about:

• Getting a chance to read the news and create stories on Today Tonight
• Taking over the reins on Top Town
• How budgets and health and safety regulations weren’t an issue
• A future All Black becoming ultra competitive
• Joining a youthful Phil Keoghan hosting That’s Fairly Interesting
• Missing out on some great footage when directing the Peter Blake Bi-Centennial Race Around Australia
• Making Tux Wonderdogs a hit
• Jim Mora’s scripts and voice bringing personality to the show
• Creating a series of documentaries on guide dogs
• Pitting celebrities against a young genius on The Great NZ Spelling Bee
• Feeling fortunate to have had a good long run on TV