GenQ - For the not so straight individual

Whenever the topic of classic Australian Comedy comes up, there's one name that always gets a mention: Graham Kennedy. Graham was one of the first comedians to be on Australian television, being asked to host In Melbourne Tonight (IMT), and, later on, Blankety Blanks, as well as a few movies that showed that he can also be serious in front of the cameras if he needed to be.


When Graham died in May, 2005, the Australian entertainment industry went into mourning. We had lost our King of Australian Television.

This month, Foxtel's TV1 is paying tribute to Graham by showing nightly episodes of Blankety Blanks, as well as some of his movies. On May 20th, TV1 will debut the telemovie "The King", which tells the story of Graham, from his childhood through to Blankety Blanks. It highlights his off-camera personality, the ups and downs he went through with his rise to fame, his relationships with his friends, and even touches on his publically-closeted homosexuality.


The King features an amazing array of Australian talent, with Stephen Curry playing Graham, Garry McDonald as Nicky Whitta (Graham's first mentor), Shaun Micallef as GTV9's station manager Colin Bednall, Steve Bisley as talent agent Harry M. Miller, Stephen Hall as Bert Newton, Jane Allsop as Noeline Brown, Beau Brady as GTV9 dancer (and one of Graham's partners) Tim, Monica Maughan as Graham's Nan, Leo Taylor as Sir Frank Packer, Bernard Curry as Graham's best friend John Wesley, and Beth Buchanon as John's wife Val.  There is also a small cameo by Angus Sampson as Ugly Dave Gray (featured below).


Tune in to TV1 at 8.30pm on 20th May for the debut of The King, and on May 25th, which is the anniversary of Graham's passing, TV1 will take you on a behind-the-scenes feature on the making of The King at 7.30pm, then show an encore screening of this amazing telemovie.

For more information, log on to TV1's website.

Thanks to TV1 for their support in this article.