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‘Iconic’ Spicks and Specks wraps for ABC

At the Spicks & Specks wrap party Adam Hills tells guests, "We did what we said we wanted to do. We had fun and we celebrated Australian music."

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There was laughter, music, celebs, ABC executives and the odd tear or two as Spicks and Specks recorded its last ever episode last night.

The hour-long special was a star-studded affair as eager fans and industry crammed into the Gordon Street studios for the last hurrah.

Set to screen in November, the finale features rotating panels of guests, including Amanda Keller, Denise Scott, Tommy Dean, Richard Gill,  Scott Edgar, Brian Cadd, Adam Richards, Dan Sultan and even Geoffrey Rush on his 60th birthday.

Even more familiar faces turned up to watch the show depart, such is its fondness in the music and comedy industries.

Adam Hills told the audience he wanted the show to end on a high and on their terms.

The last ever question of its seven year run pertains, very aptly, to the Bee Gees.

The closing song is performed by Brian Mannix and a reunited Uncanny X-Men.

At a wrap party, ABC’s Director of Television Kim Dalton called the show ‘iconic’ and lamented that he had missed out on ever being invited onto the show.

“It’s a landmark and a reference point in the history of Australian television,” he told guests.

“We are here to mark the end of this great production. And in doing so, we can do go two ways.

“As a television executive I can ask you all to mourn its passing. To share my worry and angst over the forthcoming hole in our Wednesday night line-up. The rock on which our Wednesday nights have been built is about to be no more. We can see those great numbers, the reach, the spread of demos, slipping through our fingers. A winning programme becoming a thing of the past. You can hear the sighs around the other networks!

“Or I can ask you to approach its passing from the point of view of a very proud national broadcaster, committed to developing and supporting Australian culture and Australian creative talent.”

Dalton also paid tribute to Myf Warhurst, Alan Brough and host Adam Hills.

“He’s someone our audience would feel at home with if he stepped out of their TV sets and into their living rooms.”

Dalton said Hills was due to appear in a second series of Gordon Street Tonight, that Myf Warhurst would be back on ABC soon and that he hoped Alan Brough wouldn’t be away from screens for long.

Hills thanked the show’s production team, guests and viewers and said he had received a phone message from legendary director Peter Faiman, who had helped establish the show.

“Oops I’m at the ABC studios in Sydney for your wrap party,” said the message.

But Hills also thanked ABC execs including Courtney Gibson and Amanda Duthie.

“What the ABC offers that no other network offers is creative freedom. They let us make the shows we want to make and that’s why we’re here,” he said.

“We created a TV show from scratch, a good TV show from scratch. We kick-started careers. We celebrated Molly Meldrum after Channel Nine did a roast that took the p*ss out of him and left him in tears. We had an episode which at the end Renee Geyer said ‘that’s the roast that Molly should have had.’

“We gave Molly his moment on television in his old studio.

“We did what we said we wanted to do. We had fun and we celebrated Australian music.”

18 Responses

  1. For the record, and in response to comments by @daveinprogress, the idea that Spicks and Specks was ‘resoundingly rejected’ by me and that either Amanda Duthie or I were ‘very critical’ of the series when it launched is utter bollocks and narky in the extreme.

  5. DAve O’Neil was also on t he panel and he was just talking about it on radio. He said it was sad because it has ended but the party was a blast and it was a really good way to end the show.

    Luckily we still have to november to enjoy this great show.

  9. This brings a tear to my eye. We will miss our regular Wednesday night ritual – watching Specks and Specks at 8:30 and then At the Movies at 10pm, with a range of varying quality shows in the middle.

    Just don’t tell me that David and Margaret are going to give it away now – that would be too much to bear.

  13. Correct David, but the two other executives named in this item were and were present at the finale, and were very critical of the series when it was first launched. Mr Dalton has been at the helm as the inhouse culture has continued to be eroded, a process indeed commenced before his tenure. My point is that what Dalton will miss, are the very ingredients that he has progressively removed from the organisation and that are needed to create another long running favourite.

  15. I will miss this show greatly (and the live shows – they were Awesome!!). My Tivo and I will be sitting at a blank screen on Wednesday nights now 🙂

  16. Tv executives, such ‘nice people’! And with such short memories. Well i guess 6 years is a long time. I distinctly remember the first couple of eps of Spicks and Specks being resoundly rejected by a certain then head of entertainment. The very quick audience positive reaction to the show seemed to quieten down those reservations. Initially part of the cheap and cheerful initiatives of Sandra Levy – entertainment lite – game shows, panel shows and revivals, New Inventors as well as Spicks were met with such glowing endorsement from viewers, despite execs loooking down their elegant noses at these inhouse productions that had to be made to justify the staff in Sydney and Melbourne (as well as the regionals making Can we help, The Collectors, Talking Heads – all which served the network so well for so long. Now with very little left, they are indeed lamenting the evidently unwanted ending of this popular and acclaimed inexpensive show. Spending the big bucks on short run boutique dramas and comedies doesn’t work either. Angry Boys, Lawrence Leung and Librarians luke ratings support that. The public will support cheery inhouse shows that have long runs. Familiarity is a good thing, Mr Dalton. How ironic to be lamenting it now.

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