Simon Townsend's Wonder World
Encyclopedia
Simon Townsend's Wonder World! was a multi-award–winning Australian children's television show that aired on the Ten Network from 1979 until 1986. It was hosted by journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...

 Simon Townsend
Simon Townsend
Simon Townsend is an Australian journalist who became a popular television host during the 1980s. He is currently a tutor in journalism.-Vietnam War Conscientious Objector:...

.

Format

Each episode of Simon Townsend's Wonder World! featured an introduction by Townsend as the studio host, accompanied by his pet and companion bloodhound
Bloodhound
The Bloodhound is a large breed of dog which, while originally bred to hunt deer and wild boar, was later bred specifically to track human beings. It is a scenthound, tracking by smell, as opposed to a sighthound, which tracks using vision. It is famed for its ability to discern human odors even...

 Woodrow (Woodrow died in 1985 and was replaced at first with a sulphur-crested cockatoo
Cockatoo
A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae and the Strigopidae , they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes . Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, although many aspects of the other living lineages of...

 and then with another baby bloodhound. A competition was run amongst the viewers to name the new puppy and seeing as though Townsend had recently won a Logie award, the puppy was named Logie.) Simon would then present four individual magazine-style stories, each presented by a different reporter.

The stories covered any and every subject imaginable, from the most amazing pets, to the meaning of one hand clapping. Two researchers, two cinematographers, two sound recordists, four reporters and four editors worked on the time equivalent of a feature film every week - about eighty minutes of screen time shot on 16mm reversal film. Stories were not scripted, relying upon the ingenuity of the reporter and the two-man crew. If a story fell through the trio found another; no-one ever returned to the office at the end of the day without two stories.
Every show also contained a viewer segment, and a music segment - often produced by the program itself. For instance Simon Townsend's Wonder World! made the first ever music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 to feature Australian band INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...

. During the course of the series, Townsend and his reporters traveled all over Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and to many and varied locations in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

 and the Pacific region.

Simon Townsend would always end every show with the same signature farewell - "And remember, the world really is wonderful!"

History

The program was conceived by Townsend in the early 1970s and was designed to be a fast-moving daily dose of informed entertainment for children, and be suitable for and attractive to older teens and adults.

Both the Nine
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...

 and the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...

s helped Townsend make pilots
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...

 for his concept, but neither network bought the series. However in 1979 when the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal
Australian Communications and Media Authority
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is an Australian government statutory authority within the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy portfolio...

 introduced a compulsory 'C' classification (making it a requirement for networks to broadcast only 'C' classified shows between 4pm and 5pm weekdays), Townsend saw the potential and offered the Ten Network, which were searching for a suitable children's program at the time, the opportunity to produce his show.

The first episode of Simon Townsend's Wonder World! went to air on 3 September 1979. At first the show was telecast only in the East Coast capital cities of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

 and Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

. But after Harvey Shore
Harvey Shore
Harvey Shore, Dip A , ADM is an Australian film and television writer/producer. He has won numerous awards and has over 3,000 hours of broadcast credits to his name. Shore is also a published author...

 joined the program as producer in early 1980, his publicity expertise resulted in rapidly expanding public awareness and interest in the program throughout Australia.

Shore had previously met Townsend when they both worked on Mike Willesee
Mike Willesee
Michael Willesee is an Australian television presenter.Mike Willesee came to prominence in 1967 as a reporter for the ABC's new nightly current affairs program This Day Tonight , where his aggressive style quickly earned him a reputation as a fearless political interviewer.-Career:Willesee figured...

's top-rating TV show Willesee At Seven. It was an odd partnership - Shore being a graduate of the Royal Military College Duntroon and Townsend being a well known conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....

 who refused to be drafted
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...

 into the army. But together they formed a successful partnership that delivered a reliable flow of television supported by regular publicity that created enormous public awareness amongst the total television audience Australia-wide. Before long other capital city and regional stations began signing up for the show.

By the end of 1980 the show was screening in every TV broadcast region throughout Australia. Soon it became the top-rating program on the Ten Network outside prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...

 - and sometimes its ratings were better than programs in prime time. For many years the Ten Network ran two episodes of Simon Townsend's Wonder World every weekday because of its ratings power - an old repeat show at 4pm followed by a new show at 4.30pm. The show also became a media phenomenon, with one press story in 1985 claiming, "I read a newspaper today and there was not a single mention of Simon Townsend. Is this a record?"

After more than 2,000 episodes, the show finished in 1986. The extraordinary success of Simon Townsend's Wonder World! has never been repeated by any other show, though many sought to copy its style.

Theme Music

Simon Townsend was originally keen to use the 1976 Bill Danoff song Afternoon Delight
Afternoon Delight (song)
"Afternoon Delight" is the title of a song recorded by American group, Starland Vocal Band, featuring close harmony and sexually suggestive wordplay. It was written by Bill Danoff, one of the members of the band. It became a number-one U.S. Billboard Hot 100 single on July 10, 1976...

as the theme song for his afternoon TV show. However, when the meaning of the lyrics was pointed out to him, Simon quickly decided to commission a new and original theme song clearly linked to the eponymous host of the show.

As a consequence, Simon hired Australian songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

/producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 Chris Pelcer to write a theme song for Simon Townsend's Wonder World!. Jon St Peeters sang this original theme. It was arranged and produced by Mike Harvey at EMI Studios Sydney in 1979, and released as a 33 by RCA that same year. It was simply titled "Wonder World!" on the record sleeve, though some people call it "If You Believe" after the first three words in the opening lyrics. In 1983, Simon decided to re-record this theme song. Jon St Peeters was by then working in the USA, and unavailable; so Simon cast around for a new voice and eventually settled on up-and-coming female singer, Naomi Louise Warne, who went on to achieve international fame as a blues singer, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 and instrumentalist. Warne's voice and style just edged out Edith Bliss, a reporter on Simon Townsend's Wonder World! who had released her own songs, possessed a good voice, and was keen to get the gig. Naomi Warne's version of Chris Pelcer's theme song for Simon Townsend's Wonder World! was recorded in 1983 and again released on a record, and it was used on the TV show every weekday afternoon until Simon's show ended in 1986. Seven years later, in 1993, the Nine Network decided to re-launch Simon's show with a new host, the beautiful red-headed Pascall Fox. The title was shortened to Wonder World!, and again it still ran every weekday afternoon on Nine for the next three years. It also used the same theme music as the original Simon Townsend's Wonder World! except this time the theme was recorded largely as an instrumental. Simon Townsend is still the rights holder to the theme music and the program format.

Awards and accolades

Simon Townsend's Wonder World! won many awards, including five LOGIE Awards, a TV Star Award and many other trophies, certificates of commendation and popularity prizes. In 1983, Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....

 presented Simon Townsend with a special - Prime Minister's Award trophy, commemorating the milestone of broadcasting the One Thousandth Episode of Simon Townsend's Wonder World! (as recorded in TV Week
TV Week
TV Week is a weekly television magazine in Australia, first published as a Melbourne-only publication in December 1957 , and bearing a strong affiliation to television station GTV.The publication is still publishing weekly...

, issue of 9 June 1983.) The show still remains the highest rating children's program in Australian TV history.

In September 1994, Harvey Shore
Harvey Shore
Harvey Shore, Dip A , ADM is an Australian film and television writer/producer. He has won numerous awards and has over 3,000 hours of broadcast credits to his name. Shore is also a published author...

 (then producing the new Wonder World! for the Nine Network) arranged for a special 32mm bronze medallion to be struck by Sydney medallists Amor Sanders, to commemorate the 15th Anniversary of the start of Simon Townsend's Wonder World!. This medallion was devised and designed by Harvey as a special tribute to Simon Townsend
Simon Townsend
Simon Townsend is an Australian journalist who became a popular television host during the 1980s. He is currently a tutor in journalism.-Vietnam War Conscientious Objector:...

 for creating one of television's most iconic TV shows, and one that gave so many people their big break into TV production and created so many future stars. The "Wonder World!" medallion is the first medallion ever struck in Australia to commemorate a television show. On its reverse is a quote by producer Harvey Shore: To live in the hearts and minds of others is to never die!

Townsend was always a great supporter of new Australian talents. Simon's company Townsend Entertainments gave many people their first opportunity to prove themselves in the entertainment business. For example, Townsend Entertainments was the first production company in Australia to give a woman, Bronwyn Nicholas, a full time position as a cinematographer (Cinematography having previously been a man's domain.) Another Wonder World! cinematographer Andrew Lesnie
Andrew Lesnie
Andrew Lesnie is an Australian cinematographer. Lesnie attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School , graduating in 1979. His first job after graduation was as a cameraman on the Logie Award-winning Australian magazine-style afternoon TV show Simon Townsend's Wonder World...

 went on to win an Academy Award for his film work. Many others who are now well-known in the film and TV industry got their first break thanks to Simon Townsend's Wonder World!. The program's alumni include: Jonathan Coleman who became a huge star in both Australia and England. Amanda Keller
Amanda Keller
Amanda Rose Keller is an Australian journalist, radio presenter, and media personality.-Education:Keller went to Carlingford High School, and then went on to study media and communications at Charles Sturt University as a contemporary of Andrew Denton...

 who also became a very popular local radio and TV personality. Angela Catterns
Angela Catterns
-Early career:Catterns began her radio career at Lismore's local station 2LM, followed by several years in Orange working at CBN8 TV.She then returned to her native Sydney after working as a sound recordist on a documentary shot in Papua New Guinea....

 who became a radio star. Edith Bliss
Edith Bliss
Edith Bliss is an Australian singer and television presenter.She moved to Sydney, New South Wales in 1979. There Bliss initially worked as manager of an upmarket shoe store. She reportedly accompanied a friend to an audition for singers in order to provide moral support, and there was also asked...

 who starred in both advertising and music. Philip Tanner and Maurice Parker became top producers, while Tanner and Brett Clements later made a fortune from board games that were inspired by a Wonder World! story on Crown & Andrews. Fiona Baker created many hit TV shows (like RPA) for the Nine Network and later for other TV networks, after getting her first job as a researched on Wonder World! straight out of university.

Reporters

The star reporters on Simon Townsend's Wonder World!, during its seven years on air, included:
  • Jonathan Coleman
  • Angela Catterns
    Angela Catterns
    -Early career:Catterns began her radio career at Lismore's local station 2LM, followed by several years in Orange working at CBN8 TV.She then returned to her native Sydney after working as a sound recordist on a documentary shot in Papua New Guinea....

  • Hugh Piper
    Hugh Piper
    Hugh Piper is a documentary filmmaker and writer whose work has screened in festivals and appeared on most international television networks....

  • Sandy Mauger
  • Edith Bliss
    Edith Bliss
    Edith Bliss is an Australian singer and television presenter.She moved to Sydney, New South Wales in 1979. There Bliss initially worked as manager of an upmarket shoe store. She reportedly accompanied a friend to an audition for singers in order to provide moral support, and there was also asked...

  • Sheridan Jobbins
    Sheridan Jobbins
    Sheridan Jobbins is an Australian journalist, television presenter and screenwriter.-Life and career:Jobbins was born in Melbourne, Australia. She was educated at Ascham School Edgecliff...

  • Alita Fahey
    Alita Fahey
    Alita Fahey is a former TV actress and reporter who appeared on Simon Townsend's Wonder World , The Ossie Ostrich Video Show and the children's show Antenna . She also had roles on The Restless Years and Sons and Daughters and The Boy in the Bush...

  • Maurice Parker
  • Phillip Tanner
  • Hugh Munro
  • Brett Clements
  • Wednesday Kennedy
  • Adam Bowen
  • Carolyn Mee
  • Melinda Rutter

Wonder World!

In 1992, two of Simon Townsend's former reporters Phillip Tanner and Brett Clements bought the rights to Simon Townsend's Wonder World and sold the concept to the Nine Network which re-launched the show. The successor's new name was shortened to Wonder World!. The "Wonder World!" theme song written for the show at Simon Townsend's request by Australian songwriter/producer Chris Pelcer
Chris Pelcer
Chris Pelcer is an Australian musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer, currently living in Nashville, Tennessee.He was born in Sydney, Australia, and grew up in Moruya, on the south coast of New South Wales. After high school, he returned to Sydney to pursue a career in music...

, remained the show's theme until its final episode.

Harvey Shore
Harvey Shore
Harvey Shore, Dip A , ADM is an Australian film and television writer/producer. He has won numerous awards and has over 3,000 hours of broadcast credits to his name. Shore is also a published author...

 was hired to train new reporters and produce the show once again, this time for the Nine Network.
The hosts and reporters of this new series were:
  • Pascall Fox (famous for her brightly coloured hair, often red or orange. She was later one of the presenters of the Australian version of Ground Force
    Ground Force
    Ground Force was a British garden makeover television series originally broadcast by the BBC between 1997 and 2005. The series was originally hosted by Alan Titchmarsh, Charlie Dimmock and Tommy Walsh and was produced by Endemol for the BBC.-Production:...

     in the early 2000s, and on the Australian version of the show Your Life on the Lawn 2003-2004.)
  • Jodie Young (who went on to star in Sex/Life)
  • Nick Penn (celebrated comedian)
  • Tony Johnston
    Tony Johnston
    Tony Johnston is an Australian television presenter, producer and radio broadcaster. Tony began his career in 1986, as a presenter on the music video show 'Saturday Jukebox' on the Seven Network in Australia....

     (who went on to produce many TV shows and to work overseas.)
  • Liesl Macdonald


Later reporters included:
  • Catriona Rowntree
    Catriona Rowntree
    Catriona Rowntree is a presenter for Australian Nine Network's Getaway program.Rowntree studied journalism at Macleay College in Sydney, after working as a researcher with Business Review Weekly, 2GB and Prime Television...

     (who became a major star of the Nine Network in Getaway and other series.)
  • Dave Kelly
    Dave Kelly
    Dave Kelly may refer to:*Dave Kelly , Canadian TV host and voice actor*Dave Kelly , guitarist, vocalist, and member of the Blues Band*Dave Kelly , songwriter, musician, engineer, producer, and owner of Madhouse Records in Jamaica...

     Who became a famous film editor and producer.)
  • Sonia Kruger
    Sonia Kruger
    Sonia Melissa Kruger is an Australian television presenter. She is best known for co-hosting the popular Australian version of Dancing with the Stars, hosting 10 Years Younger in 10 Days and for the role of Tina Sparkle in the hit 1992 film Strictly Ballroom.-Early life:Born in Toowoomba,...

     (who became a star of the Seven network.)
  • Liesl Macdonald


Wonder World!, the Nine Network's version of Simon Townsend's original show, began production in 1993, and rated well in its three-year run.

External links

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