Midday – Nostalgia Central

1 9 8 5 – 1 9 9 8 (Australia)
Approx. 5,000 x 90 minute episodes

The Nine Network weekday variety show Midday With Ray Martin – effectively a clone of the long-running Mike Walsh Show was born in February 1985.

Broadcast live every weekday at noon and taped with a studio audience, the 90-minute show combined hard journalism and celebrity interviews with live music, variety, comedy, and frivolity and became the cornerstone of Australian daytime television for over a decade.

Former 60 Minutes journalist Ray Martin hosted the show until 1993, when he left to host A Current Affair.

He won five prestigious Gold Logie Awards during his time on the show.

Martin was subsequently replaced as host by Derryn Hinch (1993 – 1994), David Reyne and Tracy Grimshaw (1995 – 1996), and Kerri-Anne Kennerley (1996 – 1998), during which time the show was renamed Midday with Kerri-Anne.

The show was a mandatory stopover for major international celebrities, Hollywood stars, and local legends touring Australia.

Notable guests included Robin Williams, Billy Connolly, Steve Martin, Rowan Atkinson, and Sir Michael Caine.

The most infamous moment in the show’s history happened during a 1991 debate on republicanism.

Aggressive radio shock jock Ron Casey clashed with popular singer and Vietnam War veteran Normie Rowe, and when Casey made venomous, dismissive remarks about Rowe’s military service, Rowe stood up, crossed the studio floor, and shoved Casey backwards into his chair.

Casey sprang up and landed a hard punch square on Rowe’s jaw (pictured). Studio crew rushed onto the stage to separate the two men as a stunned Ray Martin threw to an emergency commercial break.

Outspoken rugby league commentator and TV personality Rex Mossop also provoked controversy on the show when he openly expressed deeply homophobic views, stating that homosexual individuals “don’t exist as far as I’m concerned”.

As a result of rising budget concerns and declining daytime ratings, the series was finally retired with a 150-minute broadcast on Friday 27 November 1998.

Host
Ray Martin
Derryn Hinch
David Reyne
Tracy Grimshaw
Kerri-Anne Kennerley