Money or the Gun, The – Nostalgia Central

1 9 8 9 – 1 9 9 0 (Australia)
27 x 45 minute episodes

Debuting in August 1989, this Saturday night comedy talk show from the Australian ABC starred former Blah Blah Blah presenter Andrew Denton, dissecting a new theme each week – including the music industry, freedom of speech, heroin, boxing, flying, advertising, prostitution, insects, New Age, and the end of the world.

Each show mixed documentary footage with comedy, man-in-the-street vox pops and interviews.

Each episode included a musical artist performing a version of the Led Zeppelin song Stairway to Heaven.

Aussie jazz-cabaret band Pardon Me Boys admirably twisted the heavy metal epic into a hot swing number, John Paul Young gave viewers an inspired disco version, and the legendary Australian actor Leonard Teale turned the song into a dramatic monologue. Most surprisingly, a version by Rolf Harris reached #7 on the UK singles chart.

In 1993, a one-off special edition of The Money or the Gun (called Topic of Cancer) talked to teenagers with cancer.

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