Terry Willesee Tonight (TWT) – Nostalgia Central

1 9 8 3 – 1 9 8 8 (Australia)
30 minute episodes

Debuting in November 1983, this nightly Channel 7 (Australia) production was hosted by Terry Willesee, brother of the smooth, jet-setting current affairs veteran, Mike Willesee.

Virtually unknown compared to his brother, Terry started in television in Perth (Western Australia) after three years in the army and a stint as a builder’s labourer.

Following a couple of years as a late-night reporter and newsreader, he became STW-9’s principal newsreader and produced 14 one-hour documentaries (for which he won four Logie Awards).

He then became executive producer and compere of a nightly local current affairs show, Terry Willesee’s Perth, which won a Logie as Western Australia’s most popular TV show.

Terry was initially joined in his new Sydney-based show by on-camera reporters Sarah Dougherty, Trevor Watson and Tim Clucas.

Also contributing to the lineup were Kerry O’Brien in Los Angeles and Paul Lyneham in Europe.

Subsequent reporters on the show included Ron Sinclair, Emily Booker, Jim Maher, Maurice Parker, Alex Smith, Alexandra Peters, and Jason Dasey.

Sydney radio host Mike Carlton presented a television version of his 2GB ‘Friday News Review’ segment at the end of each week, using puppets designed by cartoonist Patrick Cook.

The segment featured all of Mike’s favourite radio characters, including TV reporter George Fungus, PM Bob Hope, Opposition leader Andrew Gucci, Queensland Premier Joh Bonkers-Bananas, NSW Premier Never Wrong, British supremo Gladys Hacksaw, PLO chieftain Yasser Crackafat, US President Hopalong Cassidy and sports commentator Rocks Messup.

Terry Willesee Tonight presented light, breezy, easy-to-chew current affairs, and – via a delicate balance of pets, tears, music, showbiz and the infirm – went on to become one of the five top-rated shows on Sydney television, outrating 60 Minutes.

Terry Willesee left Channel 7 at Easter 1988 to host Live at Five for Channel 9. His final show was broadcast on Friday 1 April, after which his timeslot at Seven was filled by Hinch at Seven (starring the egotistical “talking beard”, Derryn Hinch, a former Melbourne radio personality).

Host
Terry WIllesee

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