Tv show countdown

Countdown was a weekly Australian music television program that was broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 8 November 1974 until 19 July 1987.[1] It was created by executive producer Michael Shrimpton, producer/director Robbie Weekes and record producer and music journalist Ian "Molly" Meldrum. Countdown was produced at the studios of the ABC in the Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea. It was screened Sunday night from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2014)Quick Facts Genre, Created by ...CountdownLogoGenreMusicCreated byMichael ShrimptonRobbie WeekesIan "Molly" MeldrumDirected byRobbie WeekesPaul DranePresented byIan "Molly" MeldrumTheme music composerBrian MayCountry of originAustraliaOriginal languageEnglishNumber"}]]}">No. of seasons14Number"}]]}">No. of episodes563ProductionExecutive producerMichael ShrimptonProducerRobbie Weekes & Paul DraneProduction locationRipponlea, VictoriaCamera setupMulti-cameraRunning time25 min First six episodes55 minOriginal releaseNetworkABCRelease8 November 1974 –19 July 1987CloseCountdown was the most popular music program in Australian TV history. It was broadcast nationwide on Australia's government-owned broadcaster, the ABC, and commanded a huge and loyal audience. It soon exerted a strong influence on radio programmers because of its audience and the amount of Australian content it featured. The first half-hour episode went to air at 6.30pm on Friday, 8 November 1974, but for most of the time it was on air, it also gained double exposure throughout the country by screening a new episode each Sunday evening, and then repeating it the following Saturday evening. The majority of performances on the show were lip synced.Molly Meldrum, the program's talent co-ordinator, began appearing on-air in 1975, presenting the "Humdrum" music news segment and conducting interviews. Meldrum soon became the "face" of Countdown. He appeared regularly on-air until 1986. Another attraction to the program was the local and international acts who would host an episode—usually performing as well. During the show, Meldrum would interview them (while co-hosting) or have a chat with them before the show went out with the number-one single of the week. In October 2014, Meldrum published his autobiography, The Never, Um, Ever Ending Story.Teen-oriented pop music still enjoyed strong popularity during the 1970s, although much of it was sourced from overseas, and the proportion of Australian acts in the charts had hit an all-time low by 1973. That trend began to change around 1975, and many credit that largely to the advent of Countdown. Much of the show's influence derived from its timeslot (Sundays at 6pm) and the fact that each week's show was repeated the following Saturday at 5pm; the series also undoubtedly benefitted hugely from the long-delayed introduction of PAL colour television system in Australia, which was introduced four months after Countdown premiered. Because of this, Countdown was also one of the first Australian TV series to be made entirely in colour.[2]Although it is not widely recognised, Countdown also had a strong international influence, because it was one of the first TV shows in the world to promote the regular use of the music video as a major part of its programming. Because of its receptivity to music videos (something of a necessity because of the comparative rarity of tours by overseas

Two aired on 14 February 2016. Australian actor Samuel Johnson starred as Meldrum, with Tom O'Sullivan as Shrimpton and T.J. Power as Weekes. It tells of the rise and fall of Countdown, its production struggles and various other tales about the music groups that went on it. The show received predominantly positive ratings, with 1.79 million viewers watching episode one[16] and 1.52 million viewers watching episode two.[17]The show lived up to its name when it angered devoted viewers by slashing its top 50 in mid-2006 and playing videos freeform.But nearly a decade after that controversial decision, a new segment called "The Chart" hit the silver screen.[18]Rage now regularly plays chart hits with a 'Countdown' of the most popular videos from the ARIA singles[19]On 17 September 2017, the ABC commenced airing a retrospective of the show, comprising 13 one hour episodes. Each episode focused on one year from 1975 to 1987, showcasing live performances from the show, interviews and Molly's Humdrum. Voice over narration is supplied by recording artists who appeared on the show.The show was programmed to air in Countdown's original Sunday 6pm slot.[20][21]For the 2017 Sydney New Year's Eve live show and broadcast on the ABC, there was a countdown to midnight and the fireworks. The show was themed like the Countdown show, with many live artists including Casey Donovan, Jimmy Barnes, Phil Jamieson, Isiah Firebrace and more. The show had the Countdown theme song and some of the same graphics. Ian "Molly" Meldrum did not return to host. The stage also had the Countdown logo.A 50th anniversary special, "Countdown 50 Years On", was broadcast on Saturday 16 November 2024 on ABC. It was hosted by Myf Warhurst and Tony Armstrong.[22]A series of popular CD compilations have been released by ABC Music, with selective tracks as featured on the original series.[23][24]More information Title, Album details ...CloseNotes° Australian DVD Compilation Chart.List of Australian music television showsList of Australian television seriesList of programs broadcast by ABC (Australian TV network)Top of the Pops, the British equivalent, aired on BBC One from 1964 to 2006.

It was not just episodes of Countdown that were affected by the purge. A number of Australian Rules Football Grand Final games,[11] along with episodes of Bellbird and Certain Women, were also erased.In recent years, ABC Archives has undertaken an upgrade of the remaining episodes, copying what was left to its two on-air playback formats (Betacam SP and Digital Betacam). It is the copying of the programs onto this format that has allowed the ABC to re-broadcast episodes of Countdown during its all-night music show, Rage, in place of video clips which would normally air during that timeslot.Missing-episode enthusiast Troy Walters has a website Turning Back Time: The Hunt For ABC's Countdown, which discusses what has been lost and found.[12]From 3 July 1989 to December 1990, Countdown returned in the guise of Countdown Revolution. Without Meldrum, who had since gone on to Hey Hey It's Saturday, it featured a group of young hosts, including Tania Lacy and Mark Little. The duo were fired by the ABC after an unauthorised on-air protest on 22 June 1990 against the policy of not allowing acts to perform live and insisting they mime to backup tracks. The show continued until its cancellation in December 1990. It also played once a month in Sydney at the Artransa Studios in Frenchs Forest.The program aired 6:30 weeknights for 30 mins. On Friday nights, the top 10 biggest-selling songs in Australia was counted down (using information from the ARIA Chart). Video clips were generally shown, but memorable appearances live on stage included Poison ("Nothin' but a Good Time"), Faith No More ("Epic"), Kylie Minogue ("Hand on Your Heart" and "Never Too Late"), Jason Donovan ("Sealed with a Kiss"), Collette ("All I Wanna Do Is Dance" and "That's What I Like About You"), Brother Beyond ("He Ain't No Competition"), Indecent Obsession ("Say Goodbye"), Martika ("I Feel The Earth Move"), James Freud ("One Fine Day") and many more.The hour-long Batdance competition was a high-rating show in November 1989, where Molly Meldrum aided in the judging of the talent from the state finalists.The ABC's late-night continuous music show Rage replayed old episodes of Countdown Revolution in January 2012, and again in January 2015, including the first episode from 1989.The Countdown Magazine continued to be published during the run of Countdown Revolution.Countdown, the show that epitomised the pop music scene in Australia for over a decade, celebrated the 40th anniversary of its debut with the release of an anthology album in 2014.[13] A two-part 40th Anniversary TV special, "Countdown: Do Yourself A Favour", was broadcast on Sunday 16 November 2014.[14] It was hosted by Julia Zemiro and included a guest appearance by Prince Charles. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2014 in November, both Countdown and Meldrum were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame – the first time a non-performing artist was inducted.[15]A two-part documentary-drama about the life of Meldrum and his experiences with Countdown was created by Channel 7 in 2016. Episode one aired on 7 February 2016, while episode