Clarke and Dawe
GenreNews satire
Political satire
Starring
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
Production
Camera setupMultiple
Running time2–5 minutes
Original release
NetworkNine Network (1989–1996)
ABC TV (2000–2017)
ReleaseFebruary 1989 (1989-02) –
20 April 2017 (2017-04-20)
Related

Clarke and Dawe (also stylized as Clarke & Dawe) is an Australian news satire television program that originally aired on the Nine Network from 1989 to 1996 and later on ABC TV from 2000 until 2017. Almost all episodes feature comedians John Clarke and Bryan Dawe engaging in a mock interview, with Dawe playing the interviewer and Clarke playing the interviewee.

The program started out on ABC Radio in 1987, after Dawe, at the time head of the ABC radio comedy unit, had approached Clarke, who had previously written mock interviews as columns for The Times on Sunday, about bringing this type of comedy to radio.[1][2] Clarke in turn asked Dawe if he could read the questions, finding Dawe had "a supernatural understanding of speech rhythm".[3] Their first interviews featured Clarke as British royal Prince Charles and American actress Meryl Streep.[1]

In February 1989,[4] with the support of host Jana Wendt, Clarke and Dawe made its television debut as part of A Current Affair on the Nine Network, where the program would continue to air for eight years, until 1996.[2][5] One of their episodes from this period, The Front Fell Off, featuring Clarke as Australian politician Bob Collins on the topic of a 1991 oil spill off the Australian coast, garnered widespread attention years later, when the video was circulated by some on the internet as real, eventually prompting fact-checking website Snopes to debunk it.[6][7]

In 2000, the program re-emerged as part of the 7.30 Report on ABC-TV (later renamed ABC1 and ABC TV), where it remained in place when the 7.30 Report was replaced by 7.30 in 2011.[8] In 2012, plans emerged to scrap the interview format and instead feature comedian Chas Licciardello, but the program ultimately remained.[9] The last episode aired on 20 April 2017, after Clarke's death on 9 April, having been recorded on 5 April. The episode features Clarke as Richard Shinnery, a fictional consultant for Australia's National Broadband Network.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Wright, Tony (14 April 2017). "Bryan Dawe breaks his silence on the death of his friend John Clarke". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  2. 1 2 Knox, David (9 November 2012). "John Clarke: We owe it all to Jana". TV Tonight. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  3. ↑ Donnelly, Marea (11 April 2017). "Much-loved satirist John Clarke was a Dagg with sharp wit". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  4. ↑ Lawrence, Mark (2 August 1990). "One minute 45, Mr Clarke, and not a second more". The Age. p. 35 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Dawe, Bryan (30 October 2017). "The Story of Clarke & Dawe". A Pleasure to Be Here: The Best of Clarke and Dawe. By Clarke, John. Melbourne: Text Publishing. pp. 8–10. ISBN 978-1-925626-25-4. OCLC 1003859403.
  6. ↑ Chappell, Bill (10 April 2017). "John Clarke, Who Made Fake News Hilarious, Is Mourned In Australia And New Zealand". NPR. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  7. ↑ Mikkelson, David (31 May 2012). "Is 'The Front Fell Off' Video Real?". Snopes. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  8. ↑ Knott, Matthew (25 October 2012). "Will Clarke and Dawe be shown the door? ABC duo face uncertain future". Crikey. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  9. ↑ Knott, Matthew (21 November 2012). "A new Clarke and Dawn: 7.30's Chaser play falls flat". Crikey. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  10. ↑ Last week's Clarke and Dawe. 23 April 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2022 – via YouTube.
  11. ↑ "Satirist John Clarke's final episode airs in Australia". Stuff. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2022.


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