Good Morning Australia

infobox television
show_name = Good Morning Australia
from 1993
GMA with Bert Newton


caption = Bert Newton on GMA
format = Chat show
picture_format = 16:9
runtime = 120 minutes (inc. commercials)
creator =
starring = various hosts
country = Australia
network = Network Ten
first_aired = 1981
last_aired = 2005
num_episodes =
followed_by = "9am with David and Kim" (2006 – present)
tv_com_id = 5504

"Good Morning Australia" (or GMA) from Network Ten, started out in 1981 as a 7:00 to 9:00 breakfast tv news entertainment show and continued from 1993 as a two-hour long weekday chat show until 2005. The successor to the later edition is 9am with David and Kim.

History

Breakfast TV

"Good Morning Australia" started as a breakfast television program broadcast by Ten News weekdays from 7:00-9:00am. It debuted in March, 1981 with Gordon Elliott and Sue Kellaway co-hosting. Kellaway departed shortly after the program began and was replaced by Kerri-Anne Kennerly, who stayed with the program until the end of 1991 when she was replaced by Sandra Sully, Joy Smithers and then Sandra Sully again.

The male co-host position on "GMA" was filled by Tim Webster, Mike Gibson, Terry Willessee, Tim Webster again, Mike Hammond and Ron Wilson. In 1992, "GMA" moved to the 6:30-8:30am timeslot, coinciding with the launch of "The Morning Show" with Bert Newton.

The program competed with the Nine Network's "Today" (which launched in 1982 with Sue Kellaway, initial co-host of the Ten show) and usually placed second in the ratings, behind "Today".

"GMA", as a breakfast news program, was cancelled at the end of 1992.

Chat Show

The chat show of Bert Newton - considered as one of the giants of Australian tv entertainment - began under the title "The Morning Show" in 1992 and adopted the then vacant title "GMA" in 1993. The program was cancelled in 2005 and aired its final episode on 16 December as Newton moved to Channel Nine. 9am with David and Kim replaced "GMA".

"Good Morning Australia" in the end was a chat show that mixed celebrity interviews with advertorials. The advertorials were for products from home-shopping companies such as Danoz Direct and Global Shop Direct, and featured mostly the popular presenter, Moira McLean, in later years also Marianne van Dorslar. John Foreman was the musical director for "GMA" until 2004, when Mark Amato succeeded him.

Regulars

The show had many regular contributors to varying topical segments:

* Iain Hewitson "(cooking)"
* Axle Whitehead (music)
* Lauren Newton (daughter of Bert Newton)
* Patti Newton (wife of Bert Newton)
* Tonia Todman "(crafts)"
* Angela Bishop "(celebrity & hollywood gossip)"
* Paul Bongiorno "(politics)"
* Jane Edmanson "(gardening)"
* Karen Moregold "(astrology)"
* Elizabeth Chong "(cooking)"
* Gabriel Gaté "(cooking)"
* Ann-Maree Biggar "(gadgets)"

Fill-in Hosts

Bert Newton fell ill in June, 2005 and was unable to host his program for the first time in fourteen years. Newton was admitted to St. Vincent's Hospital late on Wednesday after developing viral pneumonia. Newton had been working tirelessly on Mel Brooks musical "The Producers" in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. While Newton was ill several hosts filled in for him, they included:

*Rove McManus (Friday)
*Daniel MacPherson (Monday)
*Mark Holden (Tuesday)
*Stephen Quartermain (Wednesday)
*Gretel Killeen (Thursday)

Bert Newton returned the following Friday.

See also

* List of Australian television series
* "9am with David and Kim

External links

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