Good Morning Australia
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| Good Morning Australia aka GMA with Bert Newton aka The Morning Show |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Talk show |
| Presented by | Bert Newton |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 14 |
| No. of episodes | 3200 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Running time | 120-150 mins (inc. ads) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Network Ten |
| Picture format | 4:3 (1992-2000) 16:9 (2001-2005) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original run | 20 January 1992 – 16 December 2005 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | 9am with David & Kim (2006 – 2009) |
Good Morning Australia (or GMA) from Network Ten was the name of two different programs. This article is for Bert Newton's morning program, not to be confused with the breakfast news program of the same name.
The program began on 20 January 1992 with the title The Morning Show, changing its name on 1 February 1993 to Good Morning Australia. The program was cancelled in 2005 and aired its final episode on 16 December 2005 as Newton moved to the Nine Network.
Contents |
[edit] Regulars
The show featured a number of info-mercial presenters, including Moira McLean, Susie Elelman and Marianne van Dorslar.
John Foreman was the musical director for GMA until 2004, when Mark Amato succeeded him. Robert Mascara appeared as 'Belvedere' the official taste tester and was also the shows Floor Manager for its entire run.
The show had many regular contributors to various topical segments:
| Lauren Newton | Daughter of Bert Newton |
| Patti Newton | Wife of Bert Newton |
| Penny Cook | Presenter |
| Shannon Watts | Reporter |
| Iain Hewitson | Cooking |
| Elizabeth Chong | Cooking |
| Ken James | Cooking |
| Dorinda Hafner | Cooking |
| Gabriel Gaté | Cooking |
| Tonia Todman | Crafts |
| John-Michael Howson | Celebrity & Hollywood Gossip |
| Angela Bishop | Celebrity & Hollywood Gossip |
| Nicky Buckley | Parenting |
| Paul Bongiorno | Politics |
| Jane Edmanson | Gardening |
| Julie Summerfield | Pets |
| Karen Moregold | Astrology |
| Jemma Gawned | Beauty |
| Virginia Hey | Beauty |
| Colette Mann | Gadgets |
| Ann-Maree Biggar | Gadgets & DVD Reviews |
| Val Jellay | Movie Reviews |
| Shane Bourne | DVD Reviews |
| Axle Whitehead | Music Reviews |
| Robert Mascara | Belvedere |
| Bruce Mansfield | Collectibles |
| Philip Brady | Nostalgia |
| Fosdyke | Mock Horror Comedy |
Yves Hernot
Valuation of viewer's antiques and Art reporter
Shannon Watts joined GMA in 2004 replacing Ed Phillips who went on to host Temptation for the Nine Network. Shannon was soon put out in the field hosting segments from the AFL Grand final, The Grand Prix and the Gold Coast Indycar Grand Prix. Shannon did over 160 episodes on Good Morning Australia. Shannon stayed with GMA until the show's end and went on to be a reporter on the replacement show 9am with David & Kim.
[edit] 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)
Newton eventually returned the following Friday.
[edit] Related shows
The program's former title The Morning Show was adopted by the rival show on the Seven Network.
The successor to GMA was 9am with David & Kim, which had a similar format. Prior to Bert Newton's era, Ten Melbourne ran a similar show Good Morning Melbourne, hosted by Roy Hampson and Annette Allison. During Hampson's long run, the program had a number of different titles, such as The Roy Hampson Show and Roundabout.
