All Aussie Adventures

All Aussie Adventures
All Aussie Adventures logo
Genre	Comedy Mockumentary
Created by	Tom Gleisner
Written by	Tom Gleisner (main) Santo Cilauro (additional) Glenn Robbins (additional) Rob Sitch (additional)
Starring	Glenn Robbins
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	14 (including 1 telemovie)
Production
Executive producers	Tom Gleisner Santo Cilauro Michael Hirsh Rob Sitch
Producer	Susannah Mott
Cinematography	Santo Cilauro
Editor	Roberta Horslie
Running time	22 minutes
Original release
Network	Network Ten
Release	Original Series: 5 August 2001 – 29 September 2002 TV Movie: 14 November 2004 Revival Series: 2017

All Aussie Adventures (also known as Russell Coight's All Aussie Adventures), is an Australian mockumentary television series that parodied the travel-adventure genre. Comedian Glenn Robbins plays Russell Coight, a survival and wildlife expert who charts his disastrous travels through Australia, spreading misinformation and causing accidents. The series ran on the Ten Network from 5 August 2001 to 29 September 2002. There was also a 14 November 2004 telemovie, Russell Coight's Celebrity Challenge, which featured minor (fictional) celebrities joining Coight in the outback.

Revival

On 4 November 2016, All Aussie Adventures was renewed for a third season and will return in 2017 after 15 years off screen.

Series Overview

Season		Episodes	Originally aired
			Season premiere	Season finale
	1	6	5 August 2001	9 September 2001
	2	7	18 August 2002	29 September 2002
	TV Movie	1	14 November 2004
	3	TBA	2017	TBA

Genre

The series parodies the adventure genre, which included the travels of the Leyland Brothers, The Bush Tucker Man, Malcolm Douglas, Steve Irwin, Ben Cropp, Harry Butler and Alby Mangels. In these programs the host travels the wilderness meeting local people and providing insight into the flora and fauna of the country.

The narration (typically provided by the host) often verges on hyperbole.

Format

Episodes of All Aussie Adventures generally follow a similar format. Coight greets the audience and explains his latest reason for outback travel – often to help out a "mate". He ends each introduction with the tagline "So what are we waiting for, let's get cracking on another All Aussie Adventure".

Russell Coight

The series is presented as if Russell Coight were a real person, eschewing screen credit for his portrayer Glenn Robbins. The only mention of Robbins is at the end of the credits, when he is thanked "for his directorial assistance".

Perhaps the kindest description of Russell Coight is "accident-prone" – if something can go wrong for him, it will. Coight is a naturally outgoing man and comfortable in front of the camera, so is never shy in revealing private aspects of his personality (he even showers in front of the camera). Over the series the audience discovers various hints to his character, such as a glimpse of his card for the local adult video store.

Russell Coight identifies himself as an 'outback man', who strongly endorses the ways of the outback, as opposed to the ways of urban life. When Russell finds numerous tourists stuck on the outback road, he hastily refers to them as "city slickers" before he tries to help them, albeit unsuccessfully. He also perceives these "city slickers" as being overly affluent, and who waste their money on "high-tech gadgets" and five-star hotels, along with comparing such things to his own outback lifestyle, which includes making his own chair and bathing in a freshwater billabong.

His sister Meredith – who is never seen – is credited for everything from being a crocodile tamer to a stunt coordinator. In one episode, "Daintree", she is heard singing dreamily a somewhat dubious song, "Daintree", from her album "Daintree", on the Daintree label.

Following the success of the first series, comedian and talk show host Rove McManus interviewed Russell Coight, who provided information on his fictional background.

"Wallaby Jack", a similar character from The Late Show, is a precursor to Coight. Tom Gleisner, a writer for both series, points this out in The Late Show DVD audio commentary.

Parody aspects

Common gags

Much of the humour of "All Aussie Adventures" is contained in the sight gags. Tents collapse, camp fires rage out of control, cars rolling away and Coight trips and falls painfully.

Coight regularly suffers from flatulence, especially when he is sitting in a quiet idyllic pool, whereupon bubbles inevitably rise to the surface. When bending over, he will occasionally pass wind.

Coight is fond of saving indigenous wildlife and preserving historical Australian sites. However, due to Coight's clumsiness he often unintentionally destroys the animal or location.

Coight often attempts to make jokes with his friends during the programs. Unfortunately, most of these fall flat. He presents himself as a man with "mates" all around Australia, whom he likes to bring into his shows. These "mates" usually avoid him, or barely know him, but he seems oblivious to any embarrassment this should cause him on air.

In one episode an Indigenous Australian is educating Coight on finding "bush tucker". Coight attempts to tell the joke about being on a "seafood diet...I see food and I eat it", achieving absolutely no reaction. The guest is as clueless as Coight, rejecting all Coight's ideas on "bush tucker", and telling Coight that the outback is full of wild bananas, out of season at the time.

Coight also claims to be one of the greatest birdcallers in the business with over 100 different bird calls in his repertoire (most of which sound identical). According to Coight "once you get your finger in the right position and your tongue doing the same..... the rest is easy". He then demonstrates a bird call but his flatulence interrupts it. He tries to downplay this by suggesting the flatus was "the reply call of an injured bird".

Stock footage

Another source of humour is the frequent use of stock footage in incongruous situations. The most well-known example of this is the "handshaking shot".

When Coight meets a new character the program will cut to a closeup shot of their "handshake". As a gag, this is clearly a shot taken at a different time with different people. When Coight shakes hands with an indigenous Australian, the closeup will show two white hands. When he shakes hands with a white Australian, the closeup will show a black and a white hand. This serves to highlight the artificial and constructed nature of this sort of television series banter.

Scenery footage is often re-used in the different episodes. Footage obviously shot in Victoria will be shown when Coight is supposedly far into the Northern Territory.

Footage of the Toyota Land Cruiser used in the show is often reused, meaning the number plate often changes throughout the episode.

Episodes

Season 1

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"Red Centre: Part 1"	Tom Gleisner	Tom Gleisner	5 August 2001 (2001-08-05)
Russell heads North to help an old mate with the annual cattle muster. Along the way he searches for some bush tucker, helps a motorist who has run into trouble, and offers us many invaluable tips for survival situations in the outback.
2	2	"Red Centre: Part 2"	Tom Gleisner	Tom Gleisner	12 August 2001 (2001-08-12)
After Russel offers some insights into the old Ghan railway, Russell finally arrives at the cattle muster. We get to see his expert country dancing skills and his amazing talents with the whip.
3	3	"Daintree"	Tom Gleisner	Tom Gleisner	19 August 2001 (2001-08-19)
Russell travles to the magnificent Daintree Rainforest in Northern Queensland and visits some of the incredible highlights of the area, including the Great Barrier Reef. He also helps out an old mate with a crocodile problem.
4	4	"High Country: Part 1"	Tom Gleisner	Tom Gleisner	26 August 2001 (2001-08-26)
Russell takes three city kids, Hayley, Justin and Phil, on a tour of the outback. He teaches them valuable lessons so that they will be able to survive in an emergency. Russell also helps out two stranded motorists who have become stuck.
5	5	"High Country: Part 2"	Tom Gleisner	Tom Gleisner	2 September 2001 (2001-09-02)
Russell introduces the kids to the intricate art of sheep shearing and the safe way to handle and use firearms. Also, they are taught the correct way to set a trap to catch some dinner.
6	6	"Cooktown"	Tom Gleisner	Tom Gleisner	9 September 2001 (2001-09-09)
Russell heads up to North Queensland for his niece's wedding. Along the way he enters into a fishing competition with some old mates.

Season 2

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
7	1	"Muster"	Tom Gleisner	Tom Gleisner	18 August 2002 (2002-08-18)
Russell travels to outback New South Wales for a muster with some old mates. Along the way he reveals secrets such as intricate home-made camp seats.
8	2	"Tourists: Part 1"	Tom Gleisner	Tom Gleisner	25 August 2002 (2002-08-25)
Russell takes some international tourists to the outback for the experience of their lives. Russell gives some amazing facts and figures on the high country of Australia to his guests.
9	3	"Tourists: Part 2"	Tom Gleisner	Tom Gleisner	1 September 2002 (2002-09-01)
Russell continues his journey with his group of international travellers through Australia's wilderness and meet up with an old mate of Russell's who joins them by the fire.
10	4	"Explorer: Part 1"	Tom Gleisner	Tom Gleisner	8 September 2002 (2002-09-08)
Russell attempts to retrace the steps of two of the country's earliest explorers, Oscar Forbes and William Montgomery. He hopes to locate the grave of Forbes which has never been found. During his trip, he helps out an old mate's wife with a snake problem, and drops in on a camel farm.
11	5	"Explorer: Part 2"	Tom Gleisner	Tom Gleisner	15 September 2002 (2002-09-15)
As Russell continues his journey to find Forbes' grave, drops in and has a chat with a few old mates. He eventually finds the resting place of the explorer, and sets his own memorial for the man.
12	6	"Rare Roo"	Tom Gleisner	Tom Gleisner	22 September 2002 (2002-09-22)
Russell travels through the outback on a mission to release a rare kangaroo back to his habitat. Along the way he helps out some young life guards by showing them how the drills should be done, and assists a couple of female backpackers.
13	7	"Rogue Croc"	Tom Gleisner	Tom Gleisner	29 September 2002 (2002-09-29)
Russell takes one of his most eager fans out to the outback for the experience of a lifetime. He teaches them many things about bush traps and camp fires, plus they play a few night games.

TV Movie

No. in series	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
14	"Russell Coight's Celebrity Challenge"	Tom Gleisner & Santo Cilauro	Tom Gleisner	14 November 2004 (2004-11-14)
In an effort to raise money for charity, Russell decides to lead a group of celebrities on a trek across Australia from east to west coast in just 7 days.

Viewership

Season		Episodes	Originally aired		Viewers (millions)	Rank
			Season premiere	Season finale
	1	6	5 August 2001	9 September 2001	1.554	#6
	2	7	18 August 2002	29 September 2002	1.721	#2
	3	TBA	2017	TBA	TBA	TBA

DVD releases

Both series 1 and 2 are available as a two-disc DVD set from Roadshow Entertainment. The telemovie is also available on DVD.

External links

• Official Russell Coight web site.
• Russell Coight's All Aussie Adventures at IMDb
• All Aussie Adventures at the National Film and Sound Archive