What Now (TV programme)

Not to be confused with Now What (disambiguation).

What Now
Created by	Rex Simpson
Starring	Gemma Knight, Ronnie Taulafo, Adam Percival and "Camilla" the Gorilla
Opening theme	"What Now 2013"
Country of origin	New Zealand
Production
Camera setup	Multi-Camera
Running time	180 minutes
Original release
Network	TV One 1981-1989 TV2 1989-present
Release	1981 (1981) – present

What Now is a long-running New Zealand children's television program that premiered in 1981. It is filmed before a live studio audience at Whitebait Productions in Christchurch.

The show airs every Sunday at 7am on TV2 and has segments such as Game Zone Arena, Super Circuit and Target Ya Teacher.

History

What Now? was created by Rex Simpson before he left to head up his own production company, Kids TV. It originally screened on Saturday mornings on TV ONE between 7:30 and 10 am. Hosted by Steve Parr, he introduced segments covering morning keep-fit exercises, sketches involving recurring characters such as complaining old man Clive Grumble, simple recipes by Alison Holst, trivia from Frank Flash, law and safety with Constable Keith and Sniff, interspersed with regular cartoons. The theme song was Get Out of Your Lazy Bed, by Matt Bianco.

When Steve Parr left the show after a couple of years, the format changed to live broadcast. The hosts increased in number, usually to three, beginning with Danny Watson (from Spot On) and Michelle Bracey added, and Frank Flash (Alasdair Kincaid) given a more central comedic manic role. When Michelle left the show, she was succeeded by Michele A'Court. Comedy sketches, interactive phone calls and competitions with the viewing audience, plus magazine-style segments going out and about, all became a more central part of the format.

The style remained this way for many years, as hosts evolved and were replaced, until today where the format now involves live audiences of crowds of children, but still is closely faithful with the core concept established early on.

In 1989 the show moved to TV2 and then in 1996 to Sunday mornings. An after school version of What Now What Now PM also ran on TV 2 during the week between 1997 and 2002.

The weekdays version of What Now? became its own separate show known as WNTV. First hosted by Carolyn Taylor and a face in a computer screen played by Mikey Carpinter. Later the show changed dramatically but kept the same WNTV name. It became a drama showing behind the scenes of a children's afternoon magazine show. This was hosted by Antonia Prebble and Tom Herne, and featured several other characters. Anna Allbury and Jo Tuapawa featured as reporters.

The What Now show was moved to TVNZ's Avalon studios in Lower Hutt in 1999 until TVNZ shut down its Children's Department at the end of 2003. What Now the show was then brought back to Christchurch in 2004 to be produced by an independent company Whitebait Productions, headed by Janine Morrell-Gunn and Jason Gunn. What Now? has been funded by NZ On Air since NZOA's inception in 1989; prior to that it was funded by TVNZ.

In 2004 the afternoon show WNTV was cancelled and replaced with the current children's afternoon TV show Studio 2 produced by Ian Taylor (Taylormade Media Ltd).

Various programme partnerships over the years have seen What Now? promoting ‘healthy eating healthy action', water safety and old-fashioned letter writing amongst many other things. What Now? has a long-standing association with the Weetbix Kiwi Kids Tryathlon, and with Sport and Recreation New Zealand whose ‘Push Play' message encourages children to be physically active.

Early What Now? presenters were also credited as writers. They were people like Michelle A'Court, Danny Watson, Al Kincaid, Michelle Bracey, Simon Barnett and Catherine McPherson, some of whom have gone on to roles as directors and writers. A more recent presenter who made a significant behind-the-scenes contribution was Anthony Samuels, who also trained as a director.

Off-screen personnel who have shaped What Now? over the years are many. They include camera operator and director Alan Henderson (also secretly rumoured to be the brains behind Jason Gunn's sidekick Thingee), Directors Keith Tyler-Smith, Bill de Friez, Peter Verstappen, Mike Rehu, Brian Wickstead, Mark Owers, Mike Ritchie, Jason Gunn and Richard Hansen. Producers include Richard Driver, Mike Rehu, Tony Palmer, Anne Williams, Reuben Davidson, and Janine Morrell-Gunn. Emma Gribble got her start opening the mail for the fan club and 10 years later became producer of the show.

Regular segments: past and current

Serial Stuff

Serial comedy/drama. Late 1990s - early 2000s

Celebrity Traffic Island

Satirical take-off of Celebrity Treasure Island. Written by Andy Gunn - Jason Gunn's brother.

Pie-in-Yer-Ear House

Satirical take-off of Pioneer House. Written by Andy Gunn.

Game Zone

SLAM!

SLAM!

Family Edition

Charlie and the Chipmunks

Foul's Kitchen

Stars in Dusgise

Da Apprentice

based on the USAs and New Zealands The Apprentice

Balls Of Fortune

Splat Cave

Live in Your Living Room

Fairytales Got Talent

Knockout

LOL

Wobblies

Current presenters

Host Role Duration Gemma Knight Studio Host 2010–present Adam Percival Studio Host 2011–present Ronnie Taulafo Studio Host 2011–present Camilla the Gorilla Mascot 2006–present Toby the sock puppet Mascot 2012-present Previous presenters Steve Parr 1981 - 1982 Jim Hopkins (as Clive Grumble) 1981 - 1987 Alasdair Kincaid, A.K.A. Frank Flash 1981 - 1988 and The Answer Guy (in the 90s) Eddie Sunderland (arts and crafts) 1984(?)-1992 Danny Watson 1982 - 1987 Michelle Bracey 1982 - 1983 Michele A'Court 1984 - 1987 Darren Young 1987 - 1990 Fifi Colston (arts and crafts) 1987 - 1993 Catherine McPherson 1988 - 1992 Simon Barnett 1988 - 1992 Thingee 1989 - 1997 (puppet who also co-hosted Son of a Gunn show and Chatterbox) Jason Gunn reoccurring guest/presenter since the early 90s. Creative writer Carlos Miller in a cooking segment "Let's Cook" 1989-1990 Steven Zanoski 1994 - 1995 Fiona Anderson 1995 - 1998 Stacey Morrison (Daniels) in a cooking segment 1995 - 1997 Anthony Samuels 1996 - 2003 Jason Fa'foi 1997 - 2003 Eugene Blick (first DJ on what now) 1996 - 2002 Shavaughn Ruakere 1997 - 2001 Richard Hamond 1999 - 2001 Carolyn Taylor 1999-2002, 2002–2003 and on WNTV (2000) Danny Talbot 2002 - 2004 Soheel Ali 1984 - 1985 Antonia Prebble 00's (WNTV) Tamati Coffey 2004 - 2007 Vicki Lin 2004 & 2013 DJ Vinyl Richie (Richie Mills) 2004 - 2007 Steve Joll 2003 - 2004 Mike Carpinter (as the character Props Boy) early 00's Virginie Le Brun 2005 - 2006 Serena Cooper-Rongonui 2006 - 4 July 2010 Tumehe Rongonui (Roving Reporter/Slam Host) 2007 - 2010 Karl Jeno Schmid 1995 - 1998 Charlie Panapa 2005-2011 Johnson Raela 2011-2012 Gunge Throughout the years What Now? has maintained the use of gunge and slime. Children, celebrities, parents and sometimes the presenters are often the subject of embarrassment in various gunge games. Examples of previous and current gunge games include Fill Ya Pants, Flushed Away, Gunge on the Run, Gunge on the Road, Weekly Gunge Games, The Gunge Machine, Tank of Terror, Super Circuit, Brain Freeze, and general gunging. Fill Ya Pants This popular game was introduced in the 1990s. It has gone through three different versions: The first version was originally a two-player version. Players stood in tanks wearing plastic shorts with a hose connecting the pants to a tank of gunge suspended above. Players had to answer questions in order to advance the game; a correct answer would result in the players remaining safe while an incorrect answer or failure to give an answer would result in a valve in the hose between the players' shorts and the tank being opened. If a player got three questions wrong, a fourth valve would be opened, allowing the gunge to travel down the hose into the player's pants and gradually fill them up. In this version, both the losing and winning players were gunged. This version saw the pants and hose connected together rather than the player holding them in place, although the player still held the hose. At the end of the hose, it was connected to and entered the player's pants around the belt line before ending in a metal Y-junction which spread the gunge around the player's pants. The second version was also a two-player version. This replaced the overhead tank and hoses with a children's pool and integrated backboard holding three tanks, the topmost one being filled with gunge. The players had to answer questions as before, with three wrong answers resulting in the player's pants being filled with gunge. On a player having answered three questions incorrectly, the audience would chant "Fill ya pants!" until the gunge entered the player's pants. Unlike the previous version, the hose was separate from the pants and was held in place by the player. There was also no Y-junction to spread the gunge around, which meant the player had to position the hose between their legs in order to spread the gunge around their pants. If the hose was not held between the legs but instead over one leg, that leg of the player's pants would fill up first. This version was originally played as parent versus child as opposed to the original where two children played, but later reverted to the two children format. In this version, the winning player was given the option of being gunged at the end. During special events a third player could be added; this used buckets instead of the tanks and instead of a hose from the third tank, the player held a bucket with a hose from the bottom of the bucket into their pants. This game was later renamed Find a Pen Pal, which followed the same format. Children would write in asking for a pen pal, and the losing player from this game would then become the writer's pen pal. The audience did not chant "Fill ya pants!" in this version. The third version was released in 2011 as part of the What Now? 40 years celebrations. This version was largely similar to the second version but increased to three players. All three of the tanks were filled with gunge, starting with a small amount in the first tank and increasing up to a larger amount in the third and final tank. The winning player does not have the option to be gunged at the end. The Gunge Machine This was a team-based game featuring two teams of players attempting to complete a challenge. On the conclusion of the challenge, the losing team would be made to get into a large gunge tank, before they were gunged by either the winning team or one of the presenters. This game also appeared in a one-player format during the afternoon What Now? segments from 1997 and 2002. For this, the tank was fitted with a central seat which had three hoses or foam noodles connected which rose up to the roof of the tank. One person would be allowed to get into the tank, and would be gunged by the presenters. Super Circuit This was originally conceived in the 2000s as a obstacle course. Players would travel down a flying fox, drop into a pool of gunge, before running through an obstacle course containing a set of monkey bars, a climbing net, and a ramp which the players climbed up to reach the end. On reaching the end, the player pulled the rope and was gunged. They would also be foamed as they attempted to cross the climbing net. Later this game was re-designed and fitted for two players. The players would travel down a flying fox before going in opposite directions around an obstacle course containing several tunnels, a cage of balloons, and a narrow corridor. On reaching the end, the players would slide down into a pool of gunge. A previous one-player timed version of this course would see the player wade through the gunge to a wall button which they would press to stop the timer and to release a bucket of gunge suspended above. Target Ya Teacher This game was a one-player game where students could attempt to have their teachers gunged. The teacher would be seated on a dunking frame above an inflatable pool of gunge, while the students threw tennis balls at the release mechanism. When a ball struck the release mechanism, the teacher would be dunked into the gunge. Hole in the Wall This single-player game was roughly similar to a TV game show from the United Kingdom. The player would stand inside a area termed the 'play zone', and would have to attempt to fit through a shape cut into a moving foam block. If the player was not fast enough or didn't fit, they were knocked backwards into a small pit of gunge. Tank of Terror This was a larger gunge tank than the previous Gunge Machine tank. It was a large open-topped tank which was capable of holding several people. The presenters, with some audience help, would open three taps which would then gunge the players. This tank has been retained since its arrival but has been modified with three protruding pipes rather than the original concealed fittings. Flushed Away This game was a two-person game. Players would kneel inside two booths made to resemble toilets with a tank of gunge suspended above. The players were then connected with telephone callers who had to answer questions; a correct answer would advance the game but an incorrect one would result in the player being gunged, usually with different colours of gunge. After being gunged three times, a player was said to have been 'flushed away'. This game occasionally saw both players gunged three times, usually by accident or because the presenters decided to gunge the other player. A similar game called The Cave was played for a short time in 2011 which was broadly similar but in which the caller could decide if the player would be gunged or not. This game was only played for a short time and did not persist. Brain Freeze This game was similar to Flushed Away. Players would sit on a seat under a gunge tank made to resemble a brain and were paired with telephone callers. A correct answer would advance the game, but an incorrect one would result in the player being gunged. If a player was gunged three times, they were said to have had a 'brain freeze'. This game later replaced Flushed Away as one of the show's gunge games. In keeping with the brain theme, players who were gunged were said to have been gunged with 'brain juice'. This corresponds to the request used in Flushed Away and Fill Ya Pants where the presenter is asked to 'pull the chain'. Frog in the Bog This was a single-player game in which the player had to get into a paddling pool filled with gunge and search for different objects, while a steady stream of gunge was added to the pool. The Big Breakfast This was a two-player game in which the players had to get certain breakfast-themed items, while occasionally getting gunged. At the end of the game, both players jumped into a tank of white gunge to signal the conclusion of the game. Gunge toilets To replace the original prize swivels, eight 'gunge toilets' were fitted in the late 2000s. Players would be seated on a toilet with a toilet tank containing gunge above them. When a telephone caller asked for that particular player, the player would then be gunged to reveal the number of the prize in the tank above. References External links Official website Tvnz What Now Site What Now at IMDb