person or book cover
The primary cast members of The Naked Vicar Show (from left to right), Kevin Golsby, Noeline Brown, and Ross Higgins (screen cap)
form y separately published work icon The Naked Vicar Show series - publisher   film/TV  
Issue Details: First known date: 1977-1978... 1977-1978 The Naked Vicar Show
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

A skit comedy show that began on ABC Radio, The Naked Vicar Show ran on Channel Seven from 1977 to 1978.

According to Moran, in his Guide to Australian TV Series, the program 'was Seven's most popular comedy variety series between The Mavis Bramston Show in the early 1960s and Fast Forward in the late 1980s'.

According to an article published by Peter Tatchell:

The television format was much the same as the radio ver­sion with more lampoons of commercials and series and a Bramston-like news bulletin at the beginning and end of each programme (replacing Higgins' sermon as the Vicar, who was no longer featured). Regulars Bruce, the arty-crafties Craig, Val and Geoffrey and gardeners Ces and Cyril all made the transition and many classic sketches were simply redone in vision.

The Seven editions also saw the introduction of car-wor­shipper Ted Bullpitt and his wife Thel, who quickly became favourites and eventually spawned their own sitcom Kingswood Country. Another popular segment updated the radio duo of Lois and NareIle, though apart from a brief reworking of the Oath K' Noath routine in their first appearance, the pair were now almost totally different characters. Instead of gossipy housewives, they became a man-hungry typist who relates her romantic misadventures to the office tealady. Taking over the Narelle Hudson role from Ross Higgins, Julie McGregor created one of Australian television's most enduring charac­terisations and scored a personal triumph.

Source: Peter Tatchell, 'Radio: The Naked Vicar Show', Laugh Magazine 14 (1996), republished on Laughterlog (http://laughterlog.com/2009/02/13/radio-the-naked-vicar-show/). Sighted: 1/12/2011

Notes

  • The Laughterlog.com entry on The Naked Vicar Show (cited above) contains a detailed list of Naked Vicar skits, including both the radio version and the television program.
  • Australian Screen also has a detailed entry on The Naked Vicar Show: http://aso.gov.au/titles/series/the-naked-vicar-show/ (Sighted: 1/12/2011)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • c
      Australia,
      c
      :
      RS Productions ,
      1977-1978 .
      person or book cover
      The title screen for The Naked Vicar Show: a moveable screen from behind which the primary cast members emerged at the beginning of each episode (screen cap)
Last amended 1 Dec 2011 14:29:34
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