Countdown (Australian TV program) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Countdown |
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Countdown logo
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| Genre | Music |
| Created by | Michael Shrimpton Robbie Weekes Ian "Molly" Meldrum |
| Directed by | Robbie Weekes Paul Drane |
| Presented by | Ian "Molly" Meldrum |
| Theme music composer | Brian May |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 14 |
| No. of episodes | 563 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Michael Shrimpton |
| Producer(s) | Robbie Weekes & Paul Drane |
| Production location(s) | Ripponlea, Victoria |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 25 min First six episodes 55 min |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | Colour |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 8 November 1974 – 19 July 1987 |
Countdown was a super popular weekly Australian music TV show. It aired on the ABC from November 8, 1974, to July 19, 1987. The show was created by Michael Shrimpton, Robbie Weekes, and music journalist Ian "Molly" Meldrum. It was filmed in Melbourne at the ABC studios in Ripponlea. Countdown was usually shown on Sunday nights from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
It became the most watched music program in Australian TV history. Countdown had a huge and loyal audience across the country. It even influenced radio stations because it showed so much Australian music. The first short episode aired on a Friday. But for most of its run, new episodes were shown on Sunday evenings. They were then repeated the following Saturday evening. Most of the artists on the show would lip sync their songs. This means they would pretend to sing along to a pre-recorded track.
Molly Meldrum became the "face" of Countdown. He started appearing on TV in 1975. Molly would present music news and interview artists. He was a regular on the show until 1986. Another cool part of the show was when local and international music stars would host an episode. They often performed their songs too. Molly would chat with them during the show or before the final song. In 2014, Molly Meldrum wrote his life story called "The Never, Um, Ever Ending Story."
Contents
Why Countdown Was So Important
Countdown changed the music scene in Australia. In the 1970s, a lot of pop music came from overseas. Not many Australian artists were making it big. But this started to change around 1975, thanks to Countdown.
How Countdown Helped Australian Music
The show's time slot on Sundays at 6 PM was perfect. Plus, each episode was repeated on Saturday. This meant lots of people watched it. Countdown also started when colour TV was new in Australia. It was one of the first Australian TV shows made completely in colour.
Countdown's Global Impact
Countdown was also important worldwide. It was one of the first TV shows to regularly use music videos. This was helpful because many international artists didn't tour Australia often. So, their music videos were a great way to share their songs.
- Helping New Stars: Countdown helped many international artists become famous.
- Madonna had her first hit in Australia with "Holiday" in 1984.
- Her song "Burning Up" became a top twenty hit in Australia. This happened after its video was shown many times on Countdown. It wasn't a big hit in other countries.
- First Hits in Australia: Other global stars got their first hits in Australia. This was thanks to their music videos being shown on Countdown.
- These artists included Blondie, ABBA, John Mellencamp, Meat Loaf, Boz Scaggs, and Cyndi Lauper.
- Their success in Australia often led to their songs becoming hits in America or Europe.
Many UK "new wave" bands also got noticed in Australia. This was because their music videos were played on Countdown. These included Duran Duran, XTC, The Beat, Elvis Costello, and The Cure. American bands like The Ramones and The Cars also gained fans.
But most importantly, Countdown was key to the success of many top Australian acts. These included John Farnham, AC/DC, Olivia Newton-John, INXS, Kylie Minogue, Men at Work, and Australian Crawl.
Why Countdown Ended
Countdown was super popular into the 1980s. But its popularity started to fade by the mid-1980s. The show began to play more music videos instead of live performances. This made it cheaper to produce. However, it also made Countdown seem like any other music video show.
The very last episode of Countdown aired on July 19, 1987. Molly Meldrum hosted it with Carol Hitchcock and Jim Keays. After the show, the final Countdown Awards ceremony took place. It was a mix of sadness and celebration for the music of 1986-1987. Molly appeared at the end wearing his famous Stetson hat. He thanked the music industry and fans. Then he took off his hat to show his shaved head. This was a message to bands like Midnight Oil. They never appeared on the show because they felt it was too focused on hits and young teens.
In 2007, the TV channels Foxtel and Austar started showing old Countdown performances. These "Countdown specials" became very popular. They showed great music from that time.
Famous Moments
Countdown had many memorable moments. One of the most talked about was an interview with Prince Charles.
Prince Charles Interview
Molly Meldrum was very nervous about interviewing Prince Charles. He made many mistakes during the interview. He messed up his lines and even made some royal etiquette blunders. His team kept encouraging him. Eventually, Prince Charles politely asked Molly if he could use a teleprompter. Molly said there wasn't one available.
The interview, especially the parts where Molly messed up, became famous. It's often shown on "blooper" TV shows in Australia. Molly later said about the interview, "It's not a regret, but I definitely stuffed that up."
Countdown Revolution Era
Countdown returned in a new form called Countdown Revolution. This show ran from July 3, 1989, to December 1990. Molly Meldrum was not involved, as he had moved on to another show.
New Hosts and Changes
Countdown Revolution had young hosts like Tania Lacy and Mark Little. They were later fired by the ABC. This happened after they protested on air. They were upset that artists were not allowed to perform live. Instead, they had to mime to backing tracks. The show continued until it was cancelled in December 1990.
The program aired on weeknights for 30 minutes. On Friday nights, it counted down the Top 10 songs in Australia. These rankings came from the ARIA Chart. Mostly, music videos were shown. But some artists did perform live. These included Poison ("Nothin' but a Good Time") and Kylie Minogue ("Hand on Your Heart").
In November 1989, a "Batdance competition" was a very popular show. Molly Meldrum helped judge the talent from different states. The ABC's late-night music show rage has replayed old episodes of Countdown Revolution. This happened in January 2012 and again in January 2015.
Celebrating Countdown's Legacy
Countdown is still remembered and celebrated today.
40th Anniversary
In 2014, Countdown celebrated its 40th anniversary. An album of songs from the show was released. A two-part TV special called "Countdown: Do Yourself A Favour" also aired. It was hosted by Julia Zemiro and even featured Prince Charles. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2014 in November, both Countdown and Molly Meldrum were honored. They were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. This was the first time a non-performing artist was inducted.
"Molly" Television Drama
In 2016, Channel 7 made a two-part TV show about Molly Meldrum's life. It also showed his experiences with Countdown. Australian actor Samuel Johnson played Molly Meldrum. The show told the story of Countdown's rise and fall. It also shared tales about the music groups that appeared on it. The show was very popular with viewers.
Rage: Keeping the Countdown Spirit Alive
The TV show Rage now regularly plays chart hits. It features a "Countdown" of the most popular videos from the ARIA singles chart. This keeps the spirit of Countdown alive for new generations.
Classic Countdown
In September 2017, the ABC started a new series. It was called "Classic Countdown." This show had 13 hour-long episodes. Each episode focused on one year from 1975 to 1987. It showed live performances, interviews, and Molly's Humdrum segments. Recording artists who appeared on the original show provided narration. This series aired in Countdown's original Sunday 6 PM time slot.
New Year's Eve : Countdown Live
For the 2017 Sydney New Year's Eve celebration, the ABC had a live show. It was themed like the Countdown show. Many artists performed live, including Casey Donovan and Jimmy Barnes. The show used the Countdown theme song and some of its graphics. The stage even had the Countdown logo. Molly Meldrum did not return to host this event.
Compilation Albums
ABC Music has released many popular CD albums. These albums feature songs that were played on the original Countdown series.
- Countdown : The Wonder Years (3CD) Jul 2006
- Countdown : The Wonder Years 2 (3CD) 2007
- Countdown : One Hit Wonders (3CD) May 2008
- Countdown : One Hit Wonders 2 (3CD) 2008
- Countdown : Jukebox Classics (3CD) 2010
- Countdown : Disco Anthems (2CD) Jul 2010
- Countdown : 40th Anniversary (2CD) Nov 2014
- Countdown : 40th Anniversary Continues (2CD)
- Countdown : 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1... Rock! (2CD)
- Countdown : Pop! (2CD) 2016
- Classic Countdown (4CD) 2017
- Molly : Counting down the Hits (3CD) Oct 2016
