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Denise Drysdale
Denise Drysdale arrives at the 58th Annual Logie Awards at Crown Palladium (26655507210).jpg
Drysdale at the 2016 Logie Awards at the Crown Palladium
Born
Denice Anne Christina Drysdale

(1948-12-05) 5 December 1948 (age 75)
Moorabbin, Victoria, Australia
Other names Ding Dong
Occupation
  • Television presenter
  • variety entertainer
  • actress
  • singer
  • dancer
  • comedian
Years active 1951–present
Employer Network 10
Known for Studio 10
Children 2
Awards 2× Gold Logie

Denise Anne Christina Drysdale (born 5 December 1948) is an Australian television presenter, variety entertainer, actress, singer, dancer and comedian. She is often affectionately known as Ding Dong, a nickname invented by fellow performer Ernie Sigley. She is currently a co-host of the morning show Studio 10.

Early life

Childhood

Born in the Melbourne suburb of Moorabbin, Drysdale and her family moved to Port Melbourne when she was three-and-a-half, where her parents ran the Fountain Inn Hotel. They lived there for eleven years, during which time Drysdale attended Kilbride Ladies Convent, South Melbourne.

Career beginnings

Drysdale's career began soon after the move to Port Melbourne.

By the age of six, Drysdale had won a number of dancing competitions.

At about ten years of age, she began her television career with GTV9 in Melbourne, working in the junior ballet on the Tarax Show.

Photographed at the time by a Channel Nine photographer, Drysdale went on to win the annual Girl of the Year Award with Everybody's in 1964.

At age seventeen, Drysdale joined the new show Kommotion.

Drysdale was invited to tour Australia with Ray Brown & the Whispers. She was then offered a recording contract and appeared in 26 episodes of the ABC's Dig We Must.

Denise Drysdale at the 2011 Logie Awards
Drysdale at the Logies, 2011

Career

In the 1960s, Drysdale appeared as a dancer on In Melbourne Tonight. In 1966, she performed on The Go!! Show, and was voted third most popular female vocalist by the readers of Go-Set. This popularity led to an invitation to perform for the troops in Vietnam for three weeks in 1967, along with Patti Newton, the Strangers, and Doug Owen. In 1969, she went to the Far East to entertain American troops.

In 1974, she became Ernie Sigley's barrel girl on The Ernie Sigley Show. It was here she gained the nickname Ding Dong. In 1975, Drysdale and Sigley released a single "Hey Paula" as a duet, which reached #2 on the Australian charts, Later that year she won the TV Week Gold Logie for the Most Popular Female Personality on Australian TV, and won her second Gold Logie the following year. In the same period, she also won consecutive Silver Logies.

Drysdale has appeared on numerous television shows, including The Norman Gunston Show, Celebrity Squares, Young Talent Time, Countdown, Division 4, Homicide, Bellbird and Celebrity Name Game. She has also worked in regional television in Victoria including guest appearances on BTV-6 Ballarat and hosting a morning magazine show on GLV-8 in the 1980s. As an actress, she has appeared in the movies The Last of the Knucklemen, Snapshot, and Blowing Hot and Cold.

On stage, she has appeared in plays and musicals, including Salad Days, Grease, The Barry Crocker Show, Two Gentlemen of Verona and Hello, Dolly! in 1994. She also spent two years in Sydney appearing on television shows Beauty and the Beast and "Weekend Sydney" between 1981 and 1983 before returning to her home town of Melbourne, Victoria.

In 1989, Drysdale joined Ernie Sigley to host In Melbourne Today, and in 1991 began a Sydney version of the show In Sydney Today. The two programs later merged to a single program: Ernie and Denise. Also in 1989, she was asked to fill in on Hey Hey It's Saturday due to Jacki MacDonald being ill and subsequently leaving. Drysdale stayed with the show for over a year before leaving due to ongoing rumours of a feud between her and host Daryl Somers. Over the years both have denied such rumours. In 1994, Drysdale returned to host an episode of Hey Hey It's Saturday in Somers' absence. She also returned for one of the reunion shows in 2009.

In the late 1990s Drysdale appeared in the reboot of IMT on the Nine Network.

In 1998, she joined the Seven Network to present her own show for the first time, called Denise. This program lasted four seasons.

In 2005, Channel 9 chose Drysdale as one of the 50 most important people on television for the last 50 years.

On 7 October 2010 she made an appearance in the second of the Hey Hey It's Saturday reunion shows.

In 2010, Drysdale joined Network Ten's new morning show The Circle alongside Yumi Stynes, Chrissie Swan and Gorgi Coghlan as host. She remained on the show for two seasons, leaving at the end of the 2011 season. She reappeared as a special guest on the final episode in 2013.

Drysdale regularly performed around Australia on the club circuit, often with her television partner, Ernie Sigley.

It was announced Drysdale would join as permanent co-host of Studio 10 in 2016 after appearing as a regular fill-in presenter, sharing the position with Ita Buttrose.

In June 2018, Drysdale joined the cast of Neighbours as Nance Sluggett. She made her first appearance on 3 October 2018.

Filmography

Film

Year Film Character Type
1979 Snapshot aka 'The Day After Halloween' Lily Feature film
1979 The Last of the Knucklemen Feature film
1989 Blowing Hot and Cold Shelley Feature film

Television

Year Title Character Type
1956 The Tarax Show Herself TV series
1962 Sunnyside Up Herself TV series
1963 In Melbourne Tonight Herself TV series
1966 Four Corners Herself TV series, 1 episode
1966–1967 The Go!! Show Herself TV series, 11 episodes
1966–1967 Kommotion Herself TV series
1967 Start Living Herself TV series
1967 Dig We Must Herself TV series, 26 episodes
1968 Uptight Herself (singing "Rescue Me") TV series, 1 episode
1973 The Barry Crocker Comedy Hour Herself TV special
1973 The Graham Kennedy Show Herself TV series, 5 episodes
1973 Matlock Police Shop assistant / Maid TV series, 2 episodes
1973, 1974 Homicide Kate / Margaret Brett / Midge / Jenny / Sue TV series, 5 episodes
1973, 1974 Division 4 Gloria/ Jill Bates / Wendy / Meredith Mckenzie / Shirley TV series, 5 episodes
1974–1976 The Ernie Sigley Show Herself TV series, 179 episodes, Regular
1974 Countdown Herself (singing "The Loving Song") TV series, 3 episodes
1975 Countdown Herself (singing "Green") TV series, 1 episode
1975 Bellbird TV series
1975 Yooralla Telethon Herself TV special
1975 The 17th Annual TV Week Logie Awards Herself – Gold Logie winner TV special
1975 The Norman Gunston Show Herself (singing "Having My Baby" with Norman) TV series, 1 episode
1975, 1976 Celebrity Squares Panellist TV series, 4 episodes
1976 The Bluestone Boys Nurse Peachum TV series
1976 The 18th Annual TV Week Logie Awards Herself – Gold Logie winner TV special
1976 Ernie Herself TV series
1976 Countdown Herself (singing "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight") TV series, 1 episode
1976 Bandstand '76 Herself (singing "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight") TV series, 1 episode
1976 The Bob Maumill Show Herself TV series, Regular
1976 Me & Mr Thorne Sally TV movie
1977 The Celebrity Game Panellist TV series
1977 Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal Herself TV special
1977 Six Tonight Guest - Herself TV special
1978 The Truckies TV series, 1 episode
1978 The 20s and All That Jazz Herself TV special
1978 The Peter Couchman Show Herself TV series, 1 episode
1979, 1980 Cop Shop Josie Brown / Rhonda Mather TV series, 3 episodes
1979; 1980 Young Talent Time Guest - Herself TV series, 1 episode
1980 Celebrity Tattletales Panellist TV series, 1 episode
1980 Young Talent Time Guest - Herself TV series, 1 episode
1980; 1981 The Mike Walsh Show Guest - Herself TV series, 1 episode
1981 And Here Comes Bucknuckle TV series
1981 Channel Nine Celebrates: 25 Years Of Television Herself in audience with Ernie Sigley TV special
1981 The Don Lane Show Herself (singing "Hey Paula" with Ernie Sigley) TV series, 1 episode
1981; 1985 The Mike Walsh Show Guest - Herself with Ernie Sigley TV series, 1 episode
1981–1982 Beauty and the Beast Panellist TV series, Regular
1982 Mastermind Contestant TV series, 1 episode
1983 The Daryl Somers Show Herself / Mary Loo Bannister in 'Detergent Place', 'Detergent Ad Lady' / Mrs Jenkins TV series, 4 episodes
1983 Weekend Sydney Host TV series
1983; 1989 Hey Hey It's Saturday Herself as Co-host TV series, 1 episode
1984 The Love Game Herself on panel with Andrew Clarke & Red Symons TV series, 1 episode
1984–1988 Channel Seven Perth Telethon Herself TV special
1984 Life's a Risky Business Herself Film documentary
1985 The Mike Walsh Show Guest - Herself TV series, 1 episode
1985 Daryl Somer's Blankety Blanks Panellist TV series
1985 Neighbours TV series, 1 episode
1985 It's a Knockout Contestant TV series, 1 episode
1986 Moomba Procession Herself TV special
1986 Channel Ten Telethon Herself TV special
1986 Late Night with Jono and Dano Herself TV series
1986 Star Search Guest judge TV series, 1 episode
1987 Have a Go Guest judge TV series, Regular
1987 Hey Dad..! 'Have A 'Go' Judge TV series, 1 episode
1987 Say G'Day Herself TV series, Regular
1987 You've Got to Be Joking Herself TV series, 1 episode
1987 Hey Hey It's Saturday Herself with Ian 'Molly' Meldrum/Red Faces TV series, 1 episode
1987, 1988 Hey Hey It's Saturday Herself (Red Faces) TV series, 1 episode
1988 Hey Hey It's Saturday Herself (Red Faces) TV series, 1 episode
1988 Life Education Television Appeal Herself TV special
1989 The Flying Doctors Guest: Marge Malarvy TV series, 1 episode
1989, 1996 Burke's Backyard Celebrity Gardener TV series, 1 episode
1989–1990 In Melbourne Today Co-Host TV series
1989–1990, 1994, 2009 Hey Hey It's Saturday Herself TV series
1991–92 In Sydney Today Co-host TV series
1992 Supermarket Sweep Contestant TV series, 1 episode
1992, 1994, 1995 What's Cooking Guest TV series, 3 episodes
1992 People's Choice Awards Presenter TV special
1993–95 Ernie and Denise Co-host TV series, Regular
1993
1996
Sale of the Century Herself TV series, 2 episodes
1993 Ernie and Denise In Paradise Herself TV special
1994 Hey Hey It's Saturday Guest host TV series, 1 episode
1994 Martin St James Herself TV special
1994 The Beatles In Australia: 30th Anniversary Herself TV special
1994 Live It Up Herself TV series, 1 episode
1994 Midday with Derryn Hinch Herself TV series, 1 episode
1994 Homicide... 30 Years On Herself TV special
1995 TV Week Logie Awards Herself TV special
1995, 1997 Hey Hey It's Saturday Herself TV series, 2 episodes
1995 TVTV Herself TV series, 1 episode
1995, 1996, 1997 This Is Your Life? Herself TV series, 3 episodes
1995 50 Fantastic Years Herself TV special
1996, 2005 Good Morning Australia Herself TV series, 2 episodes
1996 Monday to Friday Herself TV series, 1 episode
1996–98 In Melbourne Tonight Herself TV series
1996, 1997 Burke's Backyard Celebrity Gardener TV series, 2 episodes
1996 Midday with Kerri-Anne Herself TV series, 1 episode
1996 Television: The Way We Were Herself TV special
1997 Between the Lines Herself TV series, 1 episode
1997 Blankety Blanks Contestant TV series, 2 episodes
1997 This Is Your Life: Denise Drysdale Herself - Special Guest TV series
1996 40 Years of Logies Host TV special
1997 Our House Herself TV series, 1 episode
1998–2001 Denise Host TV series
1998 Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Contestant TV series, 1 episode
1998 Eleven A.M. Herself TV series, 1 episode
1998 When Rock Was Young: The 60s Herself – Archive clips TV special
1999 All Star Squares Contestant TV series, 1 episode
1999 I Believe In Angels Herself TV special
2001 The Bob Downe Show Herself (singing "Hey Paula" with Bob Downe) TV series, 1 episode
2001 The Big Schmooze Herself TV series, 1 episode
2001 The Election Chaser Herself TV series, 1 episode
2002–03 Dig & Dine Host TV series
2002 New Idea: 100 Fabulous Years Herself TV special
2003 This Is Your Life: The Showbiz Greats Herself TV special
2003 You Must Remember This Herself TV series, 1 episode
2005 The Price Is Right Contestant TV series, 1 episode
2005 Good Morning Australia Herself TV series, 1 episode
2006 Get This Herself Podcast series
2006 Talking Heads Herself TV series, 1 episode
2006–14 Spicks and Specks Contestant TV series, 6 episodes
2006 A Current Affair Herself TV series, 1 episode
2006 50 Years, 50 Stars Herself – Archive clips TV special
2006 Today Tonight Herself TV series, 1 episode
2006 Made In Melbourne Herself - Guest (with Charles 'Bud' Tingwell) TV special
2006 TV Turns 50: The Events That Stopped a Nation Herself TV special
2007 Bert's Family Feud Game team captain TV series, 1 episode
2008 Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune Contestant TV series, 1 episode
2008 This Is Your Life? Bert Newton Herself TV series, 1 episode
2009 Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation Herself TV series, 1 episode
2010 The Project Herself TV series, 1 episode
2010 Hey Hey It's Saturday Herself TV series, 1 episode
2010 You Have Been Watching Herself - Panelist (with Adam Richard & Tommy Dean) TV series, 1 episode 10: "Beauty And Fashion"
2010–2011, 2013 The Circle Co-host TV series
2010 Sleuth 101 Marjorie TV series, 1 episode
2010 Lights! Camera! Party! Television City Celebrate Herself (singing "Hey Paula" with Ernie Sigley) TV special
2011 You Have Been Watching Herself TV series, 1 episode
2012 Today Tonight Guest - Herself (with Carmen Duncan & Hazel Phillips) TV series, 1 episode
2013 Celebrity Splash! Australia Herself TV series, 2 episodes
2013 Tractor Monkeys Contestant TV series, 1 episode
2014 Dirty Laundry Live Herself TV series, 1 episode
2014 Young Talent Time Guest judge TV series, 1 episode
2014 When The Beatles Drove Us Wild Herself TV special
2014 The Flamin' Thongs Brenda Thong (voice) TV series, 26 episodes
2014 Please Like Me Ginger TV series, 5 episodes
2014, 2015 A Current Affair Herself TV series, 2 episodes
2015 Darren & Brose Herself TV series, 2 episodes
2015–present Studio 10 Co-host TV series
2017 Stop Laughing... This Is Serious Herself TV series, 1 episode
2018–19 One Fat Lady and One Thin Lady Herself (with Jessica Rowe) Podcast series
2018 Back In Time For Dinner Herself TV series, 1 episode
2018 Neighbours Nance Slugget TV series, 2 episodes
2019 Celebrity Name Game Contestant TV series, 1 episode
2021 Who Do You Think You Are? Herself TV series, 1 episode
2023 Christmas with the Australian Women's Weekly Herself TV special

Stage / Theatre

  • Buttons (1972)
  • Grease (1972)
  • Dimboola (1975)
  • The Sentimental Bloke (1976)
  • The Barry Crocker Show (1979)
  • Two Gentlemen of Verona (1980)
  • Salad Days (1983)
  • Hello Dolly! (1994-1995)

Discography

Charting singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
Year Title Peak chart
positions
Certification
AUS
1974 "Hey Paula" (with Ernie Sigley) 2
  • AUS: Gold
"The Loving Song"/"Green" 42

Awards and nominations

Go-Set Pop Poll

The Go-Set Pop Poll was coordinated by teen-oriented pop music newspaper Go-Set and was established in February 1966 and conducted an annual poll during 1966 to 1972 of its readers to determine the most popular personalities.


Year Nominee / work Award Result
1966 herself Female Vocal 3rd

Logie Awards

The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by magazine TV Week, with the first ceremony in 1959, known then as the TV Week Awards, the awards are presented in 20 categories representing both public and industry voted awards. Drysdale has won two Gold Logie awards for Most Popular Female Personality on Australian television.


Year Nominee / work Award Result
Logie Awards of 1975 herself Gold Logie Won
Logie Awards of 1976 herself Won

In 1998, as part of Melbourne's Moomba Festival, Drysdale was crowned 'Moomba Monarch'.

In January 2008, Drysdale was awarded the 'Australia Day Citizen of the Year' award by Baw Baw Shire.

In 2018, Drysdale was honoured by Australia Post with her portrait featuring on a special collection of post stamps issued as part of "The Legends of Television" series.

Personal life

Drysdale has two sons, and at least one grandson. Drysdale has recently sold her home in Victoria and moved to Queensland for its climate.

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