New Faces (1982)
Synopsis
Seven variety acts from around the country perform live in studio and are judged by industry experts Rod McLennan and Tony Partuccio. Bert Newton hosts.
Curator’s notes
New Faces has a long television history. It debuted in 1963 at GTV-9 studios in Melbourne. The original version, Kevin Dennis Auditions, was sponsored by Kevin Dennis Motors and screened on Saturday mornings in Melbourne. It morphed first into Kevin Dennis New Faces then New Faces. In the process, it became a popular prime-time and national Sunday night fixture.
Bert Newton took over from original host Frank Wilson in 1976 and Daryl Somers, one time contestant on the show, hosted another run of New Faces between 1989 and 1990. Bert Newton returned in 1992 for a brief time until 1993, this time on the Ten Network.
Newton, one of Australia’s most popular entertainers, began his TV career in 1956, the first year of television in Australia. He made a name for himself on the variety program In Melbourne Tonight (1957–70), as sidekick to Graham Kennedy, and found further success on The Don Lane Show (1975–83). Dubbed ‘Moonface’, Newton has been synonymous with the Logie awards, having hosted the event on multiple occasions and been awarded the Gold Logie four times (between 1979 and 1984) for his roles on New Faces and The Don Lane Show.
Typical of this period in Australian television, New Faces is a studio-based show taped in front of a live audience. Other popular Australian TV talent shows include Young Talent Time (1971–89) and 21st century hits Australian Idol (2003–09), Australia’s Got Talent (2007–13), The Voice Australia (2012–current) and The X Factor Australia (2005, 2010–current).
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