''BackBerner'' was an Australian political satire sketch comedy television series, broadcast on and produced by ABC TV with Crackerjack Productions (now

Fremantle Australia Fremantle Australia Pty Ltd. (formerly FremantleMedia Australia) is the Australian arm of global British production and entertainment company Fremantle. It was formed in 2006 by the merger of market leader Grundy Television and comedy special ...

). The program was hosted by stand-up comic Peter Berner and noted Australian character actor Louise Siversen. The series aired from 19 August 1999 to 14 November 2002.

Synopsis

The show parodied the current affairs format with Berner, but most frequently Siversen engaged in interviews with various representatives and authorities on the subjects of that week's news stories to discuss the issue, with various comedians playing the role of the interviewees. The most common of these characters were Dr Dennis Johnson who covered medical issues and Dexter Pinion, the far-right conservative correspondent for government reconciliation who frequently railed against the supposedly left-leaning " AB-friggin'-C". Numerous other character actors often made return appearances under different names, such as

Nicholas Hammond Nicholas Hammond (born 15 May 1950) is an American and Australian actor and writer who is best known for his roles as Friedrich von Trapp in the film '' The Sound of Music'' and as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the 1970s television series ''The Am ...

who often appeared as Jack Bloom, a representative for the US Government. The show was axed in 2002, and poked a last jab by explaining that Dexter Pinion had in fact finally taken control of the "AB-friggin'-C" and shut Berner down.

Cast

The program was hosted by stand-up comic Peter Berner and noted Australian character actor Louise Siversen. Other regulars on the program included Tanya Bulmer and Kym Gyngell, who engaged in pre-recorded external and on-the-street interviews. Imelda Corcoran played Maria for 17 episodes of the show, most of them in series 3 in 2001. * Peter Berner as Host * Louise Siversen as Host *

Ian Bliss Ian Bliss (born 30 June 1966) is an Australian film, television, and stage character actor, he has appeared in numerous Australian television dramas including ''Heartbreak High'', '' Wentworth'' and as several characters in the '' Underbelly uni ...

as various characters (11 episodes) * Kym Gyngell as Self (10 episodes) *

as various characters (6 episodes) * Imelda Corcoran as Maria (17 episodes) * Lynette Curran as Miriam Standwick (2 episodes) * Denise Roberts as Beryl Todd & various characters (2 episodes) *

Belinda McClory Belinda McClory (born 1968) is an Australian film, television and stage actress, mainly known for her role as Switch in ''The Matrix''. McClory was born in Adelaide, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a c ...

aa Susan Lamb (1 episode) * Rhiana Griffith as Kristi Taylor (1 episode) *

Jennifer Kent Jennifer Kent is an Australian director, screenwriter, and former actress. She is best known for writing and directing the psychological horror film '' The Babadook'' (2014). Her second film, '' The Nightingale'' (2018), premiered at the 75th ...

as various characters (1 episode) *

Chris Haywood Chris Haywood (born ) is an English-born Australian actor, writer and producer, with close to 500 screen performances to his name. Haywood has also worked as a casting director, art director, sound recordist, camera operator, gaffer, grip, lo ...

as Michael Thompson (1 episode) *

Danny Adcock Danny Adcock is an Australian actor. Career Film and television Adcock has worked extensively in television. After scoring a handful of guest roles, he landed his first film role as a policeman in the Ozploitation film '' The Cars That At ...

as Tom McLachlan *

Drew Forsythe Drew Forsythe (born 23 August 1949) is an Australian actor, singer, writer, and comedian. He has appeared on film, stage, and television, as well as in satirical sketch comedy television programs. Early life Born in New South Wales to newsage ...

as Martin (1 episode) * Alan David Lee as Gary Morris / Mark Hitchens – Labor MP / Gavin Letchkey – Liberal MP * Russell Dykstra as Mr Dennis McCauley * Nicholas Opolski * Christian Manon * Rebecca Riggs] * Tanya Bulmer *

Ally Fowler Alexandra Fowler (born 6 December 1961) is an Australian actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Angela Hamilton in ''Sons and Daughters (Australian TV series), Sons and Daughters'' (1982–1984), Zoe Davis in ''Neighbours'' (1986) an ...

as Julie (2 episodes) * Bob Baines as Representative for Liberal Party / Representative for Liberal Party (2 episodes) * Leon Ford as Blair Fife (1 episode) * Peter Whitford as Henry Tinkwhistle (1 episode)

Production

''BackBerner'' was produced by ABC TV with Crackerjack Productions (now

). The music played during the opening and closing credits is an excerpt from

TISM TISM ( ; an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) are a seven-piece anonymous alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia on 30 December 1982 by vocalist/drummer Humphrey B. Flaubert, bassist/vocalist Jock Cheese and keyboardist/vocalist ...

's song "Thunderbirds are Coming Out".

Broadcast

The series aired from 19 August 1999 to 14 November 2002.

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, id=0213330 Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming Australian television sketch shows Australian satirical television shows 1999 Australian television series debuts 2002 Australian television series endings 1990s Australian comedy television series 2000s Australian comedy television series