Craig Bennett (born 15 October 1962) is an Australian journalist, author, MC, radio commentator and television presenter, best known for his work as an

entertainment reporter Entertainment journalism is any form of journalism that focuses on popular culture and the entertainment business and its products. Like fashion journalism, entertainment journalism covers industry-specific news while targeting general audiences ...

.(2016
Oz Panto cast: Craig Bennett

Bonnie Lythgoe Bonita Lythgoe (née Shawe; born 1949) is a British former dancer who, since the 1990s and 2000s, has been the producer and director of various theatre productions, including pantomimes. In 1969, aged 19, Lythgoe auditioned for the BBC's Young G ...

Productions. Accessed 1 August 2019.

Biography and career

Early TV appearances

Bennett first appeared on television in the 1970s, as a guest discussing his pet snakes, on programs such as ''

The Don Lane Show ''The Don Lane Show'' was an Australian television talk show which aired twice a week on the Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air televisio ...

'', ''

The Mike Walsh Show ''The Mike Walsh Show'' was an Australian variety daytime television series. Hosted by Mike Walsh, the show ran from 1973 to 1984 for 90 minutes each weekday afternoon. History The program was launched on the 0-10 Network and moved to the Nin ...

'' and '' Simon Townsend's Wonder World'' which led to him being dubbed "the snake boy of St Ives".Bennett, Craig (2019), ''True Confessions of a Shameless Gossip'',

New Holland Publishers New Holland Publishers is an English-based international publisher of non-fiction books, founded in 1955. It is a privately held company, with offices in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. History The publishing firm was established ...

, . Accessed 1 August 2019.

Newspaper journalist

Bennett started his professional media career in 1980 when he became a

copy boy A copy boy is a typically young and junior worker on a newspaper. The job involves taking typed stories from one section of a newspaper to another. According to Bruce Guthrie, the former editor-in-chief of the ''Herald Sun'' who began work there ...

and then

cadet journalist A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

at ''

The Daily Mirror ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' and '' Daily Telegraph'' newspapers, covering general news stories.

Television

He moved into television several years later, initially appearing on children's program ''The Harry & Ralph Show'', but becoming best known at covering entertainment news on programs such as '' Good Morning Australia'', ''

Good Morning Sydney ''Good Morning Sydney'' is an Australian local morning show which aired on Network Ten in New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: ...

'', ''After Noon'', ''

Midday Noon (or midday) is 12 o'clock in the daytime. It is written as 12 noon, 12:00 m. (for meridiem, literally 12:00 noon), 12 p.m. (for post meridiem, literally "after noon"), 12 pm, or 12:00 (using a 24-hour clock) or 1200 (military time). Solar ...

'', '' At Home with John Mangos'', ''Monday to Friday'', ''Good Taste'', ''

Today Tonight ''Today Tonight'' is an Australian current affairs television program produced by the Seven Network. It aired from January 1995 to November 2019 in Adelaide and Perth. Editions in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne were previously produced befor ...

'', '' The Morning Show'' and ''

The Daily Edition ''The Daily Edition'' was an Australian afternoon entertainment show on the Seven Network which was first broadcast on 17 June 2013 and ended on 26 June 2020. The show featured a combination of live breaking news, as well as live interviews w ...

''.

Entertainment reporter

Since 2013, Bennett has appeared on

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

morning program ''

Studio 10 ''Studio 10'' is an Australian morning talk show on Network 10. The show airs between 8:30am and noon on weekdays and a highlights show airs between 9:30am and noon on weekends. ''Studio 10'' is broadcast live from Network 10 Studios in Pyr ...

'', where he hosts regular showbiz segments and conducts in-depth interviews with local and international celebrities.

Radio

Bennett has also been a regular contributor on many Australian, New Zealand and South African radio stations throughout his career.

Stage

In 2016, Bennett starred as outrageous ugly sister Hernia in

's stage production of the pantomime Cinderella at Sydney's State Theatre. Cinderella also starred

Gina Liano Gina Liano (born 1966) is an Australian barrister, author, entrepreneur and television personality. She is best known for her role in ''The Real Housewives of Melbourne''. Early and personal life Liano was born Georgina Caroline Italiano in Bri ...

, Peter Everett,

Tim Maddren Timothy Maddren (born 3 March 1984) is a New Zealand-born Australian musician best known as a member of the Australian children's musical group Hi-5. He was a replacement for Nathan Foley in 2008. He left Hi-5 in February 2013 after four years. ...

and

Jimmy Rees James Rees (born 15 July 1987) is an Australian children's entertainer best known for playing the role of Jimmy Giggle on ABC Kids' flagship program ''Giggle and Hoot'' from 2009 to 2020. Personal life Rees was born in Frankston, Victoria an ...

Publications

In 2007, Bennett published ''That's Quite a Dress You Almost Have On'', a compilation of well known lines from various movies. In 2019, he published his autobiography, ''True Confessions of a Shameless Gossip'', detailing his career and his interactions with many well known entertainers throughout his career.Veage, John (24 July 2019
Craig Bennett memoirs – 'it's all true!'
''

St George and Sutherland Shire Leader The ''St George and Sutherland Shire Leader'' is an Australian Community Media-owned community newspaper distributed in the southern Sydney region. It currently has a monthly readership of 423,832 people and caters for the St George and Suthe ...

'',

Australian Community Media Australian Community Media (ACM) is a media company in Australia responsible for over 160 regional publications. Its mastheads include the ''Canberra Times'', ''Newcastle Herald'', '' The Examiner'', ''The Border Mail'', '' The Courier'' and th ...

. Retrieved 1 August 2019. *''That's Quite a Dress You Almost Have On''; Penguin Books, 2007 *''True Confessions of a Shameless Gossip''; New Holland Publishers, 2019

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Craig 1962 births Living people Australian journalists