Te Radar (born Andrew J. Lumsden) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audience dir ...

and television personality. Lumsden studied law at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

, but abandoned his original course of study and went through Theatre Studies at Allen Hall.''New Zealand on Screen'' He adapted his original nickname of "Radar" (after the character

Radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

in television series ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker (auth ...

''), adding the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

''Te'' ("The") to the front for added distinction. Te Radar's comedy often focuses on his interests in travel and history. As a result, his work has led to him presenting radio travel documentaries for

Radio New Zealand Radio New Zealand ( mi, Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa), commonly known as Radio NZ or simply RNZ, is a New Zealand public-service radio broadcaster and Crown entity that was established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news and cu ...

. His 2004 radio show ''Dispatches from the Holy Lands'', chronicling his travels through the Arab-Israeli conflict resulted in the

Television New Zealand Television New Zealand ( mi, Te Reo Tātaki o Aotearoa), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a television network that is broadcast throughout New Zealand and parts of the Pacific region. All of its currently-operating channels are free-to-air an ...

documentary ''War Tourist – Christmas in Bethlehem''. In 2006 Te Radar fronted a three-part documentary ''Hidden in the Numbers'', which examined the changing face of New Zealand culture. This was followed by two further television series, ''Off the Radar'' and ''Homegrown''. ''Off the Radar'' saw Te Radar's attempt at sustainable living, spending ten months working on a small allotment. The show rated highly, and led to the publication on an accompanying book. The series was followed by a sequel, ''Radar's Patch'', which won the 2010 award for Best Information/Lifestyle programme. In 2013 he presented '' Best Bits''. He was replaced by

Jesse Mulligan Jesse Robert Turi Mulligan is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently works as a co-host for '' The Project'' on Three, an afternoon presenter on RNZ National, and a writer for The New Zealand Herald's Viva Magazine. Career ...

the following year. In 2017 he starred in ''Te Radar's Chequered Past,'' a series telling the stories of "New Zealand’s most colourful characters, both infamous and largely forgotten." This series was built on his popular ''Eating the Dog'' stage show. In 2022 he was presented with a Scroll of Honour from the

Variety Artists Club of New Zealand The Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc (VAC) is a non-for-profit organisation and show business club. It was founded in 1966 and became an incorporated society in 1972. The VAC was formed to promote goodwill within the New Zealand enterta ...

for his contribution to New Zealand entertainment.

References

External links

NZ on screen ''Te Radar'' page
retrieved 21 August 2011
Who is Te Radar?
, ''Television New Zealand'', retrieved 21 August 2011
Te Radar's 'Eating the Dog'
, ''NZ2011 website'', retrieved 21 August 2011
Interview with Te Radar

TV3 (New Zealand) Three ( mi, Toru), stylized as +HR=E, is a New Zealand nationwide television channel. Launched on 26 November 1989 as TV3, it was New Zealand's first privately owned television channel. The channel currently broadcasts nationally (with regional ...

, retrieved 21 August 2011 New Zealand television personalities New Zealand male comedians Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{NewZealand-entertainer-stub University of Otago alumni