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| The D-Generation | |
|---|---|
| Starring | (personnel listed in article) |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| No. of episodes | 16 (ABC episodes) 4 (Channel 7 specials) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 33 minutes ea. |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC TV Seven Network |
| Release | 13 March 1986 (1986-3-13) – 12 October 1989 (1989-10-12) |
The D-Generation was a popular and influential Australian TVsketch comedy show produced and broadcast byABC for two series between 1986 and 1987. A further four specials were broadcast on theSeven Network between 1988 and 1989. The show would also serve as a stepping stone for many early incarnations of iconic characters, including Lynne Postlethwaite, Gina Hard-Faced B***h, Eileen Maverick and Kelvin Cunnington.
The series was produced and directed byKris Noble and was created and written by a group ofMelbourne University students who had gained local notoriety for their stage work:Rob Sitch,Santo Cilauro,Marg Downey,Michael Veitch,Magda Szubanski, John Harrison, andTom Gleisner. Also part of the original team wasNicholas Bufalo, who appeared in the unscreened one-hourD-Generation pilot (1985), before accepting a long-running role on TV soapA Country Practice. Several of Bufalo's sketches from the pilot (including the famousThunderbirds parody) were incorporated into series one, and Bufalo himself returned for the specials. Actress/comedianJane Turner and New ZealanderTony Martin joined from series two, and Melbourne Uni Revue starsMick Molloy andJason Stephens were added for the specials.
| No. | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Australia" | 13 March 1986 (1986-3-13) |
| 2 | "Religion" | 20 March 1986 (1986-3-20) |
| 3 | "The Media" | 27 March 1986 (1986-3-27) |
| 4 | "Leisure" | 3 April 1986 (1986-4-3) |
| 5 | "Work" | 10 April 1986 (1986-4-10) |
| 6 | "Politics" | 17 April 1986 (1986-4-17) |
| 7 | "The Arts" | 24 April 1986 (1986-4-24) |
| 8 | "Science" | 1 May 1986 (1986-5-1) |
| 9 | "Relationships" | 8 May 1986 (1986-5-8) |
| 10 | "Comedy" | 15 May 1986 (1986-5-15) |
| No. | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | "Nightmare on D Generation Street" | 30 April 1987 (1987-4-30) |
| 12 | "Hercules, Saviour of the D Generation" | 7 May 1987 (1987-5-7) |
| 13 | "Deep Generation" | 14 May 1987 (1987-5-14) |
| 14 | "D Generation, Bloody D Generation" | 21 May 1987 (1987-5-21) |
| 15 | "The Easy Listening Sounds of the D Generation" | 28 May 1987 (1987-5-28) |
| 16 | "That's D Generation!" | 4 June 1987 (1987-6-4) |
| No. | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Least Worst of the D-Generation" | 11 June 1987 (1987-6-11) |
| 2 | "The Least Worst of the D-Generation" | 18 June 1987 (1987-6-18) |
| 3 | "The Least Worst of the D-Generation" | 25 June 1987 (1987-6-25) |
| 4 | "The Least Worst of the D-Generation" | 2 July 1987 (1987-7-2) |
| No. | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The D-Generation Goes Commercial" | 23 May 1988 (1988-5-23) |
| 2 | "Degenocide" | 11 October 1988 (1988-10-11) |
| 3 | "The D-Generation Salute to Roy Smeck" | 1 November 1988 (1988-11-1) |
| 4 | "D-Generation Country Homestead" | 12 October 1989 (1989-10-12) |
Two "best of" videos were released:The Best of the Original D-Generation was released on ABC-video in 1996 and featured selected highlights from the two ABC series.A second video was released in 1997 calledDegenocide: The Second Best of the Original D-Generation which featured additional material from the ABC series along with highlights from the Channel 7 specials including the highly popularHomicide spoofs. The latter video also featured bonus material including footage filmed onSuper 8 by the group whilst at University, clips from the Channel-9 pilots, both of theFive-in-a-Row music videos, home-video footage of their 1991 stage show at Le Joke and clips from when the D-Generation were guest hosts onCountdown andBurke's Backyard.
In 2004, both of the above videos were re-released on a single DVDThe Best and Second Best of the D-Generation.
The D Generation breakfast show was a hugely successful radio program which ran for six years (19 May 1986-April 1992) on Melbourne'sTriple M (originally EON FM). Highlights of the show were released on albums.
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [1] | ||
| Thanks for Being You |
| - |
| The Satanic Sketches |
| 50 |
| The Breakfast Tapes (1988-90) |
| 47 |
| Year | Title | Peak positions | Certification | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [1] | ||||
| 1987 | "Degeneration" | - | Thanks for Being You!! | |
| 1989 | "Five in a Row" | 12 |
| The Satanic Sketches |
| 1990 | "Five More in a Row" | 37 | The Breakfast Tapes (1988-90) |
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music. The D-Generation won one award from two nominations.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Satanic Sketches | Best Comedy Release | Won |
| 1991 | The Breakfast Tapes (1988-90) | Nominated |
Cast members of both the television and radio show (Sitch, Gleisner, Martin, Cilauro, Molloy, Stephens andJane Kennedy) subsequently moved on to the equally popular ABC TV seriesThe Late Show which ran for two years (1992–1993) with stand-up comicJudith Lucy joining the cast for the second series.
FourD-Generation cast members (Veitch, Downey, Szubanski and Turner) went on to a similarly-styled and very popularsketch comedy series,Fast Forward (1989–1992) onChannel 7. All later made guest appearances on this show's sequel,Full Frontal (1993–1997), which marked the TV debut of actor and comicEric Bana.
Fast Forward itself led to theChannel 7 comedy shows,Big Girl's Blouse (1994), starring Magda Szubanski, Jane Turner andGina Riley, andSomething Stupid (1998), with the same trio plus Marg Downey. Both series featured the parodic Aussie suburban characters who were later the 'stars' of the hit seriesKath & Kim (2002-2007).
Szubanski, Riley, Turner, Downey and Veitch would reunite once more as part of the cast of sketch comedy seriesOpen Slather (2015) onFoxtel'sThe Comedy Channel.
Three of the originalD-Generation cast – Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner, along with Jane Kennedy and long time D-Gen producer Michael Hirsh are the principals of the successful Australian production companyWorking Dog Productions.
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Tony Martin and Mick Molloy have remained an on-again/off-again team producing many film, radio and television features.Their most well known project 'Martin/Molloy', had a run of four years and released threeARIA Award-winning compilation albums –The Brown Album (1995),Poop Chute (1996) andEat Your Peas (1998).
In mid-2007, the duo had a highly publicised falling out following a dispute over the production of the DVD for the filmBoytown and have not worked together since.[2]
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Michael Veitch and Marg Downey returned to sketch comedy inLet Loose Live (2005) but the show was axed after only two episodes due to poor ratings.[3]
Veitch starred in the short-lived Ch-7 period sitcomBligh (1992) and was a cast-regular in the TV-1 comedy seriesShock Jock (2001-2002) and more recently on the Comedy Channel'sOpen Slather (2015). He also served as the host of ABC-TV'sSunday Arts, worked as an announcer on ABC radio, has authored six books (four of them on Second World War aviation) and has made successful forays into theatre including starring asMolly Meldrum in theCountdown tribute musicalI Can't Believe its not Countdown.
Downey has appeared in a number of film and TV productions, in both comedic and dramatic roles, including the 1994 TV movieEconomy Class, the 2000 sitcomSit Down, Shut Up, a recurring role inKath & Kim and appearances in the 2006 US seriesNightmares & Dreamscapes and the 2012 movieKath & Kimderella.
Nick Bufalo has gone on to be a successful TV director who has made several videos and specials with Australian children's bandThe Wiggles.
Jason Stephens is now the Director of Development for Fremantlemedia Australia, one of Australia's leading independent television production companies. He producedThe King, the AFI Award-winning telemovie based on the life ofGraham Kennedy, and is the executive producer ofNewstopia (2007–08) withShaun Micallef. Stephens was also the creator ofThe Choir of Hard Knocks.
John Harrison left the group at the end of 1991 and virtually 'retired' from comedy, embarking on a successful career in the corporate sector. However, he made several guest appearances onThe Late Show (1992-1993) and had a brief cameo as a newsreader on Tony Martin's 2003 filmBad Eggs.
Judith Lucy has had a successful career in stand-up comedy and has also worked in radio, appeared in the filmsCrackerjack andBad Eggs and starred in two ABC-TV seriesJudith Lucy's Spiritual Journey andJudith Lucy is All Woman.