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| What Now | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Children's entertainment |
| Created by | Rex Simpson |
| Presented by |
|
| Opening theme | What Now 2024 |
| Country of origin | New Zealand |
| Production | |
| Producer | Whitebait Productions |
| Camera setup | Multi-Camera |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | May 9, 1981 (1981-05-09) – present |
What Now is aNew Zealand children's television programme that premiered on Saturday 9 May 1981.
The show airs every Sunday at 8.30 am onTVNZ 2 and hassegments such as Turtle Town, Fancy Feeds, and Gaming with Grandpa. It has no adverts, due to the Broadcasting Act 1989 which states that no commercial advertising can be shown on New Zealand television between 6 am and noon on Sundays.
What Now (alternatively titled asWhat Now? orWN) was created in 1981 by TVNZ producer Rex Simpson before he left the state broadcaster in 1988 to set up a children's department for then upcoming new channel,TV3.[1]
The show was originally half an hour in duration and screened on Saturday mornings onTVNZ 1 between 10-10.30am. The original cast in the first year were Steve Hooper along with four children, Merryn Pugh, Richard Hillock, Oliver Huggins and Lucy Briant (and Murdoch the dog). According to Rex Simpson at the time the "whole idea of the programme [was] to create healthy leisure attitudes"[2] and followed on from the template set by his previous children's show,How's That?, of introducing children to fun and educational activities (and which had been hosted byStu Dennison the previous year in 1980). For their scripted scenes Steve and the children would interact in a clubhouse set (recorded in TVNZ's Christchurch studio), and these would be interspersed with externally-filmed games and activity ideas, or skits by comedic character Murray Slack (portrayed by comedianJon Gadsby in 1981, and then the next year by actor Tony Wahren).
For the 1982 series Lucy Briant and Oliver Huggins were retained as part of the cast but five new children were introduced - Carol Hoy, Jeffrey White, Debbie Matoe, Scott Flanagan and Adrian Sexton. Other segments were also added to the format such as illustrated comic book character Captain Leisure (drawn by artist Ashley Smith), and a "New Games Competition" co-presented byPeter Williams and Yvonne Moore.[3]
In 1983 the programme format was revamped again and new solo presenterSteve Parr was brought in to anchor the show, with the timeslot shifting to 8.25-9.30am. While sitting behind a studio desk Steve Parr introduced segments covering morning keep-fit exercises, sketches involving recurring characters such as complaining old man Clive Grumble (portrayed byJim Hopkins), simple recipes byAlison Holst, trivia from Frank Flash (Alasdair Kincaid), law and safety with Constable Keith and Sniff (a puppet police dog), nationwide talent quest "Starbound", and a serialised interactive detective series called "The Retrievers", interspersed with regularcartoons. The opening theme song used for the show from the mid 1980s to early 1990s wasGet Out of Your Lazy Bed, byMatt Bianco.[4]
In 1984 the timeslot again changed from 8.30–10am, and then in July 1985 onwards increased to a whole two hours duration, screening from 8-10am. When Steve Parr left the show at the end of 1984, after two years as the main presenter, the number of hosts also increased, usually to three, beginning with Danny Watson (fromSpot On) joining in April 1985. Michelle Bracey, who had been part of show segments the year before in 1984, became a more prominent co-presenter and Frank Flash was given a central comedic manic role. When Michelle left the show, she was succeeded byMichèle A'Court in April 1987.
During the Steve Parr years onwards the show changed from being pre-recorded tolive broadcast, and comedy sketches, interactive phone calls and competitions with the viewing audience, plus magazine-style segments going out and about, all became a more central part of the format. The style remained this way for many years, as hosts evolved and were replaced, until today where the format now involves live audiences of crowds of children, but still is closely faithful with the core concept established early on.[5]
In November1989 the show moved channels toTVNZ 2 and then in1996 began screening on Sunday mornings. An after school version ofWhat Now,What Now PM, also ran on TVNZ 2 during the week, between1997 and2002.
The weekdays version ofWhat Now became its own separate show known asWNTV. First hosted byCarolyn Taylor and a face in a computer screen played by Mikey Carpenter. Later the show changed dramatically, but kept the same WNTV name. It became a drama showing behind the scenes of a children's afternoon magazine show. This was hosted byAntonia Prebble andTom Hern, and featured several other characters. Anna Allbury and Jo Tuapawa featured as reporters.[citation needed]
TheWhat Now show was moved toTVNZ'sAvalon studios inLower Hutt in 1999 until TVNZ shut down its Children's Department at the end of 2003.What Now the show was then brought back to Christchurch in 2004 to be produced by an independent companyWhitebait Productions, headed by Janine Morrell-Gunn andJason Gunn.What Now has been funded byNZ On Air since NZOA's inception in 1989; prior to that it was funded byTVNZ.
In2004 the afternoon showWNTV was cancelled and replaced with the old children's afternoon TV showStudio 2 produced byIan Taylor and Taylormade Productions. Although Taylormade was based in Dunedin,Studio 2 was produced live to air at TVNZ's Auckland studios.
In 2024What Now halted its live studio production for the first time in its history. The show announced itself as "digital first" with the aim of growing its YouTube subscriber base to reflect the shift in viewing habits of its young audience.[6] 2024 also saw the return of Chris Kirk as host and the relocation of WhitebaitMedia from its modest Princess Street studios inAddington to a smaller production base indowntown Christchurch.
Various programme partnerships over the years have seenWhat Now promoting 'healthy eating healthy action', water safety and old-fashioned letter writing amongst many other things.What Now has a long-standing association with theWeet-Bix Kiwi Kids Tryathlon, and with Sport and Recreation New Zealand whose 'Push Play' message encourages children to be physically active.
EarlyWhat Now presenters were also credited as writers. They were people like Michele A'Court, Danny Watson, Al Kincaid, Michelle Bracey,Simon Barnett and Catherine McPherson, some of whom have gone on to roles as directors and writers. A more recent presenter who made a significant behind-the-scenes contribution was Anthony Samuels, who also trained as a director.[citation needed]
Off-screen personnel who have shapedWhat Now over the years are many. They include camera operator and director Alan Henderson (also the brains behind Jason Gunn's sidekick Thingee), Directors Keith Tyler-Smith, Bill de Friez, Peter Verstappen, Mike Rehu, Brian Wickstead, Mark Owers, Mike Ritchie, Jason Gunn, Richard Hansen, Matt Barrett, Kerry DuPont, Kingsley Hockley, Shardey Harris, and Tom Eason. Producers include Richard Driver, Mike Rehu, Tony Palmer, Anne Williams, Emma Martini(Gribble), Reuben Davidson, Jo Eade, Adam Percival, Holly Chappell and Executive Producer Janine Morrell-Gunn.
| Host | Duration |
|---|---|
| Chris Kirk | 2015-2020, 2024-Present |
| Imogen Rice | 2025-Present |
| Aashma Goldfarb | 2025-Present |
| Rahil Uddin | 2025-Present |
| Manu Hepi | 2025-Present |
Throughout the years,What Now has maintained the use ofgunge and foam. Children, celebrities, parents and sometimes the presenters are often the subject of embarrassment in various gunge games. Examples include Happy Feet, Gunge Matters, Target your Teacher and Tug of War and general gunging.[citation needed]
In 2024,What Now performed its most extreme gunging ever, dropping over 375 litres of gunge from a helicopter onto its host.[8]