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Billy T James

Curated by NZ On Screen team 23 items
This tribute collection celebrates the life of Billy T James, his screen legacy, and his inimitable brand of comedy.
23 items
The Collection /
Billy T James
Billy T James
Curated by NZ On Screen team

Overview

Billy T James is a Kiwi entertainment legend. His iconic 'bro'’ giggle and gags were beloved. This collection celebrates his life, screen legacy, and inimitable brand of comedy: from the skits (Te News, Turangi Vice), to the show-stealing cameos (The Tainuia Kid), and the stories behind the famous singlet and yellow towel. Biographer Matt Elliott pays tribute to the comedy legend, and Oscar Kightley shares memories of his hero. 

Profiles

Profile picture of Billy T James
Billy T James
Comedian, Actor

Television

Billy T James - A Celebration
Television 1995
The Best of The Billy T James Collection
Television 1992
Radio Times - Series One, Episode Two
Television 1980
Billy T Live
Television 1990
Koha - Billy T James
Television 1983
Billy
Television 2011
Loose Enz - The Protesters
Television 1982
Billy T James - A Daughter's Story
Television 1997
The James Gang Rides Again
Television 1990
An Evening with Sir Howard Morrison
Television 1990
The Billy T James Show (sitcom) - excerpts
Television 1990
On the Mat - 29 July 1980
Television 1980
My Old Man's an All Black - performed by Howard Morrison & Billy T James
Television 1990
Billy T James America's Cup Challenge
Television 1986
Rabbiters Rest - A Fair Cop
Television 1983
The Early Bird Show - Excerpts
Television 1991
One of those Blighters
Television 1982

Collection Gallery

Billy-T-James-Gallery-1.jpg
Ilona Rodgers and Billy T James on the set of the 1990 sitcom version of The Billy T James Show. Rodgers played the Australian wife of Billy's character.
Kindly provided by The Dominion Post
Centenary-of-cinema-gallery-2.jpg
A model of Billy T James in Came a Hot Friday, created for Greg Page's short film New Zealand Centenary of Cinema.
Kindly provided by OnFilm
Terry-and-the-Gunrunners-Gallery-09.jpg
A scene from TV series Terry and the Gunrunners: Billy T James as Spud, eloquent leader of the Gang of Forty.
Came-A-Hot-Friday-Gallery-1.jpg
Billy T James (left) as the Tainuia Kid and Peter Bland as conman Wesley Pennington in Came a Hot Friday.
© Mirage Films
Came-A-Hot-Friday-Gallery-2.jpg
The Tainuia Kid (Billy T James) has the heavyweight Sel Bishop (Marshall Napier), the operator of an illegal casino, inadvertently covered in Came a Hot Friday.
© Mirage Films
The-James-Gang-Rides-Again-Gallery-1.jpg
The James Gang (l-r): Jim Mclead, Tina Sinclair, Graham Comber, Edwin Telle, Billy T, John Findlay
© TV3
The-James-Gang-Rides-Again-Gallery-2.jpg
On the set of The James Gang Rides Again on Auckland's West Coast. From left: Terere Koopu and Peter Read, George Andrews, Billy T James, Dee Jamieson and sound recordist Dave Hurley.
Kindly supplied by Onfilm.
The-Billy-T-James-Show-Sitcom-Gallery-1.jpg
The cast of the 1990 sitcom version of The Billy T James Show. From left, Billy T James, Willa O'Neill, Tania Wehi, Ilona Rodgers and (back, middle) Mark Hadlow.
Photo courtesy of TV3

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Oscar Kightley and Matt Elliott for their fine background pieces, and to the various rights' holders who’ve made this collection possible.