DerekPayne
- Presenter
- Actor
- Writer
Derek Payne got his television break in 1968, presenting Dunedin magazine show Town and Around — and later its replacement, The South Tonight. He wrote and starred in early sketch series Something to Look Forward to, and contributed to hit variety show Radio Times. In the 1980s Payne moved into advertising. His 40 year acting career includes soap Radio Waves, drama Street Legal and acclaimed comedy Hounds.
Biography
Derek Payne’s velvety voice and English accent won him his first job in television. In Dunedin in the late 60s, standards in television presentation were set by a NZ Broadcasting Corporation newsreader — "an ex-British military officer named George Speed" who ensured presenters stuck close to the sound of Mother England.
Screenography
“I always enjoyed the field trips around Otago, covering towns likes Alexandra and Cromwell ... Of course there was no email then, and a show like Town and Around was really a big community information system.”