7 Days - 200th Episode
It's Friday 4th December, 2015 and panel series 7 Days is celebrating its 200th episode with a live audience at the Auckland Town Hall. Everyone is up for a party, and nothing says 'party' more than guest Tim Shadbolt jumping out of a giant cardboard cake. The recipe is the same, but longer: two teams of comedians lead by regulars Paul Ego and Dai Henwood compete for wildly erratic points, but for this episode 7 Days becomes 7 Years, as the panel riff off news stories dating from 2009 when their first episode aired, through to 2015. Jon Toogood and choir Viva Voce guest star.
Three Turns 30 - Promo
Big hair, big shoulder pads and big earrings feature in this video celebrating Three’s 30th birthday. On 26 November 1989, TV3 — the first privately owned TV channel in New Zealand — transmitted from its Auckland studios for the first time. The promo opens with fresh-faced news reporters/presenters hamming it up for the camera, including Joanna Paul, Eric Young and Genevieve Westcott. The rest of the clip celebrates Three's successes (Outrageous Fortune, bro’Town, 7 Days) and takes a light-hearted look at its failings, revisiting times it went into receivership.
Mahana
Inspired by Witi Ihimaera's Bulibasha, Mahana saw director Lee Tamahori making his first film on local soil since a very different family tale: 1994's Once Were Warriors. Temuera Morrison stars as a 60s era farming patriarch who makes it clear his family should have absolutely nothing to do with rival family the Poatas. Then romance enters the picture, and son Simeon sets out to find out how the feud first started. The powerhouse Māori cast includes Nancy Brunning (who is included in the interview clips) and Jim Moriarty. Mahana debuted at the 2016 Berlin Film Festival, before NZ release.
John McDonald
Trained at Ilam School of Fine Arts, John McDonald cut his teeth directing at TVNZ in the 80s before producing sport for Sky TV. An OE producing at MTV Asia was followed by roles for Screentime. Since joining Mediaworks (TV3) in 2000, he has led an award-winning run of live coverage (Fight for Life, Rugby World Cup, the NZ Music Awards) and comedy. He is Head of In-House Production at Mediaworks.
Celia Jaspers (née Offwood)
Celia Jaspers directed and produced award-winning documentary Primeval New Zealand for NHNZ. She got into television early — thanks to a tangled camera cable — and has stayed, developing a range of skills from editing to directing.
Josh Thomson
Tongan-Kiwi comedian Josh Thomson won attention after starring in 48 Hour short films Only Son and Brown Peril. Along with acting (Hounds) and appearances on comedy show 7 Days, Thomson is also an editor and director. In 2017 he starred in movie Gary of the Pacific, as a hapless real estate agent turned Pacific Island chief. The same year, he joined Three's primetime news show The Project.
Tammy Davis
Tammy Davis began in the lighting department, got his acting break on What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, and won fame via hit show Outrageous Fortune. His portrayal of the gormless Munter earned him awards and a 'Munter is Choice' fan club. Raetihi-raised Davis made his directing debut with 2011 short film Ebony Society, which played at Sundance and Berlin. He went on to co-star in TV comedy Sunny Skies.
Antonia Prebble
Antonia Prebble played the manipulative Loretta West on Outrageous Fortune over six seasons, before starring in prequel Westside. Prebble began her screen career aged 12 on TV series Mirror, Mirror, and did five seasons on sci-fi hit The Tribe during her school holidays. From 2013 her career got even busier, with starring roles in legal thriller The Blue Rose, Witi Ihimaera film White Lies and bio-thriller The Cure.
Dan Musgrove
Dan Musgrave donned 70s style threads to star as charismatic ‘Mr Asia’ Marty Johnstone in Land of the Long Green Cloud, NZ’s contribution to the Underbelly franchise. The Blenheim-raised graduate of Toi Whakaari has co-written a series of theatre comedies to complement his acting career — which includes playing criminal Lefty Munroe in Outrageous Fortune prequel Westside.
John Leigh
John Leigh won a legion of fans with his first television role, as nice guy cafe owner Lionel Skeggins on Shortland Street. After five years the character finally went missing in 1999 — presumed drowned — while fleeing dodgy wife Mackenzie Choat. Leigh won further fans as Sparky the pyromaniac in Outrageous Fortune. He has amassed dozens of screen credits, often playing well-meaning but offbeat characters. His screenography includes the bar-owner in Stickmen, an angry scriptwriter in soap satire Serial Killers, ongoing roles in 800 Words, The Almighty Johnsons and Mercy Peak, and a range of voiceover work.