Actor Kevin Smith could do it all; from brooding like Brando in a Tennessee Williams play, through Xena, to the gentle romantic lead of Double Booking, and self-parody in Love Mussel. Collected here are selections from a career cut short (he died in a 2002 film-set accident). Plus tributes from James Griffin, Michael Hurst, Geoffrey Dolan and Simon Prast. 

When television fails to go to plan, polished professionalism can collapse into laughter, awkward pauses and the occasional bruise. Audiences can find both laughter, and even a measure of comfort, as they witness things falling apart. We're reminded that no one is perfect, even the beautiful people. NZ On Screen's Bloopers Collection includes presenters and actors reacting to booboos by giggling, dancing, and more. There are famous falls, lost eyeballs and many cameos — from Hilary Barry to the cast of Shortland Street, to a menagerie of animals and children's TV hosts.

Keep cool till after school. Jeez Wayne. Nice one Stu. The money or the bag? You're not in Guatemala now, Dr Ropata. You know I can't grab your ghost chips. You must always blow on the pie. Those were our people today ... New Zealand television would not be what it is, without those magic moments where someone says a few choice words, reaches inside the viewer, and holds on tight — like the hook to a great song. Sometimes the magic words provoke laughter; sometimes they make viewers feel part of a community. Here are some of the best.

Hilary Barry was in her early 20s when she began reporting for TV3 in 1993. Twenty-three years later she left the network, after more than a decade co-presenting its prime time bulletin. In this excerpt from her last TV3 bulletin, newsreader Mike McRoberts gives an emotional farewell speech. A best of Barry video package shows her drinking a Spam smoothie for an early story, laughing about an "emergency defecation situation", and reporting from Christchurch and South Africa. Barry later spoke of leaving TV3 after many close colleagues had left the network.

“You forget about the rough times” says old soldier Steve Danes. Instead, the veteran of the Italian Campaign during World War ll focuses on the funny side. There are plenty of tales of the laughter and hijinks to be had when resting behind the lines, or on leave. Conscripted at age 18 and sent to Europe just short of his 21st birthday, Danes spent most of his war in Italy and there wasn’t much of the country he didn’t see. Along the way he encountered fanatical young Nazis, and older German soldiers who were sick of war and wanted it to end.

These clips offer up a selection of Kiwi news bloopers. First, Sacha McNeil presents a retrospective of unscripted moments from TV3’s first 25 years of news: newsreaders sneeze and laugh, and reporters face rogue weather, animals, dance routines, and lashings of champagne from Olympic champions. Then presenter Hilary Barry laughs at inappropriate moments on The Paul Henry Show: she starts an extended battle with the giggles while mentioning All Black Waisake Naholo’s broken leg (2015). In 2016 she succumbs to laughter over an emergency defecation situation.