Kiwi Ingenuity
'No 8 wire' Kiwi ingenuity is defined by problem solving from few resources (No 8 wire is fencing wire that can be adapted to many uses, an ability that was particularly handy for isolated NZ settlers). Embodied in heroes from Richard Pearse to PJ, Kiwi ingenuity is a quality dear to our national sense of self. It has been memorably celebrated, and sometimes satirised, on screen.
More Legendary NZ TV Moments
This collection celebrates more of the legendary TV moments that Kiwis gawked at, chortled with, and choked on our tea over. In the collection primer Paul (Eating Media Lunch) Casserly chews on rapper Redhead Kingpin’s equine advice to 3:45 LIVE! and mo’ memorable moments: from a NSFW Angela D'Audney to screen folk heroes Colin McKenzie and the Ingham twins.
Country Calendar - Spoofs Special
Ask Country Calendar viewers which shows they remember and inevitably the answer is "the spoofs" — satirical episodes that screened unannounced. Sometimes there was outrage but mostly the public enjoyed having the wool pulled over their eyes. Created by producer Tony Trotter and Bogor cartoonist Burton Silver, the first (in late 1977) was the fencing wire-playing farmer and his "rural music". This special episode collects the best of the spoofs, from the infamous radio-controlled dog, to the gay couple who ran a "stress-free" flock, and more malarkey besides.
Burton Silver
Burton Silver has presented persuasive evidence that cats can paint, dogs can be remote-controlled, and hedgehogs can worry. Despite his supple comedic sense, much of this evidence has been accepted wholesale. Silver began by creating long-running Listener cartoon Bogor, about a hedgehog and a woodsman. He also wrote 1981 TV fantasy The Monster's Christmas, and was a key player behind a series of beloved hoax Country Calendar episodes. Since then he has written global bestsellers about cats that dance and paint, and invented a new sport: GolfCross, a variation on golf that's played with an oval ball.