Garry McDonald AO

Norman Gunston (1973-1993) was a fictional television character, conceived by writer Wendy Skelcher and developed by actor Garry McDonald. Gunston, a pallid, hapless television reporter from Wollongong, first appeared in the second series of the comedy skit program The Aunty Jack Show in 1973. The following year, he appeared in a mock documentary in the comedy miniseries Wollongong the Brave; soon his 'What's on in Wollongong' segment was the most eagerly awaited of all on the Aunty Jack Show. The Norman Gunston Show premiered live on the ABC in May 1975 and soon gained a huge audience. Gunston conducted excruciatingly gauche interviews with local and overseas celebrities including Paul McCartney, Warren Beatty, Muhammed Ali, Sally Struthers and Rudolf Nureyev, all of whom were apparently unaware that he was not what he seemed; he played a duet with Frank Zappa and happened to be on the steps of Old Parliament House moments before the Dismissal was announced in 1975. His show closed after a third season in late 1976. Norman Gunston, not Garry McDonald, won the coveted Gold Logie in 1976, as well as the Best New Talent Logie.