| The D-Generation | |
|---|---|
| Format | Comedy |
| Starring | Rob Sitch Santo Cilauro Marg Downey Michael Veitch Magda Szubanski John Harrison Tom Gleisner Nick Bufalo Jane Turner Tony Martin Mick Molloy Jason Stephens |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| No. of episodes | 16 (ABC episodes) 4 (Channel 7 specials) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 33 minutes ea. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC TV Seven Network |
| Original run | 13 March 1986 – 12 October 1989 |
The D-Generation was a popular and influential Australian TV sketch comedy show, produced and broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) for two series, between 1986 and 1987. A further four specials were broadcast on the Seven Network between 1988 and 1989.
The series was produced and directed by Kris Noble and was created and written by a group of Melbourne University students who had gained local notoriety for their stage work: Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro, Marg Downey, Michael Veitch, Magda Szubanski, John Harrison, and Tom Gleisner. Also part of the original team was Nick Bufalo, who appeared in the unscreened one-hour D-Generation pilot (1985), before accepting a long-running role on TV soap A Country Practice. Several of Bufalo's sketches from the pilot (including the famous Thunderbirds parody) were incorporated into series one, and Bufalo himself returned for the specials. Actress/comedian Jane Turner and New Zealander Tony Martin joined from series two, and Melbourne Uni Revue stars Mick Molloy and Jason Stephens were added for the specials.
Contents |
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Australia" | 13 March 1986 |
| 2 | "Religion" | 20 March 1986 |
| 3 | "The Media" | 27 March 1986 |
| 4 | "Leisure" | 3 April 1986 |
| 5 | "Work" | 10 April 1986 |
| 6 | "Politics" | 17 April 1986 |
| 7 | "The Arts" | 24 April 1986 |
| 8 | "Science" | 1 May 1986 |
| 9 | "Relationships" | 8 May 1986 |
| 10 | "Comedy" | 15 May 1986 |
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | "Nightmare on D Generation Street" | 30 April 1987 |
| 12 | "Hercules, Saviour of the D Generation" | 7 May 1987 |
| 13 | "Deep Generation" | 14 May 1987 |
| 14 | "D Generation, Bloody D Generation" | 21 May 1987 |
| 15 | "The Easy Listening Sounds of the D Generation" | 28 May 1987 |
| 16 | "That's D Generation!" | 4 June 1987 |
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Least Worst of the D-Generation" | 11 June 1987 |
| 2 | "The Least Worst of the D-Generation" | 18 June 1987 |
| 3 | "The Least Worst of the D-Generation" | 25 June 1987 |
| 4 | "The Least Worst of the D-Generation" | 2 July 1987 |
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The D-Generation Goes Commercial" | 23 May 1988 |
| 2 | "Degenocide" | 11 October 1988 |
| 3 | "The D-Generation Salute to Roy Smeck" | 1 November 1988 |
| 4 | "The D-Generation Country Homestead" | 12 October 1989 |
Two "best of" videos were released: The Best of the Original D-Generation in 1996 and Degenocide: The Second Best of the Original D-Generation in 1997.
In 2004, The Best and Second Best of the D-Generation was released on DVD. It compiles three hours of sketches covering both the ABC TV series' and the Channel 7 specials.
The one-disc DVD also features extra footage recorded on Super 8mm film while the group were attending university, footage from the 1990 Channel Nine pilots, both Five in a Row music videos, home video footage of their 1991 stage show at Le Joke, and other bits and pieces – including highlights from the time Rob, Jane, Tom and Santo hosted Burke's Backyard in 1993.
The D Generation breakfast show was a hugely successful radio program which ran for six years (19 May 1986-April 1992) on Melbourne's Triple M.
Hightlights of the show (as well as the original TV series theme song) were later edited down to album length and were released on CDs and Cassette Tapes:
* Indicates ARIA Award-winning album
Cast members of both the television and radio show (Sitch, Gleisner, Martin, Cilauro, Molloy, Stephens and Jane Kennedy) subsequently moved on to the equally popular ABC TV series The Late Show (1992–1993), which also featured stand-up comic Judith Lucy.
Four D-Generation cast members (Veitch, Downey, Szubanski and Turner) went on to a similarly-styled and very popular sketch comedy series, Fast Forward (1989–1992) on Channel 7. All later made guest appearances on this show's sequel, Full Frontal (1993–1997), which marked the TV debut of actor and comic Eric Bana.
Fast Forward itself led to the Channel 7 comedy shows, Big Girl's Blouse (1994), starring Magda Szubanski, Jane Turner and Gina Riley, and Something Stupid (1998), with the same trio plus Marg Downey. Both series featured the parodic Aussie suburban characters who were later the 'stars' of the hit series Kath & Kim (2002-).
Three of the original D-Generation cast – Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner, along with Jane Kennedy and long time D-Gen producer Michael Hirsh are the principals of the successful Australian production company Working Dog Productions.
TV:
Radio serials:
Film:
Books:
Tony Martin and Mick Molloy have remained an on-again/off-again team producing many film, radio and television features. Their most well known project 'Martin/Molloy', had a run of four years and released three ARIA Award-winning compilation albums – The Brown Album (1995), Poop Chute (1996) and Eat Your Peas (1998).
TV:
Radio:
Film:
Books:
Michael Veitch and Marg Downey returned to sketch comedy in Let Loose Live (2005) with a dismal run of just two episodes.
Nick Bufalo has gone on to be a successful TV director who has made several videos and specials with Australian children's band The Wiggles.
Jason Stephens is now the Director of Development for Fremantlemedia Australia, one of Australia's leading independent television production companies. He produced The King, the AFI Award-winning telemovie based on the life of Graham Kennedy, and is the executive producer of Newstopia (2007–) with Shaun Micallef. Jason was also the creator of the Choir of Hard Knocks.[1]