60th Logie Awards: winners

The TV Week Logie Awards held their first event at The Star, Gold Coast.

Grant Denyer won Gold following a last minute campaign waged by Tom Gleeson, while Wentworth stole the Drama limelight with 3 wins including Most Popular & Most Outstanding Drama.

60 Minutes was inducted into the Hall of Fame and there were surprise appearances by Bert Newton & Jana Wendt.

TEN, Nine, Seven, ABC, SBS & Foxtel all scored trophies along with Stan and NITV were also winners.

Dave Hughes again set the tone in style once again taking aim at TV targets but praising the Gold Coast.

“Too expensive for Channel Seven?” he joked. “They gave all their money away to Barnaby for his baby.”

He noted the live voting had closed but suggested, “If you voted on Optus all your votes are going on SBS.”

“Lisa Wilkinson’s probably glad she left. You weren’t getting pay parity? You’re probably not getting it at The Project either.”

There were gags at the expense of Karl Stefanovic, George Calombaris and Pete Evans.

With a moment for all the Gold nominees he looked for Andrew Winter in the room. “Nice to put a face to the name.”

Winners in bold.

MOST POPULAR REALITY PROGRAM
I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! (Network Ten)
Married At First Sight (Nine Network)
My Kitchen Rules (Channel Seven)
The Block (Nine Network)
Travel Guides (Nine Network)

“We produce great family viewing we believe,” said Scott Cam. “This award is for all those people who work behind the scenes.”

MOST POPULAR ACTRESS
Asher Keddie (Offspring, Network Ten)
Celia Pacquola (Rosehaven/Utopia, ABC)
Deborah Mailman (Cleverman, ABC)
Jessica Marais (Love Child, Nine Network; The Wrong Girl, Network Ten)
Julia Morris (House Husbands, Nine Network)

“Jess sends a huge thanks to Scout all her family and friends for all her love and support,” said co-star Miranda Tapsell.

MOST POPULAR ACTOR
Aaron Jeffery (Underbelly Files: Chopper, Nine Network)
Erik Thomson (800 Words, Channel Seven)
Luke McGregor (Rosehaven, ABC)
Ray Meagher (Home And Away, Channel Seven)
Rodger Corser (Doctor Doctor, Nine Network)

“Rodger Corser was a shoe in for this I thought,” said Meagher. He thanked Seven and the show crew, production and cast and paid tribute to Cornelia Frances. “Cornie we know you’re up there looking down with a champagne….this is for you, thank you.”

MOST POPULAR PRESENTER
Amanda Keller (The Living Room, Network Ten)
Andrew Winter (Love It Or List It Australia/Selling Houses Australia, Foxtel – Lifestyle)
Carrie Bickmore (The Project, Network Ten)
Grant Denyer (Family Feud/All Star Family Feud, Network Ten)
Tracy Grimshaw (A Current Affair, Nine Network)

“Family Feud’s not even on Television anymore. You should see the faces of the TEN executives right now,” Denyer said before thanking producer Pam Barnes and the 5000 families. “I like making silly television as angry as this world gets it’s nice to have a place where families can watch together.”

MOST OUTSTANDING SPORTS COVERAGE
2017 AFL Grand Final (Channel Seven)
2017 Australian Open Men’s Final (Channel Seven)
Bathurst 1000 (Network Ten)
Jeff Horn v Manny Pacquiao (Foxtel – MAIN EVENT)
The 2017/2018 Ashes (Nine Network)

“It’s about the drivers, the fans, the mountain, “said Matt White and thanking TEN for sticking it out in a “very difficult year.”

Bert Newton arrived to present the Graham Kennedy Award and was given a standing ovation, noting he was “back where I belong.” But his joke about Kennedy “mentoring” young talent behind his dressing room door raised some eyebrows. Gra-Gra would probably have loved it…

GRAHAM KENNEDY AWARD FOR MOST POPULAR NEW TALENT
Dilruk Jayasinha (CRAM!, Network Ten; Utopia, ABC)
Matty Johnson (The Living Room, Network Ten)
Sam Frost (Home And Away, Channel Seven)
Sophia Forrest (Love Child, Nine Network)
Sophie Dillman (Home And Away, Channel Seven)

“This is insane,”Jayasinha he said, before thanking Cram, Utopia and Have You Been Paying Attention? and my brothers “in Colombo streaming this illegally.”

MOST POPULAR COMEDY PROGRAM
Have You Been Paying Attention? (Network Ten)
Here Come The Habibs (Nine Network)
Hughesy, We Have A Problem (Network Ten)
Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell (ABC)
True Story With Hamish & Andy (Nine Network)

“We came very close to being put on a digital channel, he said ” before thanking Sam Pang, Ed Kavalee, TEN execs and Working Dog. “This one’s going to the pool room.”

MOST OUTSTANDING FACTUAL OR DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM
Michael Hutchence: The Last Rockstar (Channel Seven)
Struggle Street (SBS)
The Queen & Zak Grieve (Foxtel – Crime + Investigation)
War On Waste (ABC)
You Can’t Ask That (ABC)

“We’ve gone through a lot of bins over the years but it’s great to find one that has out name on it,” said Craig Reucassel.

MOST POPULAR LIFESTYLE PROGRAM
Better Homes And Gardens (Channel Seven)
Gardening Australia (ABC)
Selling Houses Australia (Foxtel – Lifestyle)
The Checkout (ABC)
The Living Room (Network Ten)

“In television we focus too much on demographics, timeslots, and ratings,” said Chris Brown before acknowledging family, health and co-star Barry DuBois.

Legendary Jana Wendt inducts 60 Minutes into the Hall of Fame.

“We thank viewers who have stayed with us for 40 years,” said Liz Hayes.

“A special thank you to you (producer) Gerald Stone, you have been our guiding light.”

MOST POPULAR DRAMA PROGRAM
Doctor Doctor (Nine Network)
Home And Away (Channel Seven)
Love Child (Nine Network)
Offspring (Network Ten)
Wentworth (Foxtel – Showcase)

“We are absolutely astonished that a Pay TV drama has won Most Popular Drama,” said a stunned Celia Ireland. “Thanks so much to the fans for making visible invisible women who are incarcerated.”

MOST OUTSTANDING MINISERIES OR TELEMOVIE
Romper Stomper (Stan)
Safe Harbour (SBS)
Seven Types Of Ambiguity (ABC)
Underbelly Files: Chopper (Nine Network)
Wake In Fright (Network Ten)

“We had 2 writers on this show who had never written a produced screenplay before,” said producer John Edwards, who thanked filmmaker Geoffrey Wright, Stan, Screen Australia, Film Victoria, directors the cast and his son Dan Edwards who was the originator of the revival.

MOST OUTSTANDING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM
Crash The Bash (Foxtel – Nickelodeon)
Get Arty (Channel Seven)
Grace Beside Me (NITV)
Little J & Big Cuz (NITV)
Mustangs FC (ABC ME)

“This is the first contemporary Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander animated series,” said Miranda Tapsell, acknowledging the importance of seeing role models on TV, before the producer thanked govt funders, ABC and NITV.

MOST OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR
Aaron Pedersen (Frank Gibbs, A Place To Call Home, Foxtel – Showcase)
Alex Dimitriades (Doc Tydon, Wake In Fright, Network Ten)
Anthony Hayes (Mitch, Seven Types Of Ambiguity, ABC)
David Wenham (Jago Zoric, Romper Stomper, Stan)
Hazem Shammas (Ismail Al-Bayati, Safe Harbour, SBS)

“This is overwhelming,” said Shammas before sending a message to his family, new baby son and Randwick Hospital. “Life is too fleeting to deal with xenophobia, racism and hatred.”

“This is for you Dad.”

MOST OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Celia Ireland (Liz Birdsworth, Wentworth, Foxtel – Showcase)
Elsa Cocquerel (Michelle, Wolf Creek, Stan)
Jacqueline McKenzie (Gabe Jordan, Romper Stomper, Stan, Safe Harbour, SBS)
Jenni Baird (Regina Standish, A Place To Call Home, Foxtel – Showcase)
Nicole Chamoun (Zahra Al-Bayati, Safe Harbour, SBS)

“My daughter said it looks like a silvery man with no clothes and no face,” said McKenzie before playing her daughter’s speech on her iphone in a long acceptance speech. And all that without acknowledging Safe Harbour.

MOST OUTSTANDING NEWS COVERAGE OR PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORT
“Don Burke Special” (A Current Affair, Nine Network)
“Escape From Salt Creek” (60 Minutes, Nine Network)
“Haiti Uncovered” (Sunday Night, Channel Seven)
“Pumped” (Four Corners, ABC)
“The Siege” (Four Corners, ABC)

“No one wanted the siege to end the way it did,” said producers before underlining the importance of telling the story. “Four Corners has been on the air for 50 years and we stand on the shoulders of our colleagues.”

MOST POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM
Anh’s Brush With Fame (ABC)
Family Feud (Network Ten)
Gogglebox Australia (Foxtel/Network Ten)
Hard Quiz (ABC)
The Project (Network Ten)

Producer Duane Hatherley said, “This show lives or dies in the edit suite,” thanking Foxtel, TEN, Endemol Shine and the Gogglebox families.

MOST OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
A Place To Call Home (Foxtel – Showcase)
Doctor Doctor (Nine Network)
Harrow (ABC)
Top Of The Lake: China Girl (Foxtel – BBC First)
Wentworth (Foxtel – Showcase)

“Thank you to our incredible fan base you blow my tiny mind,” said Kate Atkinson. “We are a family on this show… spending every day under the big roof of the big house.”

MOST OUTSTANDING ACTOR
Damon Herriman (Lance Gowland, Riot, ABC)
Ewen Leslie (Ryan Gallagher, Safe Harbour, SBS)
Hugo Weaving (Alex Klima, Seven Types Of Ambiguity, ABC)
Lachy Hulme (Blake Farron, Romper Stomper, Stan)
Rodger Corser (Hugh Knight, Doctor Doctor, Nine Network)

“Without strong public broadcasters we as an industry are much weaker. Hugo would also like to thank the incredible cast he worked with, ” said producer Tony Ayres.

MOST OUTSTANDING ACTRESS
Elisabeth Moss (Robin Griffin, Top Of The Lake: China Girl, Foxtel – BBC First)
Kate Atkinson (Vera Bennett, Wentworth, Foxtel – Showcase)
Kate Box (Marg McCann, Riot, ABC)
Leeanna Walsman (Bree Gallagher, Safe Harbour, SBS)
Pamela Rabe (Joan Ferguson, Wentworth, Foxtel – Showcase)

“I’m sorry I can’t be there,” said Rabe in a video, thanking Foxtel, crew, cast, -including extras- original Prisoner cast and writers for creating “edge of your seat drama.”

TV WEEK GOLD LOGIE – MOST POPULAR PERSONALITY ON AUSTRALIAN TV
Amanda Keller (The Living Room, Network Ten)
Andrew Winter (Love It Or List It Australia/Selling Houses Australia, Foxtel – Lifestyle)
Grant Denyer (Family Feud/All Star Family Feud, Network Ten)
Jessica Marais (Love Child, Nine Network; The Wrong Girl, Network Ten)
Rodger Corser (Doctor Doctor, Nine Network)
Tracy Grimshaw (A Current Affair, Nine Network)

“Oh my god I won!” Denyer declared.

“The power of people has been pretty extraordinary this week!”

“Tom Gleeson …thanks for the Hard Chat mate I appreciate it,” he said acknowledging the support from The Weekly presenter.

Denyer spoke emotionally about families watching Family Feud and how it rescued him at his darkest hour. “It gave me my mojo back… allowed me to rebuild myself,” he said fighting back tears. “Family Feud thank you so much you saved me.”

This post updates.