Mark Trevorrow: “Good News Week was my coming out moment on television”

Mark Trevorrow appeared last night on Courtney Act’s One Plus One where he told a story about former ABC / 10 comedy Good News Week giving him the courage to perform on stage as himself, and not alter ego, Bob Downe.

“(Producer) Ted Robinson had started Good News Week on the ABC and asked me to do it as one of the panelists, and I said ‘I’d love to,'” he recalled.

“But he didn’t want me to do as Bob, and I did not want to work as myself because there was a sort of a lingering self-homophobia. Who wants to see a p**f on TV? I was scared to be myself. And Ted Robinson, bless him, said ‘No, no. We have character people do skits like Flacco and Sandman. We need people to be themselves on the panel.’

“So against my better judgment, and really reluctantly, I appeared as myself.”

During his first show, Mikey Robbins told a joke to host Paul McDermott.

“He said, ‘Do you know Paul, that dugongs -apart from human beings- are the only creature on the planet that make love face to face?’

“And I went, ‘Speak for yourself!’ And it was my coming out moment on television. The reaction was explosive.”

Trevorrow also recalled an earlier homophobic moment when appearing on Hey Hey It’s Saturday, realising years later that his appearance, being tall and thin was often mistaken in the 1980s for being HIV positive.

“I was in the corridor with Daryl chatting and the guest star that day was Donny Osmond. Daryl said ‘Donny this is one of our local comedians on the show, this is Bob Downe.’

“Donny Osmand finally focused on me and he put his hand out to shake but then and he looked at me and he (pulled it away). he refused to touch me.

“Of course what was so indicative of the time -the late 80s- I was in trouble.

“I was the one that had embarrassed Daryl. That was the vibe. Daryl wasn’t angry at Donny Osmond for not shaking my hand. I had embarrassed, Daryl.

“Isn’t that incredible? Doesn’t just sum up the time?”