Countdown (Australian TV program)
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music television |
| Founded | 1974-11-08 |
| Founder | Michael Shrimpton, Robbie Weekes, Ian "Molly" Meldrum |
| Defunct | 1987-07-19 |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Michael Shrimpton (executive producer), Robbie Weekes (producer/director), Ian "Molly" Meldrum (talent coordinator and key on-screen figure) |
| Products | Music television program |
Countdown was an Australian music television series aired by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 8 November 1974 through 19 July 1987. Developed by executive producer Michael Shrimpton, producer/director Robbie Weekes, and record producer Ian "Molly" Meldrum, the show was filmed at ABC’s Ripponlea studios in Melbourne and broadcast on Sunday evenings from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.
Recognized as the most successful music program in the history of Australian television, Countdown garnered a substantial and devoted nationwide viewership on the publicly funded ABC network. Its emphasis on Australian artists significantly shaped radio playlists across the nation. The premiere half-hour episode aired on Friday, 8 November 1974; however, new episodes were primarily scheduled for Sunday evenings with Saturday repeats. Most musical performances featured lip-syncing.
Ian "Molly" Meldrum, who served as talent coordinator, emerged as the show’s key on-screen figure beginning in 1975 through his "Humdrum" music news segment and artist interviews. He maintained a regular presence until 1986, becoming closely identified with the program. The series also showcased both local and international guest hosts who typically performed and participated in interviews conducted by Meldrum. Each episode concluded by highlighting the week’s number-one single. In October 2014, Meldrum published his memoir, titled The Never, Um, Ever Ending Story.
Cultural influence
During the 1970s, teen-focused pop music retained its popularity although much of it was imported, resulting in a decline of Australian acts on the charts by 1973. This trend reversed around 1975, largely due to Countdown’s introduction. Its Sunday 6pm slot, Saturday repeats, and early adoption of Australia’s new PAL colour television standard distinguished it as one of the first fully colour-produced Australian programs.
The show exerted considerable international influence by pioneering the regular integration of music videos into its format. This innovation compensated for the infrequency of overseas tours and contributed to launching artists’ global careers. For instance, Madonna’s initial Australian hit "Holiday" (1984), followed by "Burning Up," gained momentum through frequent video broadcasts on Countdown, despite limited success elsewhere. Other international performers such as Blondie, ABBA, John Mellencamp, Meat Loaf, Boz Scaggs, and Cyndi Lauper also achieved breakthroughs in Australia via the program, which subsequently enhanced their popularity in America and Europe.
Several UK new wave groups—including Duran Duran, XTC, The Beat, Elvis Costello, The Specials, Lene Lovich, Joe Jackson, and The Cure—and American bands like The Ramones and The Cars received crucial exposure on Australian commercial radio as a result of Countdown.
Significantly, Countdown elevated numerous prominent Australian musicians—including John Farnham, AC/DC, Olivia Newton-John, INXS, Dragon, Hush, Kylie Minogue, I'm Talking, John Paul Young, Sherbet, Skyhooks, Ted Mulry Gang, Jimmy and the Boys, Marcia Hines, Mark Holden, The Angels, Mondo Rock, Men at Work, Icehouse, Australian Crawl, and Mental As Anything—to national acclaim.
Throughout the 1980s Countdown dominated Australia’s popular music scene but began to lose traction mid-decade when it shifted focus toward airing predominantly music videos instead of live performances. This cost-cutting measure diminished its uniqueness compared to other music video programs.
The final episode of Countdown aired on 19 July 1987 featuring host Meldrum interviewing Carol Hitchcock and Jim Keays. The broadcast concluded with the last Countdown Awards ceremony covering 1986/87. Meldrum’s symbolic gesture of shaving his head paid tribute to artists like Midnight Oil who had distanced themselves from the show for being overly industry-centric and youth-oriented.
In March 2007 pay television providers Foxtel and Austar started airing hundreds of archived Countdown studio performances. These specials reignited interest by showcasing notable acts such as John Farnham, drag performer Divine, a-ha, Pseudo Echo, along with the Countdown Dancers’ Flashdance medley that highlighted popular music from that era.
The iconic Countdown logo sign is currently exhibited at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.
Side programs
Between 1982 and 1983, two supplementary shows titled Countdown Friday and Countdown Flipside were broadcast on Friday and Saturday evenings. By mid-1983, Countdown Flipside had produced 23 episodes, while Countdown Friday reached 19 episodes. Both series consisted of clip compilations narrated by John Peters.
Interview with Prince Charles
One memorable segment featured Molly Meldrum interviewing Prince Charles. Meldrum experienced considerable anxiety and required multiple attempts, during which he made several breaches of protocol. Prompted by his production team, the interview included a moment where Prince Charles requested a teleprompter, which was not available. These numerous on-air mistakes have since become legendary within Australian media circles. Reflecting on the experience, Meldrum remarked, "It's not something I regret, but I certainly messed it up."
Erased episodes
From 1974 through 1978, a significant portion of Countdown master videotapes were wiped as part of an ABC management cost-saving initiative, a move that Meldrum has described as "unforgivable." Due to the high price of videotape at the time, over 100 episodes were erased. Michael Shrimpton observed that ABC’s financial policies favored budget reductions without appreciating the importance of preserving archival material.
Middle-level management ordered the destruction of an entire storage wall containing approximately 500 tape reels. Producers Ted Emery and Paul Drane secretly safeguarded many reels by hiding them overnight. Emery employed delay tactics to postpone tape destruction; however, the majority of master tapes were ultimately lost. Their efforts ensured that a limited number of episodes from that period, including the first broadcasts in color, were preserved.
Only about 30 episodes from the years 1975 to 1978 remain intact; most content aired between 1975 and 1977 is either lost or damaged. This purge also affected other ABC programming such as Australian Rules Football Grand Finals and dramas like Bellbird and Certain Women.
Recently, ABC Archives has transferred surviving episodes to Betacam SP and Digital Betacam formats, facilitating their rebroadcast on the all-night music show Rage. Troy Walters, a researcher specializing in missing episodes, maintains a website called Turning Back Time: The Hunt For ABC's Countdown, documenting lost and recovered material.
Period of Countdown Revolution
From 3 July 1989 until December 1990, Countdown was revived as Countdown Revolution, hosted by younger presenters including Tania Lacy and Mark Little. The ABC terminated their contracts following an unauthorized live protest on 22 June 1990 opposing the policy that prohibited live performances and mandated artists to lip-sync to backing tracks. The program aired weeknights at 6:30 pm for half an hour, with Fridays devoted to counting down Australia's top ten highest-selling songs based on the ARIA Chart. Although music videos were frequently shown, notable live performances included Poison performing "Nothin' but a Good Time," Kylie Minogue with "Hand on Your Heart," Jason Donovan singing "Sealed with a Kiss," among others.
A standout event was the hour-long Batdance competition held in November 1989, judged with assistance from Molly Meldrum. The show also conducted monthly tapings at Sydney’s Artransa Studios located in Frenchs Forest.
Episodes of Countdown Revolution were rebroadcast on ABC’s late-night music program Rage in January 2012 and January 2015, including the original 1989 premiere episode. During this era, publication of Countdown Magazine continued uninterrupted.
40th Anniversary
In 2014, Countdown, a seminal presence in Australia's pop music scene for more than ten years, celebrated its 40th year with the release of a commemorative anthology album. On 16 November 2014, a two-part television special titled "Countdown: Do Yourself A Favour" was broadcast, hosted by Julia Zemiro and featuring a guest appearance by Prince Charles. During the ARIA Music Awards of 2014, both Countdown and Molly Meldrum were honored with induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame, marking the first occasion that a non-performing figure was inducted.
Molly Television Drama
A two-part docudrama exploring Meldrum's life and the history of Countdown premiered on Channel 7 in February 2016. Australian actor Samuel Johnson portrayed Meldrum, supported by performances from Tom O'Sullivan and T.J. Power. The miniseries depicted the ascent and decline of Countdown, production difficulties, and included portrayals of various music acts. It garnered impressive viewership, attracting 1.79 million viewers for its debut episode and 1.52 million for the second.
Rage: Countdown
In 2006, Rage disappointed many fans by eliminating its top 50 countdown segment and adopting a freeform video playlist format. Nearly ten years later, it brought back a feature called "The Chart," which regularly presented a countdown of the most popular music videos based on ARIA singles chart rankings.
Classic Countdown
Beginning on 17 September 2017, the ABC aired a 13-episode retrospective series that chronicled each year of Countdown from 1975 through to 1987. These hour-long episodes included live performances, interviews, and Molly’s Humdrum segments, narrated by artists who had appeared on the original program. The series was broadcast in Countdown's traditional Sunday 6pm slot.
New Year's Eve: Live Countdown
For Sydney’s New Year’s Eve broadcast in 2017 on the ABC, a live event celebrated Countdown with performances by artists such as Casey Donovan, Jimmy Barnes, Phil Jamieson, and Isiah Firebrace. The program incorporated the original theme music and visual branding but did not feature Ian "Molly" Meldrum as host. The stage prominently displayed the Countdown emblem.
50th Anniversary
A special program commemorating the 50th anniversary, titled Countdown 50 Years On, was aired on Saturday, 16 November 2024 on the ABC, with hosting duties shared by Myf Warhurst and Tony Armstrong.
Compilation Albums
ABC Music has issued a series of well-received CD compilations featuring selected tracks from the original Countdown series.
| Title | Album Details | Chart Positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | |||
| Countdown Silver Jubilee Australian Top 20 |
|
50 | |
| Ten Years of Countdown – An Australian Collection |
|
||
| Countdown |
|
||
| Countdown The Wonder Years |
|
2° |
|
| The Countdown Collection – Legends the Early Years |
|
16° |
|
| The Countdown Spectacular Live |
|
44 2° |
|
| Countdown The Wonder Years 2 |
|
2° |
|
| The Countdown Spectacular Live 2 |
|
99 14° |
|
| Countdown One Hit Wonders |
|
||
| Countdown One Hit Wonders 2 |
|
5° |
|
| Countdown: Jukebox Classics |
|
||
| Countdown: Disco Anthems |
|
||
| Countdown 40th Anniversary |
|
||
| Countdown 40th Anniversary Continues |
|
||
| Countdown Rock! |
|
||
| Countdown Pop! |
|
||
| Classic Countdown |
|
||
| Countdown: Live at The Sydney Opera House |
|
- Notes
- ° Australian DVD Compilation Chart position.
See also
Lua error in mw.title.lua at line 359: bad argument #2 to 'title.new' (unrecognized namespace name 'Portal').
- List of Australian music television shows
- List of Australian television series
- List of programs broadcast by ABC (Australian TV network)
- The British equivalent program Top of the Pops, which aired on BBC One from its inception in 1964 until concluding in 2006.
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- 1974 Australian television series debuts
- 1987 Australian television series conclusions
- ARIA Award recipients
- ARIA Hall of Fame honorees
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programs
- Australian music TV series
- Australian non-fiction television programs
- Black-and-white Australian TV productions
- Television series set in Melbourne
- Pop music television programs
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming