The Gillies Report
| Company type | Television program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television, Comedy |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Defunct | 1985 |
| Fate | Ended |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Max Gillies, John Clarke, Wendy Harmer, Phillip Scott, Tracy Harvey, Patrick Cook, Marcus Eyre, Geoff Kelso, Peter Moon |
| Products | Satirical comedy television series |
The Gillies Report was an Australian topical satire sketch comedy television program aired on the ABC from 1984 to 1985. It gained acclaim for its sharp lampooning of political figures and media personalities, including Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Opposition Leader Andrew Peacock.
Cast
The ensemble featured Max Gillies in the lead role, accompanied by John Clarke, Wendy Harmer, Phillip Scott, Tracy Harvey, Patrick Cook, Marcus Eyre, Geoff Kelso, and Peter Moon. Key writers comprised Cook, Clarke, Scott, and Don Watson, with Harmer and Harvey contributing additional scripts. The cast brought together a wide range of expertise from the arts and entertainment sectors:
- Max Gillies shifted from education to become a founding participant in Melbourne’s politically focused Australian Performing Group (APG) during the 1970s, collaborating with notable talents such as Graeme Blundell, Helen Garner, and playwright David Williamson;
- John Clarke, a seasoned comedian from New Zealand known for his iconic persona Fred Dagg, had extensive experience in television and radio;
- Wendy Harmer emerged from Australia’s evolving stand-up comedy circuit;
- Phillip Scott, a skilled musician, was responsible for many of the show’s satirical musical performances;
- Tracy Harvey brought her background from Melbourne’s comedy scene, including involvement with the radio sports satire Punter to Punter and its related ensemble The Whittle Family;
- Geoff Kelso was well-established in radio comedy, notably as co-creator of the science fiction parody Doctor Poo;
- Patrick Cook was a distinguished satirical cartoonist whose profile was heightened by a prominent defamation lawsuit involving architect Harry Seidler.
Impact and significance
The Gillies Report played a pivotal role in reintroducing the weekly topical satire sketch format to Australian television, a style that had largely been absent since the 1960s' The Mavis Bramston Show. Its commercial triumph spawned follow-up productions such as The Gillies Republic (1986), The Dingo Principle (1987), and Gillies and Company (1992). The series also inspired subsequent programs including BackBerner (1999-2002), The Chaser (2001–present), as well as Shaun Micallef’s satirical shows Newstopia (2007-2008) and Mad As Hell (2012–present). On radio, it laid groundwork for the enduring satire How Green was my Cactus (1986–present).
The show notably propelled the careers of several cast members such as Gillies, Harmer, Kelso, Clarke, and Harvey. John Clarke’s acclaimed "Farnarkling" segments evolved into the mockumentary series The Games (1998-2000) and the long-running satirical dialogue show Clarke & Dawe, co-created with Bryan Dawe until Clarke’s passing in 2017. Phillip Scott served as co-writer and musical director for Sydney Theatre Company’s annual Wharf Revue from 2000 to 2017. Additionally, Scott, Patrick Cook, and Wendy Harmer contributed to ABC’s The Big Gig, produced by Ted Robinson. Later, Scott and Cook wrote for ABC and Channel 10’s Good News Week.
A standout feature was Gillies’ incisive impersonations of public figures such as Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, B. A. Santamaria, Don Chipp, Andrew Peacock, Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Queensland politician Russ Hinze, and businessman John Elliott. His depiction of Prime Minister Bob Hawke became particularly memorable despite Hawke reportedly expressing displeasure.
After The Gillies Report, follow-up productions included The Gillies Republic (1986) and Gillies and Company (1992). Cook, Scott, and Kelso developed a similar ABC series titled The Dingo Principle (1987). Wendy Harmer went on to host ABC’s influential live sketch show The Big Gig, while Peter Moon secured a prominent role on the popular series Fast Forward.
The "Goanna" Sketch
Among the series' most memorable segments was a parody targeting media tycoon Kerry Packer, who was reportedly "outraged" by the portrayal. At that period, Packer faced scrutiny from the Costigan Commission over suspected links to organized crime and tax fraud. Because of Australia's stringent defamation regulations, he was only identified as "Goanna," a moniker originally created by The National Times. This led to numerous satirical responses, including a sketch on the Gillies Report and a humorous T-shirt produced by Queensland's The Cane Toad Times, which cleverly combined the Costigan allegations with the Lacoste brand, renaming it "Lacostigan" and substituting the crocodile with a goanna.
The sketch lampooned Packer’s defensive interview on his own network’s current affairs program. It starred Patrick Cook as a lawyer interrogating 'Packer' (portrayed by Gillies), who transitions from calm to furious, smashing his desk and revealing a reptilian tail. Following this, the cast performed a satirical quasi-operatic number as "The Goanna" escaped through the TV station, climbed the transmitter tower of Packer's Sydney station TCN-9, and crushed a rival news helicopter—an homage to King Kong. The desk-smashing scene alluded to Packer’s infamous temper and stories of him wrecking his office while attempting to quit smoking.
Awards
At the 28th Annual TV Week Logie Awards in 1986, The Gillies Report received the Logie for "Best Light Entertainment Series".
Videography
ABC released a 105-minute highlights compilation from the 1984 season titled The Gillies Report in 1985, which was distributed on VHS and Beta by Thorn-EMI Screen Entertainment Australia.
Similarly, a 63-minute collection showcasing highlights from the 1985 season was issued in 1986 by Festival Records Pty. Ltd. on VHS under the title The Best Of Gillies.
No compilations or other recordings from the series have been re-released on DVD.