The ABC Of… Garry McDonald (ABC TV Tuesday 19 July 2022)

David Wenham takes the unforgettable Garry McDonald on a journey through his ABC Archival life. Garry, our best-known comic actor, was hit by television lightning three times in his career, starring in The Aunty Jack Show, The Norman Gunston Show and Mother And Son, but he also played a host of other roles.

Among many other clips, The ABC Of researchers unearthed a 1967 recording of a play by Garry’s NIDA graduation class. Garry talks about his early successes, the origins of the Norman Gunston character and how much he loved playing a straight role in 1982’s Jimmy Dancer, a one-off drama that was part of the Spring And Fall anthology series.

He shares his love for Mother And Son partner Ruth Cracknell and offers insights into his unplanned second TV career, when he became a mental health advocate after his own, much publicised breakdown.

Production credit: A Guesswork Television Production in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Executive Producers: Jon Casimir and Jo Long. ABC Commissioning Editor Julie Hanna. ABC Head of Factual and Culture Jennifer Collins.

Airdate: Tuesday 19 July 2022 at 8.30pm on ABC TV.

Season 1 Episode 1