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Helen Norville in The Newsreader’s S02E06 💜🌟👸🏻

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Long before her sessions with Dr Marcia Evans in 1989, Helen had struggled deeply with her mental health.

From everything we learnt about Helen, she was strong in her beliefs, almost unshakable, moving around the world in a way that made her seen and heard, and this was not received well by most of the people who surrounded her.

As she sat on her single seater in January 1988, as she was supposed to be packing for her flight out to Washington, the sadness of the months and years had caught up with her.

When she asked what she should do, Dale returned the advice that she had given him; “you do your job.” There was a lot for her on the horizon, and she needed to set her sights on the future.

Truthfully, this year has been tricky for my mental health too. I’ve been in and out of anxious and stressed mindsets, as I’ve been having to balance more life things on my plate, especially given my big regional move, while also still wanting to commit to my creative goals too, such as this page.

Over the next few months, I have to honour the life things more. So here’s what I’m going to do; I’ll be celebrating the upcoming fifth and third episode anniversaries for Seasons One and Two, and I’ll still be on these pages casually, but there will be no other forms of proper researched/recapping posts until late October at earliest.

I’ve got one more post this week, but there will only be the episode anniversary posts for a while, and I cannot wait to see our beloved newsreading show turn five! It’s hard to believe The Newsreader has been a part of my life for almost half a decade. It was the television and connection gift of a lifetime for me.

Dale Jennings in The Newsreader’s S03E06, hanging back wearily in the newsroom hallway ❤️🌟🤴🏼

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It was the evening of the 7th November 1989; a special bulletin on the calendar for News At Six. With the foil decorations hanging on the walls of the news studio, it was evident that they were celebrating the race that stops the nation; the Melbourne Cup.

Dale told his audience about the “commanding win by Tawrrific” and also the triumph for trainer Lee Freedman, who had also trained the runner-up Super Impose. “A rare quinella in Australian racing history,” Dale said, his voice cracking, like he was on the verge of tears. Despite his efforts to put on his famous showman smile, Cheryl and Frank glanced at each other, seeing through the facade.

When Frank signalled the end of the bulletin, Dale hurried away from the desk, breathlessly grabbing at his chest and tie in panic, heading for the makeup room. Picking up a thin manila folder, he addressed Cheryl. “Is this it?” “Huh?” Cheryl was confused. “Where is it, the audience feedback? On Tuesdays I get it all. The letters, the reports, the tapes.” Dale continued. Today’s delivery had certainly fallen short of that. “That’s all Jean left!” Cheryl answered. Dale rushed for the newsroom, Cheryl gazing after with a concerned expression.

In the newsroom; equally as adorned with decorations and festivities as the studio, the office were cackling away, for reasons Dale did not yet know. A robotic voice came from the television speakers; an assurance to viewers that there was still only one king of news. Dread washed over Dale. It was that comedy impersonator, and all his coworkers were laughing, at him.

It is a ripper of a Newsreader birthday today! 🎉

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We are celebrating Mr Jackson Tozer’s birthday today; the bloke who plays our favourite sound technician Ross McGrath!

Every workplace has to have the ‘class clown,’ the person who is able to light up the place with their funny remarks and defuse stressful situations, and that is exactly the role Ross fills in News At Six. From speculating who is the big spoon or the little spoon in a relationship to loosen up a stilted reporter, to commenting on the material of someone’s trousers, to noting that ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’ are fighting like cats and dogs, there are many memorable moments!

Ross throws himself headfirst into fun and parties hard; ripping his shirt open and pouring beer all over himself at Christmas parties, and diving fully clothed into pools at weddings. He valued his friendships with Tim, Brian and Murray, who he worked close with in the series. He is so open with his love for his mates, which is why he was surprised to find out Tim had a male partner he had no idea about, but he was quick to embrace Lee on the dance floor. Anyone precious to Tim is precious to Ross.

Ross does know when seriousness is called for too; watching the Hoddle Street footage with sadness, and despite being afraid, bravely staying on the scene of the Russell Street bombing, capturing the sounds of the scene around him and was the vital communication link for the office.

Jackson brought so much vibrancy to playing Ross over the years, and especially to my set visit day last year, where he made Mum and I feel right at home with his humorous remarks and good-hearted nature, and he even sat down with me at Dennis’ desk as we took a breather from filming.

Rob Rickards at Cheryl and Brian’s wedding 💜🌟💍

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On the morning of Cheryl and Brian’s wedding, Dale and Kay greeted Rob at his seat. “Hey Rob, is Noelene coming?” Kay queried. Rob hoped she would. “Uh, yeah. Later, hopefully. She’s been caught up all weekend,” he explained.

It certainly had been a trying time at Public Eye; Noelene’s workplace. “See what happened with Helen?” Rob asked those in his row. “Oh, yeah,” Dale replied softly. “Horrible,” Evelyn replied, catching Rob’s eye. It appeared the exposé about Helen’s institutionalisation history was on everyone’s minds. It was a disgraceful article, and Rob was feeling gutted for Helen.

“So, was Lindsay in on that? That story?” Rob questioned Dale. “Don’t know,” Dale answered. “He was quoted extensively,” Evelyn added. “Alright, Mum,” Kay attempted to hush her mother, however Evelyn seemed thrilled to dish the dirt on Lindsay.

Rob wanted to get to the bottom of all of this. “Yeah, but did he set it up?” “I’m not sure, Rob,” Dale told his colleague, understanding Rob’s feelings of frustration. “Well, in my experience with that man, it’s usually wise to assume the worst.” Evelyn shared, her years of experience with Lindsay and Geoff giving her a pretty well informed opinion of the man.

Michelle Lim Davidson and Sam Reid, behind the scenes of The Newsreader throughout all its seasons! ❤️🌟👸🏻🤴🏼

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Gosh these photos that Michelle has shared over the years are lovely! She is really the cast member who has brought us the most behind the scenes goodies, and I’m so grateful for her. The second one must have been from the Russell Street episode (S01E04), as they appear to have foot coverings to protect their vintage shoes from the outside elements.

Ever since the very first episode, Noelene and Dale have had a lovely work friendship, with so much respect for each other’s contributions and knowledge, and this friendship lasted all the way up until Noelene jumped ship to Public Eye. Knowing that Noelene had been at News At Six since roughly 1984, that was a six year friendship between them!

Something that The Newsreader does well is celebrate platonic relationships, and Noelene and Dale are a perfect example of this. They’re cosy and friendly with each other, they guide each other to where they want to be career-wise (Noelene guiding Dale through his first time on the desk, Dale seeing Noelene as his most trusted producer), and they have always had each other’s backs.

Dale relied on Noelene so much that he even called her whilst she was preparing to give birth to Hana; he simply would not trust anyone else’s insights into Bob Hawke’s biography! Actually, maybe that was pushing the friendship too much… I would not have been opposed to Noelene yelling at Dale for that phone call! 😉 For those wanting to read the biography, by the way, my research found that the exact book that is pictured in this scene is 'Robert J. Hawke', written by Blanche d'Alpuget. According to Goodreads, this version was published in 1985 by Penguin Books!

Dale, Jean, Ross and others in The Newsreader’s S03E06 ❤️🌟📺

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Ever since the clapperboard image was shared on Screen Australia’s Instagram account back in September 2024, I had been eager to see the entirety of this scene, which would end up being one of the opening scenes of our series finale.

Now, having seen it multiple times, it is a scene as jubilant as it is saddening. It was a thrill seeing another appearance by Andy Matthews, playing Comedy Sketch Dale, and hearing Nicolette Minster’s voice in the background too, as Comedy Sketch Helen. The News At Six team were having a wicked time cackling away as the comedian took the mickey out of their star newsreader, and this was yet another nod to Australia’s love of sketch comedy programmes in 1989, such as Fast Forward, The Big Gig and The Comedy Company.

As much as parodies such as Dale’s are fondly remembered retrospectively, this scene also shows the other perspective; the impact that constant jibs and jabs can potentially have on those at the centre of the jokes. Although it wouldn’t be entirely true to suggest that being parodied on television was the sole cause of Dale’s deteriorating mental health, it certainly played a role; especially when it was later suggested that he appear alongside his comedic impressionist to improve his public image. People rated Comedy Dale more than Real Dale.

Unlike Helen, who had the self-belief to be able to brush off her parody as just silliness and not a true reflection of who she was, Dale did not have the self-belief to be ‘in’ on the joke. As someone who was already struggling with feeling as though who he was was never enough to be accepted by society, to see a comedian tear into his attempts of putting his best version of himself out there must have stung dreadfully. To see his coworkers laughing and not realising how much he was falling apart, it must have been agonising.

Jean, Murray, Lindsay and Ross, cackling away in the newsroom in The Newsreader’s S03E06 ❤️🌟📺

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On the 7th November 1989, it was Melbourne Cup evening, and the entire News At Six team was jubilantly celebrating the statewide affair. Green and gold streamers were strung on the walls, and wreaths of faux leaves adorned the whiteboard; complete with gleaming trophies in between each television up above.

After the day’s win by the racehorse Tawrrific, the team had decided to tune into everybody’s favourite sketch comedy show, where the comedy impersonator of Dale was tearing into their network’s star’s stilted newsreading approach. In a robotic voice, he reassured viewers that there was still only one king of news. Ross and Lindsay exchanged banter and shared a laugh, as everyone else in the office cackled away. Geez this bloke was on the nose, as he always was.

The impersonator mentioned something about she (presumably, Helen) being the best interviewer, but that Dale had something she did not. She simply could not pronounce important names the way Dale could! “François Mitterrand, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Liza Minnelli…” the comedian listed off some tongue twisting names, to more uproarious laughter from the office.

Jean; holding a wine glass and giggling to herself, glanced over her shoulder and noticed Dale looming behind in the hallway. It was the day that she delivered his audience feedback to him, and upon spotting and studying the star newsreader for a moment, a guilt-ridden expression fell upon her face. He wasn’t laughing at all. He really didn’t seem like he was in on the joke, confirmed by him backing away shakily.

Chum Ehelepola as Dennis Tibb in The Newsreader’s Season Two! ❤️🤴🏾🌟

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We have been very lucky to have Dennis Tibb exactly the way he wonderfully is.

He is smart, he is sharp, and he’s a realist - knowing exactly what the reactions to certain news stories from the general public and work decisions from his higher ups will be. His incredible intuition and understanding of how the general public and executives see the world has been born out of his personal experience with life, and he has an acute awareness for the fact that our world isn’t as open to different perspectives and narratives as some might think it is.

Despite his competence and unwavering loyalty to News At Six, he knows that there is no way that someone who looks the way he does would ever be considered for a position of massive power. Something that has been pointed out by some critics of The Newsreader is the fact that a brown skinned man being the chief of staff in a 1980s newsroom would have been inconceivable then, and very rare even today.

In an interview that he had with the Sydney Morning Herald in 2023, Chum Ehelepola directly addressed these critiques. With casting him in the role, Chum hopes that viewers will take a moment to question why someone like Dennis wouldn’t have been employed in a position of power; not because Dennis wasn’t competent, but because the colour of his skin. In these deliberate casting decisions to have characters divert from the norm, we open the doors to diverse talent getting to shine, and we can begin to ensure that no person will ever look at the people they see on television, and not be able to envisage themselves in that space too.

As we come to the conclusion of Dennis’ story within our Season Three, we can only hope the show’s writers and Chum will take this conversation even further by having Dennis step into his power, find his inner ambition and dare to change the culture of his work place, one brave story choice at a time. I’m truly going to miss having Dennis on my screen, but we have been lucky to have him, and getting to see Chum Ehelepola’s talent shine too! Bravo, Dennis and Chum! 🤴🏾

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