Andrew Denton

Andrew Denton
Andrew Christopher Denton (born 4 May 1960) is an Australian television producer, comedian, Gold Logie–nominated television presenter and former radio host, and was the host of the ABC's weekly television interview program Enough Rope and the ABC game show Randling. He is known for his comedy and interviewing technique. He is also responsible for introducing the troupe of The Chaser to Australian audiences.
Early life
Denton is the son of Kit Denton, writer and the author of the novel The Breaker, about Australian soldier Breaker Morant. He went to Roseville Primary School in Sydney, before attending Blue Mountains Grammar School in Wentworth Falls. In 1977 he attended Guildford Grammar School in Perth. He then studied at Mitchell College of Advanced Education (MCAE) (now Charles Sturt University) in Bathurst, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in communications in 1982. He was involved in the campus radio station, 2MCE.
Career
Radio
Denton worked on Australian radio stations early in his media career, beginning as a writer for radio presenter Doug Mulray on Triple M. He had an early involvement in the Sydney Theatresports movement.
Denton worked as a morning radio host for the Triple M in Sydney. His time on Triple M included the House From Hell reality TV program, in which various contestants were placed in a house together and involved in various stunts, tricks and tortures. Denton has said in radio interviews that he regrets being involved in the program due to the unacceptable level of human manipulation.
Television
Denton made his first television appearance as an extra on the ABC television series The Investigators, and progressed to being a member of the team that was runner-up on the Australian improvised comedy show Theatresports in 1987.
From the late 1980s into the 1990s, he hosted a number of TV shows, including Blah Blah Blah (1988), The Money or the Gun (1989–1990), Live and Sweaty (1991–1995), and a comedy talk show, Denton (1994–1995), that aired on Seven Network. These shows were talk-based. Live and Sweaty focused on sports and was a panel-based television show.
Each week on The Money or the Gun, Andrew had a musical guest play a cover version of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" in a different musical style, usually the genre of the guest's own musical style.
Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, musicians from Led Zeppelin, later appeared on Denton to perform a Rolf Harris song. (Harris performed a notable version of "Stairway to Heaven", with wobble board solo.) Denton saw the beginning of the Musical Challenge segment, and challenged musical guests to perform a song from a barrel full of well-known songs. This segment evolved during his time on Triple M, resulting in three albums, with tracks including Tina Arena singing Cold Chisel's "Cheap Wine", The Wiggles singing AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top", Neil Finn performing Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing", James Reyne performing Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights", Barenaked Ladies performing Prince's "When Doves Cry", and Paul Kelly performing Prince's "Little Red Corvette". Three volumes were released on CD titled Andrew Denton's Musical Challenge. In the early 1990s, Denton was the first guest programmer on Rage.
Denton appeared as a contestant on the Nine Network's Sale of the Century.
While presenting his talk show Denton, he launched a public subscription scheme to hire a bounty hunter to capture fugitive businessman Christopher Skase, who was attempting to avoid extradition to Australia at the time. He had a cameo appearance in the Australian film Let's Get Skase.
In 2003, Denton began hosting Enough Rope with Andrew Denton. He was executive producer and script editor for ABC's The Election Chaser and CNNNN. In an audience development survey in 2004, respondents named Denton as one of the "most liked and recognisable" personalities on Australian television. Enough Rope ended in late 2008.
Asked about the best skill an interviewer can bring to the job, Denton said: "Research, clearly. Listening, obviously. And leaving myself open to the possibility it won't go the way I expect."
In 2009, Denton hosted the second season of Elders, a series of interviews with ageing notable Australians. After this series finished, Denton took a few years off being in front of the camera and spent more time behind the scenes. In 2012, he returned to hosting duties, to ABC's game show, Randling.
In 2014, Denton appeared on the SBS TV program Who Do You Think You Are?, tracing his Jewish family line to Poland. He visited the Treblinka extermination camp and contemplated what his fate might have been had his grandfather not moved to England.
In 2018, Denton hosted Interview, produced by Legacy Media for the Seven Network.
Film
Denton's first feature-length documentary, God on My Side, documents his visit to the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. It was first shown at the Sydney Film Festival in June 2006 with plans to show it as a TV special on ABC's Enough Rope. It was screened in Australian cinemas from 2 November 2006. Denton insists he is not anti-Christian.
In 2011, Denton served as executive producer on the crowd-funded horror film The Tunnel. The film was directed by Carlo Ledesma, co-written, co-produced and co-edited by Julian Harvey and Enzo Tedeschi, and produced with Denton's production company Zapruder's Other Films.
Stage
Denton appeared as Malcolm Turnbull in the Belvoir St Theatre production of A Royal Commission into the Australian Economy, written by John Clarke and Ross Stevenson, and participated in the early years of the ABC's World Series Debating.
Production
Zapruder's Other Films is a production company founded in 1989 by Denton, Anita Jacoby, and Peter Thompson. The company was named for Abraham Zapruder, the man who filmed the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Works produced by the company include:
CNNNN (2002–2003)
David Tench Tonight (2006)
Enough Rope (2003–2008)
The Gruen Transfer (2008–present)
Elders (2008–2009)
30 Seconds (2009)
Hungry Beast (2009–2011)
Gruen Nation (2010)
The Tunnel (2011)
AFP (2011)
The Joy of Sets (2011)
Randling (2012)
In early 2012, Zapruder merged with Cordell Jigsaw to form CJZ and, in June 2013, Denton sold his share of the company at the same time he announced that he was quitting television.
Literature
Denton accompanied Tony Horwitz on portions of his research for the book Spying on the South, and is a character in the narrative.
Personal life
Denton lives in Sydney. He and his wife, TV presenter Jennifer Byrne, have a son. Byrne and Denton separated for six months in 1997. He is a supporter of the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Denton is also an atheist. In 2017, Denton was diagnosed with advanced heart disease, and he underwent a successful triple bypass surgery.
Discography
Compilation albums
Singles
Awards and nominations
ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987.
!
|-
| 1993
| "I Don't Care As Long As We Beat New Zealand"
| Best Comedy Release
|
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|-
Logie Awards
Denton has been involved with the Logie Awards since the 1990s. He was the host of the awards ceremony in 1999 and 2000.
Denton was nominated for several Logie awards:
The Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television in 2008 and 2009, for his role in Enough Rope
The "Most Popular Light Entertainment Personality" award in 1994 and 1995, for his roles in Live and Sweaty and Denton
The "Most Popular Comedy Personality" award in 1996, for his role in Denton
The "Most Popular Presenter" award in 2005, 2008 and 2009, for his role in Enough Rope
References
External links
Australian male comedians
Australian atheists
Walkley Award winners
People educated at Guildford Grammar School
Living people
Television personalities from Sydney
People from the Blue Mountains (New South Wales)
Charles Sturt University alumni
Australian television talk show hosts
Australian people of Polish-Jewish descent
1960 births