Two Bob Week

Within a couple of days, I had the pleasure of seeing Mark Trevorrow embody his iconic character, Bob Downe, on two separate occasions. The first was at a recording of TGIF for ABC Radio, and the second was his solo show at the Enmore Theatre for the Sydney Comedy Festival.

TGIF for ABC Radio Sydney

A touch of wistful sadness, mingled with happiness, came over me as I stood to the side during the TGIF rehearsal at Chatswood.

I remember when TGIF first began. I was the Content Director at ABC Radio Sydney at the time. Initially, under Mike Carlton, it was a Friday “funniest week in review” type of program. When Richard Glover took over the Drive slot, TGIF evolved, largely as a studio-based show, until we decided to try it in front of a live audience.

Richard has a fondness for that 1960s BBC comedy panel show style, and I suppose TGIF, in some ways, reflected that. While I can’t recall the exact details of our first live shows, we started doing them, I believe, once a month on a Friday at ABC Radio Sydney, eventually transitioning to a weekly event.

I joked with the current Content Director at ABC Radio Sydney yesterday that when I held that role over a decade ago (actually, even longer), I never anticipated stacking as many chairs as I did. Despite being in a management position, I often found myself arranging seating for outside broadcasts and similar events. I certainly have strong memories of the great things we achieved during my time as Content Director.

That was a different chapter in my career and life. Nevertheless, I attended the live recording of TGIF. Richard Glover has since moved on, and the show is now hosted by Charlie Pickering. It broadcasts on local radio in New South Wales and Victoria, as well as on Radio National.

While it’s a different show now, it still retains some of those lovely original elements, like “The News From Nowhere” and a line-up of great comedians. For instance, at this week’s recording, we had Michael Hing (currently presenting afternoons on ABC Radio Sydney while James Valentine has been on leave), Jackie Loeb (who has been living in America for a long time and, to be honest, I had almost forgotten about), Tommy Dean (a regular on TGIF with Richard), and Rebecca De Unamuno. It was wonderful to be there and see these talented individuals, many of whom I’ve watched perform over the years.

Also performing was Mark Trevorrow as Bob Downe. It was unmistakably Mark, as I’ve known him for some time. In fact, during my tenure as Content Director at ABC Radio Sydney, I regularly featured Mark on air, mostly on evenings and late-night programming. He was terrific to work with. We also share a connection to Northern New South Wales, as he spends a fair bit of time there. He seemed to think I had actually moved up there, but I clarified that I’m still living in Sydney. It was lovely to see Mark perform on stage again.

Enmore Theatre

A few days later, the show at The Enmore was tremendous fun. Even though Bob Downe has been gracing stages for four decades, and I’ve caught many of his performances over that time, the act still felt remarkably fresh and enjoyable.

I have vivid memories from early in Bob’s career when I’d attend his shows. He often singled me out for audience interaction, which, I confess, used to make me a little flustered. Years later, having met Mark through work, I asked him about this. He explained, “You were probably wearing a white shirt or something. When you’re on stage with lights in your eyes, you instinctively look for something bright to focus on, to connect with.”

This particular Enmore show was heavily focused on great pop songs from the last 40 years, interspersed with Mark’s own experiences performing the character.

We were also introduced to some new faces, including a younger version of Bob, portrayed by actor Rupert Noffs, and Mark’s partner, Stephen Elliott, who also made an appearance. Mark was careful to clarify that this Stephen Elliott was NOT the director of “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.”

Mark was very amusing when discussing the show, joking that he continues to perform as Bob because his superannuation isn’t sufficient. Indeed, there was a significant merchandise push towards the end of the performance, and people seemed happy to purchase items as we left the theatre.

This prompted a discussion among my friends and me: Is this the last we’ll see of Bob Downe, or does the character have plenty of life left in him? Mark, now in his mid to late 60s, could certainly continue, but who knows?